Forgiveness Without Limits

Seven Times a Day, How do we tell if someone's repentance is genuine or manipulative?

Luke 17:1-10

Instructor Preparation

Read this section before teaching any age group. It provides the theological foundation and shows how the lesson adapts across developmental stages.

The Passage

Luke 17:1-10 (NIV)

Context

Jesus is continuing his journey toward Jerusalem, teaching his disciples about relationships within the kingdom community. This teaching follows his parables about God's radical pursuit of the lost, setting up the question of how followers should treat each other when offense occurs. The disciples have been watching Jesus's interactions with tax collectors, sinners, and religious leaders, seeing unprecedented grace extended to outsiders.

The teaching emerges from the reality that community life inevitably produces conflict and hurt. Jesus has just spoken about causing others to stumble, acknowledging that offense will happen. Now he turns to the crucial question: when someone has hurt you and claims repentance, what are the obligations of forgiveness? The disciples' immediate response, "Increase our faith!", reveals they understand the impossibility of this standard without divine help.

The Big Idea

Jesus dismantles any accounting system that limits forgiveness by requiring unlimited cycles of rebuke-repentance-forgiveness, even when repeated multiple times within a single day.

This teaching deliberately confronts our natural inclination to say "You've used up your chances." The seven-times-a-day scenario forces the question: what constitutes genuine repentance when it happens so frequently? Jesus integrates honest confrontation (rebuke) with radical release (forgiveness), creating a pattern that neither enables sin through passivity nor terminates relationship through accumulated offense.

Theological Core

• Forgiveness Responds to Repentance. This isn't unconditional tolerance, forgiveness flows from stated repentance, creating space for discernment about sincerity while maintaining the obligation to forgive when repentance is claimed.
• Rebuke and Forgiveness Are Partners. The command includes confronting sin directly ("rebuke them"), integrating honest communication with gracious release rather than choosing between them.
• Repetition Cannot Exhaust Grace. The seven-times-a-day scenario deliberately breaks any logic that counts offenses to determine when relationship obligations end.
• Daily Restoration Cycles. Each day begins fresh without accumulated debt from previous cycles, preventing the buildup of relational accounts that ultimately terminate grace.

Age Group Overview

What Each Age Group Learns

Grades 7, 8 / Adult

• Repeated offense doesn't cancel forgiveness obligations when repentance is claimed, but discernment about genuine versus manipulative repentance is crucial
• The integration of rebuke and forgiveness means confronting sin honestly while maintaining gracious relationship
• Seven-times-a-day scenarios force deeper questions about what true repentance looks like when patterns persist
• Wisdom involves distinguishing between someone struggling with sin versus someone exploiting grace

Grades 4, 6

• Real forgiveness means being ready to forgive again when someone truly says sorry
• It's okay to tell someone they hurt you (that's rebuke) and still choose to forgive them
• Sometimes people make the same mistake many times, and our job is to keep forgiving when they're really sorry
• Even when we feel frustrated about repeated problems, we can choose to forgive because that's what Jesus teaches

Grades 1, 3

• When someone says sorry, we forgive them, even if they have to say sorry many times
• God forgives us again and again, so we forgive others again and again
• Forgiving means choosing to be friends again after someone hurts us

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Eliminating Discernment. The repentance requirement exists for a reason, we're not called to tolerate abuse or enable sin through unconditional acceptance. Teach the tension between generous forgiveness and wise discernment.
• Ignoring the Rebuke Component. Jesus commands honest confrontation before forgiveness. Avoiding difficult conversations in the name of "forgiveness" actually undermines the pattern Jesus establishes.
• Creating Forgiveness Formulas. The seven-times-a-day scenario isn't about counting, it's about breaking any mathematical approach to relationship. Focus on the heart attitude, not the specific number.
• Confusing Forgiveness with Consequences. Forgiving someone doesn't eliminate all natural consequences of their actions. You can forgive someone and still maintain appropriate boundaries or seek help when patterns persist.

Handling Hard Questions

"What if someone keeps hurting me but just says sorry to get out of trouble?"

This is exactly why Jesus includes rebuke with forgiveness, you get to speak truth about the impact and look for genuine change. Real repentance often includes specific acknowledgment of harm and concrete steps toward change. If someone just uses "sorry" as a get-out-of-jail-free card without any change, that's probably manipulation, not repentance. Wisdom means looking for the fruit of genuine sorrow, not just the words.

"Does this mean I have to stay in a harmful relationship forever?"

Forgiveness doesn't require staying in dangerous situations or enabling destructive patterns. You can forgive someone's debt against you while still maintaining boundaries for safety. Sometimes the most loving thing is to step back from relationship until someone demonstrates real change. Forgiveness is about your heart toward them, not about continuing to give them access to hurt you.

"How can anyone actually forgive seven times in one day?"

The disciples asked the same question, "Increase our faith!" This standard is impossible without God's help, and Jesus knows it. The point isn't that this should be easy, but that this is what kingdom relationships look like. When we're connected to God's unlimited grace toward us, we begin to have capacity for unlimited grace toward others. It's supernatural, not natural.

The One Thing to Remember

Jesus calls us to forgive repeated offense when repentance is claimed, while maintaining wisdom about what genuine repentance actually looks like.

Grades 7, 8 / Adult

Your Main Job Today

Guide students to wrestle with the tension between generous forgiveness and wise discernment, how do you distinguish genuine repentance from manipulation when someone repeatedly claims to be sorry?

The Tension to Frame

If someone keeps hurting you but always says "I'm sorry," when does forgiveness become enabling? How can you tell if repentance is real when it happens over and over?

Discussion Facilitation Tips

• Validate their experiences with people who abuse apologies, many students have encountered manipulative "sorry" patterns
• Honor the complexity, genuine people can struggle with repeated sin while manipulative people exploit grace
• Let them wrestle with the impossibility rather than providing easy answers

1. Opening Frame (2, 3 minutes)

Think about someone in your life who always seems to mess up and then say sorry. Maybe they borrow your stuff and break it, or they spread rumors and then act like it's no big deal when they apologize. You've probably noticed that their "sorry" starts to feel pretty cheap when it happens over and over again.

Part of you wants to be a good person and forgive them. But another part of you thinks, "How many times am I supposed to let this happen?" You start to feel like maybe they're just using the word "sorry" to get out of trouble without actually changing anything.

This gets even more complicated when it's someone you care about, like a friend who keeps flaking on you, or a family member who promises to change but doesn't. You want to believe them, but you're tired of being hurt by the same pattern.

Most of us have some kind of internal limit where we think, "Okay, that's enough. You've had your chances." We develop a three-strikes rule, or a don't-fool-me-twice policy. It feels like common sense and self-protection.

Today we're looking at what Jesus said about this exact situation, except his answer is going to challenge everything that feels reasonable to us. Open your Bibles to Luke 17, and let's see what he actually requires when someone claims repentance.

2. Silent Reading (5 minutes)

As You Read, Think About:

• What specific actions does Jesus command when someone sins against you?
• What does the seven-times-a-day scenario make you feel or think?
• How do the disciples respond to this teaching, and why do you think they react that way?
• Where in your life would this teaching be hardest to follow?

Luke 17:1-10 (NIV)

3. Discussion (15, 18 minutes)

Oral Reading (2, 3 minutes)

Reader 1: Verses 1, 2 (Warning about causing stumbling) Reader 2: Verses 3, 4 (Rebuke and forgiveness command) Reader 3: Verses 5, 10 (Disciples' response and Jesus's follow-up)

Listen for the progression, from warning about causing harm, to commanding repeated forgiveness, to the disciples basically saying "This is impossible." Pay attention to how each section builds on the previous one.

Small Group Question Generation (3, 4 minutes)

Get into groups of three or four. Your job is to come up with one or two questions that you're genuinely curious about from this passage. Not questions you think you should ask, but questions that actually bother you or make you wonder. For example, you might ask about the seven-times scenario, or about how you tell if someone is really repentant, or about why the disciples respond the way they do. You have three minutes, go.

Facilitated Discussion (12, 14 minutes)

Collecting Questions: Write student questions on the board. Look for themes around forgiveness limits, genuine repentance, and practical application. Start with questions that connect to their experiences.

Probing Questions (to go deeper)

• "What evidence do you see in the passage that Jesus expects this to be difficult?"
• "How does the rebuke requirement change what forgiveness looks like?"
• "When someone says 'I repent' seven times in one day, what would make you believe them versus doubt them?"
• "What's the difference between forgiving someone and being naive about their patterns?"
• "Why do you think Jesus chose seven times in a single day rather than seven times total?"
• "Where do you see this playing out in your world, school, family, friendships, social media?"
• "What would happen to relationships if everyone actually followed this teaching?"
• "How do you balance being merciful with protecting yourself from being repeatedly hurt?"

Revealing the Pattern

Do you notice what Jesus is doing here? He's not just saying "be nice to people." He's setting up a pattern, rebuke the sin, look for repentance, then forgive, and then he breaks our math about when that pattern should stop. The seven-times scenario forces us to ask: what does genuine repentance actually look like when it happens repeatedly? This isn't about being a doormat; it's about developing wisdom to discern real change while maintaining a heart ready to forgive.

4. Application (3, 4 minutes)

Let's get real about your actual lives. Where do you encounter people who repeatedly hurt you and then claim to be sorry? Think about school dynamics, family situations, friendships, online interactions, dating relationships if you're in them.

Real Issues This Connects To

• Friend who keeps breaking promises but always has an excuse and says sorry
• Family member who repeatedly loses their temper, then apologizes and promises to change
• Someone who spreads gossip or rumors, then acts like "sorry" makes it okay
• Person who borrows things and doesn't return them, but keeps asking to borrow more
• Someone who makes offensive jokes, then says "just kidding" or "sorry if you were offended"
• Classmate who cheats off your work, then acts sorry when caught but does it again

Discussion Prompts

• "When have you seen someone genuinely struggle with repeated mistakes versus someone who just uses apologies strategically?"
• "What would help you have courage to rebuke someone before forgiving them?"
• "How do you tell the difference between someone working on change and someone just saying words?"
• "What's the difference between wise forgiveness and naive enabling?"

5. Closing (2 minutes)

Here's what I want you to take with you: Jesus calls us to forgive repeatedly when repentance is claimed, but he also expects us to use wisdom about what genuine repentance looks like. This isn't about being a pushover, it's about developing the spiritual maturity to discern when someone is genuinely struggling versus when they're manipulating grace.

This week, pay attention to your own forgiveness patterns. Notice when you want to cut people off versus when you're willing to extend grace. Ask yourself: am I being wise or am I being hard-hearted? Am I distinguishing between people who struggle and people who exploit? This is some of the most challenging relationship work you'll ever do.

I'm impressed by the thoughtful questions you asked today and your willingness to wrestle with something this difficult. Keep thinking about these tensions, that's where spiritual growth happens. You're developing wisdom that will serve you well in every relationship you'll ever have.

Grades 4, 6

Your Main Job Today

Help kids understand that real forgiveness means being ready to forgive again when someone truly says sorry, even when the same person makes mistakes multiple times.

If Kids Ask "What if they're just pretending to be sorry?"

Say: "That's a really good question. Real sorrow usually means someone feels bad about what they did and wants to change. Sometimes it takes time to see if someone really means it."

1. Opening (5 minutes)

Raise your hand if you've ever had a friend or sibling who kept doing something that bothered you. Maybe they borrowed your things without asking, or they said mean things when they got mad, or they broke promises they made to you.

Now here's a harder question: raise your hand if that person said sorry, and you forgave them, but then they did the exact same thing again. And then they said sorry again. It's really confusing when this happens, isn't it? Part of you wants to believe them when they say sorry, but another part of you thinks, "Why should I trust you again?"

Your feelings totally make sense. It's frustrating when someone keeps making the same mistake, even if they keep saying sorry. You start to wonder if they really mean it, or if they just say sorry because they know they're supposed to.

This reminds me of the movie "Frozen" when Anna keeps forgiving Hans and thinking he's good, even when there are warning signs. Or like in "Toy Story" when Woody has to decide whether to trust Buzz again after Buzz makes mistakes. Sometimes characters have to choose whether to give someone another chance.

The tricky part is figuring out when someone really means it when they say sorry, and when they're just saying words. How do you know if you should forgive someone who keeps making the same mistakes?

Today we're going to hear about what Jesus said when his friends asked him this exact question. He told them about someone who had to say sorry seven times in just one day! Let's find out what Jesus taught them about forgiving people over and over again.

2. Bible Story Time (10 minutes)

Jesus was walking with his twelve special friends, the disciples, on the way to Jerusalem. They had been watching Jesus forgive all kinds of people, people who had made terrible mistakes, people who had hurt others, even people that everyone else thought were too bad to forgive.

The disciples were starting to notice something amazing: Jesus never seemed to run out of forgiveness. But they were also starting to worry. What about when people hurt you over and over again? What about when someone says sorry but then does the exact same thing the very next day?

Jesus could see what they were thinking. He knew that living together and loving each other was hard work. People mess up. People hurt each other's feelings. People make promises they don't keep. This happens in every friendship, every family, every group of people who spend time together.

So Jesus sat down with his disciples to teach them something very important about forgiveness. He wanted them to understand how to handle it when people hurt them repeatedly but claimed to be sorry.

First, Jesus said something that surprised them. He said that if someone sins against you, if they hurt you or do something wrong to you, you shouldn't just ignore it or pretend it didn't happen. He said you should tell them that what they did was wrong. That's called "rebuking" someone.

But then Jesus said something even more surprising. He said that if the person says they're sorry, if they repent, then you must forgive them. Not "you can forgive them if you feel like it," but "you must forgive them."

The disciples probably thought, "Okay, that makes sense. If someone hurts me and then says sorry, I should forgive them." But Jesus wasn't done talking yet.

Then Jesus said something that made their jaws drop. He told them to imagine that the same person hurt them seven times in one single day. Seven times! Before breakfast, during lunch, in the afternoon, in the evening, seven separate times that same person did something wrong to them.

And not only that, but imagine that all seven times, the person came back and said, "I'm sorry. I repent. I want to change." Seven apologies in one day from the same person for seven different mistakes.

Jesus looked at his disciples and said something that seemed impossible:

Luke 17:4 (NIV)

The disciples looked at each other with wide eyes. Seven times in one day? And they had to forgive them every single time? That seemed crazy! That seemed impossible!

What Jesus was teaching them was that forgiveness doesn't run out like batteries in a toy or gas in a car. Forgiveness isn't something where you only get three chances and then you're done. God's way of forgiving is different from our human way of keeping track of mistakes.

But Jesus also included something really important: the person had to say "I repent." That means they had to admit they were wrong and say they wanted to change. This wasn't about letting people be mean to you over and over with no consequences. It was about being ready to forgive when someone was truly sorry.

The disciples were amazed and a little scared. They realized that this kind of forgiveness was really, really hard. It would take a special kind of strength to forgive the same person seven times in one day. So they said to Jesus:

Luke 17:5 (NIV)

The disciples were basically saying, "Jesus, we're going to need God's help to do this! We can't forgive like this on our own. We need more faith, more strength from God, more of God's love in our hearts to forgive people seven times in one day."

And Jesus smiled because they understood something very important: this kind of forgiveness isn't something you can do with just your own strength. This is the kind of forgiveness that comes from God's heart. When you're connected to God, you start to have access to the same unlimited forgiveness that God has for you.

Think about how many times God has forgiven you for the same mistake. Maybe you've told the same lie, or been jealous of the same person, or disobeyed the same rule over and over again. And every time you're truly sorry, God forgives you completely.

What Jesus was teaching his disciples, and what he's teaching us, is that when someone is genuinely sorry for hurting us, we can choose to forgive them the way God forgives us. Not because it's easy, but because that's how God's family works.

Sometimes people struggle with the same mistakes over and over, even when they're really trying to change. When that happens, our job is to keep being ready to forgive when they're truly sorry, just like God keeps being ready to forgive us.

This doesn't mean we let people hurt us without saying anything. Jesus said to rebuke them first, to tell them that what they did was wrong. But then, when they're genuinely sorry, we choose forgiveness instead of keeping track of their mistakes.

The amazing thing is that when we live this way, relationships can get stronger instead of breaking apart. People feel safe to admit their mistakes because they know they won't be rejected forever. And communities become places where people can grow and change instead of being defined by their worst moments.

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

Question 1: The Seven-Times Challenge

Imagine your friend borrowed your favorite book and accidentally dropped it in a puddle. Then later that same day, they spilled juice on your homework. Then they forgot to save your seat at lunch like they promised. By the end of the day, they had done seven different things that hurt your feelings, but each time they came and said, "I'm really sorry. I want to be a better friend." How would you be feeling by the seventh time?

