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1 © 2013-2014 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved Teacher’s Guide Lesson #1-22 The Unforgiving Servant Matthew 18:15-35

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Page 1: LtW Lesson 1-22 Teacher Guide (3rd-6th) · 2015-02-17 · Last week your class learned about Transfiguration (Matthew 16:24-17:8). This week, your class will learn about forgiveness

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© 2013-2014 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved

Teacher’s Guide

Lesson #1-22The Unforgiving ServantMatthew 18:15-35

Page 2: LtW Lesson 1-22 Teacher Guide (3rd-6th) · 2015-02-17 · Last week your class learned about Transfiguration (Matthew 16:24-17:8). This week, your class will learn about forgiveness

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Living the Word: Teaching Kids God’s Story (Narrative Lectionary, Year 1)Text and illustrations copyright © 2013-2014 by Spirit and Truth Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this curriculum may be used or reproduced in anyother manner whatsoever without written permission. For information, contact Spiritand Truth Publishing at www.SpiritAndTruthPublishing.com.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New Revised StandardVersion Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the NationalCouncil of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used bypermission. All rights reserved.

Gregory Rawn

Jenna Gospodarek

Renae BoehmerBeth CoxVictoria HoppesRev. Sarah NyeAnn SchwarzRev. Anna ShireyKara Smith-LaubensteinAnne Tews Schwab

Nicholas McDougalBenjamin Borter

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The Unforgiving ServantMatthew 18:15-35

Matthew 18:22

Peter asks Jesus how many times we must forgive. Jesus tells him “seventy-seventimes.”

Jesus tells a story about a king who forgives his servant, but the servant does notforgive his friend.

Jesus reminds us that we should forgive and love each other just as God forgivesand loves us.

Parables

Fellowship

Students will be able to:� Identify and define a parable by listing the four main elements and drafting a

modern day version based around the subject of friendship.

� Summarize the story of the day by reenacting the story of the UnforgivingServant using costumes, props and simple dialogue.

� Demonstrate the spiritual practice of fellowship by exchanging handshakesand hugs following apologies and forgiveness between pairs of students.

3© 2013-2014 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved

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Into the StoryHeavy GrudgesForgiving others can lighten our loads!

5 min. � An assortment of rocks of various sizesand shapes

Learning the StoryEmpty BagsBring this week’s parable to life through a classskit!

10 min. � Copies of Activity Sheet #1-22.A� Large empty duffle bag� Small empty sandwich baggie� Crown (for King character)� Simple robes (for all characters)

Bible Nuts and BoltsParables: Surprising StoriesDiscover what a parable is and create a class par-able!

10 min. � Copies of Activity Sheet #1-22.B� Copies of Activity Sheet #1-22.C� Bibles (optional)

Living the StoryAll Around ForgivenessForgiving one another as God forgives us.

15 min. � Nothing

Activities a la Carte

Activities Supplies

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Activities a la Carte

5© 2013-2014 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved

Additional ActivitiesSpider WebConnected by kindness and fellowship!

15 min. � A large ball of yarn

Forgiveness BalloonsPop ballooning grudges with pins of forgiveness.

10 min. � Balloons in two colors� Pins or thumbtacks

Student Bible Book: The UnforgivingServantStudents create their own Bible story book!

10 min. � Each student’s binder� Copies of Activity Sheet #1-22.D� A three-hole punch� Pens� Markers or crayons� A sample page (See below)

Closing Prayer 5 min.

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Background for TeachersForgiveness and MercyLast week your class learned about Transfiguration(Matthew 16:24-17:8). This week, your class willlearn about forgiveness through the parable of theUnforgiving Servant as told by Jesus in answer to aquestion from Peter (Matthew 18:15-35).

In this passage, Jesus’s answer to Peter’s questionabout how many times he must forgive someone elsehas been interpreted as seventy-seven times. It hasalso been interpreted as seventy times seven times.While Jesus’s intention is often understood to mean“forgive as many times as necessary,” it is importantto remember that this is not exactly what Jesus said.

Jesus goes on to highlight his point by telling aparable involving a king and two servants. At the endof the passage, Jesus reminds Peter that just as Godforgives us, so too should we forgive each other.

