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Sunday, January 17, 2016 The Parable of the Sower Mark 4:1-34 Mark 4:27b Jesus tells the parable of the sower to a crowd beside the sea. Jesus followers sometimes struggled to understand the parables. God s word grows inside God s people when it is truly heard, producing a big, healthy faith. Parables Service After completing this lesson, students will be able to: Define what a parable is by comparing it to a fable. Illustrate the parable of the sower by creating a cooperative poster filmstrip. Demonstrate how to sow seeds of faith by developing a plan to share God s word with others. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 1

Activities a la Carte Activities Into the Story How does your Garden Grow? Small seeds can create great faith. Bible Nuts and Bolts What is a Parable? Not quite a fable Learning the Story The Parable of the Sower A filmstrip poster story. Living the Story Sow Seeds of Faith Giving the gift of faith to others. Supplies 10 min. Packets of seeds (one of each variety) Activity Sheet #2-18.A Rulers Pencils Tablet or computer with an Internet connection (optional) 10 min. A book of fables (or the text of one fable) 15 min. Bibles Large sheets of paper Markers or colored pencils Tape 15 min. Activity Sheet #2-18.B Paper or cardstock Pens or pencils Colored pencils A hole punch Ribbon or string Bibles A basket A variety of small items that can be given as gifts (see suggestions listed in lesson) 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 2

Activities a la Carte Activities Additional Activities Plant the Word Sticky (note) faith! Supplies 10 min. Sticky notes Pens or markers Bibles Activity Sheet #2-18.B (optional) My Parable Creatively sharing my faith. 10 min. Whiteboard or large sheet of paper Markers Student Bible Book: The Parable of the Sower Students continue their own Bible story book! Closing Prayer 10 min. Each student s binder Copies of Activity Sheet #2-18.C A three-hole punch Pens Markers and/or crayons A sample page 5 min. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 3

Background for Teachers Story Connections We have already heard a great deal about the kingdom of God in the first few chapters of Mark. Today s text focuses on the question of how and in whom the kingdom best takes root. We have already heard about so many ways that Jesus is bringing God s kingdom into the world through his own words and deeds. This lesson gives us an opportunity to ask about our own role in spreading God s kingdom in our world. Story Summary: The Parable of the Sower Jesus begins using parables to share information about God s kingdom by telling about a sower who indiscriminately tossed seeds. Some seeds fell on a path, others on rocky ground, yet others among thorns, and a final batch into some good, rich soil where they thrived. He then goes on to explain the meaning of the parable: what is sown is the word and there are many reasons that it does not thrive, but when it falls onto the good soil it bears an abundance of fruit. Bible Nuts and Bolts: Parables Jesus used parables in the Bible in order to share a message with his listeners. Sometimes their meaning is very obvious and other times it can be more cryptic. Parables are simply stories about humans that pass along a message. One form of a messagedriven story that students will be familiar with is that of a fable. Most kids have read numerous fables that use animals in order to teach a lesson or pass along a moral. Today s lesson will give them an opportunity to compare and contrast these two forms of literature. Story Themes Any passage of Scripture has innumerable themes and lessons for the student. However, a single lesson cannot cover everything. The following themes are the focus of this lesson. Jesus tells the parable of the sower to a crowd beside the sea. The parable of the sower is the first parable we read in the gospel of Mark. Not only is the message contained in the parable important, but Jesus goes on to explain the importance of parables themselves in a cryptic way. Jesus followers sometimes struggled to understand the parables. Jesus himself states that people will look, but not perceive and also that they will listen, but not understand. Just like them, we sometimes hear the words from scripture and don t know exactly what it means for each of us. Perhaps the key comes in the work of the sower (God) rather than the work of the soil (us). God s word grows inside God s people when it is truly heard, producing a big, healthy faith. As humans, we want to control what type of soil we are the type that hears the words and obeys or the type that chooses to walk away. But, of course, each patch of earth does not choose what type of soil it is. Instead, God sows seeds everywhere and we can trust the ultimate gardener to provide the water, sunshine and nutrients for growth. Spiritual Practice: Service After the seed of God s word has been sown in us, we are blessed to be able to sow the words in the world in which we live. Just like the sower in the parable, we toss God s words of love and promise to all who may be able to hear. Today, students will have an opportunity to sow the gift of faith in others by creating some gifts to distribute this week. with classmates and the greater congregation by creating cookie mixes to give as gifts to others. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 4

