Rotation.org Writing Team

Summary of Lessons

Lord's Prayer ~ Matthew 6:5-13

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Welcome to the Rotation.org Writing Team's seven creative lessons about the Lord's Prayer and the practice of prayer. Written in the creative "Rotation-Model" style, each lesson can be used in traditional Sunday School, and has age-group and intergenerational adaptations as well! Of course, the subject of prayer is inexhaustible, but by teaching this set, you'll be off to a great start exploring this important passage and practice.

All the lessons emphasize learning the Lord's Prayer and understanding the meaning of some of its key content. To help teachers understand the passage's rich meaning and vivid vocabulary, we've created a simple "word-meaning" handout that can be used with any of the lessons (it is linked in many of the lessons). Certain lessons emphasize certain subjects within the Prayer, such as the meaning of "daily bread" which is explored in the "Daily Pizza" Cooking lesson.

Debts? or Trespasses? Use your preferred version of the Lord's Prayer with any lesson. Several of the lessons share some of the interesting differences between how Christians recite the Lord's Prayer. The Bible Background explains many of these historic and fascinating differences.

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-13

Our scripture selection includes Jesus' caution about showy public prayers and his suggestion to pray in private.

Bible Background and Lesson Objectives

Lord's Prayer Writing Team

Volunteer Writers:  Pam Bryson, Amy Crane, Debbie Fisher, Donna Grabert, and Beth Tobin. Creative Resource Guru: Cathy Walz; Editor: Carol Hulbert; Lead Writer: Neil MacQueen. Our process is collaborative, peer-reviewed, and professionally guided. Our goal is to produce unique and memorable lessons for creative teachers and their students.

Lesson Plans

Art Workshop

Students learn the art of intentional "Scripture Doodling" as part of their creative Bible study in preparation for making a "prayer closet" that goes home as a discussion piece and reminder of the importance of finding the time and place to pray.

Teachers will learn how to use memory-enhancing scripture doodling with future lessons as well.

Bible Skills and Games Workshop

Students rotate through three fun game stations: one that teaches a creative way to say the same words of the Lord's Prayer differently every time, another that focuses on the meaning of "Hallowed," and a third that plays on the "knotty" meaning behind Matthew's word for "forgive."

Computer or "Gameshow Quiz" Workshop

This lesson can make use of a computer and recommended scripture memory and quiz software, or it can be adapted for non-computer use. Includes 25 quiz questions about the Lord's Prayer in a printable format, and also as a data file for the software program.

"Our Daily Pizza" Cooking Workshop

In Jesus' Galilean-Aramaic language, the word for bread ("pitha") is the same word from which we get "pizza." So in this lesson students will make a special "Daily Prayer Pizza" to represent their need for a daily relationship with God through prayer. During the baking time, students will participate in a science experiment that demonstrates an important aspect of prayer.

Rhythm and Movement Workshop

Through a series of rhythm activities and a movement exercise, students explore Jesus' instructions about how, where, and what to pray for. The activities in this lesson can be used with all ages and don't require a musical background, just the ability to keep the beat! Uniquely, the Scripture in this lesson is read using a rhythm technique.

"Why and How Do We Pray" Workshop

A good "starter" workshop to explore "why" and "how" people pray. This workshop begins with two free videos and takes an extra look at "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil," teaching its meaning and life application through a memorable (and fun) activity.

Video Workshop

Students play a fun "Video Speed Reading" game to introduce and help them memorize the Lord's Prayer. They then use a special script to produce their own "Lord's Prayer Instructional Video."

Lord's Prayer Teaching Resources

A topic with links to all our handouts, available Lord's Prayer Posters, more video options, doodads, cool things we found while writing this set, and more!