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Here is a complete set of lessons for…

Lord's Prayer

Summary of all workshops in this Rotation:

  • Art: Children will explore the importance of prayer to faith as they learn about Albrecht Durer's life and create metal tooled praying hands plaques.
  • Games: Children will learn some of the vocabulary of the Lord's Prayer by playing a match game. Older children will also compare the Luke and Matthew versions of the Lord's Prayer.
  • Computer: Children will explore the meaning of the Lord's Prayer using Galilee Flyer software.
  • Cooking: Children will make Prayer Biscuits as they learn about the different types of prayer.
  • Drama: Children will experience different types of prayer as they move to different prayer stations.
  • Movement: Children will explore the emotions and feelings in the Lord's Prayer through creative movement.

Scripture References:

Grades 3-5:  NIV Adventure Bible - Luke 11:1-4, Matthew 6:9-15

Grades K-2: The Picture Bible - "The Lord's Prayer" page 621

Memory Verse: The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever
AMEN

Theme:

Children will explore the spiritual discipline of prayer and the Lord's Prayer as a model prayer, taught by Jesus.

Lesson Objectives:

  • Children will retell the story in their own words - disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray as he did.
  • Children will locate the story in the New Testament (Matthew and Luke for older children).
  • Children will explain what prayer is and why it is important.
  • Children will explore the different types of prayer.
  • Children will explain the Lord’s Prayer in their own words.
  • Older children will explore and begin to use the Lord’s Prayer as an outline or pattern for their prayers.
  • Children will memorize The Lord’s Prayer.

Music:

  1. “Books of the Old Testament,” Books of the Bible, Custom CD, Troy and Genie Nilsson.
  2. “Books of the New Testament,” Books of the Bible, Custom CD, Troy and Genie Nilsson.
  3. “Jesus, Teach us to Pray,” A Lot to Sing About, Cathy Skogen-  Soldner, 2002.
  4. “Anyplace Can Be a Place of Prayer,” A Lot to Sing About, Cathy Skogen-Soldner, 2002.
  5. “The Lord’s Prayer,” Verse 2 Verse #11, Top Kidz Scripture Songs:  Prayer and Thanksgiving, Wonder Workshop, 2003.
  6. “Your Father Knows,” Verse 2 Verse #11, Top Kidz Scripture Songs:  Prayer and Thanksgiving, Wonder Workshop, 2003.
  7. “When I Remember You,” Verse 2 Verse #11, Top Kidz Scripture Songs:  Prayer and Thanksgiving, Wonder Workshop, 2003.
  8. “We Should Pray,” Verse 2 Verse #11, Top Kidz Scripture Songs:  Prayer and Thanksgiving, 2003.
  9. “The Lord’s Prayer,” God is Watching:  Scripture Lullabies for Preschoolers, Faith Stepping Stones, Faith Inkubators, 2004.
  10. “The Lord’s Prayer Rocks,” Scripture Rock:  Rock the Word, Troy and Genie Nilsson Music, 2000.

Resources: The Lord’s Prayer, Illustrated by Tim Ladwig, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2000, ISBN 0-8028-5180-0



Background Information:

The prayer we have come to know as the Lord’s Prayer is found in two of the gospels, Matthew and Luke.  There are some differences in the two texts, and some slightly different wording used each week in worship.  In Matthew’s gospel, the Lord’s Prayer is part of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus contrasts the people who pray loudly and conspicuously for all to hear with more personal prayer. In Luke’s gospel, the disciples ask Jesus specifically to teach them to pray as he does, “Lord teach us to pray.”  Now, the disciples asked many things of Jesus, but this request was the most significant one they ever made of him. There must have been something about the way Jesus prayed, the level of intimacy he shared, the living, breathing power that was released…. Whatever it was, they wanted to have it too.  “Lord, teach us to pray…”

What is Prayer?

Prayer is communication with God. Communication includes both talking and listening. Prayer is about relationships.  By spending time with God in prayer, we grow closer to God.  Imagine what it would be like if you never spent any time, never talked with your best friend.  How long would you remain friends?  Prayer is a spiritual discipline.  Spiritual disciplines are regular practices that help us grow and mature in our faith.

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines prayer as “a solemn request or thanksgiving to God…” This somewhat “solemn” definition also promotes the common misunderstanding that prayer is all about bringing our wish list to God. The primary purpose of prayer is not simply asking God for what we want or need. After all, God knows our needs better than we do. The primary purpose of prayer is to spend time in conversation and silence with our Father. Perhaps a better definition of prayer is one by Canadian writer and teacher Jean Vanier. He describes prayer as “resting in the quiet, gentle presence of God.” Prayer is about privilege, the miraculous privilege of spending time in intimate conversation with the Creator of the universe!

Types of Prayer

There are different types of prayer and acronyms abound to help us remember them. Some of these include:  ACTS (Adoration and Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), PRAY (Praise and Thanks, Repent, Ask, Yield). Variations of a Hand Prayer provide an easy way to teach the types of prayer to children.  (I have adapted this and have used it for many years to teach the types of prayer to children.) Basically each finger stands for one type of prayer, plus silence or “listening” prayer in the palm of the hand. The types include:

  • Praise
  • Thanksgiving
  • Forgiveness/Confession
  • Intercession – for others
  • Petition – for me
  • Listening in silence – being still, listening for God’s voice

Prayer in the Old Testament

The power of prayer was not new to the Jewish people. They did not suddenly learn of its importance when Jesus came on the scene. Jewish people did not doubt the power of prayer. Jewish rabbis called prayer, “the weapon of the mouth.”  Old Testament scriptures speak of prayer:

“The Lord is near to all who call upon him,“ Psalm 145:18

“When I was in trouble, I called out to you and you answered me.”  Jonah 2:2

Praising God, thanking God, praying for one’s self and others, prayers for forgiveness – all these were integral parts of the Jewish faith. Because prayer was held in such high regard, there was a tendency to surround its practice with rules and regulations; it was prone to being formalized.

Jews formalized prayer in several ways. Prayer was formalized regarding time. Devout Jews prayed three times a day:  9:00 a.m., 12:00 noon and 3:00 p.m. (The morning prayer was ascribed to Abraham, the afternoon prayer to Isaac and the evening prayer to Jacob.) Formalism also developed around place. The “best” place to pray was in the Temple. If that wasn’t possible, then the Synagogue would do. Working men could pray where they were, but were expected to face Jerusalem. If inside the Temple, one prayed while facing the Holy of Holies.

The types or forms of prayer also became formalized. The greatest of Jewish prayers was called “The Eighteen.” Jews prayed these eighteen prayers three times a day. But beyond these eighteen prayers, there were prayers for all the events of life. There were prayers to be prayed at the sight of fruits or vegetables - “Blessed art thou who creates the fruit of the tree, the fruit of the vine, the fruit of the earth." prayers for earthquakes and lightning and thunderstorms and shooting stars - “Blessed is he whose power and might fill the world," prayers for rain and good news - “Blessed is he, the good and the doer of good," and prayers for bad news - “Blessed is he, the true judge." There were prayers to be prayed when entering and leaving a city.

The intent of all these prayers was good --  Jewish people recognized that all aspects of their lives were related to God.  No matter what happened, a faithful Jew would turn his or her heart to God.  But “pat” prayers can became rote and rituals lose their meaning when they are only formalized regulations without heart involvement or meaning.  For many of the religious leaders, the Pharisees and scribes, this was the situation. Ritual prayer had become so formalized that many in the Jewish faith had lost their way. Prayer had become self-centered and self-seeking. The focus was not God.

First century Greeks and Romans also formalized prayer practices. They believed prayer had magical properties. By repeating a precise phrase or incantation over and over, they believed they would gain the favor of a god. The more frequently and fervently they spoke these words, the more powerful the prayer would be. (Remind the children to think back to the Baal worshipers on Mt. Carmel with their frenzied cries and prayers) Jesus spoke against this “meaningless repetition” in Matthew 6:7. The actual Greek word is battalogeo. (sounds somewhat like babbling)

Jesus’ teachings on prayer

Jesus criticized those who used self-centered public prayer to draw attention to themselves. Does this mean we should never pray out loud or in public? Of course not! Corporate prayer is an important part of our faith.  It reminds us we are a community of believers. It helps others feel included and it teaches others how to pray. Flowery phrases, theological rhetoric and big words are more about impressing others than about sincerely communicating with God. Jesus had pretty harsh words for those who pray like this…“They have their reward.”  (Matthew 6:5)

The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer has been called the model prayer. Memorizing the Lord’s Prayer is a rite of passage for most Christians. This prayer is without a doubt the most prayed prayer in the world. There is value in memorizing Scripture and certainly we want our children to learn the Lord’s Prayer by heart. Learning it will help them participate more fully in worship. But we do want to avoid the danger of formalizing this prayer, (just like our Jewish forebears), and reducing it to rote ritual. Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer not so that they would have the perfect words to say, but rather so they would have a pattern or outline to use for their daily prayers.

Outline of Lord’s Prayer

(direct quote from The Prayer of Jesus:  Living the Lord’s Prayer, Ken Hemphill, Lifeway Press, Nashville, 2002)

The Three-Part Address

Our (stresses community)

Father  (stresses relationship)

Who is in heaven  (stresses authority)

The Three-Part Commitment

Hallowed be your name(commitment to holiness)

Your Kingdom come (commitment to participation)

Your will be done (commitment to obedience)

The Three Part Petition

Daily Bread  (trust for physical provision)

Forgiveness of trespasses/debts(trust for cleansing)

Deliverance from evil  (trust for power over temptation)

The Three-Part Benediction

Yours is the kingdom  (focuses on God’s rule, God’s Kingdom)

The power  (focuses on his sufficiency)

The glory  (focuses on his presence)

Our Father who art in heaven,

Our – the first word in the Lord’s Prayer is plural. Actually, all the first person pronouns in the prayer are plural. This reminds us that when we pray we are praying as part of a community. It reminds us to focus on other’s needs, not just our own.

Father -  The word Jesus used is actually translated Abba and means Papa or Daddy. John Killinger, in his book The God Named Hallowed, writes, “For Jesus to call God our heavenly Father was to make the most audacious theological statement that could ever be made.” God who created our world and everything in it, the heavens, the oceans, the forests… God who led the Hebrews out of Egypt, who spoke when Jesus was baptized, who called Abraham out of Ur to go to a new land… Think about it – this God… this amazing, powerful, all-mighty God is our Father, our daddy.

Now many Old Testament scriptures speak of God as father. The Jewish faith contains a rich heritage of images of God as father, but all of these understandings were based primarily on obligations, judgment and responsibility. First century Jews would never have addressed God with such a sense of familiarity. It was revolutionary to think of God in such an intimate way!  Without Jesus Christ, no one could think of God like this today!  Prayer is a precious privilege, made possible by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus, this intimate relationship with God is possible!

Who art in heaven – These words tell us more about God’s authority than his location. God is present throughout the world and is not confined to space or time. We say God is omnipresent – meaning God is everywhere.

Hallowed be thy name…

In ancient times one’s name was more than simply what people called you. Your name stood for your character, your nature, your personality.  (Thus we understand the many names that were given to God in the Old Testament – names that revealed God’s nature) Ancient Hebrews believed that the name of God was so holy and so powerful, that it was spoken only once a year, and then only by the High Priest when he went into the Holy of Holies. The word hallowed means holy or sanctified, or to be held in reverence.

When we pray that God’s name be hallowed, we pray that God is given all the reverence, honor and glory that his divine being deserves. It also means that we commit to keeping God’s name holy in our lives. We make God holy when we remember who God is, what God has done and when our actions reveal this.  God’s name is hallowed when all our actions are a witness to our faith. In a culture where Christianity is fast becoming irrelevant, how do we hallow God?  To hallow God, we must dedicate within our own hearts, a place to worship God.

Thy Kingdom Come…Thy Will be Done

This phrase of the Lord’s Prayer may be the central petition of the Lord’s Prayer. Certainly Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God more than any other message. So, in order to understand this prayer, we must understand what is meant by the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God (also called the Kingdom of Heaven) is better described as the reign of God or the rule of God, rather than a specific territory or region.

Christ’s teachings tell us that God’s kingdom is both a coming event and a present reality. It’s easier sometimes for us to picture the future than it is to understand the present. How can the Kingdom be here and now? What does it mean? 

Hebrew writing uses a literary practice called parallelism. Basically everything is said twice, with the second sentence explaining or expounding upon the first. The psalmists used this literary device frequently. Applying normal Hebrew parallelism to the Lord’s Prayer helps us better understand the Kingdom of God.

Thy Kingdom come;

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

The second phrase amplifies the meaning of the first; it explains that the Kingdom of God is God’s will done as perfectly on earth as it is in heaven! So, the Kingdom of God means doing the will of God. When we do God’s will, we are part of the kingdom. When we go about our everyday lives in an attitude of expectancy – and willingness to spread God’s word, we are participating in the Kingdom. When we pray for God’s will to be done in specific situations, we recall the lesson of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane – we may not be released from an ordeal we face, but we can receive the power and stamina to face it.