Bible Nuts and Bolts: ParablesThis week you will introduce the meaning of theword “parable” to your students. Your students willlearn that Jesus sometimes taught lessons by tellingstories about familiar people and places and thatthese lesson stories are called parables. But, parablesare not just any stories. Parables are a specific genreof stories that sets up a comparison between some-thing outside the story to something going on insidethe story (e.g. “The kingdom of heaven is like…”),uses common situations, and contains a surprisingtwist. While some of Jesus’ parables seem easy tointerpret, many are difficult and that’s okay! Thesurprising twist causes the listener to take time andmull the parable over.

Story ThemesAny passage of Scripture has innumerable themesand lessons for the student. However, a single lessoncannot cover everything. The following themes arethe focus of this lesson.

Peter asks Jesus how many times we mustforgive.  Jesus tells him, “seventy-seven times.” Asthe passage of the day opens, Peter is asking Jesushow many times he must forgive someone for some-thing they have done wrong to him. Jesus tells him“seventy-seven times.” Jesus then goes on to tell aparable that teaches a lesson about forgiveness.

Jesus tells a story of a king who forgives his servant,yet the servant does not forgive his friend. Theparable of the Unforgiving Servant teaches the les-son of forgiveness, illustrating the point that we areall equally deserving of both granting and receivingforgiveness.

Jesus reminds us that we should forgive and loveeach other just as God forgives and loves us. Yourstudents will learn the most important point of thismessage: Just as God forgives our sins over and overagain, we need to forgive each other as many timesas necessary.

Spiritual Practice: FellowshipThe “Living the Story” activity today has studentsdefining the spiritual practice of fellowship as a senseof community spirit by participating in a group exer-cise showing forgiveness and fellowship throughgiving and receiving handshakes and hugs.

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Lesson Plan

Into the Story (5 minutes)Heavy GrudgesForgiving others can lighten our loads!

You will need:� An assortment of rocks of various sizes and shapes, large enough to be bulky, but

small enough to be picked up and carried by all class members

Note:� This activity may span the whole class, or may be consolidated into a five-minute time

frame and completed before going on to the next activity.

Before class:1. Begin with a large quantity of rocks — as big and heavy as possible!2. Hand out the rocks to the students making sure they are heavy and unwieldy but not

impossible to hold. They can vary in size and shape and weight.

During class:1. Pass out the rocks and tell the students to hold on to them as long as they can

throughout the rest of the lesson.2. Take note of when they set their rocks down. Note: This may not be until the very

end of the lesson for some!3. At the end of the lesson, refer back to this opening and ask when the rocks begin to

bother them.4. Was it hard to do the activities during the lesson while holding onto your

rocks?5. What if you had to carry your rocks with you everyday, everywhere?6. What do you think these rocks represent? [Answers will vary but may include: grudges,

problems, etc.] What lessons did these rocks teach you? [Answers will vary butmay include: It’s tiring to carry a grudge for a long time!]

7. These rocks symbolize our grudges, our feelings of anger andfrustration due to a wrong done to us. When we hold on to our bitterness

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about something someone else did or said, we hold on to our pain and ourhurt. But if we learn to let go of our grudge and offer forgiveness instead, thenwe can begin to heal.

8. Feeling wronged and wronging others are heavy burdens to carry. Just asputting down the rocks gives relief, so too does letting go of wrongs throughforgiveness. But always remember that while forgiveness can mean healingand relief in many situations, forgiveness never means remaining in adangerous relationship!

Learning the Story (10 minutes)Empty BagsBring this week’s parable to life through a class skit!

You will need:� Copies of Activity Sheet #1-22.A� Large empty duffle bag� Small empty sandwich baggie� Crown (for King character)� Simple robes (for all characters)

During class:1. Pass out scripts, costumes, and props.2. Assign parts.3. Introduce the script by saying: If anyone has ever done anything rotten or

annoying or downright mean to you, then you probably know what Peter istalking about when he asks Jesus about how many times he should forgive.Let’s see what happens next!

4. Students step into their roles and act out the story according to the provided script.5. After the action is over, encourage discussion if time allows.

Bible Nuts and Bolts (10 minutes)Parables: Surprising StoriesDiscover what a parable is and create a class parable!