Lesson #2-18 (3rd-6th) January 17, 2016 Lesson Plan Into the Story (10 minutes) How does your Garden Grow? Small seeds can create great faith. You will need: Packets of seeds (one of each variety) Activity Sheet #2-18.A Rulers Pencils Tablet or computer with an Internet connection (optional) Before class: 1. Find or purchase a variety of packets of seeds. Optimally, you will have one packet per one or two students in your class. Today s activity involves comparing seed size with the size of the full-grown plant; therefore, you will need the seeds to be in the packets with the information about the estimated size of the plant or you will need an alternative way for students to find those estimated sizes. During class: 1. It s great to see you all today! I m starting to think about spring and I brought along some seeds for us to look at and explore a bit. Do any of you plant gardens? [Allow a few tales about gardening, as time allows.] 2. I have a question I m hoping you can help me answer: Will the seeds that are the largest always produce the plants that are the largest? [No.] Can anyone think of examples of small plant that have big seeds or big plants that have small seeds? [Accept all answers.] 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 5

3. Distribute a copy of Activity Sheet #2-18.A to each student along with a ruler. We are going to pass around the packets of seeds. I would like you to fill in this chart by writing down the names of the plants, measuring the size of the seeds, and then looking on the packet to find out approximately how big you could expect the plant to be that grows from that seed. If you do not have traditional seed packets, allow students to look for information on plant size using tablets, computers or phones, if available. 4. As they finish, ask: Did you find that the biggest seeds produce the biggest plants? [Not necessarily!] 5. Now take a minute and look inside the packet of seeds you are holding. Are all the seeds in that particular packet exactly the same size? [No.] They are probably very close, yet not identical in size. 6. So, I m guessing that seed size generally determines the size of the plant. What else might make a difference? [Where it is planted. How many and what types of nutrients are in the soil. How much it rains. Temperature. The amount of sun or shade the plant receives. Whether or not it is fertilized.] 7. People who garden know a lot of ways to make their plants grow big and strong but, ultimately, do they actually control whether they have big healthy plants or not? [No.] You re right. How the plant actually grows is not really up to us, but we still plant them and then trust that they will grow with a little help. 8. In today s lesson, Jesus tells a story about sowing, or planting, seeds and compares it to sharing God s word with others. We tell people that Jesus loves them and talk about Bible stories, but can we someone trust and believe in God? [No.] That s the work of the Holy Spirit but we do know that great faith can grow from even small, small seeds. Bible Nuts and Bolts (10 minutes) What is a Parable? Not quite a fable You will need: A book of fables (or the text of one fable) Before class: 1. Either select a fable from the book to share with the students OR print off a fable from a website such as aesopfables.com. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 6

