The greatest of all — Weekly Christian ed lesson

Lesson background

Rating things seems to be an inherent human behavior. We all have our favorite places to eat, our favorite vacation spots, and even our favorite hymns. We rank student grade point averages from highest to lowest. And we classify everything from books and movies to neighborhoods from “best to worst.” It’s no wonder that Jesus’ disciples sought to determine which was “the greatest” in Jesus’ eyes. And it’s also not surprising that Jesus gives them a much different answer than they expect. In this lesson, children will explore Mark 9:33-37 and will consider what it means to welcome one another in Jesus’ name.

What you’ll need

• A Bible
• Ask Us! Activity: chart paper and markers (optional)
• Welcome vs. Belonging Activity: a whiteboard or chart paper, markers, a computer with Internet access and the video “IMPACT Kids: From Acceptance to Belonging” (optional)

Starting out

Greet the children as they arrive.

Either/or Game

Tell the children that they’ll be playing a game. In this game, they’ll be given a series of choices between two options. One side of the room will represent one option and the other will represent the second option. Each person needs to decide which of the two options is best. They’ll indicate their choice by moving to the side of the room the leader has designated for that option.

Present each of these pairs of options. Feel free to add others, if you’d like. As you read the two options, point to one side of the room for the first option and the other side of the room for the second option to show the children where they should move to indicate their choices.

Option pairs:

• pizza or tacos
• morning or evening
• football or basketball
• dogs or cats
• pancakes or waffles
• math or reading
• singing or dancing
• board games or video games

After playing several rounds of the game, ask the children how they made their choices. Were some choices harder than others? Why?

Hearing and exploring the story

Prepare to read aloud Mark 9:33-37.

Provide the children with context for the reading:

• This story comes from the New Testament Gospel of Mark.
• As the story begins, Jesus and his disciples are arriving in a new town. They have been traveling together. In various towns, Jesus has healed people who were sick, taught the people, and has been questioned by religious leaders.
• This story shows Jesus talking about children. In the period when Jesus was living on earth, children were treated much differently than they are today. Children were important because they allowed their families to grow and continue. However, because there wasn’t the medical care there is today, children might not live past childhood. In addition, children couldn’t help with the important life tasks so they were seen as people who needed to be taken care of but who didn’t give back a lot. Because of this, children were particularly helpless.

Read aloud Mark 9:33-37.

After reading the story, ask:

• What are the disciples arguing about? Why do you think they are having this argument?
• What do you think Jesus means when he tells the disciples “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all”?
• Why do you think Jesus tells the disciples it is important for them to welcome children?
• What does it mean for you (as children) to be welcomed in the church?
• Do you feel welcome in your congregation? Why or why not?

Responding to the story

To help the children connect the story to their own lives and experiences, invite them to engage in one or both of the following activities:

• Ask Us!: Gather the materials you’ll need for this activity: chart paper and markers. Share with the children that adults often discuss ways to make sure kids feel welcome and included in the church. However, adults don’t always remember to ask children what makes them feel included in the church. Ask the children to share things that their church community does that make them feel important in the life of the church. Write these on the chart paper using one color marker. Then, ask the children what would make them feel even more included in the church. Record these on the chart paper using another color marker. Consider sharing the children’s feedback with the church’s Session and/or Worship committee.
• Welcome vs. Belonging: Gather the materials you’ll need for this activity: a whiteboard or chart paper, markers, a computer with Internet access and the video “IMPACT Kids: From Acceptance to Belonging.” Write “welcome” on one side of the whiteboard or chart paper. Ask the children to share what this word means to them. Then, write “belonging” on the other side. Have the children define this word. Explore how these two ideas are different. Welcome usually means accepting someone into a group but not necessarily embracing all that they are. Belonging means that the person feels like they are fully part of the group. Prepare to show the video. Tell the children that the video uses the word “acceptance” instead of “welcome.” Show the video. Discuss how the ideas in the video can be used in our lives.