Give us this day our daily bread…

In this part of the prayer we pray for God to provide us with sustenance for our daily living.  We need our daily needs supplied so we can be about the work of God’s kingdom!  This part of the Lord’s Prayer teaches us to be dependent upon God to meet our needs, just as the Israelites were dependent on God for manna in the wilderness. We remember that Jesus is the “bread of life.”  We are reminded to avoid the allure of riches and the belief that we can manage on our own without God. The prayer refers to daily bread. We need not worry about the distant future. And lastly, we note that the prayer refers to “our bread.” Because we know that God will provide enough for us, we are free to share our excess with others.         

And forgive us our trespasses (debts), as we forgive those who trespass against us…

Debts, trespasses, sins… various denominations use these words interchangeably. We use the word trespass. Luke’s gospel says, “Forgive us our sins.”  Matthew’s gospel says “debts.” The word “trespass” comes from a rendering by the translator Tyndale and probably refers to the amplification in Matthew 6:14-15 – “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you…” In Aramaic, the Hebrew word for sins is choba, which in fact means debt. When Matthew’s gospel was written (remember the New Testament was written in Greek), the Greek word for “debt” was used. So, it is arguable, that the best translation is actually sins. (Regardless, we “say” trespasses when we pray this corporately…. Maybe we should petition the UMC about this!)

We all sin. We miss the mark. We disobey God. We fall short. This prayer proves the universality of sin. So, we pray for forgiveness of our sins and we also pray that we forgive those who sin (or trespass) against us.  When we are willing to forgive, we show others that we have truly been forgiven ourselves. None of us deserves forgiveness – it is a free gift from a gracious and merciful God (that is what grace is!). When we truly experience this gift of grace, it makes us more forgiving and merciful toward others.

Lead us not into temptation…

The Greek word for temptation is peirasmos. It also means “trial” or “test.” Temptation is a universal and inescapable part of the human condition. It is not outside the plan and the purpose of God. Through trials and ordeals, we grow and are strengthened. The temptation experience provides a test of our power to resist.  Origen, an early church leader, writes, “Let us pray to be delivered from temptation, not that we should not be tempted – which is impossible, especially for those on earth – but that we may not yield when we are tempted… that we may not be brought under the power of temptation… caught and captured by it.” This view of temptation is more of a victory or a conquest of it. One of the earliest interpretations, dating from Augustine’s time, reads, “Do not allow us to be led into temptation.”

John Killinger writes in The God Named Hallowed, that the temptations and trials in our country may be more insidious than those faced by first century Christians. Their forms of peirasmos were often persecution and death. “In a world where we are not imprisoned for our beliefs, and where Bibles lie about for the taking in every hotel room, we simply forget the importance of the Father in daily life, and Christ becomes a stranger to us. The very absence of pressure leads to our forgetting, our not taking it seriously, or falling away.” This is a more informal type of peirasmos, a subtle temptation, nothing big – more of a lack of making an effort.  We forget that Jesus said to pray to avoid this. We gradually drift away.  Killinger believes that more Christians are lost this way and more churches are weakened and made ineffective from this than peirasmos than anything else.

But deliver us from evil…

The translations in this clause are divided between “Deliver us from evil” and “Deliver us from the Evil One.”  The Greek reading can mean either. The word Satan means adversary. Originally, Satan was not thought to be an evil character; he simply served as man’s adversary in the courts of God. The Greek word for devil means slanderer. The goal of the Evil One is to break the relationship between God and man – to separate them for all eternity. William Barclay writes, “The Evil One is the personification of all that is against God and all that is out to ruin man in this life and in the life to come…Whether the force is personal or impersonal, it is there.” When we pray to be delivered from evil, we pray for protection against it and for strength to resist and overcome it.

The final petition of the Lord’s Prayer acknowledges the danger of the human situation, confesses our inadequacy to deal with it on our own and seeks the protecting power of God.

For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever…

The epilogue or last phrase of the Lord’s Prayer was not part of the original prayer Jesus gave to his disciples. Rather it was added by the early Church following Jesus’ death and resurrection. These words were written in response to their experiences during those exciting days. The words of David are very similar, “Thine O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty…. Thine is the kingdom, O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all.”  (1 Chronicles 29:11)  Similar language is found in the Psalms, “All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O Lord, and all thy saints shall bless thee!  They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom and tell of thy power,” (Psalm 145:10-13) Possibly, the wording came from Paul in his letter to the Romans, “…For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him, be the glory forever.  Amen.”  (Romans 11:33-36) Whatever the exact source or sources, it is clear that the early Christians were merely adding their own personal testimony to the words of Jesus. They had been on the inside of this prayer, they had seen the Kingdom and the power and the glory and they knew that it all came from the Father.

Kingdom -  We are reminded that this is what it’s all about – living for the kingdom, working for the kingdom, keeping the kingdom within our hearts.

Power - The Greek word for power is dunamis (our word dynamite and dynamic are derivatives). As we close, we remember the dynamic power of God who hears and answers all our prayers.

Glory – the word glory is often misunderstood. We use it to mean fame or honor, but when used in the Bible, glory belongs to God alone.  It means God’s presence being made known here on earth. In Old Testament times God’s glory was revealed in the burning bush and the pillar of fire that guided the Hebrews at night. In the New Testament God is made known through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen…

In Hebrew, the word Amen means “so be it” or “thus let it be.” We say Amen as our way of affirming what has been said. The word “Amen” is the one word in the Lord’s Prayer that is recognizable wherever it is prayed and whatever the language. But for Christians, the word “Amen” has come to mean even more. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we remember that we do not speak it alone, but through Christ himself, who knows us, loves us and died for us.   

The Lord’s Prayer gives us a pattern, an outline that restores God to his proper place in our prayers.  Through the Lord’s Prayer we celebrate the majesty of God, we remember the purpose of God and we accept the will of God.

FYI:

Thy/Thine – In Old English, when you spoke to someone who was a stranger or a formal acquaintance, you used the forms Ye/Your (Hear Ye, Hear Ye for example). When talking with a family member or a close friend, you used the words Thee/Thou. Now, “You” has become the word used for all acquaintances. We don’t use “thee” at all except for one place – the King James Bible!  These Old English words were kept because they seemed to show God greater respect. The ironic thing is the original meaning was the exact opposite!  So to be true to the original meaning we should change the words to you/your or understand that the words Thee/Thy actually are intended to be more familial and intimate!



Discussion Questions:

  • Why did Jesus teach this prayer to his disciples?  (they asked him, he knew it was important for them)
  • What does this prayer tell us about God’s nearness to us?  Is God near?  Or distant?
  • Explain the meanings of the words in the Lord’s Prayer:
+  Hallowed
+  Kingdom
+  Trespasses
+  Temptation
  • When do you pray?
  • Has prayer ever made a difference in your life? When and how?
  • Why do we pray to God?  (We were created to live with God and to be close to God.  Prayer helps us know God better)
  • What do we do when we pray?  (we praise God, we thank God, we say we are sorry, we pray for the needs of others and ourselves and we are still and listen for God).
  • What are the types of prayers we can pray?
  • See FAQs for more questions kids probably have!

Important Reminder:

This rotation is about prayer.  Many of us find it difficult to pray out loud or to pray in a group setting. We learn by doing. Children will learn from your example. Please make sure that all sessions open and close with prayer and that the Lord’s Prayer is recited during class time.

“Never to do something is the worst way to get any better at it.”  Ken Hemphill.



FAQs about Prayer - A Handout to help discuss children's questions

(Adapted from Over 200 Questions Children Ask about Prayer, Heaven and Angels, edited by Daryl J. Lucas, Tyndale House Publishers, 2000)

There are difficult questions about prayer for adults as well as children. Use this list as a resource as you discuss these questions with the children.

Does God listen to all prayers?

Yes, God hears all our prayers, no matter where we are or what we’re doing. God doesn’t sleep and he is always nearby.

Does God always answer prayer?  

God does hear and respond to every prayer, but the answer is not always yes. God answers yes, no and wait.  God knows us best and truly wants what is best for us. God won’t do some things. God won’t answer prayers that go against what he says in the Bible.  Some things are not so clear-cut.  Then it is wise to pray as Jesus did, “if it is your will.”

Whatever answer God gives you can be sure it is the right one. We can trust God because he is trustworthy.  We can have faith in God because he is faithful.  God wants what is best for us!

Sometimes a “wait” answer comes because we aren’t ready for it yet, or perhaps God has something better in store for us.

What should I do if it seems like God isn’t answering my prayers?

When we get discouraged, we should tell God about how we’re feeling. Don’t stop praying!  Sometimes bad things happen.  Remember that these can teach us and make our faith grow stronger. We need to keep praying for God to give us strength and keep trusting that God is working things out for good.

Why pray since God already knows what I’m thinking?

Prayer is the way God designed things to be; it’s part of God’s plan.  

Prayer is not just about asking God for stuff. Prayer is about spending time with God. By spending time with God, you will grow closer and your faith will be strengthened.  We learn something from God when we pray.

If I’ve done something wrong or been bad, can I still pray?

You can pray anytime about anything. When we’ve done something wrong it’s one of the BEST times to pray.  God wants us to pray and to admit what we’ve done and ask God to forgive us and help us grow from our mistakes.

Does prayer change God’s mind?

God’s plan and purpose when it comes to prayer is a mystery that we don’t completely understand. We know that God is omniscient – all knowing. But God has commanded us to pray and Scripture tells us that often “you do not have because you do not ask God.”  (James 4:2) God wants us to pray.  When we pray we work with God in the world – we are part of God’s Kingdom. 

Should we bother God with little things?

God truly cares about us and if something is of concern to us, it concerns God. Paul tells us “In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  (Philippians 4:6) If something is bothering us, God wants us to talk to him about it!

How does God answer our prayers?

God answers prayers in many ways. Sometimes God uses other people. Sometimes God gives us the wisdom or strength we need.  God sometimes does miracles. But almost always, as we pray and spend more time with God in prayer, God changes our hearts. This process is called sanctification – it’s a big word that means God is working on us so that we become more and more like Jesus.

Does it matter how we pray?

It doesn’t matter what position you are in, where you are, or whether your eyes are opened or closed, but our attitude about prayer does matter.  We should pray sincerely and respectfully. That means we use words that come from our hearts – and we don’t try to use big words to impress people. We also need to make sure that we don’t act silly – after all we are talking to the great all-powerful God, King of Kings and Lord of the Universe!  We should also pray alone – spending some time each day with God. Some people call this a “quiet time.”

Is it good to memorize prayers?

The good thing about memorizing prayers is that we remember them. Remembering prayers like the Lord’s Prayer can be very helpful when we are scared or lonely or facing difficult times. But the problem with memorized prayers is that sometimes we get to know the words so well, that we don’t even think about what we’re saying. God wants us to tell him our true thoughts and use our own words, too.

Why do we have to thank God for all things?

The Bible tells us to thank God in all things, not for all things. Sometimes bad things happen and God doesn’t expect us to thank him for those.  When pets die or friends move, it is sad. But God does want us to remember that He has a good plan for us and that things will be ok. We trust in God’s goodness and his love for us and we can be thankful.

What happens if we don’t pray?

When people don’t pray, they grow apart from God. It’s like two friends who never see each other or talk on the phone. Before long, they aren’t friends anymore. People who don’t pray, miss out on getting to know God better.

Is it ok to ask God for things like toys?

It’s ok to ask God for fun things like toys because we can talk with God about anything. But remember, that it doesn’t mean that we will get it for sure. It’s also important to remember that we shouldn’t ask God to give us things if we only want them for selfish reasons. And it’s certainly good to ask for things that can be used to help others.

Should we pray for kids who aren’t nice or are mean to us?

This is one of the hardest things to do, but it absolutely is one of the best things we can do to help them. We can pray for God to help us be kind and loving to them so that they will learn about God’s love through us.  We shouldn’t pray for God to punish someone, even those who are mean to us. Instead pray that these people will learn to love and trust God.

When we pray for someone not to die and they do, does that mean God doesn’t care?

No! God loves us! Every person has to die; it’s part of life.  God loves all people – that’s why he sent Jesus to take away our sins. Death is not the end. God’s people will be with God forever.



Sources:

  • Barclay, William. The Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer for Everyman. Harper and Row Publishers, 1975.
  • Hemphill, Ken. The Prayer of Jesus:  Living the Lord’s Prayer. Lifeway Press, 2002.
  • Hey God, Let’s Talk. Abingdon Press, 2000
  • Keller, W. Phillip. A Layman Looks at the Lord’s Prayer. Moody Press, 1976.
  • Killiger, John. The God Named Hallowed: The Lord’s Prayer for Today. Abingdon Press, 1988.
  • Lucas, Daryl J.ed. Over 200 Questions Children Ask About Prayer, Heaven and Angels. Tyndale, House Publishers, 2000.
  • Martin, Reverend Lisa. “The Lord’s Prayer Rotation Lesson set Trinity UCC, Pottstown, PA."  (Note: set of lessons now separated.)
  • Osborne, Rich and K. Christie Bowler. I Want to Know about Prayer.  Zondervan Publishing House, 1998.
  • Richards, Lawrence O. Richard’s Complete Bible Dictionary. World Bible Publishers, Inc., 2002.

