Last Judgment

THE LAST JUDGMENT

Objectives:

  1. Students should know that Jesus is coming again as judge.
  2. Students should be able to list some of the characteristics of goodness.

 

Possible Lesson Plan:

  1. Open with prayer.

 

  1. Matthew 25:31-46. Have the children try to list the characteristics of goodness, as stated in the parable, under the heading of “sheep”. What’s a parable? What’s the difference between sheep and goats?

 

  1. Review some Old Testament stories of judgment: Adam and Eve and the Garden, Noah and the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot’s wife, Pharaoh and the plagues of Egypt, etc. Each of these can be looked at again.

 

  1. Discussion: Begin with your headings under sheep on the board. Make columns under each heading and brainstorm for specific ways that we can personally fulfill that characteristic. For example: under food – homeless bags, under clothing – give to Goodwill. Be sure there are several choices for each heading – actions that are feasible for this age group. Then, have the students commit to doing one of these things each day during Great Lent. Pass out copies of calendars as Lenten diaries to write down the action on each day.

 

  1. Play a learning game: Finish the Verse. Print the first and last halves of each verse on separate cards. For example:

I was hungry                           You gave Me something to eat.

I was thirsty                            You gave Me drink

I was a stranger                       You invited Me in

I was naked                             You clothed Me

I was in prison                         You came to Me

Give each student a card. At “Go”, each must find his other half. The pair then sit down together. When all are paired, have each team read the entire verse.

 

  1. Make a Last Judgment Projector: Take a paper towel tube. Cut off about 1 inch at one end. Tape 2 popsicle sticks nearly side-by-side to hold the 2 pieces of tube together with a ¼ inch slit between. Take a long-thin strip of paper divided comic-strip style into 8 sections. In the first, have the student draw a sheep and in the last, a goat. In each of the other sections, draw one of the specific actions called for in the parable. Insert the paper into the “projector”, hold up to the light, and watch your Last Judgment movie.

 

  1. Close with prayer. Have each child specifically select a Last Judgment good deed to do this week.