Children's Teacher: April- June 2021

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

Children’s Teacher is a teacher’s quarterly for children 11 and under. In addition to the exposition of the printed text, each of the thirteen lessons includes the purpose of the lesson, extensive teaching plans, lesson introduction, background of the lesson, meaningful insights, and related activities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Feb 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781681678245

Book preview

Lesson 1 for Week of April 4, 2021

THEIR EYES WERE OPENED

Background Passage: Isaiah 52:13—53:12; Luke 24

Lesson Passage: Luke 24:13–16, 22–35

UNIFYING TOPIC

Salvation Is Sealed

LESSON SECTIONS

I. Meeting the Risen Savior (Luke 24:13–16)

II. What a Fellowship and Joy Divine (Luke 24:22–35)

KEY VERSE

Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. (Luke 24:31, NRSV)

BIBLICAL EMPHASES

1. Jesus walked with two followers after His resurrection but before His ascension.

2. These two followers did not recognize Jesus until they arrived at their destination.

3. Jesus explained the entire story of His coming to the two and then disappeared.

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

When life reaches its darkest depth, people wonder if there is still hope for the future. Where can we find the promise of joy that will overcome our deepest sorrow? Isaiah 52:13—53:12 reminds us of God’s servant who suffers profoundly for others, and Luke 24 records the encounter of the Emmaus travelers with the resurrected Jesus.

LESSON EMPHASES

•Christians should be careful to not forget how much the resurrection has impacted them.

•As Jesus did, we should explain the gospel to those who don’t understand it.

Target Emphases

PRESCHOOLERS: Preschoolers like to hear stories with intrigue and surprises.

YOUNGER CHILDREN: Younger children enjoy one another’s company.

OLDER CHILDREN: Older children are learning how to tell others about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

Materials Needed to Teach

For further reference, see today’s lesson from Boyd’s Commentary, New National Baptist Hymnal, 21st Century Edition.

Need more teacher helps?

Visit rhboyd.com.

Suggested Teaching Plan

GROWING WITH JESUS

MATERIALS NEEDED: music player, crayons, plastic eggs (containing a paper with the words He Is Alive), bag of candy (be aware of allergies), a children’s story featuring a hero

GETTING STARTED: Greet the students as they enter the classroom. Have a familiar children’s Christian song playing as they are seated. Begin the lesson with prayer.

A GREAT BEGINNING: Ask the students, What makes today special? Give them time to recall what they remember about Easter. Explain that Easter is special because Christians all over the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. (Be aware of students who may not understand what resurrection means, and take time to answer any questions they may have.) Explain that many believers call this holiday Resurrection Day for this reason. Say, In today’s lesson, we will read a story about two followers who talked with Jesus after His resurrection.

AN IMPORTANT LESSON: Read today’s lesson story. Then read the story featuring a hero. Explain that no one in history has ever been as heroic as Jesus Christ, who saved every single person who receives His love. Explain that some heroes are make-believe, while others are real; Jesus is real! Give each student a plastic egg and have them read the words together.

KEEPING IT GOING: Make sure the students complete the other activities in their student books. Gather the students and allow them to fill the eggs they just used with candy. Ensure that your students understand that Easter candy is fun, but the true meaning of this day centers on Jesus, our Hero.

JUST FOR YOU: Pray that your students will understand the importance of this day and not be too distracted by other events.

YOUNG LEARNERS

MATERIALS NEEDED: music player; Easter lily; markers or crayons; symbols of Easter: cross, crown of thorns, empty tomb, angels; a story with a happy ending

GETTING STARTED: Greet the students as they enter the classroom. Have a familiar children’s Christian song playing as they are seated. Begin the lesson with prayer.

JUMP START: Show the class the Easter lily and share that this flower blooms every year during the Easter season. For Christians, it represents the resurrection of Jesus. Explain that in today’s lesson, two men who met the resurrected Jesus were changed forever because their Savior was alive.

THE LESSON STORY: Introduce the background for today’s lesson regarding Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection using the symbols. Explain that elements like Easter candy are fun, but the true meaning of this day revolves around our risen Savior. Read the story, but invent a sad ending and allow for students to express their feelings. Then read the correct, happy ending. Explain that the story of Jesus had a happy ending too because He rose from the dead; and because of this, the story of every Christian has a happy ending as well.

TAKING IT HOME: Take this opportunity to explain salvation and invite students to receive Jesus and join the family of God. Make sure students complete the other activities in their student books. Close the class in prayer.

ENERGY TO EDUCATE: Take time to pray each week for your students, especially those who are considering salvation.

