Jesus Wants Me to Pray Scripture Passage: Luke 18:9-14 Lesson Objective and Application.................................. After hearing Jesus story about a Pharisee and a tax collector praying, the children will begin to understand that God wants us talk to Him with respect and to think about Him when we pray. At the conclusion of this lesson, the children will know that one way to show respect to God when they pray is to bow their heads, fold their hands, and close their eyes. They will practice this during prayer time. Supply List........................................................... Bible Lesson Bible One paper face circle with the word Pharisee written at the bottom One paper face circle with the word taxgatherer written at the bottom Two paper circles with the word God written at the bottom Scripture Memory Bible Game Time BASIC GAME 10 coins 2 buckets ADVANCED GAME 50 pennies Bible Lesson......................................................... Introduction Boys and girls, Japan is a country that is a long, long way from where we live. In Japan, it is common for people to bow with their heads to one another. Let s try bowing with our heads like this. Put your head in a downward position just like bowing your head to pray, and then bring it back up. Great, now turn to the person beside you and bow to them. Bow. Now turn to the person on the I Can Pray Lesson 3 101
other side of you and bow to them. Bow. This is the way Japanese people show respect to one another. Respect means to think a lot of someone. If you respect someone, you think that person is important. Even though we don t live in the country of Japan, we bow our heads, too. Boys and girls, can you think of a time when we bow our heads? Allow time for responses. That s right; we bow our heads when we pray to God. This is our way of showing respect to God. It is our way of showing God that He is important. The Bible tells about two men who went to the temple to pray. One man showed respect to God. The other man did not. I am going to open my Bible to Luke chapter 18. Let s pray and ask God to help us understand what we read. Bow your head, fold your hands, and pray. Ask God to help the children listen carefully to the lesson. Lesson In the book of Luke, we read that one day Jesus told a story to the people. This is the story Jesus told. One day, two men went to the temple to pray. A temple is a place like our church. The first man was a Pharisee. A Pharisee was a person who belonged to a religious group of people. This man thought he was better than everybody else. Show face circle with the word Pharisee written at the bottom. This circle will remind us of the Pharisee. Show circle with God written on it. This circle will remind us of God. I need two helpers to hold the circles. Choose two children. Let them hold the circles while they sit on the floor in front of the class. The Bible tells us that the second man was a tax collector. His job was to take money from the people and give it to the king. Show face circle with the word tax collector at the bottom. This circle will remind us of the tax collector. Show the second circle with God written on it. This circle will remind us of God. I need two helpers to hold the circles. Choose two children. Let them hold the circles while they sit on the floor in front of the class. As I read Luke 18:11-12, listen to what happened. Read Luke 18:11-12. The Bible tells us that the Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself. When he prayed and talked to God, he didn t talk about God, he just talked about himself. The Pharisee told God about all the wonderful things that he had done. He told God how he had given money to the temple. He told God how much better he was than other people. As the Pharisee told God all of these things, who do you think he thought was most important? Was the Pharisee showing respect to God or to himself? Point to the matching circles and allow responses. Yes, the Pharisee was saying that he was more important than God was. Have child holding Pharisee circle stand to their feet. When the Pharisee prayed, he was thinking too much about himself. When the Pharisee prayed, he did not show respect to God. Remember the Pharisee wasn t the only one praying at the temple that day. Point to the tax collector s circle. The Bible tells us that when the tax collector prayed he would not even look up. The tax collector told God he was sorry for all of the wrong things he had done. He asked God to forgive him for his 102 I Can Pray Lesson 3
sin. When the tax collector told God that he was sorry, who do you think he thought was most important? Was the tax collector showing respect to God or to himself? Point to the matching circles and allow responses. Yes, when the tax collector prayed, he wasn t thinking about how wonderful he was. When the tax collector prayed, he showed respect to God. He was saying that God was more important than he was. Have child holding the God circle stand to his feet. The Pharisee s prayer was loud. He wanted those around him to hear about all the great things he had done. Point to the Pharisee s circle. The Pharisee was not thinking about God when he prayed. He was thinking about himself. The tax collector s prayer was quiet. Point to the tax collector s circle. The tax collector was thinking about God when he prayed. He was thinking about how important God was. Application Jesus told this story because He wanted the people to know that God did not want them to pray like the Pharisee. God is not pleased when you pray just to show others how great you are. Point to the Pharisee s circle. God wants us to pray and talk to Him with respect. When you pray, God wants you to think about Him. He wants you to think about the wonderful things He has done. Point to the tax collector s circle. The most wonderful thing God has done is to give us the gift of living in Heaven with Him forever. Why does God need to give us this gift? The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that we all do, say, or think wrong things. God calls these wrong things sin. Our sin makes God sad and keeps us from God. In John 3:16 we learn that God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus didn t stay dead, though. The good news is that Jesus came alive again! The Bible tells us that if we tell God we are sorry for our sin, like the tax collector did, (Point to the tax collector circle.) and believe Jesus died and came back to life, we will be saved. Have you told God you are sorry for your sin? Have you asked Him to forgive you and to be your Savior? If you would like a teacher to help you understand about this gift that only God can give you, please talk to me after the lesson. Have a leader available for counseling. For detailed invitation instructions and explanation concerning the process of leading Early Learners to Christ, please see the appendix in this Bible Study. Boys and girls, we are going to pray now. One way you can show God that He is important and that you respect Him is by bowing your head, folding your hands, closing your eyes, and thinking about God when you talk to Him. Let s talk to God right now. Are your actions showing respect to God when we pray? I Can Pray Lesson 3 103