Question 2: Real Sorry vs. Fake Sorry

Think about times when you've said sorry to someone. What's the difference between when you really, truly felt bad about what you did versus when you just said sorry because you knew you were supposed to? How do you think other people can tell the difference?

Question 3: God's Forgiveness

Jesus taught this lesson because this is how God forgives us. Think about a mistake you've made more than once, maybe the same bad attitude, or the same unkind words, or the same disobedience. How does it feel to know that God is ready to forgive you every time you're truly sorry?

Question 4: The Impossible Standard

The disciples said "Increase our faith!" because they knew this was really hard to do. What do you think would help you have the strength to forgive someone seven times in one day? What would you need from God to be able to do something that difficult?

You've asked some really thoughtful questions about forgiveness. The thing Jesus wants us to understand is that this kind of forgiveness changes everything, it makes relationships stronger, helps people grow, and shows others what God's love looks like.

4. Activity: The Forgiveness Bridge (8 minutes)

Purpose

This activity reinforces the pattern of rebuilding relationship through repeated cycles of conflict and forgiveness. Success looks like kids discovering that each act of forgiveness makes the "bridge" of relationship stronger rather than weaker, even when repair is needed multiple times.

Instructions to Class(3 minutes)

We're going to play "The Forgiveness Bridge." Everyone find a partner and stand on opposite sides of the room facing each other. Imagine there's a river between you and your partner, and you need to build a bridge to reach each other.

Here's how it works: you and your partner will walk toward each other and meet in the middle, then walk back to your sides. But here's the challenge, every time you meet in the middle, something "breaks" your bridge and you have to start over. But if you choose to "forgive" and rebuild, your bridge gets stronger.

We're going to do this seven times, just like in Jesus's teaching. Each time you meet in the middle, say "I'm sorry" and "I forgive you," then figure out a new way to make your bridge stronger, maybe hold hands, or link arms, or walk differently.

We're doing this because it's exactly like what Jesus taught, sometimes relationships need to be rebuilt over and over, but each time you choose forgiveness, the connection gets stronger instead of weaker.

During the Activity(4 minutes)

Start by walking toward your partner with just your regular steps. When you meet in the middle, say the words, then walk back. Now something broke your bridge, come up with a new way to make it stronger as you walk toward each other again.

Watch what happens each time you have to rebuild. Are you getting more creative? Are you finding ways to make the connection more secure? Notice how the partnership changes as you keep choosing to forgive and try again.

I see some pairs holding hands now, some linking arms, some even developing special walking patterns together. This is what happens when we keep choosing forgiveness, we get better at building strong relationships, not just giving up when things go wrong.

Look around at all the different bridges being built. Every partnership is finding their own way to get stronger through forgiveness. Some bridges look different, but they're all getting more solid each time you choose to rebuild.

Time for the seventh crossing, this is your strongest bridge yet. Notice how it feels different to cross this time compared to the first time. You've learned how to repair and rebuild together instead of just walking away when something breaks.

Debrief(1 minute)

What did you notice about how your bridge changed from the first time to the seventh time? Most of you discovered that having to rebuild over and over actually made your partnership stronger, not weaker. This is exactly what Jesus was teaching, when we keep choosing forgiveness, relationships don't get worn out, they get wiser and stronger through learning to repair and rebuild together.

5. Closing (2 minutes)

Here's what we learned today: Jesus wants us to forgive people again and again when they're truly sorry, even if they make the same mistakes multiple times. This doesn't mean we ignore it when people hurt us, we tell them the truth about what they did wrong. But then we choose to forgive when they're genuinely sorry.

This doesn't mean it's okay for people to keep hurting us on purpose, or that we should trust someone who's just pretending to be sorry. Real sorrow means someone feels bad about what they did and wants to change. Sometimes we need help from adults to figure out the difference.

The amazing result is that when we forgive like this, relationships get stronger instead of falling apart. People feel safe to admit their mistakes because they know they won't be rejected. And we get to show others what God's love looks like, because God forgives us over and over again when we're truly sorry.

This Week's Challenge

Pay attention to times when someone hurts your feelings or makes a mistake. Practice the pattern Jesus taught: tell them how their action affected you, then if they're truly sorry, choose to forgive them. Notice how it feels different to address the problem and then forgive, instead of just staying mad or just ignoring it.

Closing Prayer (Optional)

Dear God, thank you for forgiving us over and over when we're truly sorry for our mistakes. Help us to have your kind of heart that's ready to forgive when others are sorry too. Give us wisdom to tell the difference between real repentance and fake apologies. Help us build stronger relationships through forgiveness. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Grades 1, 3

Your Main Job Today

Help children understand that God wants us to forgive again and again when someone says sorry, just like God forgives us.

Movement & Formation Plan

• Opening Song: Standing in a circle
• Bible Story: Sitting in a horseshoe shape facing the teacher
• Small Group Q&A: Standing in pairs facing each other
• Closing Song: Standing in straight lines
• Prayer: Sitting cross-legged in rows

If Kids Don't Understand

Compare forgiveness to a magic box that never gets empty, every time someone says sorry, we can pull out more forgiveness, just like God does for us.

1. Opening Song (2, 3 minutes)

Formation: Standing in a circle

Select a song about forgiveness or God's love. Suggestions: "Jesus Loves Me," "God is So Good," or "I'm Sorry, Please Forgive Me." Use movements: reach up high for God's love, hug yourself for forgiveness, reach out to friends for sharing forgiveness with others.

Great singing, everyone! Now sit down in our horseshoe shape because I have an amazing story to tell you about Jesus and his friends. You're going to learn about the most incredible kind of forgiveness!

2. Bible Story Time (5, 7 minutes)

Formation: Kids sitting in a horseshoe shape on the floor facing you. Move around inside the horseshoe as you tell the story.

Today we're going to meet Jesus and his special friends, the disciples!

[Walk to one side of the horseshoe]

Jesus and his disciples were walking together, and the disciples had some big questions. They had been watching Jesus forgive people over and over again. But they were wondering: what happens when someone hurts you and says sorry, but then they do it again?

[Look puzzled and scratch your head]

The disciples were thinking, "If someone hurts me once and says sorry, I can forgive them. But what if they hurt me again? And again? How many times do I have to forgive the same person?"

[Walk to other side of horseshoe, smile warmly]

Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking! So he sat down to teach them something very important about forgiveness. He wanted them to know how God's heart works.

[Move to center, speak with gentle authority]

Jesus told them: "If someone hurts you, you should tell them that what they did was wrong. But if they say 'I'm sorry' and really mean it, then you forgive them."

[Hold up fingers as you count]

But then Jesus said something that made their eyes get really big! He said, "Even if the same person hurts you seven times in just one day, and seven times they come back and say 'I'm really sorry,' you must forgive them every single time."

Luke 17:4 (NIV)

[Pause and look around at each child with wide eyes]

Seven times in one day! Can you count to seven? Let's count together: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven! That's a lot of times to forgive someone in just one day, isn't it?

[Move to center, speak with amazement]

The disciples looked at each other and their mouths fell open. They said, "Jesus, that sounds impossible! We're going to need God's help to forgive like that!"

[Walk slowly around the horseshoe]

And you know what? They were absolutely right! This kind of forgiveness is so big and so amazing that we need God's help to do it. But here's the wonderful secret Jesus was teaching them...

[Stop walking and face the children directly]

God forgives us over and over and over again! Think about how many times you've done something wrong and said sorry to God. Did God ever say, "Sorry, you've used up all your chances"? No way!

[Speak with excitement]

God's forgiveness never runs out! It's like a magic box that never gets empty. Every time we're truly sorry, God pulls out more forgiveness and gives it to us with a big smile!

[Pause dramatically]

So Jesus was teaching his friends that we should forgive others the same way God forgives us, over and over again when they're truly sorry!

[Speak directly to the children]

Sometimes your brother or sister might hurt your feelings and then say sorry. Sometimes a friend at school might say something mean and then feel bad about it. Sometimes people make the same mistakes more than once, even when they're trying to do better.

[Move closer to the children]

When someone is truly sorry, when they really feel bad about what they did, you can choose to forgive them, even if they've made that same mistake before. Because that's how God treats you!

[Speak warmly and encouragingly]

God gives us the power to forgive like this! When we're connected to God's love, our hearts can be big enough to forgive again and again, just like Jesus taught his disciples.

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

Formation: Have kids stand up and find a partner. Pairs scatter around the room with space to talk.

Find a partner and stand where you have room to talk! I'm going to give each pair a question to think about together. There are no wrong answers, just share what you think!

Discussion Questions

Select one question per pair based on class size. Save unused questions for next time.

1. How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus said they had to forgive seven times in one day?

2. What does it feel like when someone hurts your feelings?

3. What does it feel like when someone says sorry and really means it?

4. How would you feel if you had to forgive the same person seven times?

5. Why do you think Jesus taught about forgiving so many times?

6. How does God forgive us when we make mistakes?

7. What's the difference between someone who's really sorry and someone who just says the words?

8. When is it hardest to forgive someone?

9. How can God help us forgive when it's really hard?

10. What happens to friendships when people forgive each other?

11. How many times has God forgiven you?

12. Why did the disciples ask God to help them have more faith?

13. What would happen if nobody ever forgave anybody?

14. How can you tell if someone is really sorry for what they did?

15. What's your favorite thing about God's forgiveness?

16. How does it feel to know God never stops forgiving you?

17. When have you forgiven someone who hurt you?

18. When has someone forgiven you?

19. What would you tell a friend who didn't want to forgive someone?

20. How can we be like Jesus in the way we forgive?

Great discussions! Let's come back together in our lines. Who wants to share something interesting that you talked about with your partner?

4. Closing Song (2, 3 minutes)

Formation: Standing in straight lines facing forward

Choose a song about love and forgiveness with movements. Examples: "Love, Love, Love" with arms spread wide for love, "God is Good to Me" with hands on heart, or "Jesus Loves the Little Children" with arms reaching out to friends. Include hand motions that show giving and receiving forgiveness.

Beautiful singing! Now let's sit down quietly for our prayer time. Cross your legs and fold your hands, we're going to talk to God about forgiveness.

5. Closing Prayer (1, 2 minutes)

Formation: Sitting cross-legged in rows, heads bowed, hands folded

Dear God, thank you for forgiving us over and over when we make mistakes...

[Pause]

Help us to forgive our friends and family when they say sorry, just like you forgive us. Give us big hearts full of your love so we can forgive again and again...

[Pause]

Thank you for your love that never runs out and your forgiveness that's always ready for us when we're truly sorry. Help us remember to forgive others the way you forgive us. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Remember, God's forgiveness never runs out, and he wants us to forgive others the same way! Have a wonderful week showing God's love to everyone you meet!

Forgive As We Forgive

When Prayer Becomes a Mirror, How can we ask for forgiveness while withholding it from others?

Matthew 6:5-15

Instructor Preparation

Read this section before teaching any age group. It provides the theological foundation and shows how the lesson adapts across developmental stages.

The Passage

Matthew 6:5-15 (NIV)

Context

Jesus delivers this teaching during the Sermon on the Mount, addressing a crowd that includes both his disciples and curious onlookers. He has just finished teaching about authentic spiritual practices versus showy religious performance, contrasting genuine righteousness with the hypocritical displays of religious leaders. The immediate context reveals Jesus's concern that his followers understand how prayer differs from religious theater.

This moment occurs after Jesus has outlined the beatitudes and before he teaches about worry and material concerns. The prayer instruction comes as part of a larger teaching about private versus public spirituality. Jesus has just warned against prayer that seeks human applause, and he's about to emphasize that prayer reveals the heart's true condition, including how we handle forgiveness.

The Big Idea

The Lord's Prayer creates a divine mirror: when we ask for forgiveness, we must examine the forgiveness we extend to others, because the two are inseparably linked.

This connection isn't merely poetic or sequential, it's proportional. The "as" in verse 12 creates correspondence, meaning God measures our forgiveness by the measure we use for others. This creates tension between our understanding of grace and Jesus's explicit teaching about conditional forgiveness. The prayer itself becomes an examination tool that reveals inconsistency between what we request and what we practice.

Theological Core

• Forgiveness Correspondence. Divine and human forgiveness operate on the same scale, we cannot receive what we refuse to give, and the quality of our forgiveness reflects our understanding of God's grace toward us.
• Prayer as Self-Examination. Authentic prayer forces us to confront our own spiritual condition, particularly the contradiction between asking for mercy while withholding it from others.
• Divine-Human Linkage. Our relationship with God cannot be separated from our relationships with others, spiritual authenticity requires horizontal consistency with vertical requests.
• Measured Grace. While salvation comes by grace, the experience of forgiveness operates through reciprocity, God's forgiveness flows through hearts that practice forgiveness toward others.

Age Group Overview

What Each Age Group Learns

Grades 7, 8 / Adult

• Prayer for divine forgiveness should trigger honest examination of how we forgive others in our daily relationships
• The tension between unconditional grace and conditional forgiveness requires theological discernment rather than easy answers
• Authentic spirituality demands consistency between what we ask from God and what we offer to people who hurt us
• Spiritual maturity includes wrestling with difficult teachings rather than dismissing them or oversimplifying them

Grades 4, 6

• When we ask God to forgive us, we need to be willing to forgive people who hurt us
• Holding grudges while asking for forgiveness doesn't make sense and hurts our relationship with God
• Forgiveness doesn't mean pretending something didn't happen, but it means choosing not to stay angry
• Sometimes forgiveness feels hard, and that's okay, we can ask God for help to forgive

Grades 1, 3

• God forgives us when we do wrong things, and God wants us to forgive others too
• When someone is mean to us, we can choose to forgive them like God forgives us
• Forgiving others makes our hearts happy and makes friendships better

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Oversimplifying the Tension. Don't dismiss the theological difficulty by claiming this passage doesn't really mean what it says. Jesus's follow-up in verses 14-15 confirms the conditional reading, and students need help wrestling with this rather than having it explained away.
• Creating Guilt-Based Legalism. Avoid using this passage to shame people about past failures to forgive. The goal is self-examination leading to growth, not condemnation for areas where forgiveness has been difficult.
• Ignoring Safety and Justice. Don't teach that forgiveness means returning to harmful relationships or that justice doesn't matter. Forgiveness is about releasing resentment, not necessarily restoring unsafe relationships.
• Minimizing the Challenge. This teaching is genuinely difficult and shouldn't be presented as easy or natural. Acknowledge that some hurts are profound and that forgiveness is often a process requiring divine help rather than a simple decision.

Handling Hard Questions

"Does this mean God won't forgive me if I can't forgive someone who really hurt me?"

This passage creates real tension with grace-based theology, and that tension is worth examining rather than dismissing. Jesus seems to be teaching that unforgiveness blocks our experience of God's forgiveness. This doesn't necessarily affect our salvation, but it does affect our relationship with God. Consider that holding onto resentment might make it impossible to truly receive and experience forgiveness. Sometimes we need to ask God to help us even want to forgive before we can actually do it.

"What about really serious things like abuse or murder? Are we supposed to forgive those?"

Jesus doesn't qualify his teaching based on the severity of the offense, which is part of what makes this passage so challenging. However, forgiveness doesn't mean minimizing the seriousness of what happened or putting yourself in danger. Forgiveness is about releasing the resentment that poisons your own heart, not about pretending something wasn't wrong or trusting someone who hasn't changed. You can forgive someone and still support justice, maintain boundaries, or protect yourself from further harm.

"How do I know if I've really forgiven someone?"

Real forgiveness often happens gradually rather than all at once. You might know you're moving toward forgiveness when you can think about the person without feeling consumed by anger, when you genuinely hope for good things in their life, or when you're not constantly rehearsing what they did wrong. It doesn't mean you never feel hurt about what happened, but the resentment loses its grip on you. Sometimes forgiveness is more about what you stop doing, stop seeking revenge, stop rehashing the offense, stop letting it control your emotions.

The One Thing to Remember

Prayer becomes a mirror: when we ask God for forgiveness while withholding it from others, we discover our own spiritual inconsistency and need for divine help to love as we are loved.

Grades 7, 8 / Adult

Your Main Job Today

Guide students to discover the uncomfortable tension between asking for divine forgiveness while withholding human forgiveness. Help them wrestle with what Jesus actually teaches rather than offering easy answers to this genuinely difficult spiritual challenge.

The Tension to Frame

How can we authentically ask God for forgiveness while refusing to forgive people who have hurt us? What does Jesus mean when he links divine and human forgiveness so directly?

