Pre

-R

eader Leader Guide

STORY AT A GLANCE

Supplies:

Holy MolyDVD

Holy MolyLeaflets

Scissors Clear Tape

The Rock• A symbol for God in Hebrew scripture (2 Sam 22:47).

• The Apostle Paul uses building imagery for Jesus (1 Cor. 3:11).

• Much of the rock in Judea is limestone.

The Wise Man• Represents people who hear

and try to follow Jesus’ words (Mt 7:24).

• Hard for him to build house on the rock, but it keeps him safe through the storm.

The Foolish Man• Represents people who

hear but don’t act on Jesus’ teachings (Mt 7:26).

• Picks short-term comfort instead of long-term reward.

Jesus• Concludes the Sermon on

the Mount with this parable.

• Tells listeners they should build their lives on God.

• Offers some teachings that can be difficult to follow: turn the other cheek, love your enemies, serve God and not wealth, and don’t judge others (Mt 5:39, 6:24; 7:1).

CLOSING PRAYER

Fewer kids?Try stacking houses on top of each other to see how high they can go before toppling over.

More time?Let kids decorate and color houses before assembling them.

More kids?Group kids together to build and blow their houses.

Dear God,Thank you for Jesus who teaches us to build our lives on you, our solid rock. Help us to love and be kind to others, no matter what kind of building they do!

Amen!

Less time?Cut out houses before kids arrive.

ACTIVITY TIPS

THE HOuSE ON THE ROCk

Gra

de

s k–2 Leader Guide

Grades K–2. The House on the Rock Leader Guide. Holy Moly. wearesparkhouse.org. © 2013 sparkhouse. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for local use only provided each copy carries this notice.

kEY VERSE “The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.”

Matthew 7:25

It’s not always easy to make God the rock of our lives.

BlocksHoly MolyBible Storybooks

(10-15 min.)

(5-10 min.)

(20-30 min.)

CREATE

(5-10 min.)

DISCOVER

RELATE CONNECT

Get ReadyInvite kids to work individually or together to build block structures. Encourage them to experiment with various heights and stabilities. As some topple over, ask:

• Why did that tower fall?

• What made that tower more stable?

• What makes a structure unsteady?

• What makes a structure more steady?

Introduce the Characters• Two men decide how to build their houses.

• One builds a sturdy house on a solid rock. The other builds a shabby house on sand.

• When a storm comes, one man’s house floats away and the other man’s house stands firm.

Watch for the different ways the men build their houses. Think about why

different things happen to the two houses.

If time permits, watch it again!

Play The House on the Rock Video

Talk about The House on the Rock Video• How are the 2 men’s houses different?

• Which man worked harder to build his house? Why? Who was wise and who was foolish?

• How did the sand-house man act toward the rock-house man?

• What surprised you about the story’s ending?

• I wonder what the rock-house man thought about the second house the sand-house man built at the end of the story.

Open the Holy Moly Bible StorybookRead God Is the Rock on pages 13-18.

Look at the pages that show the storm.

• What happened to both houses during the storm?

• Where do you like to be during a storm?

Listen for the words rock and stone in the story.

• Why do you think the first man wanted to build his house on rock?

• Why do you think the other man did not?

• What kinds of things would you build on a rock?

• Why do you think Jesus told this story about a rock?

TWO HOuSES: Kids build two houses, secure only one to a table with tape, and then see what happens when they try to blow both down.

Cut and fold figures of two men, so they stand.

2

Cut leaflet through the center fold and on the other long blue cut lines.

1

Tape rock house and man to the colored rock strip. Tape rock to table. Place

other man near straw house.

4

Fold both houses. Dotted lines are mountain folds. Dashed lines are

valley folds.

3 Holy Moly!Give kids time to imagine and help them reflect.

• What is the most important part of building a sturdy house? Why?

• What was Jesus really teaching the people about in this story? How to build a house or how to build a life?

Blow at both houses and men.

5 Holy Moly!Give each kid special attention!

• Why does one house blow away while the other house stays put?

• What are some ways you can build your life on the rock Jesus was talking about?