Jesus Taught Us How to Pray

6 Jesus Taught Us How to Pray BIBLE BASIS Bible Focus: Matthew 6:5-15 Discovery Point: Jesus taught us how to pray. Worship Response: Children will learn about prayer from the master teacher: Jesus! They ll examine the Lord s Prayer and apply its principles to their own prayer life. Key Verse: Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one (Matthew 6:9-13). The Lord s Prayer is one of the most familiar passages in Scripture, yet how often do we really evaluate what it means for our own prayer life? As kids explore Jesus teachings about prayer, you ve got a chance to help them dive deeper than simply reciting wellknown words you can help them discover the elements of prayer that Jesus was emphasizing! A Look at the Session Mix and match to meet your needs. For more ideas, see For-Extra-Time Activities on page 66. Prayer is so much more than just asking God for stuff! Children will grow Session Sequence What Kids Will Do Supplies in their relationships with Jesus as they learn the importance of things like praise and pardon in Welcome! (up to 15 minutes) Play a game with clay, and act as Teachers or Artists to discover that Jesus is our teacher. Building Trust in God: Communication CD or DVD, CD player or TV/DVD player, 3-ounce lumps of clay, shoe box prayer. Let s Explore! (up to 20 minutes) Learn the principles Jesus teaches about prayer by discussing the Scripture passage and making trail mix together. Hands-On Bibles; prepared index cards; pen; small resealable bags; large resealable bags; marker; trail mix ingredients such as raisins, chocolate chips, pretzels, dry cereal, cheese crackers Let s Praise! (up to 10 minutes) Practice the praise ingredient of prayer by singing songs of praise to God. Building Trust in God: Communication CD or DVD, CD player or TV/DVD player Let s Pray! (up to 15 minutes) Use yarn to connect trail mix bags to their wrists, and then pray in pairs. Hands-On Bibles, bags of trail mix from Let s Explore! yarn, scissors 58 Hands-On Bible MAX

Before This Session o Create a Master Sculpture out of a small lump of clay (roughly 3 ounces). The sculpture should be somewhat intricate, such as a house with windows and a door or an abstract design. Hide this sculpture in a shoe box in the back of the room. Prepare a 3-ounce lump of clay for every two children. o On one index card per four or five children, write something funny kids can pantomime, such as cheerleaders, giraffes, football players, or turtles. o For every four or five children, fill five large resealable bags, each with a different trail mix ingredient, such as raisins, chocolate chips, pretzels, dry cereal, and cheese crackers. o Assemble Bible Exploration Kits (one per four or five kids): one Hands-On Bible, one index card created above, 10 small resealable bags, five bags of trail mix ingredients prepared above, one 3-foot length of yarn per child, and a marker. o Use the trail mix ingredients you put in the Bible Exploration Kits to prepare a bag of trail mix for yourself, and tie it off with a 6-inch length of yarn. o Review The Way to Pray next to Matthew 7 in the Hands-On Bible. o CD/DVD Cue the Building Trust in God: Communication CD (1) or DVD (1). o Huddle briefly with any volunteers before the session. Answer any questions they have. Encourage them, and pray for the session, the volunteers, and the children. TEACHER TIP Bible Exploration Kits are an easy way to give each group supplies. The Jabber Mat from Group Publishing is a great tool that can be used as a Bible Exploration Kit and as a space for a Bible Crew to gather. Check it out at group.com/jabbermat. Session 6 Jesus Taught Us How to Pray 59

Welcome! Supplies: 3-ounce lump of clay per two students CD player or TV/DVD player prepared sculpture (see page 59) 1. Play CD/DVD Into the Bible (1). DVD CD SIMPLE STRATEGY If you don t have clay, you can easily make dough with 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of salt, and enough water to mix the recipe. You may want to station yourself by the Master Sculpture so you can be in charge of opening the box to reveal it to the Teachers. This will prevent kids from accidentally letting the lid slip off and revealing the Master Sculpture to the whole class. 2. Welcome children enthusiastically as they arrive, and ask them to form pairs. Tell kids that within their pairs they must each take on a role either Teacher or Artist. 3. When kids have chosen their roles, explain that you ve created a Master Sculpture. Each pair is to work together to mold its lump of clay to match the Master Sculpture. Here s how it works: The Teachers get to look at the Master Sculpture as much as they want, but the Artists don t get to see it. The Teachers job is to tell the Artists what to sculpt and how it should look, but Teachers can t actually touch the clay only the Artists can sculpt the lump of clay. Check to see if anybody has questions. Then invite all the Teachers to come to the back of the room to peek at the Master Sculpture hidden in the shoe box. Have pairs get started, and let the Teachers know that they can look at the Master Sculpture as many times as they want. Give pairs just five minutes to make their sculptures. 4. After five minutes, call time. Have children gather as a large group with their sculptures. Invite pairs to show off their creations. Then reveal the Master Sculpture so kids can compare it with their final creations. Lead everyone in applauding the group s great efforts. 60 Hands-On Bible MAX

