Home > Teaching > Themed Series > Lord’s Prayer Intro > Lord’s Prayer WK2 > Lord’s Prayer WK3 - The things we need today.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Week 3 - The things we need today.
For Leaders:
PowerPoint slides accompanying this week’s material are downloadable from the bottom of this page.
SLIDE 1 - ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ series theme slide
SLIDE 2 - The Impact Kids version of the Lord’s Prayer written especially for children. (Copyright)
Each week, during this series it would be good to say the Lord’s Prayer at an appropriate point early on in your programme. You can make this the opening prayer of the evening.
SLIDE 3 - If required this may be used to remind kids of last week’s theme.
(If you do wish to quickly review last week’s theme with the children, see if they can remember the three key points. Show SLIDE 3 from last week ‘King of Our World’. Ask the children if they can remember what three things, we can do to make God King of our world. (1- Care about others. 2 - Care about the environment. 3 - Care about what God has to say to us.)
For leaders continued…
This week we are looking at the third part of the prayer “Please give us the things we need today”. There are many things that we need for living our daily lives and we’re going to look at several of the key ones in this session. Alongside the physical, practical, financial and emotional things required for daily living we need the food from Jesus for our inner self, our soul, our personality, we need the ‘Bread of Life’.Input into the lives of the children primarily comes from parents, carers and teachers. In today’s teaching we’ll focus on how Jesus too wants to input into their inner beings. He knows exactly the best way we should live, how we should treat others, how we should do the right things and make good choices. We’ll emphasise to the kids how best results always come from following the maker’s instructions.
We’ll reaffirm that Jesus’ instructions for our lives can be found in the part of the Bible we call the New Testament. Jesus’ words in the New Testament are like a good manual, a brilliant instruction leaflet, it gives important directions.
Our drama this week is designed to be fun and entertaining, whilst showing the children that following the maker’s instructions is the best way every time.
Part 1 Lead-in session drama
SLIDE 4 - This week’s theme slide
Hi kids, this week we’re looking at the third part of the Lord’s Prayer and our theme is ‘Please give us the things we need today’. Every day there are things we need, which are important to our lives and we can ask God for these. Some are physical things like food and clothes and then there are other things, like friends and education. One thing we also need is guidance and help with our inner self, our heart, what we call our soul, personality. We need help to know how to do things right, live a good life, how to treat other people and in making decisions.
Look out in our drama and see who needs some guidance in doing the right thing.
DRAMA - ‘JOE’S GARAGE’
Characters:
Joe: Garage owner
Terry: Apprentice
Amy: Mechanic
Ash: Customer
Behind the scenes clock changer
Puppet if available
Props:
Whatever you can pull together to create the idea of a car in a workshop.
* A few chairs might be suitably grouped together for a car and something round for the driver to hold up as a pretend steering wheel. Alternatively, a car front painted onto a couple of cardboard boxes with some additional bits and pieces for headlamps and other components. If something is made from cardboard it might be arranged so that it can be flat packed afterwards for ease of storage. Components might be attached by use of suitable self-adhesive Velcro or similar. Like other similar props a flat-pack cardboard car may be used again and again for repeat of this and other dramas.
* Other items may be included on stage to help imagine a workshop. Typical mechanic’s tools drawn / painted onto a piece(s) of cardboard, old number plates…
* Wrist watch for Terry the trainee mechanic.
* Other items including vegetable oil bottle, empty sugar bag, empty margarine tub, fake dip-stick, an empty bottle or container marked ‘engine oil’.
Scene set: Joe, the garage owner, is in the workshop with Terry the apprentice awaiting the arrival of a customer.
Narrator: Here we are at Joe’s garage, where the owner Joe is showing Terry, the new trainee apprentice, around the workshop. (The two walk around with Joe pointing out various bits and pieces and Terry nodding in acknowledgement) Joe is explaining to Terry that Amy, the garage mechanic, has called to say that she’ll be in late, as she’s had to go to her mum’s house to take her to the doctors.
Joe: So, Terry, as I say Amy our mechanic is going to be a little late this morning but she should be in by half past nine
All you need to do is greet the customers and then wait for Amy. Our first customer is Ash Bailey who is bringing their car in for a check over before they go on holiday. They should arrive anytime now. Anyway, I’ve got to rush as I have an appointment at the bank, I’ll leave you to it.
Terry: No problem I will book Ash in
Joe: (Leaves the workshop)
Ash - customer: (Drives their imaginary car into the workshop. As Ash drives in, a car engine sound effect may be played or Ash can make their own engine noise - brum, brum, brum…Ash gets out of the car and is greeted by Terry.)
Terry: (greeting Ash with a handshake) Hello I’m Terry the new apprentice. It’s so good to see you. Joe and Amy are out but they’ll both be back soon. So, your car is booked in for a check-over.
Ash: Yes indeed, I’m going away and I’d like the oil checked and the car hasn’t been running as well as usual, so a good general check-over is what’s needed. I’ve been coming to Joe’s garage for years. Anyway, I must dash, here’s the keys, I’ll be back to collect the car at one O’clock, that OK?
Terry: Yes, that will be fine, it’ll be all ready for one. (Ash leaves handing the car keys to Terry)
Terry: (Looking at his watch) Oh, only 15 minutes until Amy gets here
Terry: (getting up and walking around the workshop)
Terry: (starting to become a little impatient) Looking at his watch again oh dear, look at the time. Amy should have been here by now.
Terry: I do hope Amy turns up soon so that we can start this car’s check-over.
Terry: (peering into the car engine) Well I’ll just have to make a start otherwise this car won’t be finished on time. Now let me see. Let’s check the oil - (pulling the dip stick, wiping it and re-checking level) hmm, looks like it needs topping up. (Looking thoughtful) Now, what we got?
