Dr. Pat's Orthodox Super Sunday School Curriculum

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Objectives:

1. Children should identify the Lord’s Prayer, or “Our Father”, as the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples.
2. Children should memorize the Lord’s Prayer.

Possible Lesson Plan:

1. Open with prayer.  Use the Lord’s Prayer.
2. Read the Lord’s Prayer in the Beginner’s Bible, page 323, the Children’s Bible Reader, page 194, or the Read with Me Bible, pages 298-299. Supplement with the Golden Children’s Bible, page 380, or the Arch book, if desired. The disciples asked Jesus how to pray the right way. This is the prayer Jesus gave them. Go through the prayer line by line with the children:

“Our Father”: What’s a father like? Who is your father on earth? God is our father, too.

                 “Who art in Heaven”: Where does God live? What’s heaven like?

                 “Hallowed be Thy name”: “hallowed” means “holy”; what’s holy mean?

                 “Thy kingdom come”: What is God’s kingdom?

                 “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”: Why do things happen to us? Who is in charge?

                 “Give us this day our daily bread”: Remember the Sermon on the Mount? God even feeds us and takes care of us.

      “Forgive us our trespasses”: Do we ever do anything wrong? Do we need forgiveness?

                 “As we forgive those who trespass against us”: Has anyone ever done anything unkind to you? Have you forgiven that person?

                 “And lead us not into temptation”: Remember Jesus’s temptations? Is it hard to always obey God?

                 “But deliver us from evil”: Who is the source of evil? Did Jesus win even over the devil?

3. Instead of True/False questions, write each line of the Lord’s Prayer on a card. Read them out loud at random and have the children put them in order. Then say the whole prayer together.
4. Talk a little about prayer: When and where do we pray? Ask the children how prayer is done in their homes. Do they pray before meals? Do they pray in the morning or the evening? Do they have an icon corner? Do they pray at bedtime? Remind them to say the Lord’s Prayer every morning and evening.
5. Make a Prayer Reminder: Take a clothespin and apply adhesive magnet strip to one side. Glue a small icon on the other side; we have lots of old bulletins to cut up. Cover it with Contact paper if desired. Take a small pad of Post-It Notes and have the students write on each slip “Pray For”. Take home and stick to refrigerator, beginning with the prayer requests of their friends in class today.
6. Alternate craft idea: Make a Lord’s Prayer Puzzle. Use the prayer on the next page and have the students decorate the puzzle and then cut the pieces apart. See if the children can put them back together again!
7. Close with the Lord’s Prayer.