Lord, Teach Us To Pray
Theme: Prayer.
(The following children’s address is based on Luke 11: 1-13. It is based on the question the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” The outcome is the prayer that Jesus taught them, and the final product is known today as the ‘Lord’s Prayer.’ The reason for their question to Jesus was that they wanted to be like Jesus.)
Aim:
1. To develop an understanding in the children that they can be like Jesus in prayer.
2. To develop and understanding in the children that they do not have to wait to be like Jesus.
3. To encourage the children to pray.
Materials: A small decorated box to hold the following items.
A carrot, or any suitable vegetable.
A music CD
A small bottle of pills (medicine)
A small cross, or any item to remind them of Jesus.
A Hymn book with the Lord’s Prayer in it.
A stamp with ink pad (a stamp of praying hands would be good).
Drama points:
1. After the children are seated and greetings exchanged draw their attention to your box with all the items in it.
2. “This morning I’ve brought with me my special box. In it are things to show you to help tell a story.”
3. First item, pull out the carrot and show the children.
Ask the children, “Who grows carrots?” Hopefully they will answer with, “A farmer.”
“Yes, a farmer grows carrots, and grows all sorts of foods to feed hungry people.”
“If you want to be a farmer so that you can grow food to feed hungry people, then you will need to ask the farmer to teach you.”
“I think that would take a long time to learn.”
4. Second item, pull out the music CD and show the children.
“A musician made this piece of music to give joy in people’s lives.”
“If you want to be a musician and make music, then you will need to ask a musician to teach you.”
“Perhaps the musician would teach you how to play the piano, or a guitar, or even to sing.”
“I know for myself that it would take me a very, very long time to learn.”
5. Third item, pull out the medicine bottle and show the children.
Ask the children a question, “From where do we get our medicine?”
Hopefully the answer would be, “From a doctor.”
“Yes, the doctor gives medicine to make sick people better again.”
“If you want to be a doctor to make sick people better again, then you will need to ask a doctor to teach you.”
“And that would take a very, very long time.”
6. Fourth item, pull out the cross and show the children. In my presentation I used a fridge magnet that had a cross on it.
“This cross reminds me of Jesus.
When he prayed he fed hungry people,
When he prayed he made people happy,
When he prayed he made sick people better again,
When he prayed he changed the world.”
“Anyone can be like Jesus and do all those wonderful things.”
“How long do you think it would take to be like Jesus?”
“Would it take one day, or one year, or one hundred years, or none of the above?”
(I had one answer of a million years)
The right answer is, “It takes as long as one prayer. When we pray, we are like Jesus.”
7. Fifth item, pull out the hymn book and turn to the page with the Lord’s Prayer on it.
“Jesus taught his disciples a prayer so that they too could be like him. That prayer is known as the Lord’s Prayer and you can find it written in many books.
“We can be like Jesus right now by saying the Lord’s Prayer. Let’s fold our hands and say the Lord’s Prayer together. Amen.”
8. Conclude by giving the children a stamp on their hands as a reminder that when they pray they are like Jesus.