Terry: (Glances around the workshop and suddenly remembers his shopping.) Ah, I know, I’ve got some oil from the supermarket this morning, that should do. (Terry rummages in the shopping bag, pulls out the oil bottle and tops the engine up.) Now what else can I do? I know I think the customer said something about the car needing a tune up, as it was not running as well as it was a few months ago. (Rummaging again through the shopping Terry pulls out a bag of sugar - opening the filler tank.) Ah, yes, I think this will help to make the car run a little sweeter. I know, when cars are serviced, they always grease things up a bit. Yes, I have some margarine, that should do. Now, where should I put this? A few dabs here and there should do just the job.
Oh, there’s some other things here that need topping up, yes, I’ve got just the thing (pulling a bottle of pop from the shopping) a dash here and a dash there, all done!
(Amy and Joe arrive on the scene chatting to one another as they walk into the workshop.)
Joe: Terry I’m so sorry we’re back so late. This is Amy our mechanic
Amy: Good to meet you Terry, now we’d better get this car sorted out.
Terry: Oh, no worries about that it’s all done. I finished just a few minutes ago.
(Joe and Amy look at one another not sure whether to laugh or cry)
Amy:(hesitantly) well I’ll give it a try and then you can tell me what you’ve done Terry.
(Amy starts the car but it makes a terrible noise. Amy gets out of the car looking very concerned as does Joe and to a lesser degree Terry.)
Amy: Terry, what have you done?
Terry: Well, I’ve just checked it over, topped up the oil and made a few adjustments.
Amy: (Picking up a car manual from the bench and then with real emphasis) Did you follow any instructions, you know the maker’s instructions?
(Joe looking very worried indeed.)
Terry: Well, I just topped up with this oil.
Amy: But that’s cooking oil, you should have used the manufacturer’s (holding up a bottle of engine oil) recommended engine oil.
Terry: Ah, well I think I got this one right I tipped a little sugar into the fuel tank to make the engine run a little sweeter.
Joe: (looking quite distressed) But Terry you can’t put sugar into a petrol tank, you’ll ruin the engine!
Amy: OK Terry what else have you done?
Terry: (looking quite down) Well, I topped up the brake and clutch fluids with some pop and greased around with this margarine.
(Joe and Amy stand speechless and look aghast.)
Amy: (Again with real emphasis) Terry you have to follow the maker’s instructions to get the best out of anything. You always need to follow the correct GUIDANCE!
Joe: Is there anything we can do Amy?
Amy: We’ll have to drain everything down, empty the fuel tank, empty the engine oil and start from scratch using the manufacture’s guidance and instructions. What a day this is turning out to be, not the one I had planned that’s for sure (wiping her brow with her handkerchief!)
Rounding up drama:
Well that was a bit of fun wasn’t it kids but you know it’s so true. We need to be guided as to how to get the best out of anything, even a car. And we need guidance to help us get the best out of life. Lots of people help us with guidance, advice and instruction and Jesus wants to help us too. Jesus wants to give us good guidance every day, we just need to ask Him.
PART 2
BIBLE CHAT (listen-up time - Slide 5)
SLIDE 6 - So this week we are asking God to give us the things we need today and every day.
Can anyone tell me what the difference is between things we need and things we want?
(Needs are essential, wants are things we would like but are not vital for life.)
SLIDE 7 - So let’s think about the things we need that are essential to us for life. Let us imagine we have been shipwrecked on a tropical island. Rescue is on its way but it will take a couple of weeks to get to us. What will we need to find on the island or even make, to survive until we are rescued? (Food, shelter, fresh water)
Take the discussion on to include the other things that we need that will not be found on the island but are necessary for our daily lives. (Education…)
The discussion will help sort needs from wants.
(One option here would be for the children to break into their small groups for 5 minutes and discuss together what they would need for survival.)
SLIDE 8 - So kids here are the basic necessities for our lives that we need each day for our physical body.
Food - fresh water - clothes - home - money - education.
SLIDE 9 - But we have some other needs as well. You see kids there is another part of us that needs looking after too. We call this our inner self or our soul. This is the part of us that receives love and also forgiveness when we do something wrong. It’s also the part of us that feels comfort from a family member or friend and joy on a good day. Jesus wants to feed our soul. He wants to bless our inner self. You see knowing and following the teachings of Jesus feeds who we are, it feeds our mind and heart with good things. That is why Jesus called himself the bread of life. If we have Jesus in our lives we have real life, the life God wants us to have.
SLIDE 10 - Jesus said that: “People do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”. It’s so important in our lives that we listen to what God has to say to us.
Do you remember what was so important in our drama about following the makers instructions? Yes, following the instructions to get the best out of the car. That’s the same with our lives too. Following Jesus’ instructions, we find in the Bible is the best way to live life.
SLIDE 11 - Next time you eat a sandwich, think about Jesus’ words that He is the bread of life. He wants to give you and me the best life, for this, we have to decide to ask Jesus into our lives, in order to have true life. Now there’s something to think about.
PART 3
RESPONSE TIME (IN SMALL GROUPS)
In addition to our physical body what other part of us also needs looking after? (Our inner self, our heart, our soul)
How do we look after our inner self, our heart, our soul? (Listening to Jesus’ words and following Him)
Ask the group if they are aware of children in other parts of the world that have needs?
It would be good to end small group time with the children praying for children across the world who are not so fortunate as us, asking that God would give them the things they need today. As well as material needs, prayers could include prayers for peace and for everyone to hear the Good News of Jesus.
Week 3 DOWNLOADS
WK3 Lead-in Drama Script, Bible chat and Response Time Leader’s notes
WK3 Lord’s Prayer PowerPoint slides
J