BEATITUDES-PERSECUTED
"Blessed Are The Persecuted”
Big Idea
Follow God, not the crowd.
Materials Needed:
1. Bowls and paper strips (from small group time) 2. See Lesson Resource: Cards for preparation info 3. Large stack of books 4. Two chairs
Setup:
Have a small table or stool in the middle of the teaching area.
Lesson
1. Using the bowls filled with paper strips, pull out individual strips and briefly talk about the examples the children gave of what cool people do. Explain the following, writing the big idea on a chalk/wipe board as you mention it:
Our big idea for today is "Follow God, not the crowd." The cool kids do lots of different things, some of which we've already talked about. And since everyone wants to be cool, the rest of the kids, the crowd, just follow what the cool kids do. Some of the things they do are good and fine, but some are pretty bad.
Today we're going to try and see if it's more important to follow the crowd or God.
2. Explain the following:
We're going to act out a couple of different situations. Then we'll see how cool kids sometimes react and compare that to what the Bible says.
To do this, we're going to use a couple decks of cards to help us. (Hold up the two jars for the children to see.) The first deck of cards is the Cool Kids deck. On each card is something a cool kid might say. (Show this deck of cards to the children and set it on the stool.)
The second deck of cards is the God Follower deck. On each card is something a follower of God might say. (Show this deck of cards to the children and set it on the stool.)
3. Ask for two volunteers to come forward. Instruct them to stand Explain the following:
Here are our two kids. One will be our cool kid. He/she'll do anything to be cool. (Select one of the volunteers to represent the cool kid.)
Our second kid will be our follower of God. He/she will do anything to obey God, even if it isn't cool. (Select the other volunteer to represent the follower of God.)
In a second, I'm going to act out a situation cool kids might see in school. After I act it out, we'll have them pull cards from the top of their decks and read it. Each time I point to them, they'll pick a card.
4. Select another child to come up front. Whispering in his/her ear so the rest of the children cannot hear, instruct him/her to pick up the large stack of books, go to one edge of the teaching area, walk towards the other children, tripping after just a few steps, spilling the books everywhere.
Point to the cool kid (Card 1: Nice job, clutzo! Haven't you learned to walk yet?)
Point to the God follower: (Card 1: "Hey, that's not a nice thing to say! Let's see if he's alright.)
Point to the cool kid:
(Card 2: Of course he's not alright! He can't even walk and carry books at the same time!)
Point to the God follower:
(Card 2: How would you feel if someone made fun of you when you fell?)
Point to the cool kid:
(Card 3: Listen, nerd, if you want to go help the mayor of Nerd Town, be my guest!)
Point to the God follower:
(Card 3: Jesus says to do to others what you would have them do to you, so I think we should help.)
Ask the child who fell to return to his/her seat. Pick up the books and move them from the teaching area. Explain the following:
Sometimes cool kids like to make fun of kids who aren't cool. We know that this is wrong since the Bible teaches us to treat others how we want to be treated.
But, when we stand up up to the cool kids and tell them what they are doing isn't right, sometimes they'll start making fun of us for doing the right thing!
Let's look at another situation a cool kid mighty find him/herself in.
5. Place the two chairs on either side of the table holding the cards. Have the two volunteers sit in a chair, making sure they can reach their deck of cards from the table as they sit. Act out the following, pretending to be a classroom teacher to your two volunteers:
Alright class, it is now test time. From now on, keep your lips zipped, your pencils moving, and your eyes on your own paper! You have thirty minutes...go!
Point to the cool kid:
(Card 4: Psst! Hey, you over there! What'd you put down for question three?)
Point to the God follower:
(Card 4: You're supposed to do your own work! And my name isn't "You over there!")
Point to the cool kid:
(Card 5: Listen, tell me the answer to number 3, and I'll be your friend. I promise!)
Point to the God follower:
(Card 5: Look, man, I'm not going to help you cheat on a test just so you'll be my friend.)
Point to the cool kid:
(Card 6: I thought church nerds like you were supposed to help people! Next time we play dodgeball at recess, you're getting picked last!)
Point to the God follower:
(Card 6: I can help you study for the test next time. I don't care if I get picked last for dodgeball because it's just wrong to help someone cheat.)
Invite the two volunteers to join the rest of the group.
6. Explain the following:
Most of us think it'd be pretty fun to be one of the cool kids at school. You can have tons of friends. You wear the coolest clothes. You always get picked first for dodgeball.
But sometimes, to be cool, you have to do things that the Bible teaches us are wrong. You make fun of the uncool kids when they mess up. Instead of studying, you ask the uncool kids to help you cheat. Some kids think that they look cooler if they swear or smoke cigarettes.
But Jesus teaches us that, just like the God follower in our lesson, we need to do what's right, even if we get made fun of for doing it. In the book of Matthew, Jesus says, "Blessed are those who suffer for doing what is right. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them." (Matt. 5:10, NIrV).
Write "Blessed are those who suffer" on the chalk/wipe board.
Blessed means "truly happy." How can we be truly happy if we are suffering? Wouldn't we rather just be cool and not have to suffer?
Being cool is a bit like the ice cubes we set on the table in small group time. Sure, they were cool when we set them on the table, but they're slowly starting to melt. By the time we get back in our small groups, the ice cubes will be much smaller and much less cool than they were just an hour ago.
Select a couple children to go retrieve the plates holding the ice cubes from small group time and bring them to you. Show the plates to the children as you explain the following:
Being cool doesn't last forever. You can be a cool kid one day at school and the next day, you could trip and fall in front of everyone. Then the other cool kids will make fun of you and you're no longer cool. You're just like this melting ice cube, which will eventually end up as a puddle of water.
However, following God is something that lasts forever. It isn't like an ice cube that melts. Instead, when we do whats right, even when we suffer for doing it, Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to us." That means we will spend forever with God. And spending time with God, who's the coolest being in the universe, is way better than getting picked first for dodgeball