Don’t worryMATTHEW 6:25–34

prepare

Session 11

Spring 2020

Multiage

PRAYER

Remind me today that you see my needs, you care for me, and you protect me. God, be my Comforter. Amen.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

To observe how God provides

STORY SUMMARY

Jesus gave his followers words of assurance about God’s care. He pointed out the birds that God feeds and the fl owers and grasses that God clothes with astonishing beauty. If God cares for them in this way, how much more would God do for us! God knows what we need. If we put God fi rst, we don’t need to worry. As we let go of worry, we become free to focus on God’s kingdom.

teaching tips for multiageToday’s session reminds the children that Jesus told us not to worry but to trust in God. God loves us and will take care of us. Children experience worry and fear. They may worry about taking tests or being accepted by their friends. They worry about getting hurt or lost. They may also worry about family members who fi ght or are sick. This session describes worry as being afraid of something bad that might happen, and offers a chance for you to help children know that God cares for them. Help children name their worries and fi gure out ways to release them, trusting that God is with them and things will be okay.

Decide which Explore options to offer. Check Supplies and To do throughout this session to see what needs to be prepared.

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dig deeper by Jennifer Halteman Schrock

Jesus the wisdom teacher

What is a life well lived? How can we get through the day without making a mess of it? Th ese are the kinds of questions Israel’s wisdom teachers addressed, and we fi nd some of their answers in the book of Proverbs. Sages in this tradition gained their insights from nature and from daily living rather than from dramatic mystical encounters or prophetic revelation. Th ey marveled over the way a snake slithers over a rock (Proverbs 30:19) and the way ants store up food (Proverbs 6:6–8).

Jesus’ advice to “consider the lilies” stands in this venerable tradition. So do his Beatitudes: short, pithy sayings and practical stories about real people dealing with wayward children or overwhelming debt. However, while wisdom teachings tend to be safe, sensible, and conservative, Jesus bends this traditional form in radical new directions. For him, “the good life” was the reign of God, off ering a challenge to the status quo.

Th e immediate context of the advice in Matthew 6 seems to be the itinerant lifestyle Jesus expected of his fi rst followers. Th ey, like their rabbi, “left everything” and followed him. In Matthew 10, we see them launching out on a preaching tour with instructions to take no money, no backpack, not even a walking stick. Being one of Jesus’ disciples required an unfl inching trust in God, in the earth, and in other human beings.

Life on the road

When Jesus chose to preach the reign of God, he chose a life lived on the road. He committed himself not only to “the lost sheep of Israel” but also to endless walking and an intimate relationship with the natural world. It is easy to miss this in a world fi lled with cars and airports, so try imagining the following Bible stories in their geographi-cal context:

Cleansing the temple (John 2:13–16): Th e annual Passover hike from Galilee to Jerusalem was over 100 mi / 160 km one way, through rolling hills, olive groves, and patches of spring wildfl owers.

Healing the blind men at Jericho (Matthew 20:29–21:1): Walking from Jericho to Jerusalem was a rugged, 11 mi / 18 km uphill climb. Th e way leads through steep canyons—some of which are now bird sanctuaries.

Th e time Jesus took to walk from city to city represents only a fraction of the time he spent outdoors. Th e Gospels depict him in the Judean wilderness during the temptation, calling disciples along a lakeshore, plucking grain while walking through farmers’ fi elds, climbing a high mountain, and routinely escaping to remote places for prayer. No wonder he had time to consider the birds and the fl owers!

Lilies and birds

Th e word translated as lily could refer to a variety of fl owers. Was Jesus pointing at the striking red anemones that still dot the fi elds of Galilee? Or was it the cyclamen, the national fl ower of modern Israel? Irises bloom in the area as well, and their purple might inspire comparison to a king’s robes.