Discussion Facilitation Tips

• Validate their discomfort with this teaching, it genuinely challenges easy grace
• Honor the complexity rather than rushing to resolve the theological tension
• Let them explore the implications before offering pastoral guidance about difficult situations

1. Opening Frame (2, 3 minutes)

Imagine you've been caught cheating on a major exam. You're sitting in the principal's office, knowing you could be suspended, and you're desperately hoping for mercy. You explain how much pressure you've been under, how sorry you are, how this isn't who you really want to be. You're asking for a second chance, for grace instead of the punishment you deserve.

Now imagine that right before this meeting, a friend came to you confessing they'd spread a rumor about you that damaged your reputation. They were asking for your forgiveness, and you looked them straight in the eye and said, "No. What you did was unforgivable. I'm never going to let this go." You walked away, leaving them devastated.

Here's the question: How does your refusal to forgive your friend affect your ability to genuinely ask the principal for forgiveness? Does seeking mercy while withholding it create some kind of spiritual or emotional contradiction? Most of us would sense the hypocrisy, but we might think, "Well, that's just how people are. Everyone's inconsistent sometimes."

Today we're looking at Jesus teaching about prayer, and he makes a statement that's more challenging than we often realize. He directly connects our forgiveness from God to our forgiveness of others. Pay attention to the specific word "as" and what that word means for the relationship between divine and human forgiveness.

Open your Bibles to Matthew 6, and read verses 5-15 silently. Notice what makes you uncomfortable.

2. Silent Reading (5 minutes)

As You Read, Think About:

• What is Jesus teaching about prayer that goes beyond just giving us words to say?
• What does the word "as" in verse 12 suggest about the relationship between divine and human forgiveness?
• How do verses 14-15 clarify or complicate your understanding of grace?
• What would it feel like to pray this prayer when you're holding a grudge against someone?

Matthew 6:5-15 (NIV)

3. Discussion (15, 18 minutes)

Oral Reading (2, 3 minutes)

Reader 1: Verses 5-8 (Prayer context and motivation) Reader 2: Verses 9-13 (The Lord's Prayer) Reader 3: Verses 14-15 (The forgiveness condition)

Listen for the tone shift. This isn't just a nice prayer to memorize, it's teaching that creates uncomfortable self-examination.

Small Group Question Generation (3, 4 minutes)

Get into groups of 3-4. Your job is to come up with 1-2 genuine questions about what you just read, not questions you think you should ask, but questions you actually want to wrestle with. For example: "Does this mean God's forgiveness is conditional?" or "What counts as really forgiving someone?" You have three minutes. Go.

Facilitated Discussion (12, 14 minutes)

Collecting Questions: Write student questions on the board. Look for themes around conditionality, authenticity, and practical application.

Probing Questions (to go deeper)

• "What does Jesus seem to be saying about the connection between divine forgiveness and human forgiveness?"
• "How does verse 12's word 'as' create a relationship between what we ask for and what we give?"
• "Do verses 14-15 contradict what we believe about grace, or reveal something about how grace actually works?"
• "What happens when we try to pray this prayer while holding grudges against specific people?"
• "How do you tell the difference between healthy boundaries and unforgiveness?"
• "If someone has seriously hurt you, what would forgiveness actually look like in real life?"
• "What if Jesus had said 'forgive us our debts, and help us forgive our debtors' instead of 'as we have forgiven'?"
• "Why might Jesus link these two types of forgiveness so directly instead of keeping them separate?"

Revealing the Pattern

Do you notice what's happening here? Jesus isn't just giving us a prayer template, he's creating a spiritual mirror. Every time we ask God for forgiveness, we're forced to examine our own forgiveness practices. The prayer itself becomes a test of spiritual authenticity. We can't genuinely ask for what we refuse to give without confronting our own inconsistency.

4. Application (3, 4 minutes)

Let's get real about your lives for a minute. Where do you see this tension playing out? Think about times when you want forgiveness for yourself but find it hard to extend forgiveness to others. This could be family drama, friend conflicts, social media situations, or even broader issues of justice and accountability.

Real Issues This Connects To

• A friend spreads rumors about you and then asks for forgiveness when they get caught
• Parents discipline you for something your sibling also did but didn't get in trouble for
• Someone's careless driving causes an accident that hurts people you care about
• A teacher treats you unfairly but expects respect and cooperation in return
• Political leaders who cause harm while demanding loyalty and support from citizens
• Your own mistakes when you want understanding but struggle to give it to others who mess up

Discussion Prompts

• "When have you seen someone model healthy forgiveness without being a pushover?"
• "What helps you move toward forgiveness when you're not naturally feeling forgiving?"
• "How do you balance forgiveness with justice or accountability?"
• "What's the difference between forgiving someone and trusting them again?"

5. Closing (2 minutes)

Here's what I want you to take with you: Jesus links divine and human forgiveness because prayer is supposed to transform us, not just comfort us. When we ask God for forgiveness while refusing to forgive others, we're asking God to give us something we won't give to anyone else. The prayer itself reveals whether we truly understand grace or just want it for ourselves.

This week, pay attention to moments when you ask for understanding, second chances, or forgiveness. Notice what it feels like when someone else needs the same thing from you. This isn't about becoming a pushover, it's about discovering whether your heart is becoming more like God's heart or just using God's grace as a personal benefit package.

You wrestled with genuinely hard questions today. That's what spiritual maturity looks like, staying engaged with difficult teachings rather than dismissing them or oversimplifying them. Keep wrestling. The questions you asked today matter more than having perfect answers.

Grades 4, 6

Your Main Job Today

Help kids understand that asking God for forgiveness means we need to be willing to forgive others, because God wants our hearts to be like God's heart, full of forgiveness.

If Kids Ask "What if someone really hurt me badly?"

Say: "God understands that some hurts are really big. Forgiving doesn't mean what someone did was okay or that you have to trust them right away. It means choosing not to stay angry forever and asking God to help your heart heal."

1. Opening (5 minutes)

Raise your hand if you've ever done something wrong and really, really wanted someone to forgive you. Maybe you accidentally broke something special, or said something mean to a friend, or disobeyed your parents. You felt terrible and just wanted them to say, "It's okay, I forgive you."

Now here's a harder question. Raise your hand if you've ever been in that same day, wanting someone to forgive you, but there was also someone else who had hurt YOUR feelings, and you definitely did NOT want to forgive them. You wanted forgiveness for yourself, but you wanted to stay mad at the other person.

That's a really confusing feeling, isn't it? Part of you thinks, "Please be nice to me and forgive me," but another part of you thinks, "I'm never forgiving what they did to me." It's like wanting a big slice of cake while refusing to share even a tiny piece with someone else who's hungry.

This is kind of like what happens in the movie "Frozen" when Elsa wants Anna to understand her and not be afraid of her, but Elsa is also angry at their parents for making her hide her powers. She wants acceptance but struggles to forgive. Or think about how in "Toy Story," Woody wants Buzz to be his friend but also can't forgive Buzz for taking his place.

The tricky part is figuring out how asking for forgiveness and giving forgiveness fit together. Can you really ask someone to forgive you while you're refusing to forgive someone else? Does that make sense? Does it work?

Today we're going to hear about when Jesus was teaching people how to pray, and he said something that connects asking God for forgiveness with forgiving other people. It's more connected than you might think. Let's find out what happened.

2. Bible Story Time (10 minutes)

Jesus was sitting on a mountainside with crowds of people all around him, his disciples were there, but so were lots of curious people who had heard about this amazing teacher and wanted to know what he would say.

The people had been watching religious leaders who liked to pray really loudly in public places where everyone could see how religious they were. These leaders would stand on street corners and pray with big dramatic voices, making sure everyone noticed how holy they sounded.

Jesus looked at the crowd and said, "When you pray, don't be like those show-offs. They're not really talking to God, they're performing for people. When you want to really pray, go somewhere private. Close your door. Talk to your Father who sees what you do in secret."

Imagine being one of those people listening. You'd probably think, "Okay, so pray privately, not publicly. Got it. But HOW do we pray? What are we supposed to say?" Some of them had probably been copying those fancy religious prayers without really understanding what they meant.

Then Jesus said something that changed everything: "This is how you should pray." And he taught them a prayer that was completely different from the long, complicated prayers they'd heard before.

He started with "Our Father in heaven", not "The great and mighty ruler" or "The scary judge" but "Father." Like talking to someone who loves you and cares about what you need.

He continued: "Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread." This was about putting God first, trusting God to take care of what we need.

But then Jesus said something that probably made some people very uncomfortable.

Matthew 6:12 (NIV)

Did you catch that little word "as"? He didn't say, "Forgive us our debts, and help us forgive other people." He said "as we also have forgiven", which means "in the same way that we forgive others."

Imagine you're in that crowd, and you realize that every time you pray this prayer, you're asking God to forgive you the SAME WAY you forgive other people. If you forgive quickly and completely, you're asking God to forgive you quickly and completely. But if you hold grudges and stay mad at people, you're asking God to hold grudges and stay mad at YOU.

Some people probably thought, "Wait, did he really mean that?" So Jesus kept talking to make sure they understood.

Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)

Wow. Jesus wasn't just making a suggestion, he was explaining how forgiveness actually works. When we forgive other people, it opens our hearts to receive God's forgiveness. But when we refuse to forgive, it's like closing the door to our own hearts.

Think about it like this: if your heart is all locked up with anger and refusing to let forgiveness in OR out, then God's forgiveness can't get through either. It's not that God doesn't want to forgive you, it's that a heart that won't give forgiveness can't really receive it either.

This means that every time we pray, "God, please forgive me," we need to ask ourselves, "Am I willing to forgive the people who have hurt me?" Because God wants our hearts to be like God's heart, full of forgiveness and love.

The people listening to Jesus probably realized that prayer isn't just about asking God for things. Prayer shows what's really in your heart. If your heart is generous with forgiveness, you can genuinely ask for God's generous forgiveness. But if your heart is stingy and holds grudges, then you're asking God for something you won't give to anyone else.

Some of them probably went home that day thinking about people they needed to forgive. Others probably realized they needed to ask God to help them WANT to forgive, because forgiveness can be really hard when someone has really hurt you.

The amazing thing is that when we choose to forgive, even when it's hard, it doesn't just help the other person. It helps US. It frees our hearts from carrying around all that anger and hurt. And it makes space for God's love and forgiveness to fill us up.

Sometimes in our lives, we get hurt by friends who leave us out, or siblings who are mean to us, or people who say unkind things about us. When that happens, we have a choice: we can hold onto that hurt and let it make our hearts hard, or we can choose to forgive and let God make our hearts soft and free.

What we learn from Jesus's teaching is that forgiveness isn't just something nice we do for other people, it's something we do so our own hearts can stay connected to God. We forgive others because God forgives us, and we want to be the kind of people who spread God's love around instead of holding onto hurt and anger.

God doesn't expect forgiveness to be easy or automatic. Sometimes we need God's help just to WANT to forgive. But when we choose forgiveness, God helps our hearts heal and grow bigger, making room for more love and less anger.

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

Question 1: The Hard Feelings

Imagine your best friend promises to invite you to their birthday party, but then you find out they gave your invitation to someone else because they decided they liked that person better. You feel really hurt and left out. Your friend realizes what they did was wrong and says they're sorry. How do you think you would feel, and what would make forgiveness hard in that situation?

Question 2: The Fair Question

Now imagine that same week, you accidentally broke your friend's favorite game and you really want them to forgive you and not stay mad. Do you think it would be fair for you to ask your friend for forgiveness if you're not willing to forgive them for the birthday party situation? What makes that complicated?

Question 3: The God Connection

Jesus taught that when we ask God to forgive us, we should think about how we forgive other people. Why do you think God cares about how we treat each other when it comes to forgiveness? How does forgiving others help us understand God's love for us?

Question 4: The What-If

What do you think would happen if everyone in your school or your family decided to practice this kind of forgiveness, being quick to forgive when others hurt them and quick to ask for forgiveness when they hurt others? How might that change how people treat each other?

You're thinking about this really well. The key thing Jesus taught is that forgiveness works both ways, we can't really ask for it if we won't give it. Now let's try an activity that shows how forgiveness connects people together.

4. Activity: The Forgiveness Bridge (8 minutes)

Purpose

This activity demonstrates how forgiveness creates connection while unforgiveness creates separation. Kids will physically experience how refusing to forgive keeps them stuck and isolated, while offering forgiveness creates bridges that let everyone move freely and connect with others.

Instructions to Class(3 minutes)

We're going to play "Forgiveness Bridge." Everyone starts in a big circle holding hands. I'm going to whisper to each person the name of someone in the circle who "hurt" them in our pretend scenario. When I say "hurt happens," let go of that person's hand and turn away from them.

Here's the challenge: you need to get back to the person on your OTHER side to complete the circle again. But you can't move around the person you're mad at, and they can't help you. You have to find another way. The only way to succeed is if someone chooses to forgive.

When someone decides to forgive, they turn back around and offer their hand again. That creates a "bridge" that helps everyone reconnect. We're doing this because it's exactly like what Jesus taught, unforgiveness keeps us stuck and separated, but forgiveness creates bridges that help everyone.

During the Activity(4 minutes)

First phase: Let them experience being stuck for about a minute. They'll realize they can't complete the circle again while people are turned away from each other. Some will try to walk around the long way, which takes forever and doesn't really work.

The struggle: As they get frustrated, point out that everyone is stuck because of unforgiveness. Say things like, "I wonder if there's someone who could choose to make a bridge..." Don't tell them directly what to do.

Coaching phrases: "I notice everyone wants to get back together, but something is in the way. I wonder what would happen if someone chose to turn around and offer their hand again..." Guide them toward the insight without giving the answer.

The breakthrough: When someone chooses to forgive (turn around and offer their hand), celebrate it: "Look! A bridge! Now everyone can connect again!" Show how that one act of forgiveness helps everyone.

Completion: Once they've succeeded, have them notice how much better it feels to be connected than to be stuck in separation. Point out that one person's choice to forgive helped everyone.

Debrief(1 minute)

What did you notice about how it felt when everyone was stuck and turned away from each other versus when someone offered forgiveness and you could all connect again? That's exactly what Jesus was teaching, unforgiveness keeps us all stuck and separated, but forgiveness creates bridges that help love flow between people and back to God.

5. Closing (2 minutes)

Here's what we learned today: When we ask God to forgive us, we need to be willing to forgive other people, because God wants our hearts to be like God's heart, full of forgiveness instead of anger. Jesus taught us that forgiveness works both ways.

This doesn't mean we have to pretend someone didn't hurt us, or that we have to trust someone who might hurt us again. Forgiveness means choosing not to stay angry forever and asking God to help our hearts heal instead of staying stuck in hurt feelings.

The amazing result is that when we choose forgiveness, it doesn't just help the other person, it helps US. It frees our hearts to be happy again and makes room for God's love to fill us up instead of being all crowded with anger and hurt.

This Week's Challenge

This week, notice when someone asks you for forgiveness or when you need to ask someone else for forgiveness. Before you respond, remember Jesus's teaching: we receive the same kind of forgiveness we give. Ask God to help you be generous with forgiveness, just like God is generous with forgiving you.

Closing Prayer (Optional)

Dear God, thank you for forgiving us when we do wrong things. Help us to forgive other people when they hurt us, even when it's hard. Make our hearts like your heart, full of love and forgiveness instead of anger. Help us remember that when we forgive others, it makes room for your love to fill us up. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Grades 1, 3

Your Main Job Today

Help kids understand that God forgives us when we do wrong things, and God wants us to forgive others too, because forgiveness makes our hearts happy and our friendships better.

Movement & Formation Plan

• Opening Song: Standing in a circle
• Bible Story: Sitting in a horseshoe shape facing the teacher
• Small Group Q&A: Standing in pairs facing each other
• Closing Song: Standing in straight lines
• Prayer: Sitting cross-legged in rows

If Kids Don't Understand

Compare forgiveness to sharing toys, when someone shares with you, you want to share with them too. God shares forgiveness, so we share forgiveness.

1. Opening Song (2, 3 minutes)

Formation: Standing in a circle

Select a song about God's love and forgiveness. Suggestions: "Jesus Loves Me," "God Is So Good," or "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy." Use hand motions: point up to God, point to self, make heart shapes with hands during words about love and forgiveness.

Beautiful singing! Now come sit in our story circle because I have an amazing story to tell you about when Jesus taught people how to talk to God!

2. Bible Story Time (5, 7 minutes)

Formation: Kids sitting in a horseshoe shape on the floor facing you. Move around inside the horseshoe as you tell the story.

Today we're going to meet Jesus when he was teaching people how to pray!

[Walk to one side of the horseshoe]

Jesus was sitting on a big hill with lots and lots of people all around him. They had come to hear him teach because Jesus said amazing things about God.

