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This web-site is for everyone interested in learning more about the Bible.
This section helps Sunday school teachers find new ways of teaching familiar materials. Our goal is to augment lessons you may already have in your Sunday school curriculum.
In May, we are working with some of Jesus’ parables and looking at some of the mothers in the Bible. Select the parables and stories that best work for your class. We are using new and past materials.
The entire Activities section is divided into Memory Work, Activities, and Discussion Questions. You can go to any of these sections and select what best works for your pupils.
You can now download all three sections for ease in using these materials for teaching. |
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MEMORY WORK |
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Teachers and Parents
It is so important to encourage our little ones as well as ourselves to memorize Bible verses and stories – to become so familiar with the passage or story that its timeless relevance appears to us more and more clearly with every retelling. A major difference was evident between Sunday school pupils required to tell the story versus those who gave nodding recognition to the same story. We can not overlook the significance of memorizing a verse or story.
Consider sharing with your Sunday school pupils and parents ways to help little ones learn the verse and understand the impact of the message on their lives.
- Write out or type this week’s Bible verse on a card and place it on a mirror the child uses each day.
- Place the verse for the week in his/her lunch box.
- Ask the child to recite the verse before or after grace at the dinner meal.
- Practice as a family at dinner, going around the table with each one saying a word until the verse is complete.
- Put the verse to music. Create your own tune for each Bible verse. Create pictures to help remember the verse.
- Write it in a Bible verse notebook as many times as you can.
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Bible Verses
Work with your child and your students to learn each verse. Then, discuss the meaning of the verse and how it can be applied to everyday lives. On Sundays during class, riding in the car, or at dinner, it's fun to share stories of how the children have used the verse in their lives that week.
We provide memorization verses for each week. You can add your own.
May 4
(KJV) Luke 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
- To whom is Jesus speaking?
- What was the healing?
- What kind of faith did the man have?
- What kind of faith do you have?
May 11
(NRSV) Ex. 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
- Why is it important to honor our parents?
- Why is a mother important to the family?
- Name some of God’s mothering qualities.
May 18
KJV) Luke 17:21 (behold) behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
- What is the “kingdom of God”?
- What does “the kingdom of God is within” us mean?
- Is that a comforting thought? Why or why not?
May 25
(NIV) Mark 10:15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.
- Who is speaking?
- To whom?
- Why is childlikeness so important?
June 1
(NRSV) Ps. 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God, Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
- Is this a prayer?
- What is the difference between our will and God’s will?
- Why is it a good idea to let God lead us?
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Bible Stories
This month we are following some of Jesus’ parables.
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ACTIVITIES |
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Bible Overview gives an overview of 1 Esdras.
Make A Difference talks about the outcome of tough choices.
Teen Time Question and Answer: handles issues of trust.
Kids Korner offers puzzles, games, and stories about Jesus’ parables.
Parenting with the Bible – explores getting a job. |
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Exercise: Parable Grid
Last month we created a grid for each Gospel to show Jesus’ healings. This month, let’s create a grid of Jesus’ teachings, specifically the parables.
- What is a parable? [According to George Lamsa, it is an “oral picture,” which helps people remember what has been said. Trench states: “The parable is constructed to plant a seed of spiritual truth. To illustrate, prove, make clearer the spiritual facts with a lively image, creating a powerful impression for the awakening of man to the consciousness of the Divine.”
- Why did Jesus tell so many?
- What kinds of subjects did he use?
Create a grid for the parables and list the book where the parable is found.
EXAMPLE:
| Parable of… |
What
was the message? |
Who
was the audience? |
How would you use this parable today? |
Found in which Gospels? |
| Sower and seed |
Need to see types of soil as types of living and thinking.Seeds on the path – no root.Are we paying attention?Seeds on stony place – “yes, but” thinkingSeeds among thorns – what priorities choke out our time with God? |
Farmers, people who worked the fields and knew types of soil. |
I’d see what keeps me from being faithful to God everyday. I can be a “yes, but” person. Yes, I believe in God, but what about this and this?Often my to-do list doesn’t include God, which leads to thorns choking out my commitment. |
Matt. 13:3-23
Mark 4:2-20
Luke 8:4-15 |
After you’ve created a grid and placed all the parables in each one, which Gospel has the most parables? Which one has the fewest? Why is that?