5. SAY: Great job, Teachers and Artists! ASK: So Artists, what did you like about being taught? What was challenging about it? Teachers, what was fun about teaching? What was tough about it? SAY: We can learn a lot from good teachers! ASK: What are some things Jesus has taught you? Summarize all the things kids share, then SAY: JESUS TAUGHT US HOW TO PRAY. That s an awesome thing. Just as the Teachers helped the Artists shape their clay to be like the Master Sculpture, Jesus teaches us how to mold and shape our prayers. Let s check out what Jesus had to say on this super-important subject. Session 6 Jesus Taught Us How to Pray 61

Let s Explore! Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 59) TEACHER TIP Bible Crews can be as small as one person or as large as five. It s best if crews include a range of ages so older kids can help younger ones. 1. Form Bible Crews of four or five kids. SAY: In your Bible Exploration Kit, you ll find an index card with something written on it. Quietly read your Bible Crew s card, and make sure no other Bible Crews see or hear what s written there. After crews have read their cards, SAY: When I call on your Bible Crew, your job is to silently act out whatever is written on your card. The rest of us will guess what you re acting out. 2. When everyone understands, call on one group at a time and encourage everyone else to shout out guesses until they get it right. If kids are stumped, set a time limit of 30 seconds for acting and guessing, then invite the acting crew to reveal what they were pantomiming. Continue until all Bible Crews have acted. Then invite everyone to take a bow! 3. SAY: Good job acting! Jesus teaches us a lot about prayer in Matthew 6:5-15, and one thing he emphasizes is that prayer is not an act, a show, or a performance. Prayer isn t pretend, imaginary, or simply going through the motions. It s real! ASK: Why do some people go through the motions of prayer without really meaning it or understanding it? 4. SAY: Let s check out what Jesus said about prayer being real not just an act. TEACHER TIP The Key Verse may be long for kids to learn and remember. If you choose to shorten it, we suggest using Matthew 6:9-10 to emphasize the need to focus on praise and God s purpose. Prompt Bible Crews to read Matthew 6:5-8 and discuss these questions together. ASK: How were the people Jesus talks about using prayer to show off? If prayer isn t about showing off, what is prayer about? What was wrong with the way the second group of people (mentioned in 6:7-8) prayed? What didn t they understand about prayer? Based on what you ve read so far, what seems to be important to Jesus about prayer? 62 Hands-On Bible MAX

5. SAY: JESUS TAUGHT US HOW TO PRAY by giving us an awesome example. Prompt Bible Crews to turn to The Way to Pray next to Matthew 7 in their Hands-On Bibles and read the Key Verse, Matthew 6:9-13, aloud together. Instruct them to wash their hands and then follow all the directions printed there. The only change is that you ll need to direct kids to each make two bags of trail mix one for them to snack on and one to hang on to until later. Have kids make sure they write their names on each of their trail mix bags. TEACHER TIP If there s not a sink nearby where kids can wash their hands, provide hand sanitizer or hand wipes so children s hands can be germ free while they re preparing their bags of snacks. 6. Invite kids to munch on the trail mix from one of their bags as they discuss these questions in their crews: What are some things you could praise God for in prayer? How could you pray about purpose? Give an example in your own words. Describe a way someone could pray about provision. What are things someone your age could pray about in order to seek pardon? See page 31. What types of things could you ask God for protection from? 7. SAY: Great job exploring Jesus prayer! Jesus prayer, also called the Lord s Prayer, is a model for us to follow as we pray. Just as you shaped your clay to make it similar to the Master Sculpture, we can mold and shape the way we pray so that our prayers are like Jesus example. Session 6 Jesus Taught Us How to Pray 63

Let s Praise! Supplies: CD player or TV/DVD player DVD CD 1. SAY: I m so glad JESUS TAUGHT US HOW TO PRAY! Let s put the first ingredient of prayer into action right now and praise God by singing to him. As you sing, think about the words you sing as a prayer as communication directly between you and God. 2. PLAY: CD/DVD Wonderful (Isaiah 9:6) (3) Doxology (5) Pray About Everything (Philippians 4:6-7) (7) 3. SAY: Thanks for praising God with me. Isn t it cool that Jesus taught us to praise God in prayer? Let s Pray! Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 59) trail mix bags from Let s Explore! 1. Have children return to their Bible Crews and take the pieces of yarn out of their Exploration Kits. Make sure everyone has a length of yarn and a bag of trail mix, and ask kids to tie one end of the yarn around the top of the bag of trail mix. Then invite a volunteer to read aloud Matthew 6:14-15 while everyone else reads along. ASK: Why do you think Jesus said this right after teaching the disciples how to pray? What does this have to do with prayer? SAY: JESUS TAUGHT US HOW TO PRAY. But it doesn t stop there. One thing Jesus is emphasizing here is that our prayers must connect to our lives. For example, we shouldn t pray forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us unless 64 Hands-On Bible MAX