A lesson set written by Jaymie Derden for
State Street UMC – G.R.E.A.T. Adventure program, 2012
State Street United Methodist Church, Bristol, VA

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Last edited by Luanne Payne
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The Lord's Prayer

Cooking Workshop

 

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will explore the different types of prayer by praying as they make prayer biscuits.

 

Scripture References, Memory Verse, Theme and Objectives: 

Refer to first post in this lesson set.

 


Important Note for Cooking Workshop Leaders:

 

Children LOVE to cook and create various concoctions in this workshop. But occasionally the cooking activity does not have as obvious or concrete a connection with the lesson as do some of the other workshops. Help the children make that connection by intentionally discussing the way the activity relates to the lesson of the day. Discuss during preparation, eating and clean-up times. 

 

 

Preparation and Room Set Up:

  • Review the Background Information, Behavioral Covenant, and Lesson plan.
  • Gather all necessary supplies for activities.

 

Supplies :

  • Canned biscuits – 10 per can, 1 biscuit per child
  • Cinnamon/sugar mixture
  • One stick of butter - melted
  • Muffin/cupcake liners
  • Plastic knives – one per child
  • Large paper plates – 3-4 needed
  • Parchment paper
  • Muffin tins – one muffin opening per child

 

Time Guidelines:

 

Welcome and Introductions5 minutes
Prayer Biscuits25 minutes
Bible Study15 minutes
Reflection/Closing5 minutes

 



Presentation

 

Opening-Welcome/Introduction

Welcome the children and introduce yourself. Make sure everyone is wearing a name tag. Please include the shepherd in introductions. Tell the children they will be learning about the different types of prayers and how the Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer for us.  

 

Opening Prayer:

Please begin your class with prayer each week. 

Father God, We thank you for this day and this time we spend with You and each other. Thank you for sending Jesus to teach us how to pray in a way that is pleasing to you. Thank you for listening to our prayers and answering them in a way that is best for us.In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

 

Important Teacher Notes:

 

Each workshop includes the Bible story. One of our primary goals is to improve the children’s Bible literacy!If children did not bring their Bibles from home, use the classroom Bibles. Shepherds should help the children locate the stories. Use the Background Information to help you introduce the story.

 

Remember that as the rotation progresses; the children will become more familiar with the story.  When this happens, allow the children to tell you what they know. The children should still locate the story in their Bibles every week. Use the bold headings in their Bibles to guide your discussion.  You may want to review some of the Bible notes as well.Be sure to fill in any missing information and add additional details using the Background Information to help you. One of the greatest advantages of this model is that children who come regularly learn the story in great depth.

 

Each lesson contains more Background Information and discussion questions than can be used in one session. Remember, children are studying this story for four weeks! Be sure to follow the time guidelines and leave ample time for the activity.

 

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

 

Introduce the story 

The disciples had spent a great deal of time with Jesus. They had seen how close he was to God.  They knew he spent time in prayer with God and had seen the strength and power that resulted from Jesus’ conversations with God. They knew he was close to God and they wanted to have that same kind of closeness and intimacy with God.  So, they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. The prayer that Jesus taught them is what we call the Lord’s Prayer. We are going to learn about the Lord’s Prayer and the different types of prayer today as we make special Prayer Biscuits.

 

What is Prayer? (Prayer is communication with God. Communication includes both talking and listening.)

 

Why do we pray? (Imagine what it would be like if you never spent any time, never talked with your best friend.  How long would you remain friends?  By spending time with God in prayer, we grow closer to God.)

 

What are some of the kinds of prayer? (Review with the children the Five Finger and Hand Prayer  - praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness or confession, intercession - for others, petition - for ourselves, and listening) Refer to the classroom poster of the Five Finger and Hand Prayer as a visual. (I'll take a picture of this and post it!)

 

The Lord’s Prayer is sometimes called the model or perfect prayer because it includes all these different types of prayer! Refer to the Lord’s Prayer poster in the classroom (this is an 11X17 inch poster created by typing out the Lord's Prayer onto colored paper, then laminating and posting in each classroom)

 

 

Prayer Biscuits

(Idea adapted from several posts at www.rotation.org, posted by Jan at First Presbyterian Church, Napa, and Molleary)

 

 

Advanced Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven according to package directions.
  • Set out the muffin tins and place one paper liner in each opening.
  • Tear off a wax paper sheet for each child to use as a work area.
  • Set out one plate of cinnamon sugar mix for each 2-3 children.
  • Melt butter in microwave.  

 

Directions:

  1. Have children wash their hands and put on aprons.
  2. Pass out a section of wax paper and a plastic knife for each child.
  3. Place a biscuit on each child’s piece of wax paper.
  4. Plan to make your own prayer biscuit so you can demonstrate for the children.
  5. Have children cut their biscuits into four quarters (one cut across and one cut down) using the plastic knife.  
  6. Show the children how to roll each biscuit section into a small ball.
  7. Explain that each of these four balls will represent one of the types of prayers we pray.

 

Praise and Thanks  

Praise prayers tell God how wonderful he is.  When we begin to pray, we should begin by praising God, by telling God how much we love him and describing what God is like. What are some things we can say that praise God?  (God you are:  Awesome! Amazing! Loving!  Merciful! Forgiving! Good!  Great!)  What line in the Lord’s Prayer shows praise?  (Hallowed be thy name, thine is the kingdom, power and the glory) Thanksgiving prayers let us tell God the things for which we are thankful.  These two prayers go together really well, so we’re going to put them together in one biscuit ball.  Let’s roll our first biscuit ball in the cinnamon sugar until it is lightly coated. While we do this we will pray prayers of praise to God.  

 

As children roll the first biscuit ball in the cinnamon sugar, go around the circle and have each child say “We praise you, God because you are ________.” 

 

For what are they thankful?  As they place the first biscuit ball in the muffin tins, have each child pray out loud, “Thank you God for ___________.”

 

Forgiveness  

We all do wrong things and need to ask for forgiveness.  Remember when we hurt someone else, we hurt not only them, but God, too.  We need to ask forgiveness from God and the person we’ve hurt.  When people are sincerely sorry for what they have done, we should be willing to forgive them.  What line in the Lord’s Prayer tells us that?  (We forgive those who trespass against us)

 

Take the next biscuit ball and roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture.  As you are rolling think quietly to yourself about something you have done wrong.  Pray silently, “Please God, I’m sorry for ______.  Allow ample time for children to pray silently.  Then pray, “God, we know you hear our prayers.  Thank you for forgiving us.  Please help us to not do these wrong things again.”  Place the biscuit balls in the muffin tins.

 

Intercession (For Others) 

Another type of prayer is praying for others who need God’s help, love, comfort or healing. When we ask for God to give us daily bread, we ask God to provide the things we need, so that we can live healthy lives and help to spread God’s kingdom here on earth.  When we ask for God’s Kingdom to come, we are really praying for others.  We want God’s love and peace and justice to be here on the earth, just like it is in heaven. 

 

Take the third biscuit ball and roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Think about someone who needs prayer right now.  Pray silently, “God, please help __________ with ___________.”  

 

Allow a few moments for children to pray, then pray, “Thank you God for hearing our prayers.”  Place the biscuit balls in the muffin tins.

 

Petition (For me)

We also pray prayers for ourselves.  Sometimes people feel funny praying for their own needs, but God wants us to pray.  God wants us to spend time with him just like we do our best friends.  Even though God already knows what we need, God wants us to pray about our feelings, our thoughts, our needs. It helps us become better friends with God when we pray about what’s going on in our lives.

 

Take the fourth biscuit ball and roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Think about something you want to share with God for you.  Pray silently, “Please God…..”  

 

Allow ample time for the children to pray.  Then place the biscuit balls in the muffin tins.  

The biscuit balls will be touching each other, maybe lying on top of one another.

Place the filled muffin tins in the center of the table.  

 

Listening Prayer

There’s another type of prayer that we haven’t prayed yet.  We’ve prayed praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness, for others and for ourselves.  What is left?  (Listening)  It’s also important to listen to God when we pray.  Just like when you talk with your friends, you don’t do all the talking – when we talk with God, we need to be quiet and listen for God to speak, too.  Sometimes this is the most difficult prayer to do.  But it can also be the most rewarding.  So, how do we pray listening prayers?  There are many ways.  Sometimes we just sit quietly, trying to be very still.  Sometimes we can read the Bible all by ourselves and think about what it says.  Sometimes we can lie quietly in bed at night and listen to the sounds of the night.  It feels good to be still and quiet sometimes.

 

Let’s bow our heads now, close our eyes and just quietly listen for God’s voice before we bake our biscuits. Spend 30 seconds to 1 minute in silent prayer.  

 

Have children wash their hands.Ask shepherd to wipe off the tables to clean any cinnamon/sugar while children wash their hands.

Pour the melted butter over the top of the biscuit balls.

Have children return to the table for Bible Study as the biscuits are baking. 

Bake the biscuits according to package directions.  

Have shepherd watch the oven closely to make sure the biscuits do not burn.
 

 

Bible Study: Grades K-2

The Picture Bible

Jesus taught the disciples about prayer in the Bible.

Where would we find a story about Jesus and the disciples?  (New Testament, gospels)

Help the children locate the story “The Lord's Prayer" on page 621 of The Picture Bible.  Read as the children follow along. 

 

Bible Study:  Grades 3-5

Let’s find out what Jesus teaches about prayer in the Bible.

Where would we find a story about Jesus teaching the disciples?  (New Testament, gospels)

Help the children locate Matthew 6:9-15 in their Bibles. Read as the children follow along or have a volunteer read.

  

 

Discussion:

Does this prayer sound familiar?  The words are a little different, but this is the prayer we call the Lord’s Prayer.  This prayer may be the most well-known prayer ever!  We pray this prayer every Sunday in worship.  We will pray it every week in Sunday school, too. Some of you may already know this prayer by heart.  But if you don’t, we really want you to try to learn it this month!   Read the prayer from the Lord’s Prayer Poster in the classroom as the children follow along.  Readers or those who know the prayer should read along with you.  Explain that this is the version the children should try to memorize.  

 

Review the meaning of some of the words in the prayer.  Use the Background Information for additional discussion ideas.

 

Briefly review the meaning of some of the words in the prayer. The children may ask for explanations of words or use some of these to discuss: 

 

Our Father – Jesus often called God “Abba” which means Papa or Daddy.  God wants to be as close to us as our dad or mom!

Hallowed – holy, set apart, righteous  

Thy kingdom come – God’s kingdom is right now in the hearts of people who believe in Jesus and will also come one day when Jesus returns as the real king!

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven – in heaven everything is perfect!  We want to listen to God and do what God wants here on earth, too!

Daily bread – more than food – all the things we need, so that we can be strong and spread the good news to others

Forgive – to say we’re sorry and be made right again

Trespasses – sins, the wrong things we do that separate us from God

Temptation – when we want to do something we know is wrong

AMEN – the closing of a prayer, means “so be it!” or “let it happen!”

 

Memory Verse:

Each rotation we encourage the children to memorize the Rotation Memory Verse. Review it with the children at this time. 

 

Help the children locate the memory verse in their Bibles.

 

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name

Thy Kingdom come,

thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory,

Forever,  AMEN

 

 

When biscuits are done, remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  

Pass out napkins to each child.

Enjoy your prayer biscuits together!

 

As children are eating, discuss:  

  • Why did Jesus teach this prayer to his disciples?  (they asked him, he knew it was important for them)
  • What does this prayer tell us about God’s nearness to us?  Is God near?  Or distant?
  • When do you pray?
  • Has prayer ever made a difference in your life?  How?
  • Why do we pray to God?  (We were created to live with God and to be close to God.  Prayer helps us know God better)
  • What do we do when we pray?  (we praise God, we thank God, we say we are sorry, we pray for the needs of others and ourselves and we are still and listen for God).
  • See FAQs for more questions kids probably have!

 

“Never to do something is the worst way to get any better at it.”  Ken Hemphill.

 

 

Reflection/Journal Time

The last 10 minutes should be reserved for Journal Reflection Time.This is an opportunity for processing and reflection about what children have learned. Ask the shepherds to pass out the journals, pencils, and the journals question sticker for the day. 

 

Journal Questions:

K-2:  Draw a picture of you praising God. What are you thankful for?

3-5:  Think about the types of prayer (praise, thanks, forgiveness, intercession(for others), petition (for you) and listening.  Which types do you pray the most often? The least? Try to pray each type of prayer everyday!  

 

 

Closing:

Gather the children together in a circle. Review with the children one new word or concept that they learned during this session. This rotation is about prayer. Many of us find it difficult to pray out loud or to pray in a group setting. We learn by doing. Children will learn from your example. Please make sure that all sessions open and close with prayer. Ask for prayer requests. Close in prayer, ending with praying the Lord’s Prayer together.

 

 


A lesson written by Jaymie Derden from: State Street UMC – G.R.E.A.T. Adventure

Bristol, VA
 

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

 

Attachments

Images (3)
  • Prayer Poem
  • Prayer Hand
  • Full poster - posted in classroom
Last edited by Rotation.org Lesson Forma-teer

The Lord's Prayer

Games Workshop 

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will learn some of the vocabulary of the Lord's Prayer by playing a True-False Matching Relay Game to explore the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer. Older children will also compare the Luke and Matthew versions of the Lord's Prayer.