 Print/Download Blank Grid to Use in Your Sunday School Class
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Exercise: If you don’t want to make a comparison grid, select ten of your favorite parables and fill in the grid below. Then disucss each parable. Have members of the class compare the different parables they selected and explain why they chose them.
| Parable of… |
Found
in which Gospel? |
Message
of the parable? |
Who
was the audience? |
How would you use this parable today? |
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Print/Download Blank Grid to Use in Your Sunday School Class |
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Exercise: Create a grid for all the kingdom parables. There are 12 of them:
- The Tares - Matt 13:24-30
- The Leaven - Luke 13:20-21
- Seeds Growing Secretly - Mark 4:26-29
- The Mustard Seed - Matt 13:31,32
- The Hidden Treasure - Matt 13:44
- The Pearl - Matt 13:45, 46
- The Net - Matt 13:47-50
- The Unmerciful Servant - Matt 13:51,52
- Laborers in the Vineyard - Matt 20:1-16
- Wedding Celebration - Luke 14:16-24
- Ten Virgins - Matt 25:1-13
- The Talents - Matt 25: 14-30
| Parable of… |
Tell the story |
What do you think the kingdom of heaven is like from this description? |
Who
was the audience? |
How would you use this parable today? |
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Print/Download Blank Grid to Use in Your Sunday School Class |
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Exercise:
Take all Jesus’ parables and put them on note cards. Have each student draw a card and give an example of how to use this parable today.
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Exercise: Find the code for the parables of the lost sheep and coin in Just One.
Print/Download Just One
Print/Download Just One Answer Sheet
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Exercise: Find all the children who belong to each mother in Old Testament Mothers and Children. |
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Exercise: Make a list of the qualities that make a good mother. How are those qualities like God? |
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Exercise: Ask each student to write a thank-you letter to his/her mother. Help them find appropriate Bible verses to tuck in their notes of gratitude. Help them be specific about why they are so grateful. Then tell them to tuck their notes under her pillow on Saturday night so she falls asleep knowing how grateful her child (ren) are for her and the deep love surrounding her. |
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS |
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Parable of the Lost Sheep Read Luke 15:3- 7; The Story of the Lost Sheep; “Lost” Parables
- Explain this parable.
- If you had 100 sheep and one was missing, would you go look for it?
- Who was going to watch the 99 sheep while the shepherd was gone?
- What does this story tell us about God’s love for us?
- Why do you think Jesus told this parable?
- What does it mean to you today?
- Try retelling it in modern words.
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Parable of the Lost Coin Read Luke 15: 8-10; The Story of the Lost Coin; “Lost” Parables
- Explain this parable.
- What is Jesus talking about?
- How many silver coins did this woman have?
- Why was it so important that she find the silver coin? [It was all she had left of her dowry]
- What is a dowry?
- Why did she ask her neighbors to celebrate with her? [It was the custom in those days for her to tell everyone it was lost. If they had been in her home, they would be suspect, so when she finds the coin, all her neighbors are relieved and filled with joy themselves.]
- Why is this parable important for the people Jesus talked to? To Us?
- What does the coin have to do with salvation?
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Parable of the Lost Son Read Luke 15: 11-32; A Boy Comes Home; Prodigal
- What is this story about?
- Money?
- Wild living?
- Stubbornness?
- Forgiveness?
- Anger?
- Who wants his share of the family inheritance?
- Are you aware that both boys receive their inheritance at the same time?
- Who received more? (the older usually receives a double portion)
- What does the younger brother do with his money?
