A PRAYER LESSON

The Lord’s PrayerLuke 11:1–13

AD 31

OVERVIEWBIBLE TRUTHJesus teaches us to pray.

BIBLE VERSEPray for one another. James 5:16

LEARNER GOALI know God hears and answers my prayers.

LAW & GOSPELWe neglect the gift of prayer, failing to look to God our Father for all things. Jesus teaches us to pray, promising that the Father hears and answers all our prayers.

SCRIPTURE SNAPSHOTWith Jesus’ disciples, we, too, implore, “Lord, teach us to pray” (v. 1). Jesus teaches His disciples—and all human-kind—the prayer used throughout the Church to this day. Jesus follows His instruction with a parable, illustrating how our heavenly Father unfailingly hears all our prayers.

LESSON PREPBASIC Read Luke 11:1–13 in The Lutheran Study Bible along with study notes.

MORE T IME Read the corresponding section on the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:7–14.

IN DEPTH Read through the Chief Part on the Lord’s Prayer in Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation (2017) for more detail on this essential teaching.

SUPPLY LISTFOR THIS LESSON

☐ Play dough & rolling pin

☐ Finger paint, plastic zipper bags, tape, & implements (such as blocks); optional: plastic spoons & paper

☐ Cell phone

☐ Strips of colored paper & tape

☐ Hug-shaped pretzels

☐ Pipe cleaners & blue, white, purple, green, brown, red, yellow, & gold or silver pony beads

FOR EVERY LESSON

☐ Bible, songbook, & classroom supplies

☐ Copies of Discover Leaflet, stickers, & music downloads

☐ Supplies for bonus activities

EARLY CHILDHOOD

Unit 3LEADER GUIDE

Lesson 2

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LAUNCHBUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

PLAY DOUGH Show children how to roll play-dough ropes. Say, Pretend the ends are arms with hands. Can you make them look like they are praying? Let children try. Someone long ago twisted bread dough to look like praying arms and hands. When they baked it, it became a pretzel! Show pretzel. Cross your arms and put your hands on your shoulders. That’s one way to hold your hands and arms when you pray. Can you use your play dough to show another way you pray? (For example, roll out dough and make hand imprints.)

FINGER PAINT Put three or four colors of finger paint in large plastic zipper bags. Tape shut. Have children knead the paint with their hands to make designs. Set out implements (blocks, cars, and so on) to make impressions too. Say, You are using your hands to paint a picture. What else do you use your hands for? (For example, playing, eating, helping, praying!) Option: Protect table and clothing. Let children finger paint on paper. Give plastic spoons to children who do not like to get their hands messy.

JESUS T IMESING “Good Morning, Dear Jesus!” (digital resource center) or

“Happy Now We Gather” (Little Ones Sing Praise, p. 9)

SAY I’m glad you are here to learn more about our friend and Savior, Jesus! Today, we’ll hear how Jesus taught His friends a special prayer. Let’s talk to God now. Ask children for prayer requests to include. Have children echo words.

PRAY Dear Jesus,* we love You.* Please take our sins away.* Make us kind* and make us strong.* Thank You for listening when we pray.* Amen.*

LEARNINTRODUCE THE BIBLE STORYTake out your cell phone and tell children that you need to make a phone call before you tell the Bible story. Pretend to call someone, and be frustrated when you don’t get an answer. Say, I’m trying to call God, but He isn’t answering. Now what should I do? Someone will say that you can’t talk to God on the phone. That’s right! God has a special way to talk to Him, doesn’t He? He wants us to pray to Him! We don’t need a telephone or anything else. We can be right where we are and start talking to God. God wants to hear what we have to say to Him because He loves and cares for us. What are some prayers you say? Accept answers. We can talk to God in our thoughts or with other prayers. Did you know that Jesus liked to talk to God in prayer too? Let’s find out what the Bible says about that.

TELL THE BIBLE STORYShow your Bible, and tell the children that all the stories in God’s Word are true. Use the Discover Leaflet as a guide. Review with the questions on the leaflet.

SAY THE BIBLE VERSERead the verse from James 5:16. Say, God tells us in His Word, “Pray (fold hands) for one another (point to children).” Talk about people we can pray for. Write prayer sugges-tions on strips of colored paper. Link together into a prayer chain to use in your closing prayer today.

LEADER NOTEGreet children at eye level, and get them started in an activity that connects what they know to what they will learn, or omit these activities and start with Jesus Time.

BONUS ACTIVITYTeach “Liturgy Link” to help children participate in the prayers at church.

LEADER NOTEShow your Bible, and tell the children that all the stories in God’s Word are true.

Enduring Faith™. © 2019 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®. Permission granted to purchaser to reproduce this page for use in educational settings. 433100.L2-2-8

LIVEDISCOVER LESSON TRUTHSSeparate the Discover Leaflet into two pages. Send the first page home with the children, or store them in binders to send home later. Hand out the second page, stickers, and crayons.

SIDE 1 Have children look for and circle the praying hands in the picture as you review the story.

SIDE 2 Have children connect the dots to make the praying hands. Read the title and text that talks about when we pray, and have children give examples from their lives. Then read the text of the rebus prayer, and have children complete the pictures. Give them stickers to match to the shapes and colors. They can color the word kind, trace a sad mouth on the sad face, and trace and color the cross. When they are done, read the prayer again.

ENGAGE IN ACTIVE LEARNINGTake time to reinforce the Learner Goal with one or more active learning options. Turn to “Active Learning” on the back page for instructions on the activities below.

☐ MOVEGet children moving with a game of “Sleep, Sleep, Wake.”

