What is taught must be in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus; (If your school is outside of Cambridgeshire: the S.C.A.A Model 2 syllabus has been included to help in matching this lesson plan with your local Agreed Syllabus).
Cambs Agreed Syllabus:
WO (Worship)
Enable pupils to:
know that all Christians use the Lord's Prayer and become familiar with some of its meaning for them.
Pupils should consider this:
Who do we share our hopes, worries & emotions with?
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S.C.A.A. Model syllabuses:
KEY TEACHINGS / FOCUS:
CHURCH
The Lord's Prayer.
AT1 Consider the application of Christian values to specific circumstances, particularly in relation to personal, social & global issues.
AT2 Consider the value of setting aside a time for self discipline & reflection.
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RESOURCES:
A key to a cupboard, or a rubber (eraser), or a pencil sharpener, for a pupil to keep borrowing: to be used in a sketch.
STARTER:
Have you ever been in an important game of football, or netball, or something, & you get an opportunity to score, so you pray in your mind for success.
Or what about if you have found yourself in a dangerous situation, for example the car that you're in is skidding on the road & so you pray for safety.
Or you get surrounded by some bullies so you pray for help.
Or you are at the fair ground & you pray to win.
Q. Have you ever prayed?
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Q. So what is prayer?
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(Possible answers: You pray when you're in trouble, it's asking God for things, )
Yes, but put simply, praying is talking to God.
It can include sharing things with God, & it can be thanking Him, & it can be asking for things.
Q. But would this prayer be answered: "Make me win the Lottery!"?
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No!
Q. Why?
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He will answer prayers in a way which is best for that person.
Lots of money doesn't always give happiness, in fact, there have been many examples of people who have won huge amounts who have been unsatisfied & not happy, because:
they have ended up not trusting anyone, just because those other people might be after the money.they miss their simple, yet strangely, satisfying old life style. they become worried about where they should invest their money & it becomes a burden.they can feel guilty, because they've spent so much money on themselves.they find that the more money they have, the more responsibilities it brings which creates more worry. God is more concerned about training someone to make their character better, than to give them a rich life where they indulge themselves.
In the Bible James tells us:
"And even when you do ask (in prayer) you don't get it because your whole aim is wrong--
you want only what will give you pleasure." James 4:3 (Living Bible)
MAIN TEACHING:
Q. So what sort of things should we pray about?
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The people who followed Jesus didn't know how to pray. So Matthew in the Bible records what Jesus taught about this.
[1] Jesus firstly teaches what not to do:
"Whenever you pray, don't be like the hypocrites (those who pretend to be religious)
who love to stand in the synagogues (which are Jewish Churches)
and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people.
Truly I tell you, they have their full reward!"
Q. So what does Jesus say not to do when praying?
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Don't put on a show or an act, don't pretend, - be real!
[2] Jesus continued by saying what to do:
"But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father (God) who is in secret.
And your Father (God) who sees in secret will reward you."
Q. So what is Jesus saying here about prayer?
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Jesus is not saying that praying with others is wrong, but you need to be able to pray on your own before praying with others.
He is really talking about having faith that God is listening, & that He will answer the prayers.
[3] Jesus gives some more advice:
"When you're praying, don't say meaningless words like the Gentiles (unbelievers) do,
for they think they'll be heard because of their wordiness.
Don't be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
Q. So why ask God for things, if He knows what you want anyway?
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A parent of a child will sometimes know what their son or daughter needs, but they will get that child to actually ask nicely for it first. So by asking God for things in prayer, it teaches them to respect God, & to see Him as their Heavenly Father.
Praying is talking to God, so when someone prays they deepen their relationship with God.
[4] Jesus now gives an example of a prayer, so He says:
"Therefore, this is how you should pray:"
[4 a] And He starts by putting God in a high place in the prayer:
"Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy."
Q. What is He saying in these words? What does it mean?
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It is agreeing that God is your Heavenly Father.
It is saying that He is high up in heaven itself, whereas you are here on the Earth.
God's name stands for all that is God, so His name being kept holy means that He should be honoured & respected, & be admired for who He is.
