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Session #3 The Sowers Parable

Download Lesson #3

This week’s destination: THE SEED THAT FELL ON ROCKS.
This lesson 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 fear and the temptations of this world take it away.

TOPICS
• Fear
• Witnessing
• Hardened Heart

MATERIALS:
Selection of different seeds. Chalk, small rocks for hopscotch. Two smooth round rocks for team game. A farmer’s hat, a bag of seeds, Seed Bible Cards, crayons, heap of rocks, 1 small plant, yellow cloth to act as the sun, 1 withered plant,1 bowl, small sponge cut into the shape of a heart, squirty bottle. Water bottle

AS KIDS ARRIVE PRIOR TO THE LESSON:
Get 6 children to colour the Seed Cards & Bible Verse Cards

Examine the Moringa bottle, you will probably see nothing this first week, sometimes God is working on the inside of us and there is not much to see on the outside but God is at work in our lives, just like He is at work on the Moringa seed in your bottle.

2. TEAM GAMES: (10 minutes)
Make two teams pass a big seed, such as a small coconut, from one child to the other using only their knees. When it has passed down the line the last person runs to the front and begins the process until all have run to the front, first team to complete is the winner.

Sow the Word (Sung to the Tune: “Row, Row, Row your boat.” )

Sow, sow, sow the Word, precious seeds of Faith;
Some that fall along the path, are quickly snatched away.
Sow, sow, sow the Word, precious seeds of Truth;
Some that fall on rocky soil, won't last the whole day through.

Sow, sow, sow the Word, precious seeds of Hope;
Some that fall among the thorns, grow weak from fear and woe.

Sow, sow, sow the Word, precious seeds of Life;
Some that fall into good soil, will live a life for Christ.

Prayer: Heavenly Father let us be open to hearing Your Word. Don’t let our hearts be rocky places, where Your Word will not have much soil to take root. Let it not sprang up quickly, let me not be enthusiastic at the start but when times of difficulties come wilt and die because the Word is shallow. Let me be deep into Your Word. Amen

b. Sword Play Ready…Swords up… Mathew 13: 5 – 6 … CHARGE! “Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” (Mathew 13: 5 – 6) Download Bible Verse Visual Aids

Encourage the children to dramatize the verses. Props needed: a farmers hat, a bag of seeds, a heap of rocks, a small plant, a yellow cloth to act as the sun, a withered plant. Have the children recite the verse to memorize it. Use the Bible Verse Card as a visual aid.

c. Teach the Lesson (15 minutes) DOWNLOAD Lesson #3 Visual Aids Optional: Download ‘The Parable of the Sower Teaching Video.’

Seeds that fell on rocky places are like people that have hard hearts and little faith in God. When life gets a little rocky, their Christian walk quickly withers and dies .‘Sow your Power Card.’

Optional: Download 'The Farmer and the seed' Lesson #3 Bible Verse Reading Mute Video Version - Part #2 Optional: Download 'The Farmer and the seed' Lesson #3 Bible Verse Reading Audio Video Version - Part #2

Adapted from Bible for Children.

Download 'The Farmer and the seed' Lesson #3 PowerPoint Part #2 Adapted from Bible for Children.

We need to pray to God for strength, to soften our hearts to read the Bible to see how others withstood times of trouble. In the end, it doesn't matter what others think of us. We should live to please only God. Someone with a soft heart will soak up the Word of God. On the other hand, the Word of God rolls right off someone with a hardened heart of rock.

Object Lesson:
This hard rock (hold up rock) represents the heart of someone with a hard heart. The water represents the Word of God. (Squirt the rock with the squirty bottle.) When we try to explain the Word of God to someone with a hard heart, it will not soak in. It rolls off, they don’t want to hear, they are not interested.

This sponge rock (hold up sponge) represents someone with a soft and open heart. (Squirt the sponge with the squirty bottle.) When we explain the Word of God to a person with a soft heart, he or she will soak the information in. They want to hear more they are keen to join you in church.

The sun (wave yellow cloth) and the rain (spray the children with water) help the Jesus seed to grow.

Optional:Download 'What a Plant Needs to Stay Alive - Springtime Song' video Jesus becomes a light in me and I become a light to others. When I go to church and fellowship it is like the rain watering the Jesus seed.

Discussion Questions:

1. In our story today, where did the seeds fall? (The seeds fell on rocky places.)
2. What happened to the seed that fell on the rocky places?
(It withered, because it had no root.)
3. What does the word persecution mean? (To oppress, harass, annoy or bother.)
5. What are some ways that we may be persecuted or have trouble because we are Christians? (Some people may make fun of us, call us names.)
6. How can we help our faith withstand trouble and persecution? (Pray to God for strength, read the Bible to see how others withstood times of trouble.)
7. Should we care more about men or God? (God. In the end, it doesn't matter what others think of us. We should live to please only God.)

Extracts taken from www.kidssundayschool.com

Some people hear the Good News about Jesus and happily accept it. As soon as someone laughs at them or makes fun of their faith, they deny everything Jesus stands for. If things get tough, they give up. When trouble comes, they quickly abandon their relationship with Jesus. They worry more about men than they do about God. Their hearts become hard, like the rocky places some of the Sower's seeds fell.

Let’s spend some time holding our rock and asking God to soften our hearts and be open to hear from Him.

CLOSING PRAYER:
1. Praise to God for the opportunity to be able to hear His Word and learn from it.
2. Thank Him for "Planting the Jesus seed," in our hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to help everyone during the week to think about Jesus planted in their heart like a seed, water it by reading the Bible.
3. Safety and health for the children.
4. That others may see Jesus in our lives.

Our Heavenly Father we thank you for helping us to understand the Sowers Parable. Help us to look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet you Father feeds them. We know we are much more valuable than the birds.

OTHER OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Give the children a piece of paper and some small seeds and glue and let them stick the seeds to spell JESUS

TAKE HOME PAGE: Give one copy of the ‘Take Home Truth’ to each child at the end of the class. Take home their Moringa bottle, continue to water it a little each day. Download 'Take Home Truth' Optional: Download’ ‘Activity Book’ available for the children and can be downloaded from this website.

NEXT WEEK:
Come back next week to hear about the war of the plants! Water your Moringa at home and bring it back next week. Let’s see who’s Moringa has grown the most. I can hardly wait to see.

CLICK to view Session #4.

A DROP OF HOPE

GROW AND GO CURRICULUM

ENGLISH/YORUBA

ENGLISH

ENGLISH/EFIK

ENGLISH/SHONA

CHICHEWA

ENGLISH/NUER

SWAHILI

DUTCH

PORTUGUESE

FRENCH/LINGALA

FRENCH/HAITIAN