Scripture References, Memory Verse, Theme and Objectives: 

Refer to first post in this lesson set.


Important Note for Games Workshop Leaders:

The purpose of the games workshop is two-fold:  to develop Bible skills and to reinforce that knowledge by having fun with games. The games are not frills and fluff! Playing games helps to cement the knowledge and reinforce the skills you introduce during the Bible lesson.Children learn best when actively involve, so please do not skimp on the games portion of the lesson! Follow the time guidelines to help you stay on track. Remember – in the Rotation model, children study ONE lesson or story for several weeks, so it is not necessary to cover every detail in each session.

Preparation and Room Set Up:

  1. Review the Background Information, Behavioral Covenant, Teaching Tips and Lesson plan. 
  2. Preview the Rotation Music CD.  Play the music as children arrive and during journaling.
  3. Gather necessary supplies for the activities.

Supplies:

  • Transparency sheets – ten sheets
  • Overhead projector
  • Lord’s Prayer Matching Game sheets – see attached
  • Corresponding Christian clip art to illustrate the sections 
  • Game bell (small round metal bell with a central dinger to press)

Time Guidelines:

Welcome and Introductions 5 minutes
Bible Study15 minutes
Matching Game25 minutes
Reflection/Closing 5 minutes


Presentation

Opening-Welcome/Introduction:

Welcome the children and introduce yourself. Make sure everyone is wearing a name tag. Please include the shepherd in introductions. Tell the children they will be playing a game to help them understand the Lord's Prayer better.

Opening Prayer: 

Loving and faithful God, thank you for this day and for everyone who is here today.  We thank you for listening to our prayers. Help us to learn to pray like Jesus did.  AMEN.

Important Teacher Notes:

Each workshop includes the Bible story. One of our primary goals is to improve the children’s Bible literacy!If children did not bring their Bibles from home, use the classroom Bibles. Shepherds should help the children locate the stories. Use the Background Information to help you introduce the story.

Remember that as the rotation progresses; the children will become more familiar with the story.  When this happens, allow the children to tell you what they know. The children should still locate the story in their Bibles every week. Use the bold headings in their Bibles to guide your discussion.  You may want to review some of the Bible notes as well.Be sure to fill in any missing information and add additional details using the Background Information to help you. One of the greatest advantages of this model is that children who come regularly learn the story in great depth.

Each lesson contains more Background Information and discussion questions than can be used in one session. Remember, children are studying this story for four weeks! Be sure to follow the time guidelines and leave ample time for the activity.

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

Introduce the Story

The disciples spent a lot of time with Jesus. They saw how close Jesus was to God, the Father.  They wanted that closeness, too. One day they asked Jesus to teach them to pray like he did. And Jesus taught the disciples the prayer that we know of as the Lord’s Prayer. This may be the most well-known prayer in the world.  Sometimes when we know something so well, we just say the words without even thinking about what they mean. This month, we’ve been really thinking about what prayer is all about, why we even bother to pray and especially what the special prayer, called the Lord’s Prayer really means.

  • What is prayer?  (talking and listening to God)
  • Why do we pray?  (to get closer to God, to share our feelings with God)
  • What are the five types of prayer?  (praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness or confession, intercession (for others), petition (for ourselves) and listening) 
  • When do you pray? 

Let’s read about the Lord’s Prayer in our Bibles.

Bible Study: Grades K-2

The Picture Bible

Jesus taught the disciples about prayer in the Bible.

Where would we find a story about Jesus and the disciples?  (New Testament, gospels)

Help the children locate the story “The Lord's Prayer" on page 621 of The Picture Bible.  Read as the children follow along. 

 

Bible Study:  Grades 3-5 

Where would we find the story of the Lord’s Prayer in the Bible?  (New Testament, gospels).

What we know as the Lord’s Prayer is found in two of the gospels -- Matthew and Luke. 

Let’s compare the two gospels and see how they are similar and how they are different.

Divide the children into two groups.

Assign one group Luke 11:1-4 and the other Matthew 6:9-15. 

Help them locate the scriptures in their Bibles.

Matthew 6:9-15 

  • What is the setting for Jesus’ teachings on prayer in Matthew’s gospel?  (The Sermon on the Mount – the Beatitudes -- children may have to refer back to Matthew 5) 
  • Why does Jesus tell us to pray in our room with the door closed?  (we aren’t supposed to show off with fancy prayers, trying to impress people, babbling on and on  -- remember the Baal prophets and Elijah?)
  • Does this mean we should never pray out loud at church?  (No!  but it does mean our prayers should be sincere and come from the heart)

Luke 11:1-4 

  • What is the setting for Jesus’ teachings on prayer in Luke’s gospel?  (Jesus is praying at a “certain place” while the disciples are nearby)
  • Read verses 5-9.  What does Jesus talk about here?  (someone who asks a friend to help him out, being persistent in asking for what you need)
  • Read verses 9-10.  What do you think Jesus is talking about here?  (don’t be afraid to ask God for what we need, be persistent, seek God with all our heart and we will find him)
  • Read verses 11-13.  What is Jesus telling us about God here?  (God is the perfect, loving father who wants what is best for us!)

Compare and contrast Matthew’s version with Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer:

Matthew 6:9-14

Our Father in heaven,

May your name be honored.

May your kingdom come.

May what you want to happen be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

Just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.

Keep us from falling into sin when we are tempted.

Save us from the evil one.

Luke 11:1-4

Father, may your name be honored.

May your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

As we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

Keep us from falling into sin when we are tempted.

 Which version sounds more familiar to us?  (probably Matthew’s version)

  • What about “for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever”?  (See Background Information -- this is a benediction that was added by the early church as a praise to God and a closing to the prayer)  Look up and read I Chronicles 29:11 – (it sounds the most familiar using King James or NRSV translations)  Does it sound familiar?
  • What about AMEN? (Amen means “so be it” or “let it be.")

Memory Verse

Each rotation we encourage the children to memorize the Rotation Memory Verse. Review it with the children at this time. Help the children locate the memory verse in their Bibles.

Matching Game Relay

Children will play a True-False Matching Game to explore the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer.

Supplies:

  • Transparency sheets – ten sheets
  • Overhead projector
  • Lord’s Prayer Matching Game sheets – see attached
  • Corresponding Christian clip art to illustrate the sections 
  • Game bell (small round metal bell with a central dinger to press)

Advanced Preparation:

  • Copy the game sentences onto transparency sheets.
  • Set up the overhead projector in the room facing a blank wall or screen. 
  • Optional:This could be made into a power point if you have a laptop and projector.

Introduce the Game:

When Jesus' disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus used words that were very familiar to his friends. Today, these words aren't as familiar to us; in fact they seem pretty big and strange. We're going to play a game to help us understand the meaning of these words and think about how we can say the same thing today in our own words.

Directions:

  1. Gather the children so that they are facing the blank wall.
  2. Divide the children into two teams.
  3. Place the game bell on a table between the teams, several yards away.
  4. Explain the rules of the game.  
  5. Each sentence of the Lord’s Prayer will be displayed. Several bulleted points (meanings or sentences about that part of the prayer) are listed underneath. Cover each bulleted point and reveal one at a time to teams. Teams will decide if the bulleted points are true or false.  Emphasize that each team must confer together before answering – do not allow individual children to call out answers without checking with their team first. This is important so all children feel included and visitors or infrequent attendees are not “put on the spot.” 
  6. Once a team has decided whether an answer is correct, a runner from the team will run to the game bell, ring it and call out True or False. 
  7. If correct, they are awarded a point.
  8. Play passes to the next team.  
  9. Play continues until all the questions have been answered.
  10. Team with the most points wins.

Game Questions:

Our Father who art in heaven
God likes to do arts and crafts in heaven. (False)
God’s real name is ART.  (False)
God wants to be as close to us as our very own dad or mom. (True)

What's another way to say "art in heaven"? (lives in heaven, is in heaven)
Hallowed be thy name
Your real name is “Hallowed;” “God” is just your nickname. (False)
Hallowed means HOLY.  (True)
God, you are so holy, even your name is holy!  (True)
What's another word for hallowed? (holy, awesome, majestic)
What does "thy" mean? (yours)

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
God lives in a golden palace up in the sky. (False)
Someday everything on earth will be as wonderful as it is in heaven now!  (True)  
When we follow God, we do God’s will.  (True)
If we follow God, God’s kingdom is in our hearts, too!  (True) 
Praying “Your kingdom come” means I want God to be the king of my life!  (True)
What is God's Kingdom? (something to come and something that exists now in the hearts of those who love God)
What does thy mean? (your)
What is God's will? (God's plan, what God wants for the world)

Give us this day our daily bread
If we really love God, we should eat only bread every single day.  (False)
Daily bread in this prayer means more than just food.  (True) 
When we pray this, we ask God to give us what we need each and every day so we can tell others about God! (True)

And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
When we do something wrong we should try to hide it from God.  (False)
Trespasses are sins.  (True)
We pray for God to forgive us when we do wrong things. (True)
When others do something wrong to me, it’s ok to get back at them.  (False) 
We pray for God to help us be forgiving to others, too.  (True)

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Temptation is when we want to do things that we know are wrong.  (True)
God can’t help us when we are tempted to do wrong.  (False)
We pray for God to help us be strong when we are tempted.  (True)
We pray for God to keep us from doing things or going places that will tempt us to do wrong. (True)
What does "deliver us from evil mean?" (help us from doing wrong things, when we do wrong things it often leads to doing other wrong things)

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever
God, you are the GREATEST!  (True)
God, you are all POWERFUL!  (True)
God, you’re great, but there are some things that are impossible for you. (False)
God, you will live FOREVER!  (True)
What does thine mean? (yours)
What is glory? (think about the word "glorious," amazing, fabulous, full of brilliant light)

Journal Reflection:

The last ten minutes should be reserved for journal time. This is an opportunity for processing and reflection about what the children have learned. Ask the shepherds to pass out the journals and pens/pencils. Place the journal question sticker for the day in each journal. 

Journal Questions:

Grades K-2:  Draw a picture of Jesus praying. Now draw a picture of you praying. 

Grades 3-5:  Use your own words to write a paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer . 

If you have extra time, review the Prayer FAQs Handout for more questions kids probably have!

Closing:

Gather the children together in a circle. Review with them one word or concept that they learned during today’s session. (prayer, believe, praise, thanks, confession, intercession, petition are some suggestions) Ask for prayer requests and close in prayer, ending with the Lord’s Prayer.


A lesson written by Jaymie Derden from: State Street UMC – G.R.E.A.T. Adventure
B
ristol, VA

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Last edited by Luanne Payne

The Lord's Prayer

Art Workshop 

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will explore the spiritual discipline of prayer, the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer and the Church season of Lent. They will learn about Albrecht Durer's life (and the painting of praying hands) and create metal tooled praying hands plaques.

Scripture References, Memory Verse, Theme and Objectives: 

Refer to first post in this lesson set.


Important Note for Art Workshop Leaders:

In the Art workshop the Bible lesson is explored through creative and hands-on experiences.  The children may make something that they can take home to help remind them of the monthly theme or they may work together to make something for classroom or church to display.

Preparation and Room Set Up:

  • Review the Background Information, Teaching Tips and Lesson materials.Praying Hands - Albrecht Durer
  • Gather necessary supplies. 
  • Obtain a picture of Albrecht Durer's Praying Hands (most churches have a print of this somewhere, or do an internet search.
  • Set out embossing molds and foil cut into 4.5 inch square pieces. (For the K-2nd graders, wrap the foil tightly around the molds before class). 
  • Cover the tables with old tablecloths.
  • Review the Music CD. Plan to play the music as the children arrive and during activity and journal time.

Supplies List:

  • Foil (heavy duty embossing foil available in craft stores -- gold is preferable)
  • Small dowels with point on one end, such as the type used for scratch art
  • Black paint or shoe polish
  • Cardboard frames
  • Molds of Praying hands
  • Paintbrushes
  • Tape

Time Guidelines:

Welcome and Introductions5 minutes
Bible Study15 minutes
Embossed Praying Hands25 minutes
Reflections/Closing5 minutes


Presentation

Opening-Welcome/Introduction

Welcome the children and introduce yourself. Make sure everyone is wearing a name tag. Please include the shepherd in introductions.Tell the children that they will be learning more about prayer and specifically the Lord's Prayer during this session.

Prayer

Please, begin your class with prayer each week.

Dear Heavenly Father, how amazing it is that we can talk to you through prayer.Be with us today as we learn more about prayer and how it helps us be closer to you. Amen.

Important Teacher Notes:

Each workshop includes the Bible story.  One of our primary goals is to improve the children’s Bible literacy!   If children did not bring their Bibles from home, use the classroom Bibles. Shepherds should help the children locate the stories. Use the Background Information to help you introduce the story.

Remember that as the rotation progresses; the children will become more familiar with the story.  When this happens, allow the children to tell you what they know.  The children should still locate the story in their Bibles every week. Use the bold headings in their Bibles to guide your discussion.  You may want to review some of the Bible notes as well.  Be sure to fill in any missing information and add additional details using the Background Information to help you.  One of the greatest advantages of this model is that children who come regularly learn the story in great depth.