During class: 1. What is a fable? [A story with a moral, lesson, or message that involves animals.] 2. Do any of you have a favorite fable that you can remember? If anyone has a fable, allow them to briefly tell it. If it is short or if students don t have one to share, read or re-tell one the one that you prepared ahead of time. 3. Why do you think we have fables? [They are a fun way for us to learn something. They often point out what is wrong with people so we can learn from them. They help us to be better people.] 4. Most people love to hear stories and some people love to tell stories. Don t you think it s often easier to remember the things that your teacher tells you at school if it is tied to a story instead of just a bunch of facts? Stories have emotions and experiences that we share. 5. Jesus must have known about the value of stories because he used them when he taught people also. But, his stories weren t usually about animals that could talk. Do you know what Jesus usually told stories about? [People.] 6. Parables are stories that are about people but they were especially important to Jesus because they also passed along a message to his followers, just like fables did. Sometimes they helped people understand what they were doing wrong but usually they helped people understand something important about God. 7. In today s story we are going to hear about one of those parables. This parable was a little confusing to the disciples so he had to help explain it to them. Learning the Story (15 minutes) The Parable of the Sower A filmstrip poster story. You will need: Bibles Large sheets of paper Markers or colored pencils Tape During class: 1. We are going to read the parable that Jesus told to his followers and turn it into a filmstrip or comic strip to display on the wall of our classroom. Have students divide into four groups in order to create posters. 2. As a large group, read Mark 4:1-9 together. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 7

3. This parable contains a sower which is simply someone who plants seeds. But we had four different situations that occurred, depending on where the seed fell. Each of your groups is going to make a poster showing what happened when the seed fell in a particular area. 4. Encourage students to help you identify the four areas in which seeds fell and the consequences by re-reading the passage in their Bibles. As they begin working have each group write one of the following verses on their poster: 1. Mark 4:4 2. Mark 4:5-6 3. Mark 4:7 4. Mark 4:8 5. Allow students ample time to complete writing and drawing on their posters and then hanging them up on the wall in the order listed above. 6. This is an interesting story. We know that plants do behave differently depending on whether they have nutrient rich soil or whether they are just in sand or planted along a dry path. But the disciples were confused by what Jesus meant by this parable. Many of us are probably confused, too. 7. Read Mark 4:13-20 together, stopping to discuss as follows: 1. Verses 13-14: When Jesus explains it, the sower is actually not sowing seeds, but what? [God s word.] So, this is a story about growing God s word and growing faith, not just planting seeds in a garden. 2. Verse 15: Now Jesus is talking about the seeds that were sown on the path. On your poster, maybe you drew birds coming and grabbing the seed because it didn t take root in the soil. Jesus said those birds are like Satan, the devil, coming and making people doubt that God s words are true or that God s words are meant for certain people. The devil brings doubt where God works to create faith. 3. Verses 16-17: Here Jesus is talking about rocky ground. When you plant seeds among rocks, they grow quickly, but their roots can t take hold because of all the rocks everywhere. We know that plants take up water and nutrients through their roots so they die quickly if their roots aren t well established. Jesus says that is like people who come to church and hear Bible stories and are excited about them, but then, as soon as something bad happens or they get bored, they stop believing in God s goodness and love. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 8

4. Verses 18-19: The seeds that you drew on the third poster started to grow, but all the thorns and weeds everywhere took the sunshine and the good nutrients and choked out the plant so it couldn t survive. That s like the person who hears God s words of love but then they forget them because they are too busy trying to earn more money or make more friends or thinking about other things that they find more interesting. 5. Verse 20: Then, finally, like our last poster, there are seeds that fall right in the perfect spot where there is rich soil and plenty of rain. This is like people who hear God s word and have others around them to encourage and support them. They have a strong faith and know God s love is especially for them. 8. You just went through a lot with the students. Pause and ask if they have any questions or need to review anything. 9. Many times when people read this story, they ask: What kind of soil am I? We want to know if we are doing things right or not. God has something to say about that, too. 10. Read Mark 4:26-29 aloud to the students. 11. Jesus finally lets us know that it isn t up to US to produce a great crop. Even the best farmer has to depend on nature doing what nature does. God has created faith in each one of you and you have a job to be a sower and share the stories with others. But, it is only God through the Holy Spirit who can actually create faith in others just as God has done for each of you. Note to teachers: Some students may express concerns or doubts about their faith. It s normal for all of us to feel that our faith isn t strong enough or that our doubts are a sign of weakness. If students make these types of comments, assure them that God is still working on all of us. We can trust our God to keep the promises that were made to us in our baptisms. 12. I like this filmstrip that you have created for our wall. It shows lots of things that can happen to people that create doubt or gets in the way of us trusting God. The amazing thing about God is that, even in the midst of all those situations you drew on your posters, God still has the ability to love, care for, and make faith in each person. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 9