[Use a gentle, teaching voice]

The people had been watching some grown-ups who liked to pray really loudly where everyone could see them. These grown-ups wanted people to think they were super good at talking to God.

[Walk to other side of horseshoe, change tone to be more serious]

But Jesus said, "When you want to talk to God, don't show off like that. Go somewhere quiet and talk to God like you're talking to someone who loves you very much."

[Move to center, speak warmly like a loving teacher]

Then Jesus taught them a very special prayer. He said, "When you pray, say 'Our Father in heaven', because God is like the best daddy ever who loves us so much!"

[Move to side, speak clearly and slowly]

He taught them to ask God for food every day, and to ask God to help them when they needed help. But then Jesus said something very important about forgiveness.

Matthew 6:12 (NIV)

[Pause and look around at each child]

Do you know what that means? It means "God, please forgive me when I do wrong things, the same way I forgive other people when they do wrong things to me!"

[Move to center, speak with gentle authority]

But then Jesus wanted to make sure everyone really understood, so he explained it even more clearly!

[Walk slowly around the horseshoe]

Jesus said, "If you forgive people when they hurt you, God will forgive you too. But if you don't forgive others, God can't forgive you either."

[Stop walking and face the children directly]

That means forgiveness works both ways! When we forgive other people, it opens our hearts so God's forgiveness can come in too!

[Speak with excitement]

It's like when you're playing with blocks, if you share your blocks with your friend, your friend wants to share their blocks with you too! When we share forgiveness, God shares forgiveness with us!

[Pause dramatically]

The people listening to Jesus learned that forgiveness is like a special gift that makes everyone's heart happy, the person who gives it AND the person who gets it!

[Speak directly to the children]

Sometimes at school, a friend might say something mean to us. Sometimes at home, our brother or sister might take our toy without asking. When that happens, we can choose to stay mad, or we can choose to forgive like God forgives us!

[Move closer to the children]

When we choose to forgive, it makes our hearts light and happy instead of heavy and sad. And it makes God happy too, because God loves it when we love each other!

[Speak warmly and encouragingly]

God helps us forgive even when it feels hard. We can ask God to help our hearts want to forgive, and God will help us!

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

Formation: Have kids stand up and find a partner. Pairs scatter around the room with space to talk.

Find a partner and I'll give each pair one question to talk about! There are no wrong answers, just tell your partner what you think!

Discussion Questions

Select one question per pair based on class size. Save unused questions for next time.

1. How do you think the people felt when Jesus taught them this special prayer?

2. What does it mean to forgive someone when they hurt your feelings?

3. How do you think God feels when we forgive other people?

4. What would you do if a friend said sorry for being mean to you?

5. How does your heart feel when someone forgives you?

6. Why does God want us to forgive other people?

7. What makes you happy after you forgive someone?

8. When is it hard to forgive someone at school?

9. When is it hard to forgive someone in your family?

10. Who helps you want to forgive when it's hard?

11. What changes when people forgive each other?

12. How can you ask God to help you forgive?

13. What does God do when we ask for forgiveness?

14. How does forgiving others show that we love God?

15. What would happen if everyone in your class always forgave each other?

16. How can you remember to forgive like God forgives?

17. What do you want to tell God about forgiveness?

18. How does sharing forgiveness make friendships better?

19. What would happen if God never forgave anyone?

20. How can you be like Jesus with forgiveness?

Great discussions! Let's come back together... Who wants to share what they talked about?

4. Closing Song (2, 3 minutes)

Formation: Standing in straight lines facing forward

Select a song about forgiveness or God's love. Suggestions: "I'm Sorry" song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children," or "God Forgives Me." Use movements: hug yourself during verses about God's love, reach out hands during verses about forgiving others.

What a beautiful song! Now let's sit down quietly for prayer time and talk to God about forgiveness.

5. Closing Prayer (1, 2 minutes)

Formation: Sitting cross-legged in rows, heads bowed, hands folded

Dear God, thank you for loving us so much and forgiving us when we do wrong things.

[Pause]

Help us to forgive our friends and family when they hurt our feelings, just like you forgive us when we hurt your feelings.

[Pause]

Make our hearts happy and full of love. Help us remember that forgiveness makes everything better.

[Pause]

Thank you for teaching us how to pray and how to love each other. You are the best God ever! In Jesus's name, Amen.

Remember this week that God forgives you and wants you to forgive others too! Have a wonderful week spreading God's love everywhere you go!

God's Delight

Divine Love Rejoices in Mercy, What does it mean that God hurls our sins into the depths of the sea?

Micah 7:14-20

Instructor Preparation

Read this section before teaching any age group. It provides the theological foundation and shows how the lesson adapts across developmental stages.

The Passage

Micah 7:14-20 (NIV)

Context

The book of Micah closes with this prayer and prophecy after chapters of judgment and warning. Jerusalem has fallen, the people have been scattered, and the temple lies in ruins. The prophet Micah has proclaimed God's righteous anger against injustice and idolatry throughout his ministry. Yet here, at the end, the focus shifts dramatically to God's essential character, not as one who remains angry, but as one who delights in mercy.

This passage comes as both prayer and declaration. Micah first pleads for God to shepherd His people again, then declares what makes Israel's God utterly unique among all gods. The historical context of exile and judgment makes this declaration even more remarkable, in the midst of consequences for sin, the prophet proclaims that God's fundamental nature is not to stay angry but to actively delight in showing mercy.

The Big Idea

God's identity is fundamentally defined by His delight in mercy, not His capacity for anger. While God's anger against sin is real, it is temporary; His mercy is His delight and defining characteristic.

This doesn't minimize the reality of divine judgment or the seriousness of sin. Rather, it reveals that even God's anger serves the ultimate purpose of restoration. The passage acknowledges that consequences for wrongdoing exist while asserting that God's deepest joy comes from forgiving and restoring, not from punishing.

Theological Core

• Divine uniqueness through mercy. "Who is a God like you?" sets apart Israel's God as fundamentally different from other deities precisely because of His mercy-focused character.
• Active delight in forgiveness. God doesn't merely tolerate forgiving; He delights in it. The Hebrew word suggests joy, pleasure, and eager desire to show mercy.
• Temporary anger, permanent mercy. Divine anger has a time limit ("You do not stay angry forever"), while mercy reflects God's essential nature.
• Complete removal of sin. The imagery of treading underfoot and hurling into the sea depicts total elimination, not partial covering or temporary forgiveness.

Age Group Overview

What Each Age Group Learns

Grades 7, 8 / Adult

• God's character is fundamentally defined by delight in mercy, not sustained anger
• Complete divine forgiveness doesn't necessarily eliminate earthly consequences
• Human forgiveness should reflect God's character of not staying angry forever
• Distinguishing between divine forgiveness and natural consequences requires wisdom and grace

Grades 4, 6

• God actively chooses mercy because He loves being kind more than staying mad
• When we mess up, God throws our mistakes completely away
• Even when consequences happen, God's love for us doesn't change
• We can choose to forgive others the way God forgives us, even when it's hard

Grades 1, 3

• God loves to forgive us when we make bad choices
• God throws our sins far, far away where they can't hurt us anymore
• We can say sorry to God and know He always forgives us

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Cheap grace. Don't suggest that God's delight in mercy means sin doesn't matter or that choices don't have consequences. The passage comes after judgment, not instead of it.
• Consequence denial. While sins are "hurled into the sea," earthly consequences often remain. Don't promise that forgiveness eliminates all negative outcomes.
• Anger minimization. God's anger is real and appropriate. The point isn't that God doesn't get angry, but that anger doesn't define His character or become permanent.
• Human impossibility. Don't imply that humans must forgive exactly like God does. Acknowledge the difference between divine and human capacity while still calling toward God-like mercy.

Handling Hard Questions

"If God hurls sins into the sea, why do I still feel guilty about things I've confessed?"

God's forgiveness is complete and immediate, but human emotions and memories take time to catch up. Feelings of guilt can persist even after forgiveness because our hearts are learning to trust what God has declared. The passage describes God's action, not necessarily our immediate emotional experience. Healing involves both receiving God's forgiveness and allowing our emotions to gradually align with this truth.

"Why do bad consequences still happen if God has forgiven me?"

Divine forgiveness and earthly consequences operate on different levels. When God "hurls iniquities into the sea," He removes the spiritual debt and restores relationship, but natural consequences often continue. A forgiven person still faces the results of broken trust, damaged relationships, or poor choices. God's mercy transforms hearts while natural consequences teach wisdom.

"How can I forgive someone who isn't sorry and keeps hurting me?"

Human forgiveness doesn't require the same capacity as divine forgiveness. We're called to release anger and seek reconciliation, but this doesn't mean accepting ongoing harm or trusting someone who hasn't changed. Forgiveness can include setting boundaries, seeking justice, and protecting ourselves while still choosing not to nurture bitterness or seek revenge.

The One Thing to Remember

God doesn't just forgive reluctantly, He delights in mercy, meaning His deepest joy comes from showing us grace, even when consequences for our choices remain.

Grades 7, 8 / Adult

Your Main Job Today

Guide students to wrestle with the beautiful yet complex reality that God's complete forgiveness doesn't always eliminate earthly consequences, while helping them understand why God's delight in mercy should shape their own approach to forgiveness.

The Tension to Frame

If God truly "hurls our iniquities into the depths of the sea," why do forgiven people still experience consequences, guilt, or ongoing effects from their past choices?

Discussion Facilitation Tips

• Validate their experiences with feeling unforgiven even after confession
• Honor the complexity of situations where forgiveness and consequences coexist
• Let them explore the difference between divine and human forgiveness rather than providing easy answers

1. Opening Frame (2, 3 minutes)

Imagine you've broken your friend's trust in a big way, maybe you shared a secret they told you in confidence, or you lied to them about something important. After they found out, you feel terrible. You apologize sincerely, they say they forgive you, and you can tell they mean it. You both want the friendship to work again.

But here's what's weird: even though they've forgiven you, they don't tell you secrets anymore. They're kind to you, they hang out with you, but something has shifted. You're forgiven, but you're not trusted the same way. Part of you feels like, "If I'm really forgiven, shouldn't everything go back to normal?"

Now imagine this same dynamic with God. You've done something you deeply regret. You've confessed, asked for forgiveness, and you know from Scripture that God has forgiven you. Yet you still feel the weight of what you did. Maybe there are still consequences playing out. Maybe relationships are still damaged. Maybe you still feel guilty.

This creates a genuine tension: What does it mean that God's forgiveness is complete if we still experience ongoing effects? Today we're looking at one of the Bible's most beautiful descriptions of God's character, how He "delights" in mercy and hurls our sins into the sea. But we need to wrestle with what this actually means in real life.

Open your Bibles to Micah chapter 7. We're going to read verses 14-20, but pay special attention to verses 18-19. As you read, notice the intensity of the language about God's forgiveness, and think about how this connects to your actual experience.

2. Silent Reading (5 minutes)

As You Read, Think About:

• What words describe God's actions toward sin and sinners?
• What makes Israel's God different from other gods, according to Micah?
• What's surprising or challenging about how God is described?
• How does this description match or challenge your experience of God?

Micah 7:14-20 (NIV)

3. Discussion (15, 18 minutes)

Oral Reading (2, 3 minutes)

Reader 1: Verses 14-15 (Micah's prayer for restoration) Reader 2: Verses 16-17 (God's power over nations) Reader 3: Verses 18-20 (God's unique mercy and faithfulness)

Listen for the emotion and drama in this passage. Micah isn't just giving information, he's proclaiming something that amazes him about God's character.

Small Group Question Generation (3, 4 minutes)

Get into groups of 3-4 people. Your job is to come up with 1-2 questions that you're genuinely curious about from this passage. Not quiz questions with obvious answers, but things that actually make you wonder or think. For example, "What does it actually mean to 'delight' in mercy?" or "How can sins be 'hurled into the sea' if consequences still happen?" You have three minutes, go.

Facilitated Discussion (12, 14 minutes)

Collecting Questions: Write student questions on the board. Look for themes around God's character, the nature of forgiveness, and the tension between mercy and consequences. Start with questions most students can relate to.

Probing Questions (to go deeper)

• "What specific words show that God's approach to forgiveness is active and enthusiastic, not reluctant?"
• "What do you think it means that God 'delights' to show mercy, what does delight feel like?"
• "Why do you think Micah emphasizes that God 'does not stay angry forever', what's significant about that?"
• "How can sins be 'hurled into the depths of the sea' if people still face consequences for their choices?"
• "What's the difference between being forgiven by God and having everything go back to normal?"
• "If someone hurts you and asks for forgiveness, are you supposed to forgive like God does here?"
• "What would be different if God just tolerated forgiving us instead of delighting in it?"
• "Why does this passage matter for how we handle guilt, shame, or regret in our own lives?"

Revealing the Pattern

Do you notice what's happening here? God's identity, what makes Him unique among all gods, is specifically His delight in mercy. Not His power, not His knowledge, but His joy in forgiving. This means forgiveness isn't a grudging duty for God; it's His pleasure. But this complete spiritual forgiveness doesn't erase the natural consequences of choices or instantly heal all wounds. God's mercy operates on a different level than earthly cause-and-effect.

4. Application (3, 4 minutes)

Let's get real about your lives. Where do you see this tension between forgiveness and consequences playing out? Think about family conflicts, friendships, school situations, or even your own relationship with God when you've messed up.

Real Issues This Connects To

• When you've apologized to parents but still face consequences for breaking their trust
• Forgiving a friend who hurt you but feeling unsure about trusting them again
• Feeling guilty about past choices even after confessing them to God
• Watching someone face ongoing consequences despite being forgiven by others
• Deciding whether to forgive someone who hurt you but isn't really sorry
• Struggling with whether forgiveness means you have to forget or act like nothing happened

Discussion Prompts

• "When have you seen someone genuinely delight in forgiving rather than just tolerate it?"
• "What would help you trust that God delights in forgiving you, not just putting up with you?"
• "How do you decide whether to trust someone again after they've hurt you?"
• "What's the difference between forgiving someone and enabling their harmful behavior?"

5. Closing (2 minutes)

Here's what I want you to take with you: God doesn't forgive you reluctantly or with a heavy sigh. He delights in mercy, meaning His deepest joy comes from showing you grace. When you mess up, His first instinct isn't anger that has to be talked out of; it's mercy He's eager to give. This doesn't mean consequences disappear or that forgiveness is cheap, but it does mean you're not imposing on God when you ask for forgiveness.

This week, pay attention to your own response when someone asks for your forgiveness. Do you delight in mercy or grudgingly tolerate it? Notice the difference between forgiving someone and trusting them, both matter, but they're different. And when you feel guilty about something God has already forgiven, remind yourself that He's not keeping a record; He's hurled it into the sea.

The fact that you wrestled with hard questions today shows you're taking faith seriously. Keep asking the tough questions. God's character can handle your honest doubts and complex situations. You're becoming people who think deeply about what it means to live in a world where mercy and consequences coexist.

Grades 4, 6

Your Main Job Today

Help kids understand that God chooses to throw our sins away completely because He loves being kind to us more than staying mad at us.

If Kids Ask "Why do bad things still happen if God forgives us?"

Say: "God's forgiveness fixes our friendship with Him right away, but sometimes it takes longer for other things to heal. God loves us completely even when we're still dealing with consequences."

1. Opening (5 minutes)

Raise your hand if you've ever broken something that belonged to someone else, maybe a toy, a phone, something important. Keep your hands up! Okay, now keep your hand up if the person you hurt was really mad at you at first. Most of you, right?

Here's a harder question: Raise your hand if you've had someone stay mad at you for a really long time, even after you said sorry. Maybe a brother or sister, or a friend, or someone at school. They just kept bringing it up, or giving you the cold shoulder, or making you feel bad about it over and over.

That's one of the worst feelings, isn't it? When you know you messed up, you've said sorry, but the other person just won't let it go. Part of you thinks, "Okay, I get that you're mad," but another part of you thinks, "How long are you going to stay mad about this? Will you ever forgive me for real?"

You know what this reminds me of? Remember in Frozen when Anna asks Elsa, "Do you want to build a snowman?" over and over, and Elsa stays locked away being afraid and angry? Anna keeps trying to reconnect, but Elsa won't let go of her fear and anger. Or think about how the Beast in Beauty and the Beast stayed angry and bitter for years until Belle helped him remember how to love.

The tricky part is figuring out: How do you know when someone is really ready to forgive you? And how long should anger last? Is it okay to stay mad forever, or should there be a limit? These are big questions that even adults struggle with.

Today we're going to hear about someone who discovered something amazing about God, something that makes God totally different from every other powerful being in the whole universe. It has to do with how long God stays angry and what He loves more than anything else. Let's find out what this prophet discovered.

