Serve One Another Bible Lesson & Game
Objective: To learn the meaning of the imperative from the Prayer of Jesus,
"Thy Kingdom come; thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." To serve one another in love.
Set Up: Establish a large playing area. At one end of the field, teams will need a set of two chairs that face each another. Position a basin on the ground between the chairs. Place a large pair of socks in the basin. Establish a start line for the teams at the opposite end of the playing field.
Before Playing: Read Matthew 6:9-13 from a child-friendly Bible.
When we say, "Thy Kingdom come," we are recognizing that life on earth will not always be the way it is now. No matter what is going on in our lives, good or bad, it is a temporary situation. When we say,
"Thy Kingdom come," we welcome God's rule and reign to begin here and now. We are saying, your kingdom, oh God, is the better way. We are eagerly waiting for
God's kingdom to come, where sin and suffering will be no more.
The second part of this sentence, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven," asks that God's will would be done here on earth, just as it is done in heaven. Heaven is a wonderful and perfect place. Pain, suffering, and wrongdoing do not exist in heaven.
God's will is always done there. There are no tears, sickness, sadness, or pain in heaven. Jesus wants his followers to ask for
God's will to be done on earth and then do God's will on earth.
Discuss: How do you suppose God's will is done on earth? (By his obedient followers.) When you think of a servant, what comes to mind? (A servant is someone who works to obey the commands of his or her master or boss. In
Jesus' day, and many times in our day, a servant was not considered as important as other people. One of the jobs of a lowly servant in
Jesus' day was to wash people's feet before they entered their master's home. This was necessary because people wore sandals and walked on dusty roads.)
There is one mediator between God and humanity, the Messiah, Christ
Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
Read John 13:1-17 from a child-friendly Bible.
When you think of Jesus, do you think of him as a servant? (Why or why not?)
Jesus said, ". . . whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant . . . just as the Son of Man (Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve . . ." (Matthew 20:27-28).
Can you imagine that? Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth to serve people. He did this to show us how we are to treat others. We are to follow his example. The Bible says we are to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13).
Discuss ways we can serve one another. Challenge children to be specific. For example, rather than an answer of, "Be kind." Ask, what ways can you be kind in your school, home, or neighborhood? Rather than "Help mom." Ask, "How can you help mom? God doesn't just save us so we can go to Heaven and be with him for eternity. He saves us to love others and to tell others of God's love for them.
Today we will play a game to help us remember that we are to "serve one another."
How To Play: Children remove their shoes and socks. Teams line up at the start line. At the go, two players from each team race to the chairs to take turns "washing" one
another's feet, by putting on and taking off the socks for their partner. Players then race back to the start line to tag off to the next two players in their team line. Players who have raced must go to the end of the line and sit down. The first team to finish serving one another wins.
Copyright 2017 Sarah A. Keith
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