Living the Story (15 minutes) Sow Seeds of Faith Giving the gift of faith to others. You will need: Activity Sheet #2-18.B Paper or cardstock Pens or pencils Colored pencils A hole punch Ribbon or string Bibles A basket A variety of small items that can be given as gifts (at least one item per student) Note: Small items with specific ideas of how to use each one include: sticks of gum, pens, packets of seeds, a bottle of water, and a large paper clip or binder clip. Before class: 1. Make copies of Activity Sheet #2-18.B on cardstock or paper and cut the squares apart. During class: 1. Place the variety of items you have gathered into the basket and place it in the middle of the table. 2. In the lesson we illustrated together, we heard that part of our job as Christians is to plant God s word in other people to tell them how much God loves them and share words from the Bible with them. There are many ways to do this, but one way we might enjoy is by giving small gifts to other people. 3. In this basket, I have a variety of small objects that you could give to someone else as a gift. But, we like gifts to have meaning and part of our call as Christians is to share the gift of God s word. Therefore, we are going to attach a Bible verse to each gift as well. 4. Encourage students to take one item from the basket and decide who they would like to give that item to as a gift. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 10

5. Next, have each student take a card from Activity Sheet #2-18.B that you have cut apart. See if they can match the gift with the verse on the card. Suggested ways to match them include: 1. Stick of gum or candy: Matthew 28:20b 2. Pen, pencil or marker: Hebrews 8:10 3. Packet of seeds or small plant: Psalm 126:6 4. Paper clip or binder clip: Colossians 3:14 5. Bottle of water or bar of soap: John 14:14 6. Students can also take a blank card and write their own idea for a verse on it. 6. After matching a Bible verse card with their gift, have each student write the name of the person they are giving the gift to on the card along with any extra words or pictures. 7. Provide students with short pieces of ribbon or string. They can punch holes in the cards and use the string to tie them to the gifts they have selected. 8. When you deliver these gifts to the people whose names you have written on the cards, you are doing exactly what Jesus asks of you in this parable you are sowing, or planting, God s word in the world. You are serving others by helping them know God s promises. As we finish our class today, we will pray that the seeds we plant will bear lots of fruit! Additional Activities Plant the Word (10 minutes) Sticky (note) faith! You will need: Sticky notes Pens or markers Bibles Activity Sheet #2-18.B (optional) During class: 1. We have spent time today talking about ways to share God s words of love and hope with others. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 11

2. Take out the pads of sticky notes and pass them around. What do you usually use sticky notes for? [Reminding myself to do things. Making short lists. Leaving notes for people in the family. Lists of things to do.] You couldn t write a novel or a play on a sticky note and you couldn t share a very big idea on a sticky note. Instead, they are usually used to remind us of something we already know like not to forget to take some money to school for a field trip or to remember to pick someone up after soccer practice. 3. Today I am going to challenge you to create some sticky notes to remind the people in your own house about God s love to make sure God s promises are well-planted in your families hearts. 4. Encourage students to take one or two sticky notes per person in their family. 5. On each sticky note, they should write one of their favorite Bible verses. For ideas, they can talk to one another and/or use some from Activity Sheet #2-18.B. They may also decorate the sticky notes as desired. 6. When students finish, consider going around the room and having each person read their sticky notes aloud. 7. The Bible contains so many words of love and promise that God wants the world to hear. Part of serving others is making sure those words are spoken and written regularly. Thank you for taking your sticky notes home and finding creative places to put them so your family can be reminded over and over again. 8. As time allows, share ideas for where students will place the sticky notes at home. Some creative ideas may include: steering wheels, bathroom mirrors, inside the refrigerator, on pillows, computer or television screens, and in lunch boxes. My Parable (10 minutes) Creatively sharing my faith. You will need: Whiteboard or large sheet of paper Markers During class: 1. Whether you think it s true or not, you all know quite a bit about God. We ve read and talked about many stories here in class as well as at worship and probably in your homes, too. Now we get the chance to try and share what we know about God using a parable. We will get to be as creative as we can!! 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 12