2. Bible Story Time (10 minutes)

Long, long ago, there was a prophet, a person who spoke messages from God, named Micah. Micah lived during a really hard time for God's people.

The people had been making terrible choices for years and years. They were mean to poor people, they worshiped fake gods, they lied and cheated and hurt each other. And God had warned them over and over: "Stop this! Change your hearts! Treat each other the way I want you to!"

But they didn't listen. So finally, God allowed their enemies to destroy their beautiful city and take them far away from home as prisoners. It was exactly what God had warned would happen. The people lost their homes, their temple, everything they loved.

Imagine losing everything, your house, your school, your friends, your favorite places, and having to live in a strange country where people don't even speak your language. And knowing it happened because you and everyone around you had made really bad choices.

Now here's what's amazing: Even though God's people were living with these big consequences, Micah started thinking about God's character. And he realized something that blew his mind.

Micah looked around at all the other gods that different countries worshiped, gods of war, gods who stayed angry forever, gods who were mean and cruel and never forgave anyone.

But then Micah thought about the real God, the God of Israel. And he started to get excited because he realized something incredible.

So Micah started praying, and his prayer turned into a celebration. He was so amazed by what he understood about God that he couldn't keep quiet about it.

First, Micah asked God to take care of His people again, like a good shepherd takes care of sheep. He asked God to do amazing miracles like He did when He rescued them from Egypt years before.

Then Micah started thinking about how powerful God is, so powerful that whole countries would be scared of Him and cover their mouths in amazement.

But here's where Micah got really excited. He started thinking about what makes God different from every other powerful being in the universe. And this is what he realized:

Micah 7:18 (NIV)

Did you hear that? Micah discovered that what makes God totally unique is that He doesn't stay angry forever, and He actually DELIGHTS in showing mercy. Do you know what "delight" means? It means you love doing something so much that it makes you happy and excited!

God doesn't just tolerate forgiving people, like, "Ugh, fine, I guess I'll forgive you." No! God LOVES forgiving people! It's one of His favorite things to do! It makes Him happy!

But Micah wasn't done. He got even more excited when he thought about how completely God forgives:

Micah 7:19 (NIV)

Whoa! God doesn't just forgive our bad choices, He stomps on them and then throws them into the deepest part of the ocean where they can never, ever be found again!

Think about that for a second. If you threw something into the deepest part of the ocean, could you ever get it back? No way! It would be gone forever. That's what God does with our sins when He forgives us.

Now, here's something important to understand: Even though God threw their sins away completely, the people were still living far from home. They still had to deal with some consequences of their bad choices. But God's love for them hadn't changed at all.

It's like this: If you break your mom's favorite vase, she can forgive you completely and still love you just as much as before. But the vase is still broken. She's not mad at you anymore, but you might still have to help pay for a new one or do extra chores. Her forgiveness is real and complete, but some consequences might still be there.

That's what happened with God's people. God had completely forgiven them and hurled their sins into the sea, but they still needed time for their lives to heal and get better.

The most amazing part is that God was already planning their comeback! He was already thinking about how to restore them and bring them home and make everything beautiful again.

Micah ended his prayer by remembering that God always keeps His promises. God had promised to love His people forever, and even when they messed up really badly, God's love didn't stop.

What we learn from this is that our God is completely different from any other god or powerful being anyone has ever imagined. Instead of staying angry forever, God delights, He gets excited and happy, about forgiving us and showing us mercy.

Sometimes in our lives, we mess up and face consequences, but that doesn't mean God is mad at us or has stopped loving us. God loves throwing our sins away and giving us fresh starts.

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

Question 1: The Feelings

Think about a time when someone stayed mad at you for a really long time, even after you said sorry. How did that feel? Now imagine if that person said, "You know what? I'm not mad anymore, and I actually feel happy about forgiving you!" How would that be different?

Question 2: The Ocean Throw

Micah says God hurls our sins into the depths of the sea. If you could throw all your worst mistakes into the deepest part of the ocean where no one could ever find them again, how would that feel? What would be different about your life?

Question 3: The God Difference

Micah asks, "Who is a God like you?" because he realizes God is totally different from other powerful beings. What makes God different is that He delights in mercy. Why do you think that's such a big deal? What would a god who stayed angry forever be like?

Question 4: The Still-Broken Vase

Remember how I said God's people were still far from home even though God had forgiven them? Sometimes when God forgives us, we still have to deal with consequences, like a broken vase that needs to be replaced. Why do you think God doesn't just make all consequences disappear instantly?

You guys are thinking really well about this! The big idea is that God doesn't just put up with forgiving us, He loves doing it! And when He forgives us, He throws our sins so far away they can never come back to hurt us, even if we're still dealing with some consequences.

4. Activity: Ocean Toss Rescue (8 minutes)

Purpose

This activity physically demonstrates how God delights in removing our sins completely while also showing how we can help each other move forward from consequences. Success looks like kids experiencing the joy of both receiving help and giving it enthusiastically.

Instructions to Class(3 minutes)

We're going to play "Ocean Toss Rescue." Half of you are going to be "Sins" and half of you are going to be "God's Mercy." All the Sins start on one side of the room, and all the Mercies start on the other side.

Here's the challenge: The Sins have to try to get across the room to bother the people on the Mercy side. But here's the twist, every time a Mercy touches a Sin, that Sin has to go sit in the "depths of the sea" (that corner over there) and can't bother anyone anymore.

But here's the best part: The Mercies aren't just trying to stop the Sins, they're trying to rescue them! When a Mercy touches a Sin, they have to say "I delight in mercy!" with a big smile, and then they help that Sin walk happily to the sea corner.

We're doing this because it's exactly like what Micah discovered, God doesn't just barely tolerate getting rid of our sins. He delights in mercy! He's happy and excited about throwing our sins away!

During the Activity(4 minutes)

Let the Sins start moving across slowly. Notice how the Mercies respond, are they just tagging people to get it over with, or are they joyfully helping? Encourage enthusiastic "I delight in mercy!" declarations.

As Sins get caught, watch for the moment when Mercies start really enjoying the rescue process. Some kids might start laughing with joy as they help walk Sins to the sea corner, that's the breakthrough moment!

Coach with phrases like: "Mercies, remember, you're not just stopping sins, you're joyfully throwing them away! Show me how happy God is about forgiving!" and "I can see some of you are really starting to delight in mercy!"

After all Sins are in the sea corner, have everyone cheer because all the sins are gone forever! Then switch roles so everyone gets to experience both being rescued and doing the rescuing.

Pay attention to how different it feels to be rescued by someone who's happy about it versus someone who's just doing their job. Notice the energy in the room when kids start genuinely enjoying the mercy part.

Debrief(1 minute)

What did you notice about how it felt when someone was excited about rescuing you versus when they were just trying to get the job done? That's the difference between how God forgives us and how other people might forgive us. God doesn't sigh and say, "Fine, I guess I forgive you." He says, "I am SO happy to throw your sins away!" And once they're in the depths of the sea, they're gone forever!

5. Closing (2 minutes)

Here's what we learned today: God doesn't just tolerate forgiving us, He delights in mercy! That means He gets excited and happy about throwing our sins away. When you mess up and ask God to forgive you, He doesn't roll His eyes or sigh. He joyfully hurls your mistakes into the deepest part of the ocean where they can never, ever hurt you again.

This doesn't mean all consequences disappear immediately, like how God's people still had to live far from home for a while. But it does mean God's love for you never stops, and He's not staying mad at you. He's planning your comeback and restoration!

The amazing result is that you never have to wonder if God is tired of forgiving you. His favorite thing is showing you mercy and giving you fresh starts. You can always come to Him, no matter what you've done.

This Week's Challenge

This week, when someone asks you to forgive them, try to do it the way God does, with delight! Instead of just saying "It's fine," try saying "I forgive you" with a real smile and maybe even a hug. See how different it feels to be excited about showing mercy instead of just putting up with it.

Closing Prayer (Optional)

Dear God, thank you that You love to forgive us and that You throw our sins far away in the ocean where they can't hurt us anymore. Help us remember that You delight in mercy and that Your love for us never stops. Help us learn to forgive others with joy, just like You do. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Grades 1, 3

Your Main Job Today

Help kids know that God loves to forgive us and throw our bad choices far, far away.

Movement & Formation Plan

• Opening Song: Standing in a circle
• Bible Story: Sitting in a horseshoe shape facing the teacher
• Small Group Q&A: Standing in pairs facing each other
• Closing Song: Standing in straight lines
• Prayer: Sitting cross-legged in rows

If Kids Don't Understand

Compare God throwing sins into the ocean to throwing trash in a trash can that gets emptied forever, then ask "How does it feel when the trash is all gone?"

1. Opening Song (2, 3 minutes)

Formation: Standing in a circle

Select a song about God's love and forgiveness. Suggestions: "Amazing Love," "Jesus Loves Me," or "God's Love is So Wonderful." Use movements: reach arms wide during "love" lyrics, point up during "God" lyrics, and hug yourself during "forgiveness" words.

Great singing, everyone! Now let's sit in our story horseshoe on the floor. Today we're going to hear about how much God loves to forgive us. Get ready for an amazing story!

2. Bible Story Time (5, 7 minutes)

Formation: Kids sitting in a horseshoe shape on the floor facing you. Move around inside the horseshoe as you tell the story.

Today we're going to meet a man named Micah who discovered something wonderful about God!

[Walk to one side of the horseshoe]

Micah lived a long, long time ago when God's people were very sad. They had made lots of bad choices and were far away from their home.

[Make a sad face and speak in a sad voice]

The people felt really bad about their mistakes. They wondered, "Is God still mad at us? Will He stay mad forever?"

[Walk to other side of horseshoe, change to excited tone]

But then Micah started thinking about God, and he got really, really excited! He discovered something amazing!

[Move to center, speak with big gestures]

Micah realized that God is totally different from everyone else! Other people might stay mad for a long time, but not God!

[Move to side, speak with wonder]

Micah said, "God doesn't stay angry forever! Instead, God LOVES to show mercy!" Do you know what mercy means? It means being kind when someone doesn't deserve it!

Micah 7:18 (NIV)

[Pause and look around at each child with a big smile]

God DELIGHTS in mercy! Do you know what delight means? It means you love something so much it makes you happy and excited! God gets excited about forgiving us!

[Move to center, speak with authority and warmth]

But Micah wasn't done! He discovered something even more amazing about what God does with our bad choices!

[Walk slowly around the horseshoe, building excitement]

Micah said that God doesn't just forgive our sins, He throws them far, far away where they can never come back!

[Stop walking and face the children directly]

God takes our bad choices and hurls them into the deepest part of the ocean! They sink down, down, down and disappear forever!

[Make big throwing motions with both arms]

Imagine throwing a rock into the deep, deep ocean. Could you ever get it back? No way! It's gone forever! That's what God does with our sins!

[Pause dramatically, then smile big]

So God doesn't keep a list of our bad choices. He doesn't bring them up later. He throws them so far away they're completely gone!

[Speak directly to the children with excitement]

Sometimes when we do something wrong, we might still have to say sorry to people or fix what we broke. But God's not mad at us! He loves us just as much as before!

[Move closer to the children]

When you make a bad choice, you can always tell God you're sorry. And guess what? God gets excited about forgiving you! It makes Him happy!

[Speak warmly and encouragingly]

God loves you so much, and He loves throwing your mistakes far, far away so they can't hurt you anymore. You never have to worry that God will stay mad at you!

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

Formation: Have kids stand up and find a partner. Pairs scatter around the room with space to talk.

Find a partner and stand facing them. I'm going to give each pair one question to talk about. There are no wrong answers, just share what you think!

Discussion Questions

Select one question per pair based on class size. Save unused questions for next time.

1. How do you think God feels when He forgives someone?

2. What would it feel like to throw all your mistakes into the ocean?

3. Why do you think God loves to forgive us?

4. What would you say to someone who thinks God stays mad at them?

5. How is God different from people who stay mad for a long time?

6. What does it mean that God gets excited about showing mercy?

7. When might you need to remember that God loves to forgive you?

8. How can you show mercy to someone else like God does?

9. What's the difference between getting in trouble and God being mad at you?

10. How would you feel if you knew someone was excited about forgiving you?

11. Why do you think Micah was so happy when he realized this about God?

12. What would change if you really believed God delights in forgiving you?

13. How deep do you think the ocean is where God throws our sins?

14. What's something you'd like God to throw into the ocean for you?

15. How can you remember that God loves to forgive you?

16. What would you tell a friend who feels bad about their mistakes?

17. How does it feel to know God doesn't keep a list of your bad choices?

18. When someone asks you to forgive them, how should you respond?

19. What would happen if God stayed mad forever like some people do?

20. How can we be more like God in how we forgive others?

Great discussions! Let's come back together in our circle. Who wants to share something interesting you talked about with your partner?

4. Closing Song (2, 3 minutes)

Formation: Standing in straight lines facing forward

Choose songs about forgiveness and God's love. Suggestions: "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy" with movements, "God's Love is Big" with stretching arms wide, or "Clean Heart" with motions of washing hands. Include throwing motions during any lyrics about God taking sins away.

Beautiful singing! Now let's sit crisscross applesauce in rows for our prayer time. Remember how much God loves to forgive us!

5. Closing Prayer (1, 2 minutes)

Formation: Sitting cross-legged in rows, heads bowed, hands folded

Dear God, thank you that You love to forgive us when we make bad choices.

[Pause]

Help us remember that You throw our sins far away into the ocean where they can't hurt us anymore. Thank you for getting excited about showing us mercy.

[Pause]

Help us learn to forgive others the way You forgive us, with love and kindness. Thank you that You never stay mad at us forever.

[Pause]

Thank you for loving us so much and always being ready to forgive us. We love You, God. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Remember, God loves to forgive you and throw your mistakes far, far away! Have a wonderful week knowing how much God loves you!

Generous Hearts

The Power of Giving, Does generosity buy forgiveness or demonstrate repentance?

Sirach 3:25-30; Daniel 4:23-27

Instructor Preparation

Read this section before teaching any age group. It provides the theological foundation and shows how the lesson adapts across developmental stages.

The Passage

Sirach 3:25-30 (NIV)

Daniel 4:23-27 (NIV)

Context

Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus, is a book of wisdom literature written around 180 BC by Ben Sira, a Jewish scribe in Jerusalem. This section comes from his teachings about wisdom, relationships, and righteous living in the context of Jewish life under foreign rule. The surrounding passages emphasize practical wisdom for daily life, including how to treat parents, handle disputes, and live with integrity.

The immediate context focuses on wisdom and understanding, particularly how the wise person recognizes and acts on truth. The metaphor of water extinguishing fire appears as part of a larger discussion about how wisdom translates into action, specifically in caring for those in need. This teaching connects to the broader biblical tradition seen in Daniel's counsel to Nebuchadnezzar about breaking from sin through righteous acts and mercy to the oppressed.

The Big Idea

Generosity toward those in need demonstrates genuine repentance and participates in God's atoning work, much like water naturally extinguishes fire.

This isn't about purchasing forgiveness through charitable donations, but about how authentic repentance expresses itself through concrete care for others. The metaphor suggests both effectiveness and naturalness, just as water extinguishes fire not as a transaction but as a natural property, so generous hearts naturally extinguish the effects of sin through demonstrating God's own generous character.

Theological Core

• Transformative Generosity. True almsgiving flows from a changed heart that mirrors God's own generous nature toward humanity.
• Demonstrated Repentance. Turning from sin is evidenced through turning toward those who need care, showing that internal change produces external action.
• Participatory Atonement. Generous acts participate in God's reconciling work in the world, not as earning forgiveness but as expressing the forgiveness already received.
• Natural Spiritual Law. Just as water naturally extinguishes fire, generous hearts naturally overcome the destructive effects of selfish sin through practicing selfless love.

Age Group Overview

What Each Age Group Learns

Grades 7, 8 / Adult

• Generosity demonstrates rather than earns forgiveness, it's evidence of a heart already changed by God's grace
• The tension between transactional giving and transformational giving requires wisdom and self-examination
• Practical care for the needy is how repentance expresses itself in the world
• Discerning between generous acts that glorify self versus those that reflect God's character

Grades 4, 6

• When we're truly sorry for wrong choices, we want to help others and make things better
• Giving to people who need help is one way to show that our hearts have changed
• Generous actions help heal the hurt that selfishness causes in relationships and communities
• Sometimes we feel guilty but still need to choose to do the right thing anyway

Grades 1, 3

• God is happy when we share what we have with people who need help
• Helping others is one way God fixes sad and broken things in the world
• We can say sorry to God by being kind and sharing with others

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Transactional Theology. Don't let students think they can buy God's favor through charity. Emphasize that generosity flows from grace already received, not attempts to earn grace.
• Guilt-Based Giving. Avoid making students feel guilty about having possessions. Instead, focus on the joy and privilege of participating in God's caring work.
• Performance Christianity. Guard against the idea that external acts automatically indicate internal change. Help students understand the heart-to-action connection.
• Dismissing the Mystery. Don't oversimplify how generosity relates to atonement. Honor the mystery while teaching practical application.

