Prepare your session
Tips on preparing this week's sessions for children and young people
Use the Jump menu on the right to find Bible notes and other resources.
Prepare your children's session
Prepare your very young children's session
Prepare your young people's session
Prepare your children's session
Read Bible notes on Matthew 13:31-33,44-52
We live in a world of instant access and we often crave immediate gratification. These parables remind us that the people of Jesus’ day had similar instincts. Jesus challenged their thinking and expectations. The kingdom is both here and coming, and we too must wait and trust to see its fulfilment. What is it that we are waiting for?
The well-known ‘marshmallow test’ film shows that children with good impulse control can resist the temptation to eat one sweet and are rewarded with a bigger prize. There is a lesson to learn in waiting, saving up for, counting down to receive something precious that many children will relate to. Here we discover that God’s big prize comes to those who wait and trust.
Prepare your very young children's session
Provide the following play materials for very young children throughout the session: sorting toys.
Prepare your young people's session
Read Bible notes on Matthew 13:31-33,44-52
We read five short parables in which the kingdom is described as an influence and as items worth waiting and paying for. How do you understand the kingdom of God as both something here and now and anticipated?
Ultimately, God decides people’s fates. Our role is to keep seeking and spreading the kingdom. How will you encourage trust in God rather than fear from this passage? Time is a key element in all the parables. In a time of waiting, we need to trust. The disciples answered that they understood all this, do we?
Some of the young people may be waiting for exam results. Some may be about to go on long-awaited holidays. Be prepared to share the concerns and joys of these.