Galatians: Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5: 22-23a – Fruit of the Spirit
Scripture Verse: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
Objectives:
- Student should be able to name the fruit of the Spirit, and discuss how this can be reflected in his own behavior with others.
- All students can memorize this verse
Possible Lesson Plan:
1. Open with prayer. Find the region of Galatia on the map.
2. Discuss fruit -- pass around some real fruits from the supermarket or garden -- discuss their qualities (sweetness, juiciness, nutritional value, etc.); have the children describe them in their own words.
3. Now pass around some "bitter herbs" -- chicory, horseradish, hot peppers, etc.-- find out how they are like fruit and how they are different. Which one leaves a sweet taste in the mouth of the eater and which one a bad taste?
4. Discuss the fruit of the Spirit, as listed in the text; do those qualities in a person leave a good "taste" with others; what sorts of behavior leave a bad taste? For the smallest children, make a group of construction paper “peanuts” and on some write the good fruit and on some the names of some bad “fruit” (lying, stealing, hate, anger, etc.) and have them each choose a peanut in turn; feed it to the classroom elephant if it’s good and stomp on it if it’s bad.
5. Do the fruit of the Spirit craft activity.
Make a basket. With small children, just fold a paper plate in half and staple the curved edge. With older children, use the plate as a frame, cutting out the middle. Staple strips of brown paper in one direction on the back of the plate. Weave the vertical strips in and out of the horizontal ones, basket-style, and cut to fit and staple. Cut out (or cut in advance for toddlers) the fruit patterns and label with the fruit of the Spirit. Glue fruit into basket and decorate with Easter grass if desired.
Or a mobile? The Holy Spirit appeared as a dove...when? Yes, Theophany. Make a paper plate dove and hang the fruits of the spirit by strings as a mobile.