Each lesson contains more Background Information and discussion questions than can be used in one session.  Remember, children are studying this story for four weeks!  Be sure to follow the time guidelines and leave ample time for the activity.          

 

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

Introduce the Story

The disciples were very close friends of Jesus. They paid attention to everything He said and did. They wanted to know God and have a close relationship with God like Jesus did. They were constantly learning from Jesus. They knew from living here on earth that in order to have close relationships with people, you had to spend time with them and communicate effectively with them.  That meant that you had to learn how to express your feelings and your needs, as well as listen to the feelings and needs of others.

One day the disciples saw Jesus praying and they asked Him to please teach them how to pray.  They wanted to grow closer to God through their prayers, like Jesus.

At that point, Jesus responded by giving the disciples a “model prayer.” What is this prayer called? (Lord's Prayer). It is a way of telling God everything we need and to truly open our hearts to God. The Lord’s Prayer includes all types of prayer. What are the types of prayer? 

  1. Praise
  2. Thanksgiving
  3. Forgiveness/Confession
  4. Intercession- praying for others
  5. Petition-praying for yourself
  6. Silent prayer- being still and listening to God

Right now, we are in a special season of the church year - Lent. Just like we have spring, summer, fall and winter on our monthly calendar, we have seasons on our church calendar. Who can tell me why Lent is an important season in our church? (It is a time when we prepare for the death and resurrection of our savior, Jesus).

Lent is a period of 40 days that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. One way to prepare or get ready is to pray. Prayer is how Jesus prepared for His death and resurrection. Jesus knew what God wanted Him to do here on earth and he accept His plan.  There is not one perfect prayer to pray, but we can use the guidelines that Jesus gave us to know how to pray and to prepare for the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Bible Study: Grades K-2

The Picture Bible

Jesus taught the disciples about prayer in the Bible.

Where would we find a story about Jesus and the disciples?  (New Testament, gospels)

Help the children locate the story “The Lord's Prayer" on page 621 of The Picture Bible. Read as the children follow along.

We say the Lord’s Prayer a little differently than it is printed here in this Bible. Sometimes we memorize something and get so used to reciting it that we don’t really pay attention to what we say and what it means.

Before we review the Lord’s Prayer that we say in church, let’s go over a few words:

Thy- Your

Hallowed- Holy

Trespasses- sins or things that we say or do that hurts someone as well as makes God sad

Thine- Yours

Temptation- makes you want to do bad things or make bad choices

First, He wanted us to recognize that God was our heavenly father and holy.

Our Father, who art in heaven

Hallowed (holy) be Your name

He wanted us to recognize that God was here with us on earth. God wants what is best for us, so we should want that too.

Thy kingdom come;Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

He wanted us to be dependent on God for all of our daily needs and recognize that God feeds our spirits with the “Bread of Eternal Life,” just as we fill ourselves with food.

Give us this day, our daily bread

He wanted us to realize that we will make mistakes and hurt others.  We need to ask forgiveness from God for our sins, forgive others to hurt us, and trust that God has the power to forgive.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

We should ask God to help us not want to make bad choices or do things that will hurt others

And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil

Finally, we should pray that we recognize how powerful God is and that He has the ability to do anything He thinks is best in our life.  We should ask for God to use us as a way to show others His presence here on earth.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever

What is prayer?  (talking and listening to God)

Why do we pray?  (to get closer to God, to share our feelings with God)

What are the five types of prayer?  (praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness or confession, intercession (for others), petition (for ourselves) and listening)

When do you pray?

 

Bible Study - Grades 3-5

What we know as the Lord’s Prayer is found in two of the gospels -- Matthew and Luke.  Let’s compare the two gospels and see how they are similar and how they are different.

Divide the children into two groups.

Assign one group Luke 11:1-4 and the other Matthew 6:5-15. 

Help them locate the scriptures in their Bibles.

Have them bookmark both so they can go back and forth as needed,

 Read Matthew 6:5-15

  • What is a hypocrite? (Someone who professes to believe something they don’t really feel)
  • Why does Jesus tell us to pray in our room with the door closed?  (we aren’t supposed to show off with fancy prayers, trying to impress people, babbling on and on  -- remember the Baal prophets and Elijah?)
  • Does this mean we should never pray out loud at church?  (No!  but it does mean our prayers should be sincere and come from the heart)

Read Luke 11:1-4

  • What is the setting for Jesus’ teachings on prayer in Luke’s gospel?  (Jesus is praying at a “certain place” while the disciples are nearby.)
  • Which version sounds more familiar to us?  (probably Matthew’s version.)
  • What about AMEN?  Amen means “so be it” or “let it be."         

 Sometimes we memorize something and get so used to reciting it that we don’t really pay attention to what we say and what it means. Jesus did not tell us to only pray the words He spoke, but He did want us to do certain things when we prayed.

Use the above line by line discussion with this age group as well.

Memory Verse

Each rotation we encourage the children to memorize the Rotation Memory Verse. Help the children locate the memory verse in their Bibles. Review it with the children at this time.

Embossed “Praying Hands”

(Molds, foil, frames, and complete kits are available from S&S Crafts catalog, www.ssww.com)

Introduce the Activity

Show the picture of Praying Hands to the children and ask if they have ever seen it before. 

Using the attached handout, paraphrase the story of Albrecht Dürer.

Supplies:

  • Foil (heavy duty embossing foil available in craft stores -- gold is preferable)
  • Small dowels with point on one end, such as the type used for scratch art
  • Black paint or shoe polish
  • Cardboard frames
  • Molds of Praying hands
  • Paintbrushes
  • Tape

Advanced Preparation:

  1. Cut foil into squares .5 inch larger than the mold
  2. Put small amount of black paint in paint palette for kids to share
  3. Set out molds, foil, dowels, paint and paintbrushes

Directions:

  1. Lay the plaque/mold, raised side down, on the foil. The foil should be a little larger than the plaque.
  2. Wrap the edges of the foil tightly around the edges of the mold.
  3. To make sure that the foil is as tight as possible, turn the four corners down.
  4. Turn the plaque over (foil side up) and bring your thumbs to the center and press out toward the corners.
  5. Continue pressing the foil down with your thumbs from the center to the edges, until you have a clear image of the design and the four edges will be visible on foil.
  6. Fold the foil to the back, around the edges of the mold.
  7. Using the blunt end of the dowel, go around the outline of the design very carefully, making sure you have gone over all recessed areas of the design.
  8. Turn the tool over and carefully use the pointed end to press all of the small indentations of the design. Be sure not to let the tool slip and mark the background.
  9. Leaving the foil on the mold, dip the brush in the paint and cover the entire design.
  10. When the paint is tacky, wipe it away gently. The paint will remain in recessed areas. (If the paint dries too much, a damp cloth may be used to remove the excess paint).
  11. While the paint is drying, give children a cardboard frame and allow them to write either part of the Lord’s prayer around the edge, their name or “Lord, teach us to Pray.”
  12. Once the paint has dried, remove the foil from the mold and tape it to the back of the cardboard frame.

Modifications for younger children: Perform steps 1-6 before class.

Reflection/Journal Time:

The last ten minutes should be reserved for journal time. This is an opportunity for processing and reflection about what the children have learned. Ask the shepherds to pass out the journals and pens/pencils. Place the journal question sticker for the day in each journal.

Journal Questions:

Grades K-2:.Draw a picture of praying hands.

Grades 3-5: What is something new you learned about God today?

Closing:

Gather the children together in a circle. Review with them one word or concept that they learned during today’s session. (prayer, praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness or confession, intercession, petition and Lent are a few suggestions). Ask for prayer requests and close in prayer, ending with the Lord's Prayer.


Story of Albrecht Durer and the Praying Hands

http://www.barefootsworld.org/albrechtdurer.html

Below is a wonderfully touching story about Dürer's Praying Hands that is circulated widely. It tells of Dürer doing his creation in appreciation of a brother who went to work in the mines to support Albrecht's education. There his hands were deformed. There is no credible source for this story. It appears to be a relatively modern work of myth and fiction.

The Praying Hands

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.

Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Dürer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy. After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Dürer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Dürer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no."

Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ... for me it is too late."

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Dürer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Dürer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Dürer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."

The next time you see a copy of The Praying Hands, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one - no one - - ever makes it alone!

~Source Unknown~


Images in this post are in the Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons: "Praying Hands" by Albrecht Dürer (1508)


A lesson written by Jaymie Derden from: State Street UMC – G.R.E.A.T. Adventure
Bristol, VA

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

 

Last edited by Luanne Payne

The Lord's Prayer

Computer Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will review the story using Galilee Flyer (3-5) and Kid Pix 4 or the newer "3D" version (Grades K-2).

Note: Galilee Flyer software is now available for FREE to our Supporting Members. Look here!

Scripture References, Memory Verse, Theme and Objectives

Refer to first post in this lesson set.


Notes for Computer Workshop Leaders:

This workshop can always use extra hands, especially for the younger children.  Ask the shepherds to sit with the children at a computer station and help with navigation, reading text and discussion.  At the 11:00 session, use your shepherds and the 5-6 grade helpers.  You might also want to pair older students with younger ones.  As much as possible, try to sit with your students as you go through the software together.  The lesson is not what’s on the computer.  It’s what you and the students do with what’s on the computer.  Guide your students through the content, share yourself and facilitate their sharing with each other.  Model your enthusiasm for the Word of God.  Please make sure that children take turns at the mouse and keyboard.  If necessary, use the timer in the room to help the children switch roles.

Software Needed:

  • Galilee Flyer (Grades 3-5)
  • Kid Pix 4 or the newer "3D" version (Grades K-2)

Advanced Preparation and Room Set Up:

  • Read the Background Information, teaching tips and lesson plan.
  • Preview the software: You MUST take time to practice with the software before your classroom session. Read all the attached teaching tips and handouts (Galilee Fllyer guide is available at https://www.rotation.org/forum...r-children-and-youth). The older children should be able to master navigating the plane, however you will need to assist them with tips and troubleshooting. Please plan to visit the computer lab (or borrow a CD) and spend at least 30 minutes working with it.

  • Copy handouts – one for each computer station and for each shepherd.

  • Turn on computers, insert CDs and open programs to main menu before children arrive.

  • If you want to use headphones, remove the plugs to the speakers and insert the headphone plug into the proper port.

Time Guidelines:

Welcome and Introductions5 minutes
Bible Study10 minutes
Computer Exploration30 minutes
Closing5 minutes





LESSON PLAN

Opening-Welcome/Introduction:

Welcome the children and introduce yourself. Make sure you are wearing your name tag and help the shepherd distribute the children's name tags. Always begin each class with introductions. Remember that workshop leaders rotate often, and the children may not know you. Please include the shepherds in introductions. Tell the children that today they will be exploring the story of the Lord’s Prayer using some fun software.

Opening Prayer

Please open class with prayer each week. Loving God, We praise you and we thank you for all you do for us. Help us learn to pray like Jesus did so we can be close to you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Important Teacher Notes:

Each workshop includes the Bible story.  One of our primary goals is to improve the children’s Bible literacy! If children did not bring their Bibles from home, use the classroom Bibles. Shepherds should help the children locate the stories. Use the Background Information to help you introduce the story.

Remember that as the rotation progresses; the children will become more familiar with the story.  When this happens, allow the children to tell you what they know. The children should still locate the story in their Bibles every week. Use the bold headings in their Bibles to guide your discussion.  You may want to review some of the Bible notes as well. Be sure to fill in any missing information and add additional details using the Background Information to help you.  One of the greatest advantages of this model is that children who come regularly learn the story in great depth.

Each lesson contains more Background Information and discussion questions than can be used in one session.  Remember, children are studying this story for four weeks!  Be sure to follow the time guidelines and leave ample time for the activity.

BIBLE STUDY & DISCUSSION

Introduce the story

What is Prayer? Prayer is communication with God.  Communication includes both talking and listening.)

Why do we pray? (Imagine what it would be like if you never spent any time, never talked with your best friend.  How long would you remain friends?  By spending time with God in prayer, we grow closer to God.)

What are some of the kinds of prayer?   (Review with the children the six types of prayer: praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness or confession, intercession - for others, petition - for ourselves, and listening)

The Lord’s Prayer is sometimes called the model or perfect prayer because it includes all these different types of prayer! Refer to the Lord’s Prayer poster in the classroom.

Bible Study: Grades K-2

The Picture Bible

Jesus taught the disciples about prayer in the Bible.

Where would we find a story about Jesus and the disciples?  (New Testament, gospels)

Help the children locate the story “The Lord's Prayer" on page 621 of The Picture Bible.  Read as the children follow along.

Bible Study:  Grades 3-5

NIV Adventure Bible

Where would we find a story about Jesus teaching the disciples?  (New Testament, gospels)

Help the children locate Matthew 6:9-15 in the NIV Adventure Bible.  Read as the children follow along or have a volunteer read.

Discussion:

Review some key words in the prayer:

Trespasses = debts = sins (see background information)

Ask the children if they have any questions about any of the words in the prayer.

Children will discuss the story as they move through the software.

Memory Verse:

Each rotation we encourage the children to memorize the Rotation Memory Verse. Help the children locate the memory verse in their Bibles. Review it with the children at this time.