Handling Hard Questions

"So if I give money to homeless people, God will forgive my sins?"

Great question that gets at the heart of this passage. The Bible teaches that God's forgiveness is a gift we receive through faith, not something we earn through good works. But when we truly receive that forgiveness, it changes our hearts so that we want to help others. Generous giving is like a thermometer, it shows the temperature of our heart toward God and others. The giving doesn't create the forgiveness; it shows that the forgiveness has already done its work in us.

"What if someone gives a lot but still treats people badly in other ways?"

You're noticing something important that Jesus talked about too. Some religious leaders in his time gave lots of money but were harsh and unloving to people. Jesus said their giving wasn't really coming from a changed heart. True repentance affects how we treat everyone, not just how much we donate. The water-and-fire metaphor suggests that genuine generosity naturally flows from a transformed heart, touching all areas of life.

"How much do we have to give for it to 'count'?"

This question shows you're thinking about the heart of generosity. Jesus once watched a poor widow give two small coins and said she gave more than the rich people who gave large amounts, because she gave from her heart while they gave from their excess. God cares more about whether our giving costs us something and comes from love than about the dollar amount. It's about growing a generous heart, not meeting a quota.

The One Thing to Remember

Generous hearts naturally extinguish the destructive power of sin by reflecting God's own generous character toward those in need.

Grades 7, 8 / Adult

Your Main Job Today

Guide students to wrestle with the relationship between generosity and forgiveness, helping them distinguish between transactional giving that attempts to earn God's favor and transformational giving that demonstrates a heart already changed by grace.

The Tension to Frame

Does generous giving buy us forgiveness from God, or does it demonstrate that we've already received forgiveness? How can we tell the difference in our own motivations?

Discussion Facilitation Tips

• Validate their experiences with guilt, religious pressure, and confusion about earning God's approval
• Honor the complexity, there are biblical passages that connect giving with atonement, and this requires careful interpretation
• Let them struggle with the mystery rather than providing overly simple answers about how grace and works relate

1. Opening Frame (2, 3 minutes)

Imagine you've done something that really hurt a friend, maybe you shared something they told you in confidence, or you said something cruel when you were angry. You feel terrible about it, and you want to make things right. So you show up at their house with their favorite coffee and pastries from that expensive bakery downtown. You're hoping this gesture will help repair the relationship.

But here's the complicated part: Are you buying those pastries because you're trying to pay for forgiveness? Or are you buying them because your regret has made you want to do something loving? The motivation matters, doesn't it? One feels manipulative, like you're trying to purchase peace. The other feels genuine, like your sorrow is naturally expressing itself through generosity.

Today we're looking at an ancient text that makes a bold claim about generosity and forgiveness. The author says that giving to the poor "atones for sin" like water extinguishes fire. That's a striking image, but it raises the same question: Are we talking about earning forgiveness, or about how forgiveness expresses itself?

As we read, pay attention to the metaphor of water and fire. Notice what it suggests about how this process works, is it mechanical, like feeding coins into a vending machine? Or is it natural, like the way water behaves around fire? Also notice the context around this statement, especially how the author talks about caring for people in need.

Let's open our Bibles to Sirach chapter 3, starting at verse 25. If your Bible doesn't include Sirach, that's okay, it's part of the Apocrypha, and we'll read it together.

2. Silent Reading (5 minutes)

As You Read, Think About:

• What specific actions does the author encourage regarding people in need?
• What motivations or attitudes seem to drive these actions?
• How does the water-and-fire metaphor work, what does it suggest about the mechanism?
• How would you feel if someone told you that giving to charity could atone for your sins?

Sirach 3:25-30 (NIV)

3. Discussion (15, 18 minutes)

Oral Reading (2, 3 minutes)

Reader 1: Verses 25-26 (wisdom and the atonement claim) Reader 2: Verses 27-28 (reciprocity and not depriving the poor) Reader 3: Verses 29-30 (urgent care for those in need)

Listen for the tone and urgency in these commands. This isn't casual advice about charity, it's instruction with serious spiritual implications.

Small Group Question Generation (3, 4 minutes)

Get into groups of 3-4. Your job is to come up with 1-2 real questions about what you just read, not questions you already know the answer to, but things you're actually curious or confused about. For example, you might ask about how the metaphor works, or whether this conflicts with other things you know about forgiveness, or what this would look like practically. You have 3 minutes. Go.

Facilitated Discussion (12, 14 minutes)

Collecting Questions: Let me write your questions on the board. Don't worry about whether they're "right", if you're wondering about it, others probably are too.

Probing Questions (to go deeper)

• "What does the water-and-fire metaphor suggest about how this process works, is it automatic, earned, or something else?"
• "How might this passage relate to what we know about grace and forgiveness in other parts of Scripture?"
• "What's the difference between giving to charity because you feel guilty and giving because your heart has been changed?"
• "How can you tell if your generosity is flowing from genuine repentance or from attempts to manage God's opinion of you?"
• "Why might the author specifically mention not making 'needy eyes waiting' or grieving 'the hungry', what does urgency have to do with it?"
• "If you were really rich, would giving away money even cost you anything? What would 'atonement through almsgiving' look like?"
• "What would happen to our society if everyone took verse 28 seriously, 'do not deprive the poor of their living'?"
• "How does this connect to what you know about justice, inequality, and what God cares about?"

Revealing the Pattern

Do you notice what's happening here in the progression from verse 26 to verses 28-30? First we get this bold claim about almsgiving and atonement. But then we get these urgent commands about not delaying help, not making people wait, not adding to their troubles. This sounds less like charity and more like justice, like the author is saying our sin often involves withholding what people need to survive. Maybe the atonement happens when we stop participating in systems that harm the poor and start participating in God's care for them.

4. Application (3, 4 minutes)

Let's get real about your lives and the world around us. Where do you see this tension playing out between transactional giving and transformational giving? Think about school fundraisers, church offerings, social media activism, family expectations about charity, or even how you handle guilt about having more than others.

Real Issues This Connects To

• Feeling guilty about your family's income level when you see classmates who have less
• Church pressure to give money or time, and wondering if it's really about your heart or just about meeting expectations
• Social media activism, sharing posts about causes versus actually engaging in costly action
• Family discussions about charitable giving and whether it's about taxes, image, or genuine concern
• Economic inequality in your community and wondering what your responsibility actually is
• College applications and community service, doing good to look good versus doing good from changed priorities

Discussion Prompts

• "When have you seen generous giving that felt genuine versus giving that felt performative or guilt-driven?"
• "What would help you discern your own motivations when you're deciding whether and how to help someone?"
• "How do you balance acknowledging your privilege with avoiding paralysis or guilt that doesn't lead anywhere productive?"
• "What's the difference between generosity that glorifies yourself and generosity that reflects God's character?"

5. Closing (2 minutes)

Here's what I want you to take with you: Generous hearts naturally extinguish the destructive power of sin not because giving earns God's forgiveness, but because receiving God's forgiveness transforms us into people who care about what God cares about. The water-and-fire metaphor suggests something natural and powerful, not transactional. When grace really takes hold of us, we start participating in God's own generous character toward people in need.

This week, pay attention to your motivations when opportunities for generosity arise. Notice the difference between giving that flows from guilt, image management, or obligation versus giving that flows from gratitude, love, or a sense of justice. Experiment with asking yourself: "Am I trying to earn something through this action, or am I expressing something I've already received?"

I'm proud of how thoughtfully you wrestled with this challenging passage today. These questions about grace, works, and justice don't have easy answers, but your willingness to sit with the complexity shows spiritual maturity. Keep asking these hard questions, they're what help faith become real rather than just theoretical.

Grades 4, 6

Your Main Job Today

Help students understand that generous giving shows our hearts have changed, we give not to earn God's love, but because God's love has already changed how we see people who need help.

If Kids Ask "Does God love rich people less than poor people?"

Say: "God loves everyone the same, but God has a special heart for people who are hurting or don't have what they need. Rich people can love God too, especially when they use what they have to help others."

1. Opening (5 minutes)

Raise your hand if you've ever felt really bad about something you did wrong, maybe you lied to your parents, or you were mean to a sibling, or you left someone out at school. Keep your hands up. Now, after you felt bad, did you try to do something extra nice to make up for it? Maybe you cleaned your room without being asked, or you shared your favorite snack, or you gave someone a really good compliment?

Here's a trickier question: Imagine your friend Emma is mad at you because you said something that hurt her feelings. You feel awful about it. So you decide to buy her a really expensive gift, maybe those shoes she wanted, or a gift card to her favorite store. But here's what I want you to think about: Are you buying that gift because you want to make Emma happy, or because you want Emma to forgive you?

It's confusing, isn't it? Part of you genuinely feels sorry and wants to do something loving. But another part of you might be thinking, "If I buy something expensive enough, maybe she'll stop being mad at me." One feels like love, and the other feels like you're trying to pay for forgiveness. Both feelings can be true at the same time, and that's what makes it complicated.

This reminds me of that Pixar movie "Coco," where Miguel has to figure out how to make things right with his family after he dishonored them by pursuing music. He doesn't just apologize, he finds ways to honor his ancestors and bring the family back together. His actions show that his heart has really changed, not just that he wants to avoid punishment.

The tricky part is figuring out the difference between doing good things to earn forgiveness and doing good things because forgiveness has already changed your heart. When you really understand that someone has forgiven you, it makes you want to be generous and kind, not because you have to, but because that's what love does to your heart.

Today we're going to hear about something called "almsgiving", which just means giving money or food or help to people who really need it. An ancient wise teacher said something surprising about how giving to people in need can help heal the damage that selfishness causes. Let's find out what he meant and why it matters for us.

2. Bible Story Time (10 minutes)

About 2,000 years ago, there lived a wise teacher named Ben Sira. He lived in Jerusalem, and his job was to help people understand how to live in ways that pleased God and made their communities stronger.

Ben Sira spent his days watching people, how they treated their neighbors, how they handled money, how they responded when they saw someone in trouble. He noticed patterns. He saw what happened when people were generous, and what happened when they were selfish.

One day, Ben Sira was thinking about something that puzzled him. He had noticed that when people truly felt sorry for the wrong things they'd done, something interesting happened to them. They started caring more about other people, especially people who were struggling. It was like their sorry hearts made them more generous hearts.

Imagine Ben Sira sitting by a well in the heat of the day, watching people draw water. Suddenly he saw something that gave him the perfect way to explain what he had been thinking about. A house nearby had caught fire, maybe from a cooking accident or a lamp that got too close to fabric.

People were running around, shouting, trying to figure out what to do. But one person grabbed a bucket, filled it with water from the well, and threw it on the flames. Then another person did the same thing. And another. Soon there was a whole line of people carrying water from the well to the fire.

Ben Sira watched the water hit the fire. He saw how naturally and powerfully the water did its work. The water didn't negotiate with the fire or make a deal with it. It just did what water does when it meets fire, it put the fire out. That's the nature of water.

And that's when Ben Sira understood something important about generosity and forgiveness. He realized that when people truly understand God's forgiveness, something natural happens to their hearts. Just like water naturally puts out fire, generous hearts naturally put out the damage that selfishness causes.

So Ben Sira wrote down this wise saying for everyone to remember:

Sirach 3:26 (NIV)

Now, "almsgiving" just means giving help to people who need it, sharing food with someone who's hungry, giving clothes to someone who's cold, or helping someone who doesn't have enough money for important things. And "atones for sin" means "helps fix the damage that wrong choices cause."

But Ben Sira wasn't saying, "If you give enough money to poor people, God will forgive your sins." That would be like trying to buy God's forgiveness, and that's not how God works. God's love and forgiveness are free gifts that we can't earn.

Instead, Ben Sira was saying something different: "When you really understand that God has already forgiven you, your heart becomes generous. And when your heart becomes generous, it naturally helps heal the hurt that selfishness causes in the world."

Think about it like this: When you know that someone really loves you, like your parents or your best friend, it makes you want to be loving too. You don't have to force yourself to be kind; kindness just flows out of your grateful heart.

Ben Sira saw that generous people were like walking fire extinguishers. Everywhere they went, they put out the fires of hurt and need and injustice. Not because they were trying to earn something, but because generous hearts naturally do generous things.

But Ben Sira had more to say. He noticed that some people said they cared about the poor, but when someone hungry actually showed up at their door, they made them wait. They gave help, but slowly, grudgingly, like it was a big inconvenience.

That bothered Ben Sira. If your heart has really been changed by God's quick, generous forgiveness, then you should be quick and generous too. So he taught people:

Sirach 3:28-30 (NIV)

Ben Sira was saying, "If God doesn't make us wait when we need help, why should we make others wait?" When someone is hungry, they need food today, not next week. When someone is cold, they need warmth now, not when it's convenient for us.

Real generosity isn't just about giving, it's about giving eagerly, kindly, quickly, because you genuinely care about the person who needs help.

Sometimes in our lives, we feel bad about wrong choices we've made. We want to make things right with God and with other people. Ben Sira discovered that one of the best ways to show that our hearts have really changed is to start caring about what God cares about, and God really cares about people who are struggling and need help.

When we help people who need food, or clothes, or friendship, or encouragement, it's like we're joining God in putting out the fires of hurt and sadness in our world. We're not earning God's love, we're showing that God's love has already changed our hearts.

And just like water naturally puts out fire, generous hearts naturally put out the damage that selfishness causes. That's the amazing power of giving from a heart that knows it's already been forgiven and loved.

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

Question 1: The Feelings

Imagine you're at school and you see a new kid sitting alone at lunch. They look sad and maybe a little scared. You have a really good lunch that day, your favorite sandwich, chips, fruit, and a cookie. You're thinking about sharing some of your lunch, but you're also hungry and you really wanted that cookie. What are all the different feelings you might have in that moment?

Question 2: The Choice

Now let's say you decide to sit with the new kid and share half your lunch. But here's the question: What would be the difference between sharing because you felt guilty about having more food, and sharing because you genuinely wanted the new kid to feel welcome and cared for?

Question 3: The Pattern

Ben Sira said that generous giving works like water putting out fire. Think about what happens when you pour water on a fire, the water doesn't hesitate, it doesn't negotiate, it just naturally does what water does. What do you think that tells us about what our hearts should be like when we see someone who needs help?

Question 4: The Result

What do you think would happen to your school, your neighborhood, or your family if everyone started being generous like Ben Sira described, helping quickly, not making people wait, not being grumpy about helping? How would that change things?

You're seeing the same pattern that Ben Sira saw: when people's hearts are changed by understanding how much God loves them, they naturally start reflecting that love to others. And that love has power to heal hurt and fix problems in our communities.

4. Activity: Fire Brigade Rescue (8 minutes)

Purpose

This activity reinforces that generous hearts naturally help others by having kids physically experience how individual actions combine to solve big problems. Success looks like kids discovering that when everyone helps quickly and eagerly, even big problems can be solved together.

Instructions to Class(3 minutes)

We're going to play "Fire Brigade Rescue." Imagine there's a house on fire on one side of our room, and there's a well with unlimited water on the other side. I need you to form a human chain from the well to the fire to pass buckets of water as fast as possible.

Here's the challenge: You can only pass imaginary buckets from person to person, no one can run with a bucket or skip someone in line. The goal is to put out the fire by passing 20 buckets of water from the well to the fire as quickly as possible.

But here's the twist that makes it like Ben Sira's teaching: Some of you will get cards that say things like "I'm tired," "I'm distracted by my phone," or "I don't think it's really my responsibility." Those people have to hesitate or move slowly when buckets come to them. Others will get cards that say "I want to help immediately" or "I care about the family in the house."

We're doing this because it's exactly like what Ben Sira was teaching, when people hesitate to help or make others wait, the "fire" keeps burning and people keep suffering. But when people help like water putting out fire, naturally, quickly, eagerly, amazing things happen.

During the Activity(4 minutes)

First, let's try it when some people hesitate or move slowly. See what happens to the pace of rescue when people are reluctant or distracted. Count how long it takes to pass 20 buckets when not everyone is fully engaged.

Now watch what happens as people start to feel the urgency. Some of you may start encouraging the hesitant people, or you may start moving faster yourself because you can see the "house burning" and feel the need for speed.

I notice some of you are saying things like "Come on!" and "We need to help them!" or "Hurry!" This is exactly what Ben Sira was talking about, when your heart really cares about people who need help, you naturally want to act quickly and you want others to help too.