2. I think it might be helpful, though, if we first think of the many things we know about God. Help students list what they know for sure about God together on the large paper or whiteboard. Some things they may include are: 1. God created the world. 2. God loves each one of us. 3. Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected so that we may have eternal life. 4. God wants us to love and care for one another. 5. God is powerful. 6. God has given us different gifts so we can do God s work in the world. 7. God hears our prayers. 3. Divide students into small groups of 2-4 and encourage them to develop a parable that illustrates one of the facts about God that you have written on the board or paper. They will be able to read, tell, or act out their parable when they finish and the rest of the class will guess which point they were trying to illustrate. 4. Be sure to visit with groups to help them along. Some groups are likely to find this type of creative project exhilarating and fun. Others may get stuck and need some assistance. Have them consider what types of things happen in their everyday lives (at school, with friends, during practices, at home with their families, etc) that can illustrate God s presence in the world and God s work in our lives. 5. Have each group take a turn to share their parable and the class follows up with a guess. 6. It can be a challenge to write a parable that shows God s love to the world, but it is fun to try. It also helps us see that God is a part of our lives not just at church, but everywhere we go. Student Bible Book: The Parable of the Sower (10 min) Students continue their own Bible story book! You will need: Each student s binder Copies of Activity Sheet #2-18.C on 8.5 x 11 cardstock paper or plain paper A three-hole punch Pens Markers and/or crayons A sample page (See below) 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 13

Before class: 1. Create a sample page using the instructions below to demonstrate to students approximately what their page should look like. 2. You may copy the activity sheet onto the cardstock, or just have students write it all themselves. During class: 1. Hand out one piece of cardstock paper and a pen to each student. 2. Show students the sample page you made before class. 3. Today we are going to continue making our own Bible book! 4. If you did not copy the activity sheet onto the cardstock, instruct students to write the name of the story on the top of their page (in portrait orientation) and write the passage underneath the title. 5. What are some of the important things we have learned from this story? [Answers will vary, see story themes for suggested answers] 6. On the bottom of your page, please write one or two important things that you have learned from this story. In the middle of the page, draw a picture from the story or illustrate one of your important things you ve learned. 7. When students are finished, have them put their names on the back and collect the pages. Three-hole punch the papers and put them in individual binders for each student to be kept at church until the end of the year. Closing Prayer Before ending class, make a point to come together to pray. Use the following or say your own prayer. Allow any students who would like to include a personal prayer to do so at the appropriate time. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 14

Lesson #2-18 (3rd-6th) January 17, 2016 Sowing Seeds of Faith Jesus will always STICK with you! And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20b Jesus love is WRITTEN on your heart! This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Hebrews 8:10 May Jesus love plant seeds of great joy! We are bound together in God s love. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Psalm 126:6 Colossians 3:14 You have been washed clean by Jesus. those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. John 14:14 16 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved

