A Simple Lesson on the Heart

Note: we begin each Sunday School this way:

1. We remind the kids of the Jesus Prayer is:
Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me.
We take the blue bag of prayer ropes and hand one out to each child.
We say the prayer together about 7 times or so.

2. If there are any new children we write down their names, 
birthday, names day and date of names day.
About this time we pass out the first cracker, of which they will be quite excited about.

3. Then we begin the lesson.

*
The lesson today is about how Christ can come
to help us pray.
The lesson is reading from the book

the Hidden Garden

This talks about caring for the garden of our heart, 

so very much in line with cultivating the Jesus Prayer 

in our lives. 

*
In this story who is waiting for us to help us with
the garden of our heart?
*
Remind them of our lesson on the church year,
how Jesus said he came to heal our hearts
so they can be a dwelling place of God.
Show them the icon of Jesus in the temple
saying that the verses He just read in Isaiah are
now fulfilled, come true.
*
This story shows how Jesus is wanting to heal our
hearts by putting wonderful things in
like love, peace and patience.
What are ways that we can love?
Can we ask Jesus to help us love and have
our hearts be filled with good flowers like in the story,
of love, peace, patience, forgiveness?
*
Craft idea:
have the children draw Jesus healing their hearts
and what flowers can grow when Jesus is helping us.
*

Be sure to recollect the prayer ropes at the end of class and put them

in the blue drawstring bag!