In this call to trust, Matthew doesn’t mention a par-ticular bird, but a parallel passage in Luke 12:24 asks us to “consider the ravens.” Dutiful Christians read this with a straight face, but a naturalist has to wonder if Jesus’ mouth was twitching. Ravens eat carrion! Is Jesus using his love of hyperbole to suggest that radical dependence on God may push us to expand our boundaries and maybe even our diets?

Jesus’ teachings about birds and fl owers do more than comfort us when we feel anxious. Th ey also remind us that God’s good earth is worthy of our attention. Considering the lilies may not pay well but it has much to teach us about how to live well.

GENESIS 25:27–34; 27:1–28:5; 32:1–33:17

MATTHEW 6:25–34

www.ShineCurriculum.com Matthew 6:25–34 / 67

BUILD COMMUNITY

Welcome children warmly by name as they arrive. Display the Feelings and needs cards alongside an empty bowl. Give each child a small piece of paper and invite them to complete the following sentences:

I am feeling _______ today.I need ________ today.

Have children crumple their papers and toss them in the bowl. Remind children that whatever their feel-ings and needs are when they arrive at church, they are welcome and belong.

WORSHIP TOGETHER

Help the children transition into worship by lighting a candle, ringing a chime, or saying a short prayer. Ask a child to respectfully place the bowl of feelings and needs in the middle of your circle, off ering them to God. Sing “God’s Here Now” (track 4, page 6).

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Spiritual practice will fi t best aft er Wonder and refl ect.Gather the children in a circle around a large bowl. Give each child three small items (cotton balls, pebbles). Name situations that may cause fear or worry for children, such as having a sick family member or friend, going to a new place, getting hurt, taking a test at school, or losing a favorite toy. As the children hear something that they’ve experienced before, they can place one of their items into the bowl. Off er a prayer of thanks that God knows and hears our prayers.

gather

media connections• Worries Are Not

Forever by Elizabeth Verdick

• “All About Birds for Children: Animal Learning for Kids” by Free School (YouTube)

• The Serenity Prayer (Internet)

• “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin (YouTube)

Bible memoryHave children work as one group or in small groups to correctly assemble the Bible memory strips found on page 94 of this guide. Challenge the children by covering or removing the Bible memory poster.

teaching tipGreeting children warmly by name can help ease children’s worries about belonging. Having a famil-iar pattern or routine that they can anticipate can ground them, so they can continue to grow in trust, trying new things as they are able.

supplies• Bible memory strips

(from Additional resources)

• Shine Songbook and CD (or digital versions)

• Annual Shine Songbooks

• CD or MP3 player• Small pieces of paper• Pencils• Bowl (one small, one

large)• Cotton balls or pebbles• Candle and matches

(or battery-operated candle), or chime (optional)

resource pack • Feelings and needs

cards• Bible memory poster

(Matthew 25)

to do • Copy and cut apart

Bible memory strips from page 94 of this guide.

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SHARE THE STORY

Open a Bible to Matthew 6. Explain that today’s story is a teaching from Jesus about worry. Tell the children that the word worry means to think about problems or fears that could happen. People worry when they’re afraid something bad might happen.

Divide the children into three groups. When you read the word worry, invite everyone to make a face as if they were scared. Group 1 will pretend to eat, drink, and get dressed when you read about food, drink, and clothing. Group 2 will pretend to fl y whenever you read about birds. Group 3 will pretend to be fl owers by crouching down and pretending to grow and bloom by slowly standing up and spreading their arms up.

Have each group practice their motions. Light a candle, then read the story from page 200 of Shine On.

WONDER AND REFLECT

Ask children the following wondering questions, allowing time for children to refl ect silently or respond aloud.• Imagine a fi eld with tall grasses and colorful fl owers.• I wonder what Jesus’ followers worried about.• I wonder how God feels when you are worried or afraid.• Imagine God caring for you.