Now let's try it one more time, but this time everyone has cards that say "I care and want to help immediately." Watch how the energy changes when everyone has generous, eager hearts.

Look at that! When everyone helps with generous hearts, quickly, eagerly, not making people wait, the problem gets solved so much faster. And notice how it felt different too. When everyone was helping enthusiastically, it wasn't just more effective, it was more joyful.

Debrief(1 minute)

What did you notice about how it felt when some people hesitated versus when everyone helped eagerly? When everyone helped with generous hearts, it wasn't just faster, it felt like we were all working together for something important. That's exactly what Ben Sira meant when he said generous giving works like water putting out fire. When it comes from changed hearts, it's natural, powerful, and joyful.

5. Closing (2 minutes)

Here's what we learned today: generous hearts show that God has already changed us from the inside. When we really understand how much God loves and forgives us, it naturally makes us want to help others, not because we have to earn God's love, but because God's love makes us loving too.

This doesn't mean we have to give away everything we own, or that having nice things is wrong. It means that when we see someone who really needs help, our first thought should be "How can I help?" instead of "That's not my problem" or "Someone else will handle it."

The amazing result is that when we live this way, we get to participate in God's work of healing hurt and fixing problems in our world. We become like those people with the water buckets, putting out fires of sadness and need wherever we go.

This Week's Challenge

Notice when you see someone who needs help, maybe someone who looks lonely at school, or someone who dropped something, or someone in your family who seems stressed. Instead of waiting or hesitating, practice helping quickly and eagerly, like water putting out fire. Pay attention to how it feels to help immediately versus waiting.

Closing Prayer (Optional)

Dear God, thank you for loving us and forgiving us even when we make selfish choices. Help us to have generous hearts that want to help others quickly and eagerly, just like water puts out fire. Help us remember that when we help people who need it, we're joining you in making the world better. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Grades 1, 3

Your Main Job Today

Show kids that God loves when we share and help people, and that helping others makes God happy and helps fix sad things in the world.

Movement & Formation Plan

• Opening Song: Standing in a circle
• Bible Story: Sitting in a horseshoe shape facing the teacher
• Small Group Q&A: Standing in pairs facing each other
• Closing Song: Standing in straight lines
• Prayer: Sitting cross-legged in rows

If Kids Don't Understand

Compare helping someone who needs food to giving a band-aid to someone who's hurt, then ask "How do you feel when you help someone feel better?"

1. Opening Song (2, 3 minutes)

Formation: Standing in a circle

Select a song about helping and sharing. Suggestions: "Be Kind to One Another," "Love Your Neighbor," or "God's Love is So Wonderful." Use movements: stretch arms wide during "God's love," point to others during "neighbor," and make helping motions like sharing or hugging during verses about kindness.

Great singing! You all know how to show love with your actions. Now let's sit down in our special horseshoe shape because I have an exciting story to tell you about sharing and helping people.

2. Bible Story Time (5, 7 minutes)

Formation: Kids sitting in a horseshoe shape on the floor facing you. Move around inside the horseshoe as you tell the story.

Today we're going to meet a very wise man who loved God and loved helping people!

[Walk to one side of the horseshoe]

Long ago, there was a wise teacher named Ben Sira. He lived in a big city called Jerusalem, and he loved watching people to see how they treated each other.

[Use excited voice and big gestures]

Ben Sira noticed something super special! When people really loved God, they wanted to help other people too. It was like God's love made their hearts bigger and bigger!

[Walk to other side of horseshoe, make pouring motions]

One day, Ben Sira saw a house that was on fire. People were scared! But then he watched people run to get water and pour it on the fire. Splash! Splash! Splash! The water put out the fire and saved the house!

[Move to center, speak with wonder]

And that's when Ben Sira had a wonderful idea! He thought, "Helping people who need food and clothes and love is just like water putting out a fire!"

[Move to side, sound loving and gentle]

So Ben Sira taught people this special truth about helping others and making God happy:

Sirach 3:26 (Simplified)

[Pause and look around at each child with a big smile]

Do you know what that means? When we share our snacks with someone who's hungry, or when we give a toy to someone who's sad, it makes God SO happy! And it helps fix sad things in the world!

[Move to center, speak with authority and warmth]

But Ben Sira also taught something else important. He said that when someone needs help, we should help them right away! Not tomorrow, not next week, but today!

[Walk slowly around the horseshoe, using gestures]

If someone is hungry, we give them food today. If someone is cold, we share our jacket today. If someone is sad, we give them a hug today!

[Stop walking and face the children directly]

Ben Sira said, "Don't make people wait for help when they really need it!" Because when people are hurting, waiting feels terrible!

[Speak with excitement]

And you know what happens when we help people right away? It's like magic! The sad feelings go away, and happy feelings come instead!

[Pause dramatically]

Ben Sira discovered that God made our hearts special. When we know that God loves us SO much, it makes us want to love other people too!

[Speak directly to the children]

Sometimes at school, someone might not have a lunch, or someone might be crying because they got hurt. When we see that, our hearts can be like water that puts out fire!

[Move closer to the children]

When someone needs help, we can share what we have, give them a kind word, or ask a grown-up to help them. That's how we show God's love!

[Speak warmly and encouragingly]

God loves it when we have generous hearts that want to help people. And the best part is, when we help others, it makes everyone happy, them, us, and God too!

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

Formation: Have kids stand up and find a partner. Pairs scatter around the room with space to talk.

Find a partner and stand facing each other. I'm going to give each pair a question to talk about. There are no wrong answers, just tell each other what you think!

Discussion Questions

Select one question per pair based on class size. Save unused questions for next time.

1. How do you feel when someone shares their snack with you?

2. What's something nice you like to do for your family?

3. How do you think the wise man felt when he saw people helping?

4. What would you do if you saw someone crying at school?

5. Why do you think helping people makes God happy?

6. How does it feel when you help someone?

7. What's the best way to help someone who's hungry?

8. Who helps you when you need something?

9. What makes you want to share with others?

10. How is helping people like water putting out fire?

11. What would happen if everyone at school helped each other?

12. What's something you have that you could share?

13. Why is it important not to make people wait for help?

14. How does God show that God loves us?

15. What's the nicest thing someone has done for you?

16. How do you know when someone needs help?

17. What makes sharing special?

18. How can we ask God to help us be generous?

19. What would you do if you had lots of toys and someone had none?

20. How can we be like the wise man in our story?

Great discussions! Let's come back together in our lines. Who wants to share something you talked about with your partner?

4. Closing Song (2, 3 minutes)

Formation: Standing in straight lines facing forward

Choose songs about sharing and helping others. Suggestions: "Helping Hands," "Share God's Love," or "We Are Family." Include movements like reaching out to help, sharing motions, and big heart shapes with arms during verses about love.

Beautiful singing about helping others! Now let's sit down for prayer time. Criss-cross applesauce in your rows, just like we practice.

5. Closing Prayer (1, 2 minutes)

Formation: Sitting cross-legged in rows, heads bowed, hands folded

Dear God, thank you for loving us so much and for teaching us about sharing...

[Pause]

Help us to have big, generous hearts that want to help people who need food, or hugs, or friends. Help us to be quick helpers, just like water putting out fire...

[Pause]

Thank you that when we help others, it makes you happy and makes the world a better place. Help us remember to share and be kind every day...

[Pause]

Thank you for always taking care of us and for giving us so many good things to share. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Remember, you all have generous hearts that can help make sad things better! Have a wonderful week looking for ways to help people, just like the wise man taught us.

Righteous Kindness

God's Teaching Through Mercy, Can righteousness exist without kindness?

Wisdom 12:12-25

Instructor Preparation

Read this section before teaching any age group. It provides the theological foundation and shows how the lesson adapts across developmental stages.

The Passage

Wisdom 12:12-25 (NIV)

Context

The book of Wisdom, written during the Second Temple period, addresses Jewish communities struggling with their relationship to God's justice. The author defends God's treatment of Israel's enemies, particularly the Canaanites who occupied the Promised Land before Israel's arrival. This passage sits within a larger reflection on divine judgment and mercy.

The immediate context deals with a theological problem: How can God be both just and merciful? The author argues that God's patient treatment of Israel's enemies actually teaches Israel about righteousness. Even toward those who deserved punishment, God showed restraint and offered opportunities for repentance, modeling how righteousness and kindness must unite.

The Big Idea

God's own works teach that righteousness must include kindness, they are inseparable rather than optional add-ons to each other. Divine mercy creates hope and models the mercy we should show others.

This challenges the common assumption that righteousness is primarily about justice and punishment. The passage reveals that even God's treatment of enemies demonstrates patient kindness, suggesting that true righteousness without compassion is impossible and that God's character provides the template for human behavior.

Theological Core

• Righteous kindness. True righteousness necessarily includes kindness, they cannot be separated without destroying the nature of both.
• Divine teaching through works. God's actions toward humanity, including enemies, serve as lessons about how we should live and relate to others.
• Mercy imitation. God's repentance-granting and patient treatment of wrongdoers provides the model for human mercy and forgiveness.
• Hope-generating grace. Divine mercy creates "good hope" in God's children, giving them confidence to extend mercy to others because they have received it themselves.

Age Group Overview

What Each Age Group Learns

Grades 7, 8 / Adult

• Righteousness necessarily includes kindness, attempting righteousness without kindness distorts both concepts and fails to reflect God's character
• God's patient treatment of enemies reveals divine pedagogy, even judgment serves as teaching about proper human relationships
• Divine mercy creates hope that enables us to extend mercy to others, forming a cycle of grace and forgiveness
• True discernment involves learning to imitate God's balance of justice and kindness rather than defaulting to harshness or permissiveness

Grades 4, 6

• Being truly good means being kind to people, not just following rules or avoiding trouble
• When we're mean to others, especially enemies or people who hurt us, we miss what God wants us to learn about kindness
• God's patience with people who disobey shows us how to be patient with others who frustrate or hurt us
• Our feelings of anger or hurt are okay, but we can still choose to respond with kindness like God does

Grades 1, 3

• God is kind even to people who don't obey God, and God wants us to be kind too
• God is patient and gives people chances to say sorry and do better
• We can be kind like God is kind, even when people aren't nice to us

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Dismissing the justice component. While emphasizing kindness, don't suggest that righteousness eliminates accountability or consequences. God's kindness operates within justice, not instead of it.
• Oversimplifying the enemy context. The passage specifically addresses God's patience with Israel's enemies, which challenges easy categories about who deserves mercy. Avoid suggesting mercy only applies to "good people."
• Making kindness purely emotional. Kindness here is a deliberate choice that reflects God's character, not just being nice or avoiding conflict. It can coexist with difficult conversations and appropriate boundaries.
• Ignoring the teaching purpose. The passage emphasizes that God's works teach lessons about righteousness. Avoid framing this as God being permissive rather than pedagogical, divine mercy serves an educational purpose.

Handling Hard Questions

"If God is supposed to be kind to enemies, why does the Bible talk about God punishing people?"

This passage actually addresses that question directly. God's justice and kindness work together, not against each other. Even God's punishment serves a teaching purpose and includes opportunities for repentance. The passage shows God giving people "time and opportunity to give up their wickedness." God's kindness doesn't eliminate consequences, but it does provide pathways to restoration and learning.

"Does this mean we should be kind to people who hurt us or do terrible things?"

The passage suggests that righteousness includes kindness even toward those who oppose us, but this doesn't mean being unsafe or enabling harmful behavior. God's kindness operates with wisdom, offering opportunities for change while maintaining justice. For us, this might mean setting boundaries while remaining open to genuine repentance, seeking restoration while protecting ourselves and others from ongoing harm.

"How can we tell the difference between being righteously kind and just being a pushover?"

God's kindness in this passage is strong, not weak, it flows from sovereignty and power, not from fear or inability to act. Righteous kindness involves choosing mercy from a position of strength and wisdom. It includes offering genuine opportunities for change, but it also includes appropriate consequences when those opportunities are rejected. The goal is restoration and teaching, not avoiding conflict or appeasing bad behavior.

The One Thing to Remember

Righteousness and kindness are inseparable because God's own character demonstrates that true strength expresses itself through merciful teaching, even toward enemies.

Grades 7, 8 / Adult

Your Main Job Today

Guide students to wrestle with the counterintuitive idea that righteousness requires kindness, using God's treatment of enemies as the surprising model for human ethics. Help them discover this through their own questioning rather than lecturing them about it.

The Tension to Frame

Can someone be truly righteous while being unkind? Or are righteousness and kindness so connected that you can't have one without the other?

Discussion Facilitation Tips

• Validate their instincts about justice and fairness, these feelings make sense and provide starting points for deeper exploration
• Honor the complexity that kindness toward enemies feels unfair and difficult, while exploring what God's example suggests about righteousness
• Let students wrestle with the apparent contradictions rather than rushing to resolve them, the tension itself is instructive

1. Opening Frame (2, 3 minutes)

Imagine you're scrolling through social media and you see a story about someone who did something that really bothers you, maybe they cheated on a test everyone else studied hard for, or they spread a rumor that hurt someone you care about, or they said something cruel about a group of people you think deserve respect. Your first instinct is probably to feel angry or want them to face consequences.

Now imagine you find out that person is going through something really difficult at home, family problems, health issues, or serious personal struggles. Part of you might feel some sympathy, but another part might think, "That doesn't excuse what they did." You're caught between wanting justice and feeling some compassion. Both feelings make complete sense.

Today we're looking at a passage about God facing a similar tension, except the stakes are much higher. We're talking about God's relationship with people who were actually enemies of God's people, not just annoying classmates, but groups that threatened and harmed the Israelites. How God chose to respond teaches us something surprising about what it means to be truly righteous.

As we read, pay attention to what God does and why the author thinks this teaches us something important about righteousness. Notice especially any places where God's behavior surprises you or challenges what you might expect from divine justice.

Let's start by reading the passage silently. Open your Bibles to Wisdom chapter 12, and we'll begin with verse 12.

2. Silent Reading (5 minutes)

As You Read, Think About:

• Who is being described and what is their relationship to God?
• Why does the author think God treated these people the way God did?
• What does the author claim God is teaching through these actions?
• What would you feel if you were in the Israelites' position, watching God's response to their enemies?

Wisdom 12:12-25 (NIV)

3. Discussion (15, 18 minutes)

Oral Reading (2, 3 minutes)

Reader 1: Verses 12-14 (God's unquestionable authority) Reader 2: Verses 15-18 (God's righteous strength and mildness) Reader 3: Verses 19-22 (The teaching about kindness and hope) Reader 4: Verses 23-25 (The treatment of those living in folly)

As you listen to this read aloud, notice the tone and rhythm. This isn't just information, it's an argument about God's character and what that means for us.

Small Group Question Generation (3, 4 minutes)

Get into groups of three or four. Your job is to come up with one or two genuine questions about what we just read, not questions you think you're supposed to ask, but things you're actually curious or confused about. Good questions might start with "Why does..." or "How can..." or "What does it mean when..." You have three minutes. Go.

Facilitated Discussion (12, 14 minutes)

Collecting Questions: Write student questions on the board. Look for common themes about God's treatment of enemies, the connection between righteousness and kindness, or the purpose of divine mercy.

Probing Questions (to go deeper)

• "What evidence does the author give for claiming that 'the righteous must be kind'?"
• "How does the author connect God's treatment of enemies to what righteousness should look like for humans?"
• "What's the difference between the kindness described here and just being a pushover or avoiding conflict?"
• "The passage talks about God giving enemies 'time and opportunity to give up their wickedness', what does that suggest about the purpose of mercy?"
• "If God can be kind to enemies while remaining righteous, what does that mean for how we should treat people who oppose or hurt us?"
• "How might the Israelites have felt watching God show patience to their enemies? Would that have seemed fair to them?"
• "What would change if someone tried to be righteous without being kind, or kind without being righteous?"
• "Why does the author think God's mercy creates 'good hope' in God's people? What's the connection there?"

Revealing the Pattern

Do you notice what's happening here? The author isn't just describing God's actions, he's arguing that God's works teach lessons about what righteousness actually is. God's patient treatment of enemies, offering opportunities for repentance, demonstrates that true righteousness includes kindness. It's not that God is being soft or compromising justice, it's that real righteousness expresses itself through merciful strength.

4. Application (3, 4 minutes)

Let's get real about your lives. Where do you see this same tension playing out? Think about situations where you have to decide between what feels like justice and what feels like kindness, at school, in your family, on social media, with friends, or when you see unfairness in the world.

