This series framed around Lent and Holy Week will provide children and their families an opportunity to build upon the spiritual practice of prayer. Throughout the series, the children will create prayer beads as they learn through the words of the Lord’s Prayer. Each week, a bead will be added that connects prayer to the weekly message. This is especially important as we continue to face difficult days ahead with COVID-19. Families can create prayer times in their homes using the prayer beads. Thanks to Rev. Dr. Leanne Hadley for providing the instructions of how to make prayer beads for the children.

DOWNLOAD Prayer Bead PDF with Instructions and Illustrations

Luke 13:6-9 NIRV

⁶Then Jesus told a story. “A man had a fig tree,” he said. “It was growing in his vineyard. When he went to look for fruit on it, he didn’t find any. ⁷So he went to the man who took care of the vineyard. He said, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree. But I haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

⁸“‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year. I’ll dig around it and feed it. ⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Materials needed:

Beads
Thin ribbon
Charm in shape of cross

Message:

Can anyone say the first part of the prayer we are learning this Lenten season? (Allow children to respond. Let children recite one line of the prayer and allow another child to continue. While they recite, touch one of the beads on your prayer beads.)

That is fantastic. We are becoming awesome prayer people during this season of Lent! The next part of the prayer continues with the vision of God’s kingdom coming to earth. If we put God first in our lives, and we live out God’s desire to allow this world to look like heaven on earth through what God is doing in us, then we must allow God’s will to be done and not our own. What does God’s will mean? (Allow children to respond.) The definition of “will” is the “desire or choice” of someone in power. In this case, it is God.

The prayer continues; “May what you want to happen be done on earth as it is done in heaven,” or you’ll sometimes hear the verse as, Thy will be done” (add a new bead to the ribbon). This reminds us that God want us to make following Jesus our goal. We do this by how we live our lives, honoring God’s desire to show others what heaven looks like—by the way we love and pray for one another. When we live life in that way, God’s will is being done. This is God’s will.

I wonder how you can live your life honoring God’s will. What can you do to show this world how much you love God? (Allow children to provide answers.) Those are all excellent ways!

The Bible tells us that when we live life honoring God and showing others of God’s desires, we bear fruit. A human’s fruits are not apples or oranges, but rather joy, love, patience, and peace. The apostle Paul names these the fruits of the Spirit. When we make God first place in our lives and live a life that reflects God’s will, we produce fruit for all the world to see. Sometimes it is hard to see when fruit of the Sprit are growing. It takes a lot of patience to sometimes see when others are being fruitful. That’s why Paul tells us that one of the fruits we bear is patience. It is hard to be patient, isn’t it? When we are, we are producing fruit.

I wonder what fruit you are producing that shows the world how much Jesus means to you?

This week, as you pray for God’s will to be done, pray for opportunities to show others the fruits of the Holy Spirit that come with living a godly life.

Prayer:

(Each week during the prayer, affix the bead to the ribbon when you begin the prayer.) Loving God, produce the fruit of the Spirit in each of us as we continue to learn to live a life that puts you in first place in our lives. Let your will be done in all we do! Amen.