PEACE NOTES

Jesus told his followers not to worry about tomorrow but to trust in God. Oft en when we worry, we become afraid that we don’t have enough—enough money, enough time, enough love, enough friends, enough stuff . How do you think we act when we are worried about not having enough? How might worry keep us from sharing with and caring for each other? How might worry impact our community? How might worry keep us from being happy?

experience

Don’t worry

Matthew 6:25–34Shine On, p. 200

supplies• Bible(s)• Shine On: A Story Bible• Candle and matches

(or battery-operated candle)

to do• Practice telling the

story so you know when to pause for each group to act out their part.

www.ShineCurriculum.com Matthew 6:25–34 / 69

CREATE

Create fl owers by folding tissue paper and tying green chenille stems around them to make stems. Before the session, cut tissue paper into rectangles 5 in / 12.5 cm long by 3 in / 7.5 cm wide. Give each child four diff erent colored pieces of tissue paper and a green chenille stem. Place the four pieces of tissue paper on top of one another. Fold the tissue paper together accordion style. Tightly wrap the chenille stem around the center of the paper, making the accordion fold pull together and bunch up. Carefully, pull up each tissue paper from the center to the outside one at a time to design a fl ower.

supplies• Different colored tissue paper• Green chenille stems (pipe cleaners)• Scissors

MOVE

Take a trip outside to look for birds and plants. Have the children walk around the church or neighborhood seeing what they can discover. Invite them to share what they notice about the birds and about the plants they see. What does it mean that God cares for birds and plants too?

RETELL

Give each child a piece of paper. Have the children divide their piece of paper into three columns—one column for birds, one for fl owers, and one for themselves. Talk about how God takes care of birds and fl owers and people. In the bird col-umn they can draw a nest or worms. In the fl ower column they can draw sunshine and water. In their own column they can draw food, drink, clothing, or other ways that God takes care of them.

supplies• Paper• Pencils• Crayons

LEAFLET AND GLOW

Jesus taught that God takes care of birds and fl owers. Younger children can cut out the birds and fl owers from the right side of page 3 of the Primary leafl et and glue them onto the nature scene on pages 2 and 3. Th en complete the word search using the word box on page 4 of the Primary leafl et. Th e solution is on page 95 of this guide.

Older children can use the code on the bottom of page 35 of Glowto uncover Jesus’ words about birds. Solution: Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet God feeds them.

supplies• Primary leafl ets, scissors, glue (for

younger children)• Glow magazines (for older children)• Pencils

explore

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other ideas• Make a garland by string-

ing popcorn and cran-berries (or dried fruit) together to feed birds.

• Follow the directions on pages 36–37 of Glow to make origami fl ying birds.

PRAY

Gather in a circle and sing “We Give Th anks” (track 9, page 13).

We give thanks, God, for this time together. Take care of us as we go. Amen.

SEND

Invite the children to stand in a V shape with arms outstretched. One side of the V should have one more person than the other. Tell the children that geese instinctively fl y like this to conserve energy, and the formation makes it easier to keep track of each bird in the group. Yet another amazing way that God cares for the birds. Send your group with these words:

God cares for the birds. God clothes the fl owers and grasses of the fi eld, which are alive today and gone tomorrow. How much more will God care for you! Go in peace, knowing that God is with you.

Make sure to send leafl ets home with the younger children.

supplies• Primary leafl ets• Shine Songbook and CD (or digital

versions)• Annual Shine Songbooks• CD or MP3 player

looking ahead For session 12 Create you will need a fl ashlight to create sil-houette art of the children. If you have a larger group, you may want several fl ashlights, so children can work in pairs. If your group is younger, you might want to ask another adult to help during Create.

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www.ShineCurriculum.com Matthew 6:25–34 / 71

I want the children to know they can ask me anything, so I try very hard to respond to their questions with acceptance, love, and understanding.— Meena Stephen

Hong Kong

leader’s closing prayerWhat worries are weighing you down today? Are your worries keeping you from following God? From caring for others? Imagine packaging your worries into a big suitcase or box and handing them off to God. Pray the following prayer as a breath prayer this week.Loving God, take care of me. Amen.