8© 2013-2014 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved

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You will need:� Copies of Activity Sheet #1-22.B� Copies of Activity Sheet #1-22.C� Bibles (optional)

During class:1. Let’s talk parables!2. Can anyone tell me what a parable is? [Answers will vary but may include: A story with a

lesson, a story with a twist, a story told by Jesus.]3. A parable is a story that teaches a lesson and usually has a surprise or twist as

well. Jesus sometimes spoke in parables. Can you think of any examples? [Answerswill vary but may include: The Unforgiving Servant, The Good Samaritan, The Lost Sheep, TheMustard Seed.]

4. Let’s look at the parable in our lesson today, the parable of The UnforgivingServant.

5. What is the lesson Jesus is teaching by telling this parable? [Forgiveness is an act ofmercy that should be shown by everybody!]

6. A parable also involves comparing something outside the story to somethinggoing on inside the story. What is Jesus comparing in the parable of TheUnforgiving Servant? [Jesus is comparing Peter forgiving someone only seven times to the behavior ofthe first servant in the parable.]

7. A parable usually has a surprise as well. What is the surprise in this parable?[Answers will vary but may include: The huge amount of money lent by a king to a servant; a servantbeing forgiven by his king but refusing to forgive his fellow servant!]

8. Most parables make us stop and think about something specific. About what doesthis parable make you stop and think? [Answers will vary but may include: That we areforgiven so much, that it is silly for us to not forgive others!]

9. Let’s try creating a parable of our own!10. Pass out Activity Sheet #1-22.C.11. Our first step is to choose a topic. Let’s make this parable be about friendship!12. Our second step is to describe our topic. In other words, how does friendship

make us feel? [Answers will vary but may include: happy, good, joyful, etc.]13. Now, let’s think of a comparison… What else makes us feel this same way?

[Answers will vary but may include: drinking hot cocoa on a snowy day, warm cookies fresh out of theoven, etc.]

14. Using our topic, description and comparison, let’s put the parts together andcreate a mini-story with a surprise twist!

15. Allow time for discussion and collaboration either as a whole class or in smallgroups as students work together to create a simple parable using the chosentopic, description and comparisons. If the class seems stuck, feel free to offer thefollowing example...

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16. Our story might compare friendship to hot cocoa and it might be about gettingcaught in a snow storm, ducking into an empty house, expecting a cold andempty kitchen, and discovering a warm mug of hot cocoa waiting for us in asurprising twist!

17. This story has the essentials of a parable — the comparison (hot cocoa andfriendship) the description (friendship is a warm and happy feeling), the surprise(hot cocoas in an empty kitchen!) and the reflection (friendships can appear out ofnowhere and when you least expect them!)

18. After the parables are completed (and/or the time is up), gather the class back togetherand read the parables out loud, allowing time for discussion and reflection if possible.

Note:� If time is an issue, the second half of this activity may be skipped and the parable

worksheet saved for later.

Living the Story (15 minutes)All Around ForgivenessForgiving one another as God forgives us.

You will need:� Nothing

During class:1. Forgiveness is essential to building strong relationships and communities. When

problems come up, we need to know both how to request and receive forgiveness.This is not easy to do. Sometimes it can be just as hard to say “I’m sorry,” as it isto say “I forgive you.” And sometimes it might feel like giving in to forgivesomeone, but this is usually not true.

2. Forgiveness is not saying everything is okay. It is saying that you are agreeing tolet go of a grudge, to move forward and rebuild. Forgiveness is a choice.Forgiveness is a strength. Forgiveness is an act of faith. Just as God forgives usover and over again, so too must we forgive each other.

3. Let’s try forgiving each other right here, right now.4. The first person will say they are sorry for doing or saying something.

This can be general or specific, hypothetical or real. The other personwill then say, “I forgive you,” and the two people will share a handshakeor hug.

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5. Turn to the student on your left and say, I’m sorry for anything that I have done tohurt you. Can you forgive me? [I forgive you.] Exchange a handshake or hug.

6. Continue in the same manner moving around the circle.7. After all students have asked for and received forgiveness and shared a handshake or

hug, finish with a reminder: Forgiveness does not mean it’s okay for someone tohurt you and keep on hurting you! If someone is doing that, you should speak upand tell a responsible adult right away. Hurting others is never okay!

Additional ActivitiesSpider Web (15 minutes)Connected by kindness and fellowship!