The Story @ Home Narrative Lectionary, Year 2 Story Connections We have already heard a great deal about the kingdom of God in the first few chapters of Mark. Today s text focuses on the question of how and in whom the kingdom best takes root. We have already heard about so many ways that Jesus is bringing God s kingdom into the world through his own words and deeds. This lesson gives us an opportunity to ask about our own role in spreading God s kingdom in our world. Story Summary: The Parable of the Sower Jesus begins using parables to share information about God s kingdom by telling about a sower who indiscriminately tossed seeds. Some seeds fell on a path, others on rocky ground, yet others among thorns, and a final batch into some good, rich soil where they thrived. He then goes on to explain the meaning of the parable: what is sown is the word and there are many reasons that it does not thrive, but when it falls onto the good soil it bears an abundance of fruit. Bible Nuts and Bolts: Parables Jesus used parables in the Bible in order to share a message with his listeners. Sometimes their meaning is very obvious and other times it can be more cryptic. Parables are simply stories about humans that pass along a message. One form of a message-driven story that children are familiar with is that of a fable. Most kids have read numerous fables that use animals in order to teach a lesson or pass along a moral. Today s lesson gave your child an opportunity to compare and contrast these two forms of literature. Story Themes Any passage of Scripture has innumerable themes and lessons for the student. However, a single lesson cannot cover everything. The following themes are the focus of this lesson. Jesus tells the parable of the sower to a crowd beside the sea. The parable of the sower is the first parable we read in the gospel of Mark. Not only is the message contained in the parable important, but Jesus goes on to explain the importance of parables themselves in a cryptic way. Jesus followers sometimes struggled to understand the parables. Jesus himself states that people will look, but not perceive and also that they will listen, but not understand. Just like them, we sometimes hear the words from scripture and don t know exactly what it means for each of us. Perhaps the key comes in the work of the sower (God) rather than the work of the soil (us). God s word grows inside God s people when it is truly heard, producing a big, healthy faith. As humans, we want to control what type of soil we are the type that hears the words and obeys or the type that chooses to walk away. But, of course, each patch of earth does not choose what type of soil it is. Instead, God sows seeds everywhere and we can trust the ultimate gardener to provide the water, sunshine, and nutrients for growth. Spiritual Practice: Service After the seed of God s word has been sown in us, we are blessed to be able to sow the words in the world in which we live. Just like the sower in the parable, we toss God s words of love and promise to all who may be able to hear. Today, your child had an opportunity to find ways to sow the gift of faith in others by creating some gifts to distribute this week. 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved

LIVING THE WORD Try it @ HOME The stories heard in last week s lesson tell about Jesus uncanny way of raising eyebrows wherever he went. First he proclaimed the forgiveness of sins and healed a paralytic and then went so far as to sit down and eat with sinners and tax collectors. All the rules of etiquette and proper behavior set forth by Jewish law were being broken as the crowds watched and wondered. Now, he tells the parable of the sower which seems to make them scratch their heads again. Next week, we will hear of Jesus work in saving a man from the many demons that have possessed him for years. And, finally, the people will ask Jesus to leave, yet the man freed from the demons continues to share the good news of what Jesus has done for him. In positive or negative ways, the crowds simply cannot stop talking about what Jesus is doing. As you hear and study these stories each week, consider what God has to say to you and your family. Help your children to imagine what it would have been like to be the people contained in the stories. What is God s message to them and to us? Pick a time each day to gather together and read the following excerpts that share parables from the Bible. Engage in a few activities that help you better understand God s message of love and hope for you. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Matthew 13:33 Luke 15:3-7 Matthew 18:23-35 Matthew 20:1-16 Luke 15:8-10 Luke 15:11-32 Luke 10:30-37 Put a packet of yeast in a bowl with about ¼ cup warm water and a teaspoon of sugar. What happens? How is this like God s love? Tell about a time you have been lost and how it felt when you were found then play a game of hide and seek. It is hard to forgive other people, but it is what Christ has already done for us. As a family, make a small sign that says, I forgive you. Keep it in a handy place where it can be easily reached and used as needed. We are often tempted to say, It s not fair! But we know that God s justice is different. Help one another remember to say the words God loves you and so do I! each time anyone is tempted to say, It s not fair! 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved Take turns hiding ten coins and telling one another whether you are hot or cold as you search. Don t stop looking until you have found them all. Tell about a time you were reunited with someone you had missed for a long time. Hug one another as if you haven t been together for a week. Celebrate your joy! Jesus said, Go and do likewise. Pick someone you don t get along with or like very much. Pray for them every day this week. Try to find a way to help them in at least one small way.