☐ SNACKServe pretzel hugs.

☐ CREATEHelp children make a prayer bracelet using pony beads and pipe cleaners.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDINGHelp children grasp that God loves them and wants them to talk to Him. Ask, When can you pray to God? What can you ask Him? Affirm that we can talk to God anytime and ask Him for what we need. Sometimes He says yes. Sometimes He says no. Sometimes He says wait. But He always answers in a way that is best, according to His good will. Check for understanding and say, God hears and answers our prayers.

LEAVESING “God, Our Father, Hear Your Children” (Little Ones Sing Praise, p. 14) or

“We Pray for Each Other” (digital resource center)

SAY God promises to be with us and answer our prayers.

PRAY Dear God, we are glad You love us and sent Jesus to be our Savior. We are glad You answer our prayers. Show prayer chain that you made to teach the Bible Verse. You tell us to “pray for one another” (James 5:16). Help us re-member to pray to You every day. Today, we pray for (take off link and pray the prayer request on it). Amen.

CHRIST CONNECTIONJesus, the very one who taught us to pray, is the One who has provided for all our spiritual needs through the cross, where He gave His life to offer us the free gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

BONUS ACTIVITYDiscuss “Prayer Answers” with the children.

BONUS ACTIVITYFor an optional craft, see “Praying Hands.”

LEADER NOTEBegin praying the Lord’s Prayer with the children. This week, teach them to say, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” Then tell them to listen as you finish the prayer, or have them join in on what they know. Each week, intentionally teach another petition and review what it means. Through weekly repetition, children will soon be able to say it with you in class and with the congregation in church.

Enduring Faith™. © 2019 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®. Permission granted to purchaser to reproduce this page for use in educational settings. 433100. L2-3-57

ACTIVE LEARNING ☐ MOVE

Play “Sleep, Sleep, Wake.” Children sit in a circle with their heads on their hands, pretending to be asleep. One child walks around circle, tapping the heads and saying, “Sleep” each time. When ready, she taps a child and says, “Wake.” That child runs around the circle after the first one, trying to catch her before she takes his spot. Repeat with the new player. Say, God is with us when we are awake or asleep. He always listens to our prayers and answers them.

☐ SNACKServe hug-shaped pretzels. Review how a pretzel can look like a hug and remind us of prayer. Say a snack prayer.

☐ CREATEThread a blue, white, purple, green, brown, red, yellow and gold (or silver) pony bead on a pipe cleaner, and twist ends to make a bracelet. Say, These beads remind us of things we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer. Relate colors to the petitions of the prayer. Blue reminds us of heaven. God is our Father in heaven. Because we are God’s forgiven children, someday we will live with Him forever. White is for God’s holy and pure name. It is special to us. Purple is a kingly color. God is ruler over all. We want His kingdom to spread so every-one believes in Jesus. Green reminds us of growing things on earth. We pray God’s will be done on earth. Brown reminds us of the ground. We pray for food (grown in the ground), clothes, and other things we need. Red reminds us of Jesus’ blood, which He shed on the cross to pay for our sins. We confess we’ve messed up and ask God to forgive us for Jesus’ sake. Yellow reminds us of warning signs and danger. God is in charge. He protects us from temptation, danger, and evil. Gold (or silver) is precious. God is the best and always will be!

BONUS ACTIVITIESL ITURGY L INK 5 minutes

Children are part of the Body of Christ too! Teach them the prayer response often used in worship, so they can listen for it and participate. Ask, Who says, “Let us pray” in church? (Pastor) When you hear these words, it means we are ready to talk to God. What can you do to show you are ready? (Bow head, fold hands, listen to prayer) After Pastor prays, you can say, “Lord, hear our prayer,” with everyone else. Use these phrases today with your classroom prayers.

PRAYER ANSWERS 10 minutes

Cut out green, red, and yellow circles. Write yes (green), no (red), and wait (yellow) on them. Say, God promises to answer our prayers. He doesn’t promise to give us everything we ask for, but He will always do what’s best. Show green: God might say, “Yes, I will give you that. It’s a good thing.” Show red: He might say, “No, that will hurt you.” Show yellow: He might say, “Wait.” Remind children God will always say yes to our prayers for forgiveness because of Jesus.

PRAYING HANDS 15 minutes

Give children a lump of clay or salt dough (find recipes online). Help them flatten it and make their hand prints, keeping their fingers together to look like praying hands. Air-dry or bake it in an oven. Talk about how we often fold our hands to pray. Say, By having our fingers “hug,” we can keep our hands quiet while we pray. Can we pray without folding our hands? Can we pray in bed? Can we pray when we are outside playing? Yes! God hears all our prayers.

CONNECTING IDENTITY & CALLINGIDENTITY: WHO AM I?God has called me to be His child, promising to hear my prayers as my loving heavenly Father.

CALLING: WHY AM I HERE?I am to pray to my heavenly Father at His invitation and command. I pray that His will be done in my life and for the sake of my neighbor.

GROWING IN FAITH FOR L IFESee how this lesson builds on previous learning for each age.

ADULTI can describe what God wants me to pray for and how God wants me to approach Him in those prayers. YOUTHI can give examples of how Jesus teaches me to pray and how God hears and responds to my prayers.ELEMENTARYI understand that Jesus teaches me to pray and prom-ises that God hears and answers our prayers.EARLY CHILDHOODI know God hears and answers my prayers.

Enduring Faith™. © 2019 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®. Permission granted to purchaser to reproduce this page for use in educational settings. 433100.L2-4-58