You will need:� A large ball of yarn

During class:1. Sit with the students in a circle on the floor.2. Holding a large ball of yarn, start a story of a time that something went wrong, then,

holding the end of the yarn, roll the ball to a student somewhere across from you.3. That student will hold a section of yarn, add the next story line, and then roll the ball

across the circle to another student.4. That student will then add another line of the story and pass the yarn to a new student,

and the process will continue until the story is complete.5. Focus on the ideas of forgiveness as you participate together in fellowship for this web

activity.6. The story should be simple and focused on a time that something went wrong, an

apology was given, and forgiveness was granted.7. Possible story starters may include: “I didn’t mean to break my brother’s favorite toy,

but...” “I was trying to help my mom make dinner when …” etc.

Note:� Make sure all students hold the section of yarn as it is passed to them in order for the

spider web design to effectively connect the group at the end of the game.

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Forgiveness Balloons (10 minutes)Pop ballooning grudges with pins of forgiveness!

You will need:� Balloons in two colors� Pins or thumbtacks

Before class:1. Gather some costume accessories to use during this game. Ideal accessories are hats,

scarves, jewelry, and other small items.

During class:1. Split the class into two groups by going around and counting off by twos.2. Tell the students they will be working in two teams.3. Have on hand two different color balloons — enough for the whole class.4. Pass out the balloons, one for each person, making sure that each team receives balloons

of only one color.5. Have each team blow up their balloons. Using permanent markers, instruct students to

carefully write on their balloons something that would merit an apology in hopes offorgiveness, for example: “I broke the teacher’s vase.” “I hurt my sister’s feelings.” “I wasrude to my dad.”

6. These balloons are like bubbles of anger and grudges, but guess what?Forgiveness can pop grudge bubbles just like pins pop balloons!

7. The goal of this game is to pop the other team’s grudges before they pop yours.8. The rules are simple: Keep your team’s balloons up in the air while you are

popping the other team’s balloons, and every time you pop a balloon, be sure tosay, “I forgive you!”

9. Pass out pins and tell the students that on the count of three they will release theirballoons and the game will begin.

10. The first team to ‘forgive’ their opponent's grudges by popping all of their balloons is thewinner!

Throw It Out (10 minutes)Pop ballooning grudges with pins of forgiveness!

You will need:� Small pieces of paper� Pens or pencils

12© 2013-2014 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved

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During class:1. One way to practice letting go of a grudge is as simple as crumpling a piece of

paper and throwing it away!2. Pass out pieces of paper and pens/pencils.3. Write down something that happened to you recently that you are still mad or sad

or frustrated about.4. Set a trashcan in the middle of the classroom.5. Now crumple your words into a ball and throw it into the trashcan!6. Write down another grudge, crumple it up and throw it into the trash as well!7. Continue as many times as desired, leaving time for a short discussion at the end.8. How did it feel to throw your grudges away? [Answers will vary but may include: good,

relieving, freeing, etc.]9. We used a trashcan to get rid of our grudges after writing them down on piece of

paper. What other ways could we get rid of grudges we choose to write down?[Answers will vary but may include: tear it up, soak it in water, bury it in the garden, etc.]

10. Remember, forgiving is something you do without expecting anything in return.Just as God forgives us over and over and over again, we should forgive eachother.

Student Bible Book: The Unforgiving Servant (10 minutes)Students create their own Bible story book!

You will need:� A three-ring binder for each student (See Note)� Copies of Activity Sheet #1-22.D on 8.5” x 11” cardstock paper or plain paper� A three-hole punch� Pens� Markers and/or crayons� A sample page (See below)

Before class:1. Create a sample page using the instructions below to demonstrate to students

approximately what their page should look like.2. You may copy the activity sheet onto the cardstock, or just have students write it all

themselves.

During class:1. Hand out one piece of cardstock paper and a pen to each student.

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2. Show students the sample page you made before class.3. Say: This year in class we are going to create our own Bible books of the stories

we will cover.4. If you did not copy the activity sheet onto the cardstock, instruct students to write the

name of the story on the top of their page (in portrait orientation) and write the passageunderneath the title.

5. Ask: What are some of the important things we have learned from this story?[Answers will vary, see story themes for suggested answers]

6. On the bottom of your page, please write one or two important things that youhave learned from this story. In the middle of the page, draw a picture from thestory or illustrate one of your important things you’ve learned.

7. When students are finished, have them put their names on the back and collect the pages.Three-hole punch the papers and put them in individual binders for each student to bekept at church until the end of the year.