ADVENTURERS WITH JESUS

MATERIALS NEEDED: music player, markers, picture of baptismal, cards printed with He Lives, paper and pens, Love Meter (see next step)

BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Before class, draw a thermometer on a poster board and label it Love Meter. Mark it from one to ten (from bottom to top), using colors of increasing brightness. Greet the students as they enter the classroom. Have a familiar children’s Christian song playing as they are seated. Begin the lesson with prayer.

‘NET CHECK: Complete the activity from www.rhboyd.com. Bring extra copies to class for those who do not have one. Check and discuss the answers together.

INTRODUCTION: Ask students to discuss what makes Easter special. Explain that Christians believe that Jesus rose from the grave and celebrate it on this holiday. Using the Love Meter, ask youth to share where they believe their love for others falls in the ranking (parents, siblings, friends, etc.). Ask someone to read John 3:16. Then ask class members to place God’s love for humanity on the scale. Discuss whether human beings can ever emulate God’s love for people.

TODAY’S LESSON STORY: Give background information on what has just taken place before today’s story. (Jesus was crucified, buried, and then resurrected.) Ask for volunteers to read today’s lesson. Show the picture of the baptismal and ask students what it means to be baptized. Share with them that baptism represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Take this time to invite students to receive Jesus as Savior and/or prepare for baptism.

LESSON REVIEW AND CLOSING: Give each student paper and pen and the card with He Lives on it. Have them write down things they are thankful for today. Let students complete the activities in their student books and review the key verse. Close the class in prayer.

— Lesson Overview —

Introduction

It was the great St. Augustine who said, The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed; the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. Such is the case in our lesson for today. As we experience the joys of worshiping a risen Savior, we can see that the prophecies of the Suffering Servant who would give His life for the sins of humankind were composed long ago. That Suffering Servant was Jesus, who experienced agony, shame, and rejection because of our sins.

In the book of Isaiah, the prophet declared that a virgin would conceive and bear a Son, and His name would be called Immanuel (7:14). He painted a picture of a tortured, disfigured servant who was despised and rejected by humanity. Jesus lived and experienced life as a human being. He faced temptations, sickness, and grief. He was mocked and publicly humiliated as He hung on a cross. But three days later, He rose from the grave. This was the journey that would result in our salvation. Today’s passage picks up after the day of resurrection, as Jesus encounters two of His followers, who are walking to a neighboring town while discussing all these things that had happened (Luke 24:14).

Your students might notice that there are lots of visitors at church today because this is the most populated day of the year for many churches. Take every opportunity to explain the gospel to these young disciples. Help them understand the significance of this day.

CREATE INTEREST: Ask participants to describe a friend or family member they trust. How has he/she proven that he/she is trustworthy?

I. Meeting the Risen Savior (Luke 24:13–16)

Help your students imagine the thoughts that must have been running through the disciples’ minds after watching Jesus’ death. There were now just eleven of them, and the experiences of the past week were surely still fresh. They had walked with Jesus through the streets as the crowds shouted, Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! (Mark 11:9). They were watching as He ran the money changers out of the temple. When they celebrated the Passover meal and Jesus told them about the betrayer among them, they were confused. Even as Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, referring to the broken bread as His body and the wine as His blood, the disciples still didn’t understand what was about to happen. In fact, on that dreadful night, they were so frightened that they ran for their lives because they had been associated with Him. But in the days following the crucifixion, they began to comprehend what had taken place.

On the same day that Mary and the other women had seen the empty tomb (and Mary had seen the risen Savior) two followers were walking on the road to Emmaus, remembering the events of the past week. We know the name of just one of them: Cleopas (see v. 18). These two should be considered as part of all the rest, as mentioned in verse 9 of Luke 24. They weren’t among the eleven disciples, but they were followers nonetheless. Jesus began walking with them, yet (according to verse 16) they did not recognize Him. This is similar to Mary in John 20:14 and the disciples in John 21:4.

Jesus asked the two men about their conversation as He walked with them. They were astounded that He was not aware of the past week’s events. They assumed He must be a visitor from another region to not know that an innocent Man had been crucified.

In this moment, Jesus began to reveal Himself and His full purpose. The Jews imagined that the Messiah spoken about in Isaiah would be a warrior and a political leader, perhaps much like Moses or Joshua. But Isaiah proclaimed that this leader would be divine, and divine He was. No one understood that a divine Messiah’s foremost mission would not be the immediate political woes that the Jews were facing at the hands of the Romans. Instead, Jesus had a much different agenda, one that would change everything for humanity. Jesus appeared to these two strangers to help them see this bigger picture regarding His purposes.

Cleopas and