Music Lessons, Ideas, Activities, and Resources for the Beatitudes

Post your Sunday School music lessons, ideas, activities, and resources for the Beatitudes.

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Beatitudes

Music Workshop 

Summary of Lesson Activities:
Play a music game called Beatitudes Bash.

Scripture Reference:
Matthew 5:1-12

Memory Verse: Proverbs 8:32 (CEV) 
"Pay attention, my children! Follow my advice and you will be happy."  

("Happy" is the common English translation of the word "blessed")

Concepts:

• God blesses those who follow Jesus
• Jesus’ followers are gentle, kind and peaceful

Lesson Objectives:

• The children will learn what the following words mean and be able to apply them to their daily lives: disciples, poor in spirit, kingdom of heaven, meek/gentle, righteousness, mercy, peacemakers, pure in heart, and rejoice.
• The children will become familiar with the Beatitudes and how they can apply them to current day activities

Teacher preparation in advance:

1. Read the scripture passages and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Bible Study.
2. Prepare a closing prayer.
3. Please read the scriptures. Read and re-read the attached story so that you become familiar enough with the story that you can tell the story instead of reading the story to the students. Making props will assist you in the delivery of the story – but is not necessary. When using the “voice of God”, stand and sound very strong. When speaking for the people, sit and speak softly. When you speak as Moses, sit straight and speak as he would have to God and then the people.
   
   

Suggested Supply List:

• Chart paper for listing words/meanings, Memory Verse and Current Day people and the Beatitudes
• CD/tape player
• Christian music, happy classical music
• Basket to pass around the Beatitude strips
• Stickers for rewards if you so desire

Lesson Plan 

Opening-Welcome and Introductions: 

1. Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your nametag.
2. Explain the purpose of this workshop. This morning we are going to discover some exciting news that took place a long time ago that still means as much to us, today. We are going to study the Beatitudes. We are going to learn what our faith in Jesus means to us as we live each day. 
   
   

Dig-Main Content and Reflection: 

Scripture/Bible Story:

• Have the Children stand and say the memory verse.
•  Ask them to bow their heads for prayer. Pray a prayer.
• Have them to sit and open their Bibles to the Scripture. Ask who would like to read, or have them to each read a verse. At the end – you might want to provide a sticker to the children who brought their own Bible. 

Application: 

1. After the reading the scripture tell the Story. See attached teacher notes for lesson. Please fell free to add your own input, drama, and/or style.
2.  After the memory verse, prayer, scripture reading and story telling if you like, lead the children in a song about joy/rejoicing. Suggestions: "I’ve Got Joy, Joy, Joy", "Deep and Wide", and "God is so Good".
3. Explain the music game they are going to play: Beatitude Bash

• You will have written each of the Beatitudes on a slip of paper. Fold the slips containing the Beatitudes and place in a basket. You may want to have extra copies for larger groups. It is okay to repeat a Beatitude.
• With the children sitting down in a circle, begin playing music and have the children to pass the basket. You will pause/stop the music. When the music stops the child holding the basket must take out a slip and read the Beatitude. (If the children cannot read well, assist them).
• Talk about what the Beatitude means to them. Other children can help. You and the Shepherd may need to provide guidance by sharing what the Beatitude means to you.
• When the slips have all been read the game is over. 

4. If time allows conduct the next part of the lesson reflecting on current day people who represent the Beatitudes: 

Have the following headings on chart paper:

• Poor in spirit (people who love God and need Him, people who are having a hard time in life and need to feel secure in God's love)
• Those who morn (lost a pet, best friend moved away, did not make the team, people who are sad)
• The meek (humble people, those who do not brag)
• Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (those who seek to follow God's way)
• The merciful (those who are patient and kindhearted)
• The pure in heart ( love God first, are not greedy)
• Peacemakers (mediate between friends who are upset, religious leaders)

You may want to note the “people” under each heading to provide a visual answer.
Ask if the children have people or examples to share under each heading. You may have to provide examples, and I have provided you with a few. 
As they discuss and add to the list, bring in the fact that the scriptures are relevant to us today. The truth of the word is still very real, even though Jesus preached this sermon over 2000 years ago. Refer to the objectives. 

Reflection Time:
Ask the shepherds to pass out the journal sheets and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a sticker or some memento to paste in their journal as a reminder of the story or activity. 
Prompts for journal writing: Draw a picture about a time you were gentle. Draw a picture of what you think a peacemaker looks like. Draw a picture of what you will do to be more pure in heart. 

Closing:
Prayer: Suggestions for the closing prayer – Lord help us show mercy to our friends. Help us to find ways to keep peace and be gentle with all those around us. Thank you for blessing us with scripture that tells us the truth and provides hope for tomorrow. 

References

• Lori Houck’s Bible Study Lessons
• Amy Crane’s Creative Movement Beatitudes Lesson - https://www.rotation.org/topic/295011598215941045

Items here are to assist you with the Current Day People and the Beatitudes as well as defining the words within the objectives. 

1 - The "poor in spirit" does not refer to monetary poverty, but to those who have a spirit of humble love for God.
2 - "Those who mourn" may be mourning the sinful nature of people and the injustices of this world.
3 - "The meek" "are nonviolent people, who are humble and gentle in their dealings with others because they have humbled themselves before the greatness of God." (Hare, page 39)
4 - This statement may refer to people who hunger for God to do right for them as individuals and/or for all who suffer. 
5 - We are called to be merciful in the same way which God is: patient, gracious, and steadfast.
6 - No one is truly pure (clean and without sin) except for Jesus. Here, he is speaking about a love for God that is 100% pure: total and undistracted by other desires. 
7 - "It is clear that ‘peacemakers' designates not those who live in peace, enjoying its fruits, but those who devote themselves to the hard work of reconciling hostile individuals, families, groups, and nations." (Hare, page 42)
8 - This refers to those who are persecuted for their beliefs and/or their behavior as a result of those beliefs.
9 - Note the different format, and therefore emphasis, for this Beatitude ("Blessed are you"). Serious Christians must take a stand on moral issues that are sometimes controversial or unpopular, just as the prophets spoke the truth in spite of its unpopularity.

A lesson originally posted by Catherine of the Kirk of Kildaire