BEATITUDES-PEACEMAKERS

"Blessed Are The Peacemakers”

Big Idea

Be a peacemaker, not a peacebreaker        .

Schedule

1. Small Groups: Heroes and villians activity (5 min)

2. Big Group: Lesson (20 min)

3. Verse Activity: Superhero activity (5 min)

3. Small Groups: Index card activity (10-15 min)

Materials Needed

1. Large piece of paper   2. Markers (different colors)   3. One index card for each child (cut each card in half)   4. Green and red markers

Before Big Group

1. Explain the following, writing the big idea below on the chalk/wipe board:

    The big idea for today is "Be a peacemaker, not a peacebreaker." We'll find out more about what this means in big group time.

2. Select a child to be a recorder. Have him/her draw a line down the center of the paper. Have him/her label the top of one half of the paper "Superheroes" and the other "Super Villians," using a different color marker for each label.

3. Ask, "In a lot of movies, tv shows, and books, there are superheroes and super villians. Can you name any superheroes or super villians?" As the children answer, have your recorder write down their responses on the corresponding half of the paper, using a marker whose color matches the label.

    Bring this paper with you to big group time.

After Big Group

1. Explain the following:

    Our big idea for today is "Be a peacemaker, not a peacebreaker." We should always try to follow God in every situation, even when people are mean to us.

2. Give each child two halves of an index card. On one card, with a green marker, have them write "PM." On the other, in red marker, have them write "PB." Explain the following:

    The PM card stands for Peacemaker, those who always try to follow God in every situation and do what's right. The PB card stands for Peacebreaker, those who don't follow God and cause fights with others.

    I'm going to describe a situation and how you might act during it. After I read it, I want you to hold up the PM card if you think they were being a Peacemaker or the PB card if you think they were being a Peacebreaker.

3. For each of the scenarios listed below, do the following: read the scenario. Have the children hold up a card indicating their answer (Peacemaker or Peacebreaker). Discuss the correct answer with the children. If the correct answer was Peacebreaker, ask the children to suggest how they could have acted differently.

    The correct answers are listed at the end of each scenario.

A.  A kid in math class called you a "nerdy geek-faced dorkazoid." You look him in the eye and tell him that he looks like an ugly lizard that got hit by a bus. (PB)

B.  Your family goes out to eat. Your parents let your sister pick which place to eat at and she picks a place you really don't like that much. But, instead of complaining, you try to find something on the menu you like (PM).
C.  At recess, a kid picks up a rock and throws it at you, hitting you right in the head. You pick up two rocks and throw them at him, hitting him in both eyes. (PB)

D.  It's your brother's birthday, and he got a lot of cool present. You didn't get any, so you whine and complain about it all day long to your parents. (PB)

E.  While riding your bike home, another kid comes up on a bike and rams into you, knocking you over. You get up, pick up your things, tell him that that wasn't a very cool thing to do, get back on your bike, and pedal home. (PM)

F.  Your sister tells you that the new shirt you got for school looks like it's a shirt for a clown instead of a regular person. You say to her, "You look really nice today." (PM)

4. Hand each child a journal page. Have them fill it out, writing down the big idea “Be a peacemaker, not a peacebreaker” and how they can use it in their life (Examples: I won't call people names when they call me names.) Place the page in their journal binder.