Real Issues This Connects To

• Someone at school consistently treats you or your friends poorly, and you have to decide how to respond when they need help or face consequences
• Family conflicts where someone has genuinely hurt you, but family dynamics require ongoing relationship
• Online situations where people post offensive or harmful content, and you choose between calling them out harshly or engaging more constructively
• Friendship drama where someone betrayed your trust, but they want to reconcile and you're deciding whether to give them another chance
• Social justice issues where you're angry about systemic problems but trying to figure out how to work for change without dehumanizing opponents
• Personal situations where you've messed up and are hoping others will show you mercy while learning to extend mercy yourself

Discussion Prompts

• "When have you seen someone combine justice and kindness effectively, standing up for what's right while treating people with dignity?"
• "What would help you choose mercy from strength rather than from fear or people-pleasing?"
• "How do you discern when someone deserves another opportunity for change versus when boundaries are needed?"
• "What's the difference between righteous kindness and enabling harmful behavior?"

5. Closing (2 minutes)

Here's what I want you to take with you: Righteousness and kindness aren't opposite forces competing for your attention, they're meant to work together. God's treatment of enemies shows us that real righteousness expresses itself through merciful strength, not harsh punishment or weak avoidance. This doesn't make relationships simple or easy, but it does give us a model for how to handle them.

This week, pay attention to moments when you feel tension between wanting justice and offering mercy. Notice whether you default to harshness or people-pleasing, and experiment with what it might look like to respond from righteous kindness, strong enough to stand for what's right, merciful enough to offer opportunities for change.

The thinking you did today was excellent. You asked hard questions and wrestled with complex ideas without settling for easy answers. Keep doing that. The world needs people who can hold justice and mercy together, and you're learning how to do exactly that.

Grades 4, 6

Your Main Job Today

Help kids understand that being truly good means being kind to people, not just following rules or avoiding trouble. God's patience with people who disobey shows us how to be patient with others.

If Kids Ask "Why should we be nice to people who are mean to us?"

Say: "That's hard, isn't it? God shows us that being kind doesn't mean letting people hurt you. It means choosing to help them change instead of just getting back at them."

1. Opening (5 minutes)

Raise your hand if you've ever had someone at school be mean to you, tease you, or do something unfair that made you really angry. Keep your hands up if you wanted to get them back or see them get in trouble. That makes total sense, when people hurt us, our first instinct is to want them to face consequences.

Now here's a harder question: Raise your hand if you've ever found out that the person who was mean to you was actually going through something tough at home, or if you later realized they were just having a really bad day. Part of you might have thought, "Well, that explains it," but another part might have thought, "That still doesn't make what they did okay." Both feelings are completely normal.

It's confusing when someone hurts us, but we also know they're struggling. We want them to learn that what they did wasn't right, but we don't necessarily want them to be miserable forever. We want fairness, but we also want people to get better. Those feelings can exist at the same time, even though it's complicated.

This reminds me of the movie "Inside Out" where Riley has all these different emotions happening at once, and they have to figure out how to work together instead of fighting each other. Sometimes our feelings about justice and kindness are like that, they both matter, but they need to work together.

The tricky part is figuring out how to want good things for someone who has hurt us. How do we hope they learn to do better without just ignoring what they did wrong? How do we protect ourselves while also giving people chances to change?

Today we're going to hear about how God handled this exact problem. God's people, the Israelites, had enemies who did terrible things to them. But God's response teaches us something surprising about what it really means to be good. Let's find out what happened.

2. Bible Story Time (10 minutes)

Long ago, God's people, the Israelites, were trying to find a home where they could live safely and worship God. But there were other groups of people already living in the land God had promised to the Israelites. These people didn't know or love God, and they often fought against God's people.

The Israelites probably felt scared and angry about these enemies. They might have thought, "God, why don't you just get rid of these people who are hurting us? You're powerful enough to stop them immediately. Why are you letting this go on?" It would have been natural for them to want God to punish their enemies quickly and harshly.

But God had a different plan. Instead of destroying their enemies right away, God was incredibly patient with them. God gave these people many chances to change their behavior and turn away from the wrong things they were doing. God waited and waited, hoping they would realize their mistakes and choose to do better.

Imagine how frustrating this might have been for the Israelites. They're thinking, "God, we're your people! Why are you being so nice to the people who hurt us? Don't you care about what they did to us?" They might have felt confused or even a little hurt that God seemed to care about their enemies too.

But years later, when one of God's people was thinking about all of this, he realized something amazing. God wasn't being weak or forgetting about justice. God was actually teaching the Israelites something very important through these actions.

Here's what God was showing them: True goodness isn't just about following rules or avoiding trouble. True goodness means being kind to people, even when they don't deserve it. God was demonstrating this by being patient with the Israelites' enemies.

The writer realized that God's patience wasn't random, it had a purpose. When God gave enemies time to change instead of punishing them immediately, God was showing the Israelites what real righteousness looks like. God was saying, "This is how good people behave. They don't just demand punishment, they offer opportunities for people to learn and grow."

Even when these enemy groups continued to make bad choices, God kept hoping they would change. God treated them like children who didn't understand better yet, giving them chances to learn rather than giving up on them immediately.

Wisdom 12:19 (NIV)

This was God's main lesson: If you want to be truly good, you have to be kind. You can't be righteous without being kind to people. They go together like peanut butter and jelly, you can have one without the other, but they're so much better together.

God's kindness wasn't weak, it was actually very strong. It takes more strength to be patient with someone who has hurt you than it does to just be mean back to them. God was showing the Israelites how to be strong in a way that helps people instead of just hurting them.

And here's the beautiful part: Because God was so patient and kind, even to enemies, the Israelites started to have hope. They realized that if God could be merciful to people who had done terrible things, then God would definitely be merciful to them when they made mistakes too.

This gave them confidence to try being kind to others. They thought, "If God can give second chances to our enemies, then maybe we can give second chances too. If God can hope for people to change, maybe we can hope for people to change too."

The enemies didn't always choose to change, unfortunately. Some of them kept making the same bad decisions over and over. But God's kindness wasn't wasted, it taught the Israelites something incredibly valuable about what it means to be good.

God's patience created a chain reaction of kindness. When the Israelites saw how God treated enemies with mercy, they learned to treat each other with mercy. When they experienced God's forgiveness, they became more willing to forgive others.

Sometimes in our lives, we meet people who are unkind to us or who make choices we don't understand. God's example shows us that we can be good and strong by choosing kindness instead of choosing meanness. We can hope for people to change while still protecting ourselves from being hurt.

This doesn't mean we have to let people hurt us or pretend that wrong things are okay. But it does mean we can want good things for people, even when they've done bad things. We can hope for them to learn and grow, just like God hoped for the Israelites' enemies.

The most important thing God taught through all of this is that being truly good means being kind. When we choose kindness, even when it's hard, we're acting like God acts. We're showing the world what real strength looks like.

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

Question 1: The Confusion

If you were one of the Israelites watching God be patient with your enemies, people who had hurt you and your family, how do you think you would have felt? Would you have been confused about why God wasn't punishing them right away? What would you have wanted to say to God?

Question 2: The Purpose

God's patience wasn't random, it was teaching the Israelites something important. Why do you think God wanted them to learn that "the righteous must be kind"? What happens when someone tries to be good without being kind to people?

Question 3: The Strength

The story says God's kindness was actually a sign of strength, not weakness. Think about someone you know who is kind to people even when it's difficult. What makes their kindness strong instead of weak? How can you tell the difference?

Question 4: The Chain Reaction

When the Israelites saw how God treated their enemies with patience and hope, it gave them hope that God would be patient with them too. How do you think that changed the way they treated each other? What happens when people experience real kindness?

You're picking up on something really important here. God's kindness wasn't just about being nice, it was about teaching a better way to be good. When we choose kindness from strength, it creates hope and helps other people learn to be kind too.

4. Activity: The Bridge Builder Challenge (8 minutes)

Purpose

This activity reinforces the pattern of choosing connection over conflict by having kids physically experience how kindness creates bridges between separated groups. Success looks like kids discovering that reaching out to others, even when there's tension, creates possibilities that didn't exist before.

Instructions to Class(3 minutes)

We're going to do the Bridge Builder Challenge. I need everyone to divide into two groups and stand on opposite sides of the room, facing each other. Imagine there's a big river between you that you can't cross by jumping or running.

Each group has something the other group needs, maybe Group A has food and Group B has water, or Group A has medicine and Group B has shelter. Your job is to figure out how to get what your group needs from the other group, but here's the catch: you can't just demand it or try to take it by force.

The only way this works is if someone is willing to start building a bridge by taking a step toward the middle and offering something to the other group. But bridges take time to build, and someone has to be willing to go first, even if they're not sure the other group will respond kindly.

We're doing this because it's exactly like what God did with the Israelites' enemies, instead of just fighting, God chose to reach across the divide and offer opportunities for connection and change.

During the Activity(4 minutes)

Watch what happens initially, groups will probably stand and stare at each other, maybe whisper among themselves about strategy. Let this awkwardness build for about 30 seconds so they feel the tension of the divided space.

As they start to realize they need each other, watch for the first brave person who steps toward the middle. This is the crucial moment, they're taking a risk by offering to connect instead of staying in the safety of their group.

Coach with phrases like: "I notice both groups need something... I wonder if anyone is willing to take a risk and start building a bridge... What would it look like to reach out even if you're not sure how they'll respond?"

Celebrate the breakthrough moment when someone steps forward with an offer instead of a demand. Say things like: "Look what's happening, someone chose kindness over safety, and now possibilities are opening up!"

Once they've succeeded in making connections and meeting both groups' needs, have them notice how the room feels different, less divided, more connected, with new relationships that didn't exist before.

Debrief(1 minute)

What did you notice about how it felt when you were separated versus when someone started building bridges? It took courage to step out first, didn't it? But once someone was willing to reach across with kindness instead of just protecting their own group, everything changed. That's exactly what God did, chose to reach toward enemies with opportunities for change instead of just staying separated by conflict.

5. Closing (2 minutes)

Here's what we learned today: Being truly good means being kind to people, not just following rules or staying out of trouble. God showed the Israelites that real strength comes from choosing kindness, even toward people who have hurt you. That doesn't mean letting people walk all over you, it means hoping for them to change and giving them chances to do better.

This doesn't mean we ignore when people do wrong things or pretend everything is okay when it's not. God's kindness included giving people opportunities to change, but it also included consequences when they kept making bad choices. The important thing is that kindness came first, with hope that people could learn and grow.

When we choose kindness from strength, amazing things can happen. People start to believe they can change. Hope spreads from person to person. Bridges get built instead of walls. And we get to be part of God's way of making the world better.

This Week's Challenge

This week, when someone is unkind to you or makes a choice that bothers you, try choosing kindness before choosing to get back at them. You might offer to help them with something, include them when they seem left out, or just choose not to say something mean back. See what happens when you respond with strength and kindness instead of just protecting yourself.

Closing Prayer (Optional)

Dear God, thank you for showing us that being good means being kind to people. Help us to be strong like you are strong, choosing kindness even when it's hard, hoping for people to change, and building bridges instead of walls. When people hurt us, help us remember your example and choose to respond with love. Amen.

Grades 1, 3

Your Main Job Today

Help kids understand that God is kind even to people who disobey, and God wants us to be kind too.

Movement & Formation Plan

• Opening Song: Standing in a circle
• Bible Story: Sitting in a horseshoe shape facing the teacher
• Small Group Q&A: Standing in pairs facing each other
• Closing Song: Standing in straight lines
• Prayer: Sitting cross-legged in rows

If Kids Don't Understand

Compare God's kindness to a loving parent who still hugs their child even when the child has been naughty, then ask "How do you feel when someone is still kind to you after you've made a mistake?"

1. Opening Song (2, 3 minutes)

Formation: Standing in a circle

Select a song about God's love and kindness. Suggestions: "God's Love is So Wonderful," "Jesus Loves Me," or "God is So Good." Use movements: stretch arms wide during "wonderful/amazing," point up during "God/Jesus," and hug yourself during "loves me."

What beautiful singing! I could hear how much you love God in your voices. Now let's sit down in our story shape so I can tell you about something amazing God did. Come sit in a horseshoe on the floor facing me, we're going to hear about God's kindness today!

2. Bible Story Time (5, 7 minutes)

Formation: Kids sitting in a horseshoe shape on the floor facing you. Move around inside the horseshoe as you tell the story.

Today we're going to meet God's special people called the Israelites. They loved God very much!

[Walk to one side of the horseshoe]

But there were some other people who didn't know God. These people were sometimes mean to God's people. They would fight and be unkind.

[Use a worried facial expression]

God's people felt scared and sad. They said to God, "Why don't you stop the mean people right away? You're so strong! You could make them go away!"

[Walk to other side of horseshoe, change to gentle tone]

But God did something surprising. Instead of being angry right away, God was very patient with the mean people. God waited and waited.

[Move to center, speak with gentle authority]

God was hoping the mean people would say "I'm sorry" and choose to be kind instead of mean. God gave them many chances to change their hearts.

[Move to side, sound confused like the Israelites]

God's people were confused. "God, why are you being so nice to people who hurt us? Don't you care about us anymore?"

Wisdom 12:19 (NIV)

[Pause and look around at each child]

Do you think God's people were right to feel confused? Yes! It's hard to watch someone be kind to people who are mean to you!

[Move to center, speak with warmth]

But then God's people learned something wonderful. God wasn't being weak. God was teaching them something very important.

[Walk slowly around the horseshoe]

God was showing them that good people are kind to others. Even when people are mean, we can still hope they will learn to be nice.

[Stop walking and face the children directly]

God's people realized: "If God can be kind to mean people, then God will definitely be kind to us when we make mistakes too!"

[Speak with excitement]

This made them feel so happy and hopeful! They thought, "God loves us even when we mess up. God is always kind!"

[Pause dramatically]

God taught them that being good means being kind to people. God can help us be kind too, even when it's hard.

[Speak directly to the children]

Sometimes at school or home, people might be mean to you. God wants you to try being kind back, just like God is kind to everyone.

[Move closer to the children]

When someone is not nice to you, you can choose to be kind. You can help them, share with them, or use gentle words instead of mean words.

[Speak warmly and encouragingly]

God will help you be kind and brave. God's love makes us strong enough to choose kindness, even when people aren't kind to us first!

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

Formation: Have kids stand up and find a partner. Pairs scatter around the room with space to talk.

Everyone stand up and find a partner! I'm going to give each pair one question to talk about. There are no wrong answers, just share what you think! You'll have about one minute to talk together.

Discussion Questions

Select one question per pair based on class size. Save unused questions for next time.

1. How do you think God's people felt when the mean people were hurting them?

2. What would you want to say to God if mean people were bothering you?

3. Why do you think God waited instead of stopping the mean people right away?

4. What would you do if someone at school was mean to you?

5. How did God's people feel when they realized God would be kind to them too?

6. What does it mean that God wants good people to be kind?

7. When is it hard to be kind to someone?

8. Tell about a time when someone was kind to you at school.

9. Tell about a time when you were kind to someone at home.

10. Who do you know that is really good at being kind to people?

11. Why did God hope the mean people would change?

12. How can you be kind to someone who isn't nice to you?

13. What makes God so good at being kind?

14. How do you feel when someone is kind to you after you've been naughty?

15. What would happen if everyone chose to be kind?

16. How can God help us be kind like God is kind?

17. What should you remember when someone hurts your feelings?

18. How can we pray for people who are mean to us?

19. What would happen if God was never kind to anyone?

20. How can you be like God by being kind to others?

Great discussions! Let's come back together in our lines. Who wants to share what they talked about with their partner?

4. Closing Song (2, 3 minutes)

Formation: Standing in straight lines facing forward

Select songs about kindness and God's love. Suggestions: "I've Got the Joy," "If You're Happy and You Know It" (modified with kind actions), or "This Little Light of Mine." Include movements: pat heart during "joy/love," smile and wave during "kind," and stretch arms up during "light/shine."

Beautiful singing! Now let's sit down quietly for our prayer time. Sit cross-legged in your rows, fold your hands, and close your eyes so we can talk to God.

5. Closing Prayer (1, 2 minutes)

Formation: Sitting cross-legged in rows, heads bowed, hands folded

Dear God, thank you for being so kind to everyone, even people who disobey you.

[Pause]

Help us remember to be kind to people at school, at home, and everywhere we go. When someone is mean to us, help us choose kindness instead of being mean back.

[Pause]

Thank you for loving us even when we make mistakes. Help us remember that you are always kind and patient with us. Help us be kind like you are kind.

[Pause]

Thank you for your love that makes us brave enough to choose kindness. Help us remember this story about your kindness all week long. In Jesus's name, Amen.

This week, remember that God wants you to be kind to people, just like God is kind to you. When you choose kindness, you're acting just like God! Have a wonderful week being kind to everyone you meet!