Parable of the Weeds

Jesus Takes Away Our Sins

Based on Matthew 13:24-30

Objective
To show that weeds in the lawn are like sins in our lives, having the potential to destroy us;

To teach that Jesus can take away the weeds in our lives;

To teach that Jesus can restore us back to life.

Materials
A few fresh weeds dug out from the garden.

A bag to carry the weeds.

Green crepe paper cut into wide long strips, (about seven or so and 0.5 m long).

A box to carry the cut paper strips.

Drama Points
1. To help settle the children, begin as quickly as possible.

2. Pull out a weed from the bag and ask the children whether they know what kind of plant this is. Someone will know it is a weed.

3. "Yes, it is a weed. I have not been doing any gardening for awhile, and yesterday I noticed that my wonderful green lawn was nearly covered with weeds. It did not look like a lawn any longer."

4. Pull out the other weeds to show the variety of weeds found in the lawn.

5. Explain the nature of weeds. "Weeds can cover the grass, they can kill the grass, they can change the lawn into a nasty weed patch. It can happen quickly especially when you don't look after your lawn."

6. (Change direction.) "Jesus talks about weeds in the Bible. Weeds are like sins in our lives, but these weeds, you can't see, they are inside us."

7. Take out from the box one of the crepe paper strips. Hold it up and say, "I have a pretend weed, and I'm going to call it, hate. Perhaps there is someone at school that you hate, well that's a weed". Drape that weed over your shoulder, so that it becomes "a part of you."

8. Repeat the process with as many strips of paper as you can, covering your shoulders, arms, and especially your head. The weeds could be called various things such as: stealing, disobeying parents, not listening to the teacher, not allowing others to play in the same game, being selfish, making someone else cry, and so on.

9. Afterwards say to the children, "The weeds in my life have changed me, look at me, you can hardly see who I am. Some people may think I'm just a big nasty weed. The weeds have changed me, and I feel terrible."

10. "There is good news. Jesus can take away the weeds in our lives. Every time you pray to Jesus to forgive you, he takes away a weed." (Peel off a strip of paper from yourself.)

11. "Every time you pray to Jesus to help you to be more loving, he takes away a weed." (Peel off another strip of paper.)

12. "Every time you admit you've done wrong, Jesus takes away a sin." Peel off another strip of paper.

13. "Jesus can take away the weeds in our lives." Remove the remaining strips of paper.

14. "With all the weeds gone, then Jesus and everyone can see clearly the beautiful person that God meant you to be."

15. Finish with prayer, "Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us and taking care of us everyday, please take away the weeds in our lives, so that we can grow into the person that you intended us to be. Amen."

Copyright 2008 Martin Ellgar

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