we re willing to live it. Or we shouldn t pray about wanting God s will to be done in our lives unless we re willing to live it out. Our prayers are not meaningful if they re just words and ideas that have nothing to do with our everyday lives. Our prayers must be connected to how we live. 2. Tie your bag of trail mix to one of your wrists. SAY: Just like I m now physically connected to the bag of prayer ingredients, our prayers and our everyday lives are connected! Have kids form pairs, and prompt pairs to help each other loosely tie their bags to their wrists. Explain that you re going to lead them through a prayer exercise. First SAY: I d like you to close your eyes to pray and reflect silently for a moment about the bag tied to your wrist. Talk to God about what it means to you to have prayer connected to real life. Pause for kids to think and pray, then SAY: Now I d like you to pray aloud with your partner. I ll name an ingredient of prayer, and you ll each pray one sentence aloud that goes with that ingredient. Name each of the following ingredients of prayer, pausing for children to briefly pray aloud: Praise Purpose Provision Pardon Protection SAY: In Jesus name, amen. 3. Tell kids they can take the yarn off their wrists once the prayer is done. Encourage them to give their prayer ingredients to a friend or family member and explain what each ingredient means. High Fives Supplies: none SAY: What an awesome time we ve had learning how to pray from the ultimate teacher: Jesus himself! I hope you ve learned a lot about how JESUS TAUGHT US TO PRAY. Let s wrap things up with high fives prayer style. Fold your hands together as if you re praying, and then give each other high fives as you leave! Session 6 Jesus Taught Us How to Pray 65

For-Extra-Time Activities PRAYER STARTERS Supplies: five index cards per child pens or markers Have kids each create a deck of five prayer-starter cards. They can keep these cards by their bedside to give them ideas of things to pray about. Direct them to write each of these prayer-starters on a card: God, I praise you because God, change me to be God, I need God, forgive me for God, protect me from If you have time, invite kids to personalize their cards with decorations, pictures, and designs. PRIVATE PRAYER Supplies: none Put Matthew 6:6 into action by having kids spread out in the room to find a private space, close their eyes, and spend three minutes in silent prayer. FOCUS HIDING IT IN YOUR HEART Supplies: one tennis ball per four or five children Help kids learn the prayer Jesus taught with a fun game. Have children first return to their Bible Crews and read Matthew 6:9-13 aloud together three times. Then give each crew a ball and have each crew form a circle. Their job is to toss the ball around the circle in any order they want. Each time the ball is tossed to a person, he or she must say aloud the next phrase of the Lord s Prayer. Kids can use their Bibles if needed the first couple of times. Then prompt crews to try to do it without reading from the Bible. CREATE A BIBLE DICTIONARY Supplies: paper markers dictionary Ask children to create one or more new pages, each with a new word, for the Bible Dictionary. Ask for ideas of new words from today s session kingdom, provision, and pardon are three suggestions. Have them write the word on a sheet of paper in fun letters, add a definition, list Scripture references, and make illustrations. Add each page to a threering binder, and watch the dictionary grow! THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE Supplies: CD player Ask kids to read the intro page for any book of the Bible and create a motion for that book. For example, they could make a motion for rain for Genesis or do a beauty pageant wave for Esther. Play CD The Books of the Bible Song (8), and have kids do all of the motions they have learned. 66 Hands-On Bible MAX

Family Devotion Bible Focus: Matthew 6:5-15 Discovery Point: Jesus taught us how to pray. Key Verse: Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one (Matthew 6:9-13). 2 GIVE YOUR BAGS AWAY TO FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS. TELL THEM TO READ THE LORD S PRAYER TO LEARN THE WAY TO PRAY! Jesus Taught Us How to Pray The five ingredients in your trail mix can remind you of five ingredients in the Lord s Prayer: Praise (honoring God), Purpose (wanting God s will, not our own), Provision (trusting God to take care of us), Pardon (forgiveness from God and for others), Protection (from temptation and evil). Share some trail mix while you talk about these questions: Why do you think Jesus thought it was important to teach us how to pray? Why are these five prayer ingredients so important? What ingredients do our family prayers need more of? Use the five P s for a family prayer time. The Way to Pray Jesus taught us the best way to pray. Read his recipe for prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Put a small handful of each ingredient in a small plastic bag. Then zip the bag shut. Keep making bags. 3 Use a fine-tipped permanent marker to write Matthew 6:9-13: The Recipe for Prayer on each bag. 1 THEN MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE. Gather five trail mix ingredients in separate bowls. FAMILY CHALLENGE Have you ever noticed that often our prayers are completely dominated by requests? It s great to pray to God about our needs and the needs of others, but as Jesus shows us in Matthew 6:9-13, there are many other facets of prayer as well. Commit to pray together as a family for a substantial period of time, anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes based on the ages and attention spans of your family members. Here s the twist: absolutely no asking for things allowed! Here s your chance to focus on things like praise, thanks, confession, and praying for God s purposes in this world. Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible MAX granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. group.com/biblemax Session 6 Jesus Taught Us How to Pray 67