Closing PrayerBefore ending class, make a point to come together to pray. Use the following or say your ownprayer.

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Empty BagsCharacters:� Peter� Jesus� King� Servant One� Servant Two� Police officer� Crowd

PETER: Lord, if someone is doing or saying something mean to me, how many times do I

have to forgive him?

JESUS: Seventy-seven times. Sometimes even more.

PETER: Seriously? That’s a lot of forgiving! What if it’s my little sister? I don’t really have to

forgive her that many times, do I?

JESUS: Yes, you really do. You should forgive anyone who asks as many times as it take.

Remember, forgiveness is for everyone, even little sisters. If a king can forgive, so can

you.

[Action: The king and Servant One enter. Servant One is holding a big empty duffel bag. The king is

wearing a crown.]

KING: Did you bring back all the gold that I lent to you?

SERVANT ONE: Well, sir, the thing is… I sort of spent that bag of gold.

KING: You spent it? All of it?!

SERVANT ONE: [turning the empty duffel bag upside down and shaking it] All of it.

KING: That wasn’t very smart, was it? How can you pay me back now.

SERVANT ONE: I can’t pay you back. I’m so sorry!

Costumes:� Crown (for King)� Robes (for all)

Props:� Empty large duffel bag� Empty small sandwich baggie

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KING: If you can’t pay me back, you’ll have to go to jail!

SERVANT ONE: [dropping to his/her knees] Please, sir, no! Don’t send me to jail! Have mercy

on me, I beg.

KING: Rise, and do not worry. You have my mercy. Your debt is forgiven. You may go.

SERVANT ONE: Oh, thank you, sir! I shall never forget your mercy and your generous

forgiveness!

[Action: Servant One hurries outside, runs into Servant Two]

SERVANT ONE: Hey, you! You owe me money!

SERVANT TWO [backing away from the angry Servant One]: Yes, but I don’t - I can’t - I haven’t

got it. I can’t pay you back.

SERVANT ONE: Prove it! Empty your pockets.

SERVANT TWO: [turning pockets inside out and shaking the empty sandwich bag] See? Here is the

pouch that had the silver I borrowed from you.

SERVANT ONE: Unacceptable! If you can’t pay me back, then you have to go to jail!

SERVANT TWO [dropping to his/her knees] Please, sir, no, don’t send me to jail! Have mercy

on me, I beg.

SERVANT ONE: No mercy. It’s off to jail with you! Police — take him away!

[Action: Police officer “drags” Servant Two off stage]

KING: What is this? What have you done, Servant One?

CROWD: He threw Servant Two in jail!

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KING: I showed you mercy but you showed none. It is you who should be in jail. Police —

take him away!

[Action: Police officer drags Servant One off stage. Crowd cheers.]

JESUS: So, Peter, remember, forgiveness is something to be given to all who ask, no matter

who they are. Just as God forgives you, so too must you forgive others.

PETER: Okay, I get it. Forgiveness is for everyone. We need to be able to forgive over and

over and over again. I will learn how to forgive anyone who asks as many times as it

takes. It won’t be easy, but I’ll do my best.

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Parts of a Parable

A parable uses familiar things to makecomparisons (I) in order to describe some-thing new or unknown (II) with a surpris-ing twist (III) that leads listeners to reactand reflect even after the story has ended(IV).

I. COMPARISON (metaphor or simile)

II. DESCRIPTION (relating the unfamil-iar to the familiar)

III. TWIST or SURPRISE

IV. POINT TO PONDER (similar to themoral of the story)

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How to Write a ParableStep 1: Select a topic...

My topic is: ________________.

Step 2: Describe the topic…

________________ makes me feel ________________.

Step 3: Find a comparison…

Something else that makes me feel ________________ is________________.

Step 4: Put Steps 1, 2 and 3 together in a short story with asurprise twist!

_________________________________________________________.

_________________________________________________________.

_________________________________________________________.

_________________________________________________________.

_________________________________________________________.

Step 5: Read and reflect

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The Unforgiving ServantMatthew 18:15-35

I learned:

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

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The Story @ Home

Forgiveness and MercyLast week your child learned about Transfiguration (Mat-thew 16:24-17:8). This week, your child learned aboutforgiveness through the parable of the Unforgiving Ser-vant (Matthew 18:15-35).

