Scripture: for teacher background:
Matthew 6:9-13 Isaiah 30:21
Making contact:
Do you like cooking and baking? Do you use
recipes? What is the advantage of recipes?
Some baking and cooking works quite
well without a recipe, but some things definitely only work with a recipe.
Here is an easy chocolate sauce to make in
the microwave – but follow the recipe:
50 ml syrup
50 gm butter
50 ml hot chocolate powder
Microwave for 1 min then stir then
microwave for another minute.
Exploration:
The disciples watched Jesus closely and
they were fascinated with the way He prayed.
He seemed to have a hotline to
God, His Father.
One day they said: “Lord, teach us to pray.”
He gave them what we call the Lord’s
Prayer.
Can you say it?
Our Father in heaven may Your name be honoured
May Your Kingdom come
May your will be done on earth as it is
in heaven
Give us today the food we need
Forgive us the wrongs that we have done
as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.
Do not bring us to hard testing, but
keep us safe from the Evil One.
You might know slightly different words and
you also add on a bit that the church tradition has added on to give an ending
of praise.
This prayer is like a recipe. It teaches us
how to pray and what to pray for. It shows us all the important ingredients of
prayer.
We are firstly reminded that God is our
Father, and that we must praise and honour His name.
This doesn’t
only mean to honour Him in prayer but to honour Him all day.
A tip – we don’t like it when others use
the Lord’s name in vain. Try this. When someone near you blasphemes, say:
“AMEN!” as if you think they are praying……….they will soon stop when you are
there.
One day God’s Kingdom will come and
then everyone will honour His name because He is King whether people believe or
not. That day will come!
We are asking God that we will know His
will and do His will.
It is wonderful to walk in
the way that God wants.
He has promised to show us: “If you wander off the
road to the right or the left, you will hear His voice behind you saying, Here
is the road. Follow it.”
Application
It is important to
help children develop their praying, especially if they get no teaching at
home.
It’s important that we
don’t just recite this special prayer with no thought and no meaning. It can be
said slowly and thoughtfully, but most of all the teaching from it needs to be
applied.
The aspects of praise,
confession and asking are very clear.
A simple summary of
this is the Teaspoon prayer. “Thank You, Sorry and Please.”
As the children gain
confidence with the simple round of prayer, saying Thanks, develop their
prayers in to the teaspoon prayer.
Have a brief time for
each, just introducing it simply -
”Let’s say thanks to God………….”Let’s say sorry
now, in your heart or out aloud”…………….Let’s forgive those who have wronged
us.”………”
Now let’s ask God for protection over us and those we love and let’s
pray for the needs of others and anything we are worried about.”
The children will soon
learn to pray short, direct, relevant prayers as you guide them. This will
develop their prayer lives.
Don’t accept any irreverence. Tell them
they are dishonoring God if they are naughty when they pray.
Keep it short and
special.
Challenge to Mission
Pray the Lord’s Prayer for someone.
Ask
that they will come to know God as their FATHER, that they will do His will;
that they may eat food and have all that they need.
Pray that they can forgive
those who have hurt them and that God will protect them from the Evil One.
This prayer is also very powerful to pray
for someone you don’t like. Jesus said pray for your enemies. You can’t remain
enemies when you pray this prayer for them.
Consolidation
Memory Verse
“If you wander off the road to the right
or the left, you will hear His voice behind you saying, Here is the road.
Follow it.”
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