Children are expected to show respect to teachers & adults. You say "Good morning Mr/s ........"
So God expects to be shown respect, because he created the world & keeps it going.
[4 b] Next Jesus puts His own needs to one side & says that He wants what God wants. He says:
"May your kingdom come. May your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
Asking for His kingdom, & for His will to be done is really surrendering to God, because His rule & His plans are the best thing for your lives.
In heaven, everyone submits to God - that is why it is heaven, because there is no selfishness, no cruelty, no lies, but there is plenty of happiness & peace, etc.
[4 c] And now He asks God for something:
"Give us today our daily bread,"
Q. What do you think that means?
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It doesn't mean give us a loaf of Hovis wholemeal bread. Daily bread can symbolise everything that we need for our everyday life - that day.
Because we get our food from a shop or supermarket, we can take all the food for granted. But it is very valuable & if the world started to suffer from many bad droughts, then we could find that the food in our shops was in short supply.
We mustn't take all this for granted. To show this I need one volunteer.
(Teachers note: You need something which this volunteer can originally ask to borrow; ie key to a cupboard, or a rubber (eraser), or a pencil sharpener, but from then on, they just take this item every time they walk by. It soon becomes 'theirs' & the teacher has a job to 'own' it.)
..................... (pupil) now takes this ................(item) for granted.
But instead, if this had happened:
(Teachers note: Volunteer has to ask each time to borrow the item).
Q. How has this situation changed?
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..................... (pupil) now doesn't take this ................(item) for granted. It belongs to me, so if anybody wants to use it then they have to ask me!
By praying "Give us today our daily bread," it is not taking the supply of food for granted.
It is not demanding that God should give you food, but it is agreeing that God is the One who gives us our life & sustains us.
[4 d] Then Jesus teaches that prayer involves asking God to forgive all those wrong things that you do. That means saying sorry to God & really meaning it. Jesus said:
"and forgive us our sins,"
I want you to imagine that you are not very honest, & that you walk into this classroom & you notice some money on my desk. You think that I'm not here so you take the money, but what you don't realise is that I saw it all because I was behind ........
Now, because you're not very honest, you think that you will get away with it, because no-one saw you! But when I suddenly tell you that I was there all of the time, & I describe every last detail of what you just did, then it would be very foolish to try & deny it!
The Bible says that God is everywhere, all of the time, so everything that you do is seen by Him. It's no good thinking that you can get away with it, because God could describe every last detail.
So Jesus' teaching on prayer involves asking God to forgive you your sins; that is all the wrong things that you have done - which includes your actions, your thoughts & what you have said.
You have got to be sincere in saying sorry to God, but there is something that you have got to do:
Jesus said: "and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us."
Q. What else do you need to do?
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Another way of putting it is; "forgive me in the same way as I have forgiven other people who have hurt me!"
If you haven't forgiven others, Jesus says that you won't be forgiven. So it is pointless to pray because God says He won't listen!
[4 e] The last bit of the prayer is about asking God for protection, so that you would be able to stand against all the bad influences in the world:
"And never bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
Matt 6:5-15 (ISV)
So that was the teaching that Jesus gave on the subject of 'prayer'.
Q. Has any of that made you rethink about prayer?
What about praying to score a goal....? Discuss.
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Q. What Christian values are shown in this teaching on prayer?
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Not being a hypocrite, not showing off, but being real in your prayers.Not being selfish, but wanting what God wants first.Owning up to things that you do wrong.Forgiving others who hurt & do wrong to you.Admitting that you can be tempted into wrong things, so planning (& praying) to avoid them.Realise that there is evil in the world, so again, planning (& praying) to stand upto it. PLENARY:
Q. Is there anybody we can share our hopes, worries & emotions with?
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It is good to share things with a suitable person.
Q. What makes somebody not suitable to share things with?
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Q. Have you considered sharing your hopes, worries & emotions with God?
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Either take a short time to discuss these questions, or leave it with them.
(Teachers note: There are two worksheets to accompany this lesson plan).