Computer Activity:  The Lord’s Prayer (Grades K-2)

Supplies: Kid Pix 4 or the newer "3D" version

Advanced Preparations:

  • Familiarize yourself with the software before class.
  • Before class, insert CDs into computers and open to the Main Menu.
  • Make copies of the navigation handouts for each computer station and each shepherd.
  • Copy and cut apart the parts of the Lord’s Prayer.

Directions:

  1. Gather children around the large teaching screen to demonstrate how to use some of the basic drawing tools.
  2. Hand out one part of the Lord’s Prayer to each computer station.
  3. Divide children into pairs at the computer stations. If you have enough help, assign a helper for each computer station.
  4. Children will illustrate their assigned part of the Lord’s Prayer.
  5. Have children type the phrase in a text box in their illustration.
  6. When finished, print out each illustration. Bring children together to the center table and share the illustrations.  Put the illustrations in order and recite the Lord’s Prayer together.



Computer Activity:  Galilee Flyer (Grades 3-5)

Supplies: Galilee Flyer software for PCa picture from Galilee Flyer software

Advance Preparation:

You MUST take time to practice with the software before your classroom session. Read all the attached teaching tips and handouts (found here). The older children should be able to master navigating the plane, however you will need to assist them with tips and troubleshooting. Please plan to visit the computer lab (or borrow a CD) and spend at least 30 minutes working with it.  

  • Open Galilee Flyer program by clicking on the desktop prior to children arriving.
  • Click on Options and select EASY.
  • Copy Helpful Hints handout for each computer station.
  • Place a copy of the map of Galilee at each computer station.


Directions:

NOTE: The translation used in this game is the NRSV. We are using the NIV. Be sure to cover the differences in terms as described in the Bible Study part of the lesson. (debts/debtors = trespasses, which all = sins).

  1. Gather the children together at the teaching screen and demonstrate some of the navigational basics for them.
  2. Review the map of Galilee with the children. Explain that they will be flying a tri-plane over the landscape shown on the map.  
  3. Their mission is to collect all 8 verses of the Lord’s Prayer by locating a V scroll.  These are found floating in the air.  When their plane flies near the scroll a pop-up window will display the first half of the Lord’s Prayer phrase.  They must correctly select the second half of the phrase from a list of choices.
  4. Q (for Question) letters are also floating in the area. When they fly near the Q a pop-up window will display a question. If answered correctly, this adds to the players’ ranking. The V and Q symbols in the upper left hand corner of the screen turns green when near a V or Q.  (they disappear or turn red or yellow as you move away from the V and Q).
  5. Divide the children and send to computer stations. Two or three players can play at each computer. There are three important jobs. Be sure to trade off after about 5-10 minutes so everyone has a turn to fly the plane!  
  6. First player controls plane speed by using the A and Z keys (A – fast, Z slow).  
  7. Second player controls the navigation of the plane by using the arrow keys (up arrow moves the plane down, down arrow moves the plane up, left and right arrows turn the plane).  
  8. A third player can click the mouse and keep track of the V and Q positions and watch the compass on the top of the screen. This will be very helpful as children try to locate the V and Q scrolls.
  9. Children should start out by flying to Mt. Hippus (straight ahead) and read the text there.
  10. Children should look for Jesus standing in the grass. When you pass near him, slow down and land the plane to hear him talk about prayer.
  11. If children retrieve all the Verse Scrolls and answer all the Questions, they may simply fly around the landscape, practice landing, visit the different ruins, etc.
  12. Be sure to tell the children that answering more quickly does NOT improve their score. Wrong answers DO hurt because they must then pick up the verse again.  Think before answering!
  13. Be sure to leave about 5-10 minutes at the end of class for closing discussion – see below.

Large Group Discussion and Reflection:

About 5-10 minutes before the end of the class session, gather children around one computer. Fly to the Discussion Ruins in the SE region and land there. Leave this pop-up window open to discuss the questions found there.

  1. Prayer is a personal sharing between you and God. In the Lords’ Prayer, Jesus taught us both the attitude and subjects we should include in this sharing. What is your attitude about prayer? When do you pray and how often? What could you do to improve your personal sharing time with God?
  2. Prayer is a time when you talk to God about your life, your needs and the needs of others. Prayer is also a time to listen for God’s voice and feel God’s presence. What prayer times, places and habits can help you prepare yourself to listen for God? What does God’s voice sound like?
  3. God knows everything about you. God knows what’s going on inside you and around you. What is the purpose of telling God what God already knows?  How does it make you feel knowing that God knows so much about you?



Helpful Hints For Navigating Galilee Flyer

For more information about the game, teaching tips and navigational tips, click here.

Airspeed:  The airspeed will quickly reach 300-400 mph.  It’s much easier to catch the scrolls if you slow down to 150 mph or so.  Just don’t go too slow or you won’t make it over the mountains!

Landing:  To land the plane, gradually slow your speed using the Z key and lower the plane using the up arrow.  Landing on the runway is tricky – I never did master it, but I’m sure the kids will get it! Be ready to resume flying after you click out of each verse/question panel.  If you are headed straight for a mountain, you will immediately crash!  Watch your approach!  (Believe me, I did this numerous times!)

To kill your engine, continuously press the Z key.

Q and V icons:  Q and V icons light up red, yellow and GREEN as you fly closer to them.  Watch closely to find the hidden icons.  The icons don’t go away once you correctly match them.  The counter on the upper right hand of the screen tells you how many verses you still need to locate.

Crashing the Plane:  The program will allow you three crashes before you have to start over.  Watch out for mountains, trees and buildings!  Also, if you fly too far past the mountains into the outer boundary you will crash!  (the Outer Boundary is where the mountains stop and you can’t see them in the distance.

Compass:  Use your compass!  Assign a navigator to watch this so you will know where you have been and where you need to go next.  A systematic approach to scouring the landscape is best.

Pausing:  To pause the game, press the PAUSE button on the keyboard.  Press Pause again to un-pause and continue playing.

Location of Scrolls:  These change each time the game is played.  Many times the majority of the scrolls are located around the Sea of Galilee, but in some you must venture into the outer regions.

Videos:  Do not listen to the videos for this session. If you fly by them and are asked if you want to listen, click NO.

If you have extra time, review the Prayer FAQs Handout for more questions kids probably have!

Closing:

Gather the children together. Review with them one word or concept that they learned during today’s session. (prayer, silence, faith are some suggestions) Ask for prayer requests and close in prayer, ending with the Lord’s Prayer.


Handout:  Helpful Hints for Flying:

(Copy one for each computer station.)

Airspeed:  The airspeed will quickly reach 300-400 mph.  It’s much easier to catch the scrolls if you slow down to 150 mph or so.  Just don’t go too slow or you won’t make it over the mountains!

Landing:  To land the plane, gradually slow your speed using the Z key and lower the plane using the up arrow.  Landing on the runway is tricky – and takes some practice!  Be ready to resume flying after you click out of each verse/question panel.  If you are headed straight for a mountain, you will immediately crash!  Watch your approach! To kill your engine, continuously press the Z key.

Q and V icons:  Q and V icons light up red, yellow and GREEN as you fly closer to them.  Watch closely to find the hidden icons.  The icons don’t go away once you correctly match them.  The counter on the upper right hand of the screen tells you how many verses you still need to locate.

Crashing the Plane:  The program will allow you three crashes before you have to start over.  Watch out for mountains, trees and buildings!  Also, if you fly too far past the mountains into the outer boundary you will crash!  (the Outer Boundary is where the mountains stop and you can’t see them in the distance.

Compass:  Use your compass!  Assign a navigator to watch this so you will know where you have been and where you need to go next.  A systematic approach to scouring the landscape is best.

Pausing:  To pause the game, press the PAUSE button on the keyboard.  Press Pause again to un-pause and continue playing.

Location of Scrolls:  These change each time the game is played.  Many times the majority of the scrolls are located around the Sea of Galilee, but in some you must venture into the outer regions.

Videos:  Do not listen to the videos for this session.  If you fly by them and are asked if you want to listen, click NO.


The Lord’s Prayer (for K-2 graders)

Directions: Cut apart the following "one liners" from the Lord's Prayer and pass out one per computer station. Children will illustrate this portion of the Lord’s Prayer.)

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever!


A lesson written by Jaymie Derden from: State Street UMC – G.R.E.A.T. Adventure
Bristol, VA

Attachments

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  • Galilee Flyer
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Last edited by Luanne Payne

The Lord's Prayer

Drama Workshop 

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Through six different "stations," children will explore the six types of prayer – praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness, intercession, petition and listening.

Scripture References, Memory Verse, Theme and Objectives 

Refer to first post in this lesson set.


Preparation and Room Set Up: 

  • Review the Background Information, Behavioral Covenant, Teaching Tips and Lesson plan. 
  • Preview the Rotation Music CD.  Play the music as children arrive and during journaling.
  • Set up the six stations. This activity works best if you can use different rooms (that are close together to limit transit time). If that's not possible, just set up the stations in different areas in a large room.
  • Draw a heart on one of your palms using a permanent marker.

Supplies:

  • Lunch sack for each child.
  • Individual supplies listed for each station - see below.
  • Pillar candle
  • Individual candles with paper collars (ask to borrow the Christmas eve candles) – one for each child
  • Matches or candle lighter
  • Small table 
  • Bible
  • Memento:  Birthday candles – one for each child
  • Tray
  • Variety of household items such as:  crayons, cookie cutter, eraser, candle, flashlight, salt and pepper, candy, scissors, hammer, spoon, microphone, etc.
  • Memento:  Thank you cards – one for each child
  • Water based markers - one per child
  • Hand wipes
  • Paper towels 
  • Map of the world taped to wall
  • Mementos:  Globe stickers – one per child and Bandaids – one per child 
  • Small plastic zip-loc baggies – one per child
  • Paper lunch sacks – three or four
  • Soft, quiet music on CD – nature sounds (available at most discount stores, or download from internet and burn onto a CD) 
  • A pillow for each child 
  • Heart sticker or permanent marker 

Time Guidelines:

Welcome and Introductions 5 minutes
Prayer Stations40 minutes
Closing 5 minutes


Presentation

Opening-Welcome/Introduction

Welcome the children and introduce yourself. Make sure everyone is wearing a name tag. Please include the shepherd in introductions. Explain to the children that they will learn about the different types of prayer during the morning’s activities. The Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer because it incorporates all these types of prayer.

Opening Prayer  

Amazing God, Thank you for this day and for everyone who is here today. We thank you for listening to us through our prayers. Please help us learn to pray as Jesus did so we can be closer to you. Be with us this morning as we learn more about you.  AMEN.

Important Teacher Notes:

Each workshop includes the Bible story.  One of our primary goals is to improve the children’s Bible literacy!   If children did not bring their Bibles from home, use the classroom Bibles. Shepherds should help the children locate the stories. Use the Background Information to help you introduce the story.

Remember that as the rotation progresses; the children will become more familiar with the story.  When this happens, allow the children to tell you what they know.  The children should still locate the story in their Bibles every week. Use the bold headings in their Bibles to guide your discussion.  You may want to review some of the Bible notes as well.  Be sure to fill in any missing information and add additional details using the Background Information to help you.  One of the greatest advantages of this model is that children who come regularly learn the story in great depth.

Each lesson contains more Background Information and discussion questions than can be used in one session.  Remember, children are studying this story for four weeks!  Be sure to follow the time guidelines and leave ample time for the activity. 

 

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

Introduce the Story

The disciples spent a lot of time with Jesus. They saw how close Jesus was to God, the Father.  They wanted to be that close, too. So one day they asked Jesus to teach them to pray like he did.  And Jesus taught the disciples the prayer that we know of as the Lord’s Prayer. This story is found in the New Testament in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. 

  • What is prayer?  (talking and listening to God)
  • Why should we pray?  (to get close to God)  
  • Think about the people close to you – your friends and family – how would your relationship be different if you never talked with each other?  Prayer is time we spend with God – getting to know God better and drawing close to God)

Did you know that there are different types of prayers? Prayer isn’t just giving God our wish list – like Santa Claus…. There are actually six different types of prayers.  When we pray it’s good to include these different types of prayers. You can use your hand to help you remember the different types of prayers.  (refer to the poster in the room)

Five Finger Hand Prayer 

(by Jaymie Derden, 2003)

My hand can teach me how to pray (hold up hand with fingers folded in)
This is how I’ll pray each day.

I’ll praise you God, you are the best (extend thumb)
You’re Awesome God, you never rest!

Thank you for all you give and do (extend index finger)
For friends, my family and blessings true.

Forgive me God for all my sin (extend middle finger)
I’m sorry I messed up again.

I pray for others who need you too (extend ring finger)
Please be with them in all they do.

Next, I pray, dear Lord, for me (extend pinkie finger)
Help me become what you want me to be.

But my prayer to you isn’t done until (point to the heart in the center of your palm)

I listen for you, being quiet and still!
(I have a poster that show this… I will post soon, I promise!)

Prayer Stations

Explain that the children will learn about the different types of prayer by visiting six different stations. Pass out a lunch sack to each child. Have children write their names on the sack.  At each station, children will receive a memento to place in their sack, reminding them of the specific type of prayer.

Supplies:

  • Lunch sack for each child.
  • Individual supplies listed for each station - see below.

