The third Sunday school lesson, of a series, about the parable of the sower will help the children discover how truly wonderful the Word of God is and how we must not let worry, selfishness, or greed steal it away.
TOPICS
Parables, Witnessing, Worry, Worldliness
AS KIDS ARRIVE (10 minutes)
Have the children make a list of things that may make them worry. Examples may be such things as storms, sickness, first day of school, making new friends, being good at sports, etc. Before class starts combine their lists and write them on the whiteboard. Then tell them that no matter what we may be worried about, God can and will help us get through it.
OPENING PRAYER AND PRAISE (5 minutes)
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MEMORY WORK (12 minutes)
"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:24 NIV
Read the verse together several times. Go around the room and ask children to share their thoughts on the verse; what does it mean to them? How might we apply it to our lives today? Ask the children to read or say the verse several times during the next week.
SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION (15 minutes)
Introduction:
Today's lesson reminds us that we should keep God first in our lives. We will see how the thorns declared war on the growing plants and choked them out. There are many things in this world that compete for our time; many of them will try to draw our attention away from God. We need to weed out the things in our lives that keep our relationship with God from growing.
Matthew 13:7, 22 (Parable of the Sower - seed that fell among thorns)
Give each child a copy of the handout (Click here for handout) or have the kids find Matthew 13:7, 22 in their Bibles. Ask for volunteers to read the passage or if you prefer, read the passage to the children yourself.
Discussion Questions:
1. In our story today, where did the seeds fall? (Among the thorns.)
2. What happened to the seed that fell among the thorns? (It got choked out, by the thorns.)
3. What are some things that we worry about? (Sickness, school, friends, family.)
4. Should we let these worries become more important than God? Why or why not? (No, God is able to help us.)
5. Let's list some of our favorite things: toys, sports, food, and pets. Should these things have higher priority in our lives than God? (Video games, football, pizza, dog. No, God should have top priority.)
6. How can we be sure we spend time with God each day? (Set time aside each day, make it important.)
7. What are some ways we can include God in our daily lives? (Pray, read the Bible, serve others, be thankful.)
CLASS EXERCISE (5 minutes)
So Don't Worry (Activity) Click here
ALTERNATE CLASS EXERCISE (10 minutes)
Weeds (Object Talk) Click here
ALTERNATE CLASS EXERCISE (5 minutes)
Sow the Word (Song) Click here
APPLICATION (2 minutes)
Many people hear the Good News, which is the gift of salvation, but they are more worried about their day to day activities. They spent a lot of their time trying to get more money. They think that the more money they have, the happier they'll be. Sadly this just isn't true. Seeking the things of this world is like the seed that fell among thorns. People can only be truly happy when they have a genuine relationship with God, through His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
NEXT WEEK
Be sure to come next week! We'll show you a math illustration that's sweeter than candy!
CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
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TAKE HOME PAGE
Give one copy to each child at the end of the class to take home. Click here for NIV or KJV [PDF]