We are blessed to have Miss Leslie who writes our Sunday School and Vacation Bible School curriculum in house. During our time of doing “church at home”, Miss Leslie is giving us each week’s lesson plan on line. Here’s the first installment! You can also download the lesson plan and worksheet in PDF format for easier printing! Or download just the worksheet.
2020 Season of Lent Lesson 5: “Greener Grass”
Psalm 23: 1-3
Purpose: As we continue our journey through Lent, today’s lesson focus will be how sometimes we are caught up in wanting more – thirsty for materialistic things thinking they will make us happy. Yes, they will make us happy, but it is not a lasting happiness. God leads us to be thirsty for what gives us joy, those things that will give us everlasting happiness.
Bible Verse: Psalm 23: 1-3
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Activating Strategy:
Game: Candy Hunt
Hide candy around the room
Divide students into groups of 3.
Explain rules:
Each member of the group is given 30 seconds to find candy. On the word go, the first teammate hunts until you stay stop, that teammate gives the bag to the second person and hunts for 30 seconds, and continue until all teammates have had a turn.
The team with the most candy gets all of the candy.
Play game.
Determine the winner and collect all of the candy ready to give it to the winning team. “Wait… I goofed.You were to collect only the chocolate candy. Oh, well… I will have to change this game and just share the candy evenly with all of you at the end of our lesson.”
Note the emotions throughout the game.. End with how the winning team was showing great joy, and how now they don’t have that joy.
Discussion:
What is Joy?
How do you feel “when we get what we want”?
By this thought, we should work as hard as we can to get the stuff that, once we get it, it will give us joy. What happens when we want something new? According to this definition, we will no longer have joy, and we will have to work to get the new thing so we can feel joy again.
Have you ever heard the phrase: “The grass is greener on the other side of the fence.”
Well, it means that way too often we have things that make us happy for awhile, and then we look what others have or see something new and we want that to make us happy.
We out grow that stuff and want something more.
Then, where can we find real joy? What bring us joy that will last even through the bad times, the tough times, the disappointments, fear, sadness….
Read Psalm 23: 1-3 together. This verse reminds us that God gives us all that we need and He will take care of us.
Brainstorm:
What are things that will give us joy that will last…
Regroup and share lists with each other….
Prayer time:
Sing “Down in My Heart”.
The song tells us what brings us joy… love, Jesus….
Worksheet:
Worksheet Discussion:
Have you ever heard the phrase: “The grass is greener on the other side of the fence.”
Well, it means that way too often we have things that make us happy for awhile, and then we look what others have or see something new and we want that to make us happy.
We out grow that stuff and want something more.
My question for you to think about is:
Then, where can we find real joy? What bring us joy that will last even through us growing older, our change in what we like, the bad times, the tough times, the disappointments, fear, sadness….
Read Psalm 23: 1-3
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
This verse reminds us that God gives us all that we need and He will take care of us.
Say Psalm 23: 1-3 as a prayer.
Throughout the week, try to memorize Psalm 23: 1-3. Surprise me on Easter by knowing these three verses.
Now, go outside and enjoy playing in the green grass!!! You could even have your parents send me a picture through messenger of you playing outside. I really miss seeing you and think of you often!
Love,
Miss Leslie
(Photo by Adrian Infernus on Unsplash)