Scripture: Matthew 5:1-7:29, Luke 6:20-49
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn God cares about our heart.
- Students will learn actions that appear good cannot cover a heart that is sinful.
- Students will learn although God forgives us of our sins, He expects a higher standard of behavior from us than the world does.
- Students will learn the beatitudes and how to live each one.
Guiding Question: How can the beatitudes be lived out in everyday life?
Materials: Pop up books, crayons, pencils, colored pencils
Procedure: Share the story of the Sermon on the Mount with the students. Tell students that God expects us to try and live our lives the best we can. He knows we will make mistakes and sin because we are not perfect. Even so, He still expects better behavior of us than what the world may expect from us. Explain that the beatitudes give us guidelines for how to live good Christian lives and what the benefits of living that way are. By living by the beatitudes, we can also encourage others to live the same way and learn about God.
Have the students make pop up books about the beatitudes. The blank pages can be created ahead of time or older students can make their own. The book will have one page for each beatitude. The part that pops up represents what we are supposed to be for that beatitude or can be a heart with that word/words on it. The top background should be Blessed are the… and the bottom should contain what those people are promised.
Additional Questions: How does sharing ways to live out the beatitudes provide better understanding of their importance in everyday life?
Supplemental Activity: Divide students into 8 groups and give each group a different beatitude. Each group can come up with ways they can live out the beatitude in their everyday life and come up with questions about how to do so as well. Have each group share and ask the questions too. Allow students to answer the questions with their ideas or add onto what the group said are ways to live out the beatitude.