Prayer Time Suggestion............................................ Thank God for listening to us when we pray. Ask God to help us think about Him and be respectful when we pray. Review Questions................................................... Place the Pharisee circle and the tax collector circle on opposite sides of the room. Have the children stand in the middle of the room. Tell the children that after you ask the question, they should tiptoe to the circle of the man that the question is about. Question one mentions both men; children may go to either circle. Repeat for each question. 1. Where did a Pharisee and a tax collector go to pray? (Temple) 2. What did the Pharisee tell God in his prayer? (About all the wonderful things he had done) 3. What did the tax collector tell God in his prayer? (That he was sorry for all the wrong things he had done) 4. Who was the Pharisee thinking about when he prayed? (Himself) 5. Who was the tax collector thinking about when he prayed? (God) Snack Time.......................................................... Tax Collector Treat Serve children chocolate coins, which are chocolate candies wrapped in gold foil. Discussion Suggestion: As the children enjoy their snack, ask them if they remember what the tax collector s job was. Remind the children that when the tax collector prayed, he was thinking about God. He was thinking about how important God was. Ask the children if they remember who the Pharisee was thinking about when he prayed. Tell the children that the chocolate coins will remind them to think about God and be respectful when they pray. 104 I Can Pray Lesson 3
Proud Popovers Make turnovers from refrigerated biscuits. Roll them out and fill with the filling of your choice. You may choose to use fruit filling and sprinkle the outside with cinnamon and sugar, or a filling such as ham cubes and cheese, or pizza sauce and cheese. Bake according to the directions for the biscuits. Discussion Suggestion: As the children enjoy their snack, remind them that the Pharisee in the Bible lesson thought he was better than other people. He was proud and talked about himself when he prayed. God does not want us to pray like the Pharisee. God is not pleased when you pray just to show others how great you are. Encourage the children to think about God and be respectful when they pray. Discipleship Time................................................... Use Activity Sheet (I Can Pray Lesson 3) Questions for Further Discussion: 1. Who prayed and asked God to forgive him of the wrong things he had done? (Tax collector) 2. The Pharisee s actions showed who he thought was most important. Who did the Pharisee think was most important? God or himself? (Himself, the Pharisee) 3. The tax collector s actions showed who he thought was most important. Who did the tax collector think was most important? God or himself? (God) 4. How can you show God that you respect Him and think He is important when you pray? (Bow your head, close your eyes, fold your hands, and think about God when you talk to Him) Prayer Time Pray that the children will want to talk to God in a way that shows Him that He is important. Suggested sentence prayer To give children an opportunity to put into practice today s lesson, instruct them to show respect to God when they pray by bowing their heads, closing their eyes, folding their hands, and thinking about Him during prayer time. I Can Pray Lesson 3 105
Dear God, help me to show respect and think about You when I pray. Scripture Memory Time............................................. Verse: Luke 18:1b Scripture Explanation: Read the verse aloud from the Bible in the version the children will be learning. You always need to talk to God through prayer. Don t stop talking to Him. Remember to show respect to God when you pray. Say the verse aloud several times including the reference. Then, ask the children to repeat it with you a few more times. Activity Say It Like This Tell the children that they will practice saying the verse like the Pharisee and the tax collector prayed. First, lead them in saying the verse like the Pharisee might have prayed, loud and looking all around. Then have them say the verse as the tax collector might have prayed, softly and looking down. The last time have them close their eyes, bow their heads, and fold their hands as they say the verse. Game Time........................................................... Coin Toss Divide the children into two equal lines. Place a bucket a few feet in front of the first person in each line. Give the first person in each line five coins. Have the children see how many coins they can toss into the bucket. Repeat until each child has had a turn or as time allows. Learning Link: Remind the children that the tax collector in today s Bible lesson collected money, like the coins in the game, from the people and gave it to the king. The tax collector was thinking about God when he prayed. He was thinking about how important God is. Encourage the children to remember to show respect and think about God when they pray. 106 I Can Pray Lesson 3
Coin Towers Divide the children into two equal teams. Give each team twenty pennies. Let the children take turns seeing how high they can stack the coins. Learning Link: Remind the children that the tax collector in today s Bible lesson collected money, like the coins in the game, from the people and gave it to the king. The tax collector was thinking about God when he prayed. He was thinking about how important God is. Encourage the children to remember to show respect and think about God when they pray. I Can Pray Lesson 3 107
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