Advanced Preparations and Special Directions:

  • Be sure to set up each station, according to station directions below BEFORE THE CHILDREN ARRIVE.  You won’t have time between stations to set up the supplies. 
  • Keep a close eye on the time.  Plan to spend no more than 5 minutes in each station.  While timing is very tight, we don’t want the children to feel rushed.    
  • Feel free to use any classrooms that are not being used. Suggested rooms are listed for each station. 
  • Gather the mementos for each station and place in a container labeled with the station number and name.  (For example:  Station 1:  Praise Prayers)  Put the labeled containers in the correct station room.
  • Be sure to move to the next station before the children, so you are seated in the room and ready to move quickly into the next activity. The shepherds will distribute the station mementos as you leave, and then bring the children to the next station. 
  • Shepherds will play a key role in this workshop. They will need to participate with the children, help maintain the children’s attention, help distribute mementos at the end of each station (as you are leaving) and bring the children to each station.
  • (Shepherds will receive notes about these specific responsibilities, but be prepared to distribute the shepherd instructions attached to this lesson.)

Station 1 – Praises by Candlelight! 

(Adapted from Hooray, Let’s Pray, Group Publishing, 1997)

Supplies:

  • Pillar candle
  • Individual candles with paper collars (ask to borrow the Christmas eve candles) – one for each child
  • Matches or candle lighter
  • Small table 
  • Bible
  • Memento:  Birthday candles – one for each child

Directions:

  1. Place the pillar candle on a table in the center of the room.
  2. Light the candle and ask the children to gather in chairs around the table.
  3. Say:  Now we’re going to offer prayers of praise to God. Long ago in the Old Testament, people gave burnt offerings and sacrifices to God. That was their way of telling God how wonderful and awesome he was.  
  4. Read Psalm 145.
  5. What are some words we can use to tell God how wonderful he is?  
  6. Light a candle from the pillar candle and say, God I praise you because you are ______. 
  7. Invite each child to take a candle and follow your example.
  8. Say:  Look around our room. It is glowing because we have given God glory for the wonderful things he has done.
  9. Close with this prayer: We praise you God, for who you are – amazing, awesome and wonderful!  AMEN.
  10. Carefully blow out the candles and place on the table. 

Memento:  While you move to the next station, have the shepherds distribute a birthday candle to children, placing these in their prayer sacks. Then have shepherds bring children to Station 2.


Station 2:  “Thankful Stuff” Prayers!  

(Adapted from Hooray!  Let’s Pray, Group Publishing, 1997)

Supplies:

  • Tray
  • Variety of household items such as:  crayons, cookie cutter, eraser, candle, flashlight, salt and pepper, candy, scissors, hammer, spoon, microphone, etc.
  • Memento:  Thank you cards – one for each child

Directions:

  1. Place the items on the tray and set the tray in the center of the rug.
  2. Invite children to sit in a circle around the tray.
  3. Thanksgiving prayers are another type of prayer.  Think about how you feel when someone thanks you!  It’s important for us to remember to thank God for all He does for us!  Sometimes when we are feeling down, or having a bad day, finding something for which we are thankful, will really cheer us up.  It helps us grow closer to God.  We can always find something to be thankful for!
  4. Choose an item from the tray and use it to say a thanksgiving prayer to God.  For example:  Choose the flashlight and say, “Thank you God for being the light of the world.”
  5. Choose additional items from the tray, one at a time and have the children work together to compose thank you prayers to God.  Repeat them as a group.
  6. Close with this prayer.  “Thank you God for ALL the ways you bless us each and every day.  Help us to have a grateful heart at all times.”

Memento:  While you move to the next station, have the shepherds distribute a thank you card to the children, placing these in their prayer sacks. Then have shepherds bring children to Station 3.


Station 3:  Forgiveness Prayers!

Supplies:  

  • Water based markers - one per child
  • Hand wipes 
  • Paper towels 

Memento:  Small individually wrapped bars of soap – such as those available in hotels – one for each child. Optional:  label with “Wash Away My Sins”

Directions:

  1. Invite children to sit around the table.
  2. Everyone makes mistakes; we all do wrong things sometimes. What are these wrong things called?  (sin)  
  3. The third type of prayer is forgiveness prayers.  When we pray these prayers, we tell God what we have done wrong. We tell God we are truly sorry for what we have done and we ask God to forgive us.  Sometimes these prayers are called confession prayers because we are confessing that we are guilty.  If we are truly sorry, God promises to forgive us the wrong things we do.  
  4. Think about something that you have done that was wrong.  Maybe you were mean to someone.  Maybe you told a white lie to your parents or teacher.  Maybe you said something mean about someone else.  Maybe you got in a fight with someone or cheated in a game.  You may have thinking time as I pass out these markers.  
  5. Pass out one marker to each child.  
  6. Have children write the sin onto the palm of your hand using the marker (Younger children may simply use a dark marker to make a mark on their palm). 
  7. Remember, God has promised to forgive us, if we are truly sorry, and ask for forgiveness.  Now silently, pray asking God to forgive you for what you did.  Ask God to help you be stronger next time so you make this same mistake again.  
  8. Allow a few moments for the children to pray silently.  
  9. Good news!  God forgives us!  When God forgives us, he wipes away our sin!
  10. Pass out the wipes and have the children use the wipes to clean the marker from their hands.
  11. How does it feel to know that God will forgive us if we are sorry and ask?
  12. Close with this prayer:  Dear God, We make so many mistakes. We know that we do wrong things all the time. Please forgive us for these sins. Please help us stay close to you. Please help us next time so we can grow stronger and not do the wrong things again. AMEN.

Memento:  While you move to the next station, have the shepherds distribute the small bars of soap to the children, placing these in their prayer sacks. Then have the shepherds bring the children to Station 4.


Station 4:  Pray for Others! 

Supplies:

  • Map of the world taped to wall
  • Mementos:  Globe stickers – one per child and Bandaids – one per child 

Directions:

  1. Invite children to come and sit around the table (or if too many children) sit in a circle on the rug.
  2. The next type of prayer is prayer for others. This type of prayer is called Intercession prayer. We ask God to be with people who are hurting, or hungry, sick or sad.  God answers these prayers in different ways. Sometimes God heals the sick, or brings food to the hungry through other people. Sometimes just knowing God is there and that he cares helps. We always need to remember that God knows best – he sees SO MUCH more than we do!  We can pray for people who are close by or far away. Now we’re going to say prayers for others around the world.
  3. Ask for a volunteer to come to the map, cover his/her eyes and place one finger on the map. 
  4. Read off the place that is pointed out. As a group, pray for the people in that place.  For example:  “Dear God, we pray for the people of ________.  Please help them know you and grow close to you. Please keep them safe. Please take care of their needs. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”    
  5. Repeat with several volunteers and several different places.
  6. Close with this prayer:  Dear God, we see so many people around us who need you.  Please help them. Please help us remember to pray for others each day. AMEN” 

Memento:  While you move to the next station, have the shepherds distribute the bandaids and globe stickers to the children, placing these in their prayer sacks.  Then have the shepherds bring the children to Station 5.


Station 5:  Candy Prayers 

(Adapted from Hooray!  Let’s Pray, Group Publishing, 1997)

Supplies:

  • Small plastic zip-loc baggies – one per child
  • Paper lunch sacks – three or four

Mementos:  Four types of candy (one piece of each kind per child):  

  • sweet candy (such as star-burst or lifesaver)
  • Sour candy:  sour gummies or sour drops
  • Hot candy:  red hots or cinnamon drops
  • Chocolate:  hershey’s kisses 

Advanced Preparations:

  1. Prepare a grab-bag by putting four types of candies into a lunch sack.  Prepare several grab bags.
  2. Prepare treat bags for children by placing one of each type of candy (sweet, sour, hot, chocolate) in a Ziploc baggie. Set aside for shepherds to distribute as the memento for this station.

Directions:

  1. Welcome children into the room and have them sit around the table.
  2. The next type of prayer is prayer for ourselves. These are called petition prayers. Sometimes we feel uncomfortable praying for ourselves. But Jesus has told us that we should ask for what we need. Even though God already knows what we need or want, by praying to God and asking him, we grow closer to God.  We get to know God better and our faith grows. God isn’t like Santa Claus – just because we ask God for a pony, it doesn’t mean we will get it, but God does want us to come to him with all our wants and needs. God knows what we need and God always wants what is best for us!
  3. Hold up the lunch sack grab-bags prepared earlier.
  4. There are some treats in this bag. Each treat represents a prayer we might need to pray for ourselves. 
  5. Pass around the sacks and have each child pull out one candy.
    • Sweet candies:  Have all the children with the sweet candies raise their hands.  A prayer for sweetness might be, “Dear God, please help me to be kind and sweet, like this candy.”  Have children pray the prayer with you.
    • Sour candies:  Have children with the sour candies raise their hands.  Sometimes we have sour times – or we are in a sour mood, kind of like these candies.  Pray together, “Dear God, help me when I feel out of sorts or when I’m in a bad mood.  Help me to not be sour to others.” 
    • Hot candies:  Have children with the hot candies raise their hands.  Then pray together, “Dear God, help keep me “hot” and on fire with excitement about you.  Help me become the person you want me to be.  Help me to share the good news of Jesus with others!”
    • Chocolate candies:  Have children with the chocolate candies raise their hands.  Then pray together, “Dear God, sometimes I go through hard times – as dark as this chocolate.  Please help me during those difficult times.  Help me feel better when I am sad or lonely or sick.  Help me to remember that you are with me always!” 
  6. After everyone has prayed, enjoy the treats.  

Memento:  While you move to the next station, have the shepherds pass out the Ziploc treat bags to children, placing them in their prayer sack.  Have shepherds bring the children to station six.  


Station 6:  Listening Prayers 

Supplies:

  • Soft, quiet music on CD – nature sounds (available at most discount stores, or download from internet and burn onto a CD) 
  • A pillow for each child 
  • Heart sticker or permanent marker 

Memento:  Psalm 46:10 stickers (available from Christian bookstores) – one for each child

Directions:

  1. Turn on the CD and have the music playing softly.  Sit on the floor and greet the children quietly in a soft whisper as they arrive. Model stillness, calmness and serenity in this station by your movements and your voice. 
  2. Invite the children to sit on the carpet making sure that they have plenty of personal space – at least an arms length apart from one another.

(In soft, quiet voice):  Praying is more than talking to God. It is also about listening.  Sometimes it’s easier for us to talk to God than to listen to God. How do we hear God’s voice? We hear God’s voice through His Word, the Bible. We hear God’s voice when we are still and quiet and when we listen to the sounds of God’s world. 

The Bible teaches us that it is important to take time to be still and quiet.The Bible says in Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God.  Sometimes it is hard to be still.  Our bodies want to fidget and move around.  We want to talk.  Our minds won’t stop thinking. It’s not always easy. Sometimes it helps us be still when we listen to quiet, soft music. Sometimes it helps to sit with our legs crossed and our eyes closed or to lie down with a pillow under our head and our eyes closed.  We each have our own ways that help us to be quiet and still.  And like most things, the more we practice it, the better we will get. Let’s practice being still and quiet and listening to God now. 

Choose the way you want to position yourself to listen now. (sitting or lying down).  Sometimes it helps to breathe in and out very deeply and slowly. Try to have your insides and your outsides very still.  Let’s try that together. You might want to imagine yourself in a very safe place…. Maybe you are floating on a cloud and watching the light.  Breathe in . . . breathe out.  Breathe in . . . Breathe out. Try to listen for God’s voice as we listen to the sounds of God’s world…

Have the children lie or sit quietly for a 2-3 minutes. (Time it if necessary – it will seem longer than it is!)

Then say softly, “Dear God, Your Word tells us to “Be still and know that you are God.”  Thank you for helping us to be still. Thank you for loving us and for giving us this safe and quiet place to meet you. Thank you for speaking to us in the quiet.  Help us to listen for your voice in the voices of our parents, the Bible, and the world around us.  AMEN.

Memento:  Pass out the Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God” sticker and have children place in their prayer sacks. Use a marker to draw a heart in the center of each child’s palm as a reminder to be still and listen to God.

Reflection/Journal Time

Today’s session will probably be too long to allow time for journaling. If you do have extra time, sit down with the children to review some of the items in their prayer sacks. Review the Lord’s Prayer with them and encourage them to memorize it.

Closing:

Gather the children together in a circle. Review with them one word or concept that they learned during today’s session. (prayer, listening, being close to God, forgiveness are some suggestions) Encourage them to share the items in their prayer sack with friends and family, explaining to them the things they learned about prayer. Ask for prayer requests and close in prayer, ending with the Lord’s Prayer.

Clean-up

Encourage the children to help you clean up. Return all supplies to the appropriate storage areas.


Prayer Station Guide for Shepherds

Directions:  Copy one for each shepherd

Overview of today’s lesson:

In today’s workshop the children will be exploring the six different types of prayer. They will visit six stations in several different classrooms. At each station they will receive a small “memento” to remind them of the specific type of prayer. Mementos will be placed in paper lunch sacks – one per child. 

Shepherds will be very important to the success of today’s lesson!