- Was the famine in the land representing his own behavior or was it a real famine like Joseph experienced in Egypt?
- What must it have been like for everyone to desert him?
- Have you ever found that if you have some money, everyone wants to be your friend until the money is gone?
- What was this experience telling him about true friendship?
- Did his dad kick him out of the house for asking for his inheritance?
- How do you think the mother felt about this? (she’s not in the story, but think about her response)
- Where did the son go when he didn’t have any money?
- What did he end up doing to earn food and shelter?
- Why was this a repulsive activity? (Jews saw pigs as unclean)
- What did he think about while feeding the swine?
- What did he decide to do?
- When he returns, how does his father greet him – with anger? with “I told you so”? with love?
- What does the father do to make the son feel at home?
- How might the mother have greeted him?
- Why does the older brother get angry?
- Do you think he was justified for being upset that his brother got a party?
- What was the father’s message to the younger son?
- What was the father’s message to the older son?
- Was this a case of unconditional love?
- If you had been the mother, what would you have said to your sons?
- If you were the older brother, what do you think the father/mother should have done to your brother?
- Why did the older brother think the younger brother should be punished?
- Do you want to see people punished before you forgive them?
- What things are happening in the world today that require forgiveness?
- What do you think of the father’s handling of things?
- What makes a good father?
- What qualities would make a good mother in this instance?
- Are these the same qualities you find in God as Mother?
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A Mother’s Prayer Read Mark 7:25-30; A Persistent Mother; How Jesus Answered a Mother’s Prayer
- What is this story all about?
- Who are the main characters?
- Why was Jesus in this town? (he wanted time alone to teach the disciples, but crowds kept coming to him to be healed, so he went where he thought people hadn’t heard about his healing work)
- Who was this woman?
- What did she want Jesus to do?
- What lesson was Jesus teaching his disciples about this woman?
- Did you know it was the custom of that day to test people in conversation?
- What was Jesus’ test of this woman?
- How did she respond?
- Do you think Jesus was being unkind or playful?
- List some qualities about this mother.
- Was she a good mother? Why or why not?
- What was so important to her?
- Did you get what she asked for?
- Say a prayer of gratitude out loud for your mother.
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Parable of the Mustard Seed Read Matt 13: 31-33; A Tiny Seed and Big Tree; Story-Sermons by the Sea
- What are these parables about?
- What is the kingdom of heaven like?
Tiny Seed
- What is the smallest seed?
- Why is a mustard seed like the kingdom of heaven?
- What are we to learn from a small seed becoming a large tree?
- What does it have to do with us and the kingdom of heaven?
- How can you apply this parable today?
Leaven
- Why is leaven like the kingdom of heaven?
- Have you ever seen anyone bake bread?
- What ingredients do they use?
- How much flour did the woman use? (3 measures of meal)
- How much flour is “three measures”? (Some say 50 pounds, others 80 pounds, approximately enough flour to make 100 loaves of bread – that sounds more like a bakery than a kitchen at home)
- What is most like leaven when we bake bread? (yeast)
- Have you ever seen yeast?
- Why is it important?
- How does this affect how we live?
- Who would represent the “flour” in our lives?
- Who would represent the “yeast”?
- What does this say about our world and our place in it?
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Parables of the Treasure and Pearl Read Matt 13: 44-46; The Treasure and the Pearl; Story-Sermons by the Sea
Treasure Hid in a Field
- Explain this parable about the kingdom of heaven.
- What does the hidden treasure represent?
- Would it be honest to find something in a field and then go buy the land? Why or why not?
- Have you ever found any treasure?
- What do you treasure in your life right now?
Merchant Seeking Goodly Pearls
- Explain this parable about the kingdom of heaven.
- What would be a pearl for which it was worth selling all you had?
- What is Jesus asking us to do?
- What should we be cherishing?
- Are we willing to give up everything for the kingdom of heaven?
- Does giving up everything mean that we stop having a good life, fun, or nice things?
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