In this passage, Jesus’s answer to Peter’s question abouthow many times he must forgive has been interpreted asseventy-seven times. It has also been interpreted asseventy times seven times. While Jesus’s intention isoften understood to mean “forgive as many times asnecessary,” it is important to remember that this is notexactly what Jesus said.

Jesus goes on to highlight his point by telling a parableinvolving a king and two servants. At the end of thepassage, Jesus reminds Peter that just as God forgives us,so too should we forgive each other.

Bible Nuts and Bolts: ParablesThis week your child was introduced to the meaning ofthe word “parable.” Your child learned that Jesus some-times taught lessons by telling stories about familiarpeople and places and that these lesson stories are calledparables. But, parables are not just any stories. Parablesare a specific genre of stories that sets up a comparisonbetween something outside the story to something goingon inside the story (e.g. “The kingdom of heaven islike…”), uses common situations, and contains a surpris-ing twist. While some of Jesus’ parables seem easy tointerpret, many are difficult and that’s okay! The surpris-ing twist causes the listener to take time and mull theparable over.

Story ThemesAny passage of Scripture has innumerable themes andlessons for the student. However, a single lesson cannotcover everything. The following themes were the focusof this lesson.

Peter asks Jesus how many times we must forgive. Jesustells him, “seventy-seven times.” As the passage of theday opens, Peter is asking Jesus how many times he mustforgive someone for something they have done wrong tohim. Jesus tells him “seventy-seven times.” Jesus thengoes on to relate a parable to teaching the lesson thatforgiveness should be freely given.

Jesus tells a story of a king who forgives his servant, yetthe servant does not forgive his friend. The parable ofthe Unforgiving Servant was the focus of this passage.This is a parable that teaches the lesson of forgiveness,illustrating the point that we are all equally deserving ofboth granting and receiving forgiveness.

Jesus reminds us that we should forgive and love eachother just as God forgives and loves us. Your childlearned the most important point of this message: Just asGod forgives us our sins over and over again, so tooshould we forgive each other the sins and mistakes ofeveryday life as many times as is needed.

Spiritual Practice: FellowshipThe “Living the Story” activity had your child definingthe spiritual practice of fellowship as a sense of commu-nity spirit by participating in a group exercise of forgive-ness that consisted of giving and receiving handshakesand hugs.

Narrative Lectionary, Year 1

Page 22: LtW Lesson 1-22 Teacher Guide (3rd-6th) · 2015-02-17 · Last week your class learned about Transfiguration (Matthew 16:24-17:8). This week, your class will learn about forgiveness

Try it@ HOME

Forgiveness is not always easy to give or receive, but through our faith in God and the knowledge that God forgives us everything, we too can findthe strength to forgive. In your family devotion time, pray for mercy and strength to both give and receive forgiveness. Perhaps a different personcould end each daily devotion by saying, “With God’s help, I will forgive.” And the family could respond with a rousing, “Amen!”

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Last week we learned about Transfiguration (Matthew 16:24-17:8). This week, we focused on forgiveness throughthe parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:15-35). Next week we will hear another parable when we lookat Matthew 20: 1-16 and hear the story of the Workers in the Vineyard.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Matthew 6:14-15 Matthew 18: 21-22 Luke 6:37 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 Mark 11:25 Matthew 6:14-15 Ephesians 4:32We all do thingswrong sometimes.Raise your hand ifyou’ve ever donesomething wrong.Did you apologizeand ask for forgive-ness?

Jesus says to for-give over and overand over again -seven times seventyor seventy-seventimes. Try sharingseventy-seven hugsas a family.

In order to forgive,we must rememberthat we are all equalin the eyes of God.Make a promise notto judge others, andfinish with a familypledge to forgiveand be forgiven.

Show forgivenessthrough an act oflove such as a smileor happy word.Learn the sign lan-guage sign for loveand practice as afamily.

Try standing andpraying for forgive-ness as a family,going around thetable with each per-son offering a per-sonal prayer for aminor wrongdoing.

Practice forgivingeach other for thingsthat were said anddone in moment ofweakness over thelast few days. Practicesaying the words “Iforgive you” to eachother and includingthe words in the finalprayer as well.

Who do you needto ask forgivenessfrom? Who do youneed to give for-giveness to? Closeyour eyes and visu-alize the personyou want to forgiveand then offer aprayer for thestrength to do so inthe coming week.

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