Instructions for Shepherds:

  1. The session today is VERY tight, time-wise, so please move quickly, but calmly and help the children settle down right away after switching stations. Follow the teacher’s lead about where the children should sit. 
  2. Keep your age group together and sit with them. If a child gets restless, quietly move to sit next to him or her. Sometimes your physical presence is all that is needed to help a child stay focused. If necessary, separate “buddies” who have difficulty paying attention.
  3. The teacher will leave the room before the children and move to the next station. Once the teacher leaves, pass out the “mementos” to the children and have them put these in their prayer sacks. The mementos for each station will be in labeled containers in each room. Be sure to give the correct item to the children.  
  4. After passing out the mementos, take the children to the next station.  Note the schedule below.  

Station 1:  Praise Prayers 
Memento:  Birthday candle

Station 2:  Thanksgiving Prayers 
Memento:  Thank you card

Station 3:  Forgiveness Prayers 
Memento:  Bar of soap

Station 4:  Prayers for Others 
Memento:  Globe sticker (card) and band-aid

Station 5:  Prayers for Myself 
Memento:  Ziploc baggie with 4 pieces of candy (sweet, sour, hot and chocolate)

Station 6:  Listening Prayers 
Memento:  Psalm 46:10 sticker and heart in palm


A lesson written by Jaymie Derden from: State Street UMC – G.R.E.A.T. Adventure
Bristol, VA

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Last edited by Neil MacQueen

The Lord's Prayer

Movement Workshop 

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will experience the Lord’s Prayer through creative movement and music.They will explore different prayer “positions” that can be used for the different types of prayers. 

 

Scripture References, Memory Verse, Theme and Objectives: 

Refer to first post in this lesson set.

 


 

Preparation and Room Set Up: 

  • Review the Background Information, Behavioral Covenant, Teaching Tips and Lesson plan.
  • Gather materials.
  • Copy the Handout with the Lord’s Prayer Dance choreography. Practice several times so you feel comfortable leading the movements.
  • Review the Music CD of the Lord’s Prayer
  • Copy the Handout of the Finger Labyrinth – one per child

 

 

Time Guidelines:

 

Welcome and Introductions5 minutes
Bible Study15 minutes
Creative Movement25 minutes
Closing5 minutes

 

 



 

Presentation

 

Opening-Welcome/Introduction

Welcome the children and introduce yourself. Make sure everyone is wearing a name tag.Please include the shepherd in introductions. Explain that prayer can be expressed in different ways using your body. In this session children will practice praying with their bodies.

 

 

Opening Prayer  

Loving God, thank you for this day and for everyone who is here today. Help us learn different ways to pray using our bodies, so that we might grow closer to you. Amen.

 

 

Important Teacher Notes:

 

Each workshop includes the Bible story. One of our primary goals is to improve the children’s Bible literacy!If children did not bring their Bibles from home, use the classroom Bibles. Shepherds should help the children locate the stories. Use the Background Information to help you introduce the story.

 

Remember that as the rotation progresses; the children will become more familiar with the story.  When this happens, allow the children to tell you what they know. The children should still locate the story in their Bibles every week. Use the bold headings in their Bibles to guide your discussion.  You may want to review some of the Bible notes as well.Be sure to fill in any missing information and add additional details using the Background Information to help you. One of the greatest advantages of this model is that children who come regularly learn the story in great depth.

 

Each lesson contains more Background Information and discussion questions than can be used in one session. Remember, children are studying this story for four weeks! Be sure to follow the time guidelines and leave ample time for the activity.

 

 

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

 

Introduce the Story

The disciples spent lots of time with Jesus.They must have realized that Jesus had a special relationship with God, the Father. One day they asked him to teach them to pray. What is prayer? (communicating with God) How did Jesus respond? (he taught them a prayer we know as the Lord's Prayer)

 

Bible Study: Grades K-2

The Picture Bible

Where would we find a story about Jesus and the disciples? (New Testament, gospels)

Help the children locate the story “The Lord's Prayer" on page 621 of The Picture Bible. Read as the children follow along.

 

Review some key words from the prayer:

Thy- Your

Hallowed- Holy

Trespasses- sins or things that we say or do that hurts someone as well as makes God sad

Thine- Yours

Temptation- makes you want to do bad things or make bad choices

 

What is prayer?  (talking and listening to God)

Why do we pray?  (to get closer to God, to share our feelings with God)

What are the five types of prayer?  (praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness or confession, intercession (for others), petition (for ourselves) and listening)

When do you pray?

 

Bible Study - Grades 3-5

What we know as the Lord’s Prayer is found in two of the gospels -- the more familiar version is found in Matthew. 

 

Help children locate Matthew 6:5-15. Read or have the children take turns reading.

Review any unfamiliar words with the children as you recite the verse line, by line.

 

Use the above line by line discussion with this age group as well.

 

Memory Verse

Each rotation we encourage the children to memorize the Rotation Memory Verse. Help the children locate the memory verse in their Bibles. Review it with the children at this time. 

 

The Lord's Prayer

 

Our Father, who art in heaven

Hallowed (holy) be Your name

First, He wanted us to recognize that God was our heavenly father and holy.

 

Thy kingdom come;Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

He wanted us to recognize that God was here with us on earth. God wants what is best for us, so we should want that too.

 

Give us this day, our daily bread

He wanted us to be dependent on God for all of our daily needs and recognize that God feeds our spirits with the “Bread of Eternal Life,” just as we fill ourselves with food. 

        

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

He wanted us to realize that we will make mistakes and hurt others.We need to ask forgiveness from God for our sins, forgive others to hurt us, and trust that God has the power to forgive.

     

And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil

We should ask God to help us not want to make bad choices or do things that will hurt others

 

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever

Finally, we should pray that we recognize how powerful God is and that He has the ability to do anything He thinks is best in our life.  We should ask for God to use us as a way to show others His presence here on earth.

 

Introduce the Activity

  • What are ways we can pray? 
  • Where do you pray?
  • Have you ever prayed through dance or creative movement?

One type of prayer is through dance or special movements, sometimes with scarves, streamers or rods.

This is a very ancient form of prayer. It celebrates the amazing ways our bodies have been created to move and worship our Creator.

 

The Lord’s Prayer Dance

(choreographed by Jane Wellford; adapted by Sue Seaman)

 

Our Father, who art in heaven

Lunge forward; hands in prayer position, head bowed

 

Hallowed be Thy name 

Remain in lunge; arms reach upward to “V”, head raised

 

Thy kingdom come 

Push back to standing, facing front; right fist shoots overhead, left arm down by side

 

Thy will be done 

Stand; left arm stretches out forward, then moves smoothly to left

 

On earth, as it is in heaven 

Stand; right arm scoops down to meet left, then both arms swing left to right and up to high right diagonal

 

Give us this day our daily bread

Turn left, kneel on right knee; arms move down and then forward, palms upturned, right hand resting on left

 

And forgive us our trespasses 

Rise; turn sharply to face away from people; reach upward with hands clasped and head raised

 

As we forgive those who trespass against us 

Remain standing turned away from people; separate hands and bring down into “cross” position:  left arm comes down and head turns to left on “those”; right arm comes down and head turns to right on “against”

 

And lead us not into temptation 

Turn to face people, kneel on one knee; cross arms in front of face horizontally, palms outward as if shielding self

 

But deliver us from evil 

Remain kneeling; clasp both hands together and reach forward and upward while leaning slightly backward, head bowed and turned slightly to side

 

For Thine is the kingdom 

Rise to stand; sweep right arm to right side and upward to be level w/shoulder, elbow bent  and palm forward, following with eyes

 

And the power 

Stand; sweep left arm to left side and upward to be level w/shoulder, elbow bent at 90°, following with eyes

 

And the glory 

Stand; arms in wide “V”, hands make small circles, palms facing out

 

Forever 

Turn in place 2 times, end facing front; arms in high parallel with palms facing each other, head raised

 

AMEN

Lunge front; lower arms to prayer position, head bowed

  

Prayer Positions

We’ve learned that the Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer because it includes the different types of prayer. Did you know that you can use your bodies to help you pray? I love this, because sometimes I find it hard to just sit still with my hands folded and my eyes closed. I love that there is no "rule" that this is the way I must pray.

 

Let’s try praying with our bodies now. Review the six types of prayer with the children, using the following movements as a guide.

 

1. Praising – Sometimes you will see people in worship who are singing hymns or praying. They will be standing with their arms up in the air. They are praising God. Let’s try it. Stand up and lift arms in the air.  Let’s praise God now. We praise you God because you are _________… (let the children offer suggestions) 

 

2. Thanksgiving – Now lower your arms so that they are about chest level and outstretched with arms bent at elbows and hands cupped to receive the blessings that God has given to you. Let’s thank God for our blessings now. Thank you God for _____________________ (let the children make suggestions) 

 

3. Forgiveness – There are two ways to position our bodies for forgiveness. First kneel down.  Now fold your hands and bow your head. Sometimes people lean forward and touch their foreheads to the floor. Let’s ask God for forgiveness for something we have done wrong.

Dear God we are sorry for _____________ (let the children make suggestions). Please forgive us and help us to do better next time. 

 

If we have really done something very wrong – or are really sad and needing to feel God’s comfort we can lie face down on the floor. This is called prostrate position. When we are in this position, we are humbling ourselves before God and acknowledging that God is in control and we are totally dependent on God. We can’t take care of things for ourselves without God.  When I was really sick a few years ago, this is how my husband prayed to God for me to get better and for God to help him through that hard time. Let’s lie down and ask God for forgiveness or pray very hard for God to help us.

Dear God, We are REALLY sorry for _______________ (let the children make suggestions).  Please help us Lord.  We cannot do it ourselves.  We need you!

 

4. For others (Intercession) – When we are praying for others, we can cross our arms over our chest, just as if we are holding the person close to our hearts. Let’s pray for someone else right now.

Dear God, Please be with _______________ (let the children make suggestions). He/she really needs you right now.  Please help him/ her.

 

5. For ourselves (Petition)– We can be in any position when we are praying for ourselves.  Sometimes we will pray wherever we are, without doing anything special with our bodies.  Sometimes we will just sit quietly with eyes closed and hands folded. Let’s pray for ourselves right now.

 

Dear God, Please be with us.  We need _____________ (have the children pray silently for their individual needs).

 

6. Listening – Don’t forget! Taking time when we pray to be quiet and listen for God is just as important as talking to God. A good way to position your body for this listening prayer is to sit with legs crossed and hands resting on knees with hands cupped and palms facing upward or resting on your knees. Close your eyes and focus on something quiet. Try breathing in slowly, and breathing out slowly. Remember how we were still last week when we were in the Listening Prayer station?  How did you position yourself last week? Let’s try this prayer now. We will be still and listen for God.

 

Dear God, help us be still and quiet now.  We want to hear you. .…  (wait for about 1 minute in silence and let the children sit quietly and listen)

 

Remember, no matter what position our bodies are in, God hears us and is glad when we are praying.  Praying brings us closer to God.  

 

If time allows, repeat the prayer positions, calling out each type of prayer and have the children follow your lead for body positions while praying silently. 

 

Ask:  Which prayer did you enjoy the most?  

Which prayer was the most difficult for you to do?

Was it easy for you to be quiet and still for the listening prayer?

We’re going to do something now that will help us practice listening prayers.

 

 

Finger Prayer Labyrinth – An Exercise in Silence

Supplies and Preparation:

  • Copy of the Finger Prayer Labyrinth for each child (copies can be found online or in several resource books about prayer labyrinths).
  • Pencils - one for each child.
  • If you or your minister or church have a large labyrinth, ask if you can show it to the children. 

 

Directions:

Show the picture of the prayer labyrinth to the children.  a finger labyrinth

 

Say: This is called a Finger Prayer Labyrinth. A labyrinth is like a maze -- there is a path that takes you to the center and then you follow a path from the center back out to the place where you entered. The Prayer Labyrinth helps us be still inside so we can focus on praying. It also reminds us that our faith is really a journey. We are moving closer to God -- through prayer. There are big labyrinths you can walk in. Some of you may have seen those. As you walk, you focus on being quiet inside and thinking about God leading you through the labyrinth; you think about moving closer and closer to God at the center of the labyrinth.

 

Today we will use a paper Finger Prayer Labyrinth. We won't be able to move our whole body, but we can move through it using a finger. 

 

You will move from the bottom of the page where the opening is all through the labyrinth until you get to the center of the page. Go slowly and carefully. Try to focus on just your finger and having everything else being very quiet and still. When you get to the center – use your pencil to write or draw a picture or write a word about what you are feeling. Then slowly move your finger back to return to the outside of the laybyrinth. Remember to be quiet and still so you will not disturb the listening of others. 

 

Reflection/Journal Time

The last 10 minutes should be reserved for Journal and Reflection time. This is an opportunity for processing and reflection about what the children have learned. Ask the shepherds to pass out the journals and pencils/pens and the journal sticker for the day.

 

Journal Questions:

Grades K-2: Did the Finger Prayer Labyrinth help you listen to God?   

Grades 3-5: When is it easiest for you to listen for God?

 

If you have extra time, review the Prayer FAQs Handout for more questions kids probably have!

 

 


A lesson written by Jaymie Derden from: State Street UMC – G.R.E.A.T. Adventure
Bristol, VA

 

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

 

Last edited by Rotation.org Lesson Forma-teer

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