Lesson 4: Jesus Visits Mary and Martha

Welcome

            Thank kids for coming.

            Just for fun, have preschoolers give an “elbow-five” to three friends.

            Make announcements.

            Introduce new kids.

            Celebrate birthdays by having preschoolers say “happy birthday” three times while hopping up and down.

            Collect the offering.

Introduce the Lesson

            Say: Today we’ll learn that Jesus wants to be our friend.

Share

            Say: We all like to have friends. Our friends are people we like because we think they’re nice or they like the same kinds of things we do. 

            Tell about one of your friends and what you like about your friend. You might say that your friend is helpful, makes you laugh, or is fun to play with.

            In leader-led small groups, have preschoolers tell about one of their friends and what they like about that friend. They might say their friends are fun to be around, funny, or kind.

            After groups have discussed, have the adult or teen helpers in each group share something their group talked about.

            Say: It’s great to have friends! Jesus wants to be our friend, too. He wants to be our friend because he loves us.

Summarize

            Open a Bible, and say: Today we’ll learn about being friends with Jesus. We’ll dig into the Bible. The Bible is God’s special book. God uses the Bible to talk to us. He’s always here, and he wants to talk to you now.

            Pray, thanking Jesus that he wants to be our friend.

Tip 

Sing Songs to God

            Sing the three songs in any order.

Talk About Chatting With Our Friends

            Say: Today we’ve been talking about friendship. Spending time with our friends is so much fun—playing together, watching movies, eating snacks, exploring outside! And something we do with our friends during all of those activities is talk together.

            Ask: • What are some things you talk to your friends about? Share your own example first, such as talking about new movies you’ve seen, what you’re making for dinner, or how you’re excited for an upcoming trip.

            Say: Someone else we can talk to about all of those things is Jesus! Even though we can’t see him, we can talk to Jesus about anything because Jesus wants to be our friend.

            Our craft today is called a chat mat! Show the sample craft. Our craft can remind us that we can chat with Jesus anytime and about anything! He wants to hear everything you’re thinking, because Jesus is your friend.  

Make the Chat Mats

            Give kids each a paper grocery bag, duct-taped side down, and let them decorate the top of the bag however they wish with the provided supplies. While children work, help them talk about why they like knowing that Jesus wants to be their friend.

            Once children have finished decorating, let them place cotton balls or another type of stuffing inside the bag to give their mats plenty of cushioning. When they’ve added enough stuffing, help children fold over the opening of the bag and staple it closed.

Chat on the Mats

            As kids finish their mats, have them each find a place in your room to sit on their chat mats with a friend who has also finished. Have pairs chat about what their favorite games are to play with their friends. After everyone has finished, say: In our Bible story today, we heard about how Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to everything Jesus said. Let’s practice listening to Jesus right now, too!

            Have children each find a place in the room to sit on their chat mats, away from other children. If you like, turn on reflective music and dim the lights, and have children spend a minute or so talking and listening to Jesus. You can also have children lie on their stomachs on their mats with their heads down so they can avoid being distracted while listening to Jesus. After about a minute, turn off the music and have preschoolers share if they heard Jesus say anything to them. You can also ask children how they felt while they prayed, and tell kids that feelings of peace, love, or warmth are also a way Jesus lets us know he is with us.  

Talk About Friends

            Say: Jesus wants to be our friend! He wants us to learn about him. And he wants us to talk to him. He wants to spend time with us. And he wants to do all the things that friends do!

            Share some preschool-friendly things you like to do with friends.

            Ask: • What things do you like to do with your friends?

            Say: Thanks for sharing! Those all sound like great things to do with friends! Today we’ll learn what Jesus liked to do with his friends. And since Jesus wants to be our friend, we’ll learn what we can do with our friend Jesus.

Practice Being Good Friends

            Say: Let’s hear a Bible story about Jesus and his friends right now. Open the Bible to Luke 10. Jesus was taking a trip, and he stopped at a friend’s house. His friend’s name was Martha, and she welcomed him into her home. That means she said, “Come on in, Jesus! I’m happy you’re here!” Martha’s sister, Mary, was there to welcome Jesus, too.

            Let’s practice being welcoming to friends like Martha and Mary were to Jesus. Help kids line up in equal, parallel lines. If you don’t have an even number of kids, have an adult or teen helper join the shorter line. (He or she can kneel.) Children across from each other in opposite lines will join their palms together above their heads to make a tunnel—but you’ll explain to kids that they’re making a “home with a pointy roof.” Show the children on one end of the “home” how to disconnect their outside hands and wave to welcome people into the home. Choose two children to step out of the lines. They’ll go to one end of the lines and walk through to the opposite end. When they make it to the end, they can join the “home.” The children who welcomed the first pair can detach from the home and then be welcomed into the home. Continue until all pairs have been welcomed into the home.

            Say: Great job welcoming all our friends into our home! We can each be a good friend to Jesus when we welcome him. We can welcome him by telling him we want to be friends with him. We can also welcome Jesus by talking to him about what we think and feel. I might tell Jesus when I’m happy, and I might tell him when I’m mad or sad. Even though we can’t see him, he’s our friend; so he wants us to talk to him! These are great ways to welcome our friend Jesus.

            Let’s see what happened after Martha and Mary welcomed Jesus into their home. Point to the Bible again. Jesus began to teach his friends about God. While Jesus taught, Martha was hard at work. She was making a special meal for her friend Jesus. A meal is just a plate of food.

            Let’s pretend to make a meal for Jesus, like Martha did. Give each child a paper plate. Spread out the magazine pages and glue sticks, and then help the children choose at least three foods that they could serve to their friend Jesus. Have them glue the foods to the plates. As children finish, let them briefly show the group what they chose.

            Say: You made some good meals for Jesus! Like we made pretend meals for our friend Jesus, Martha showed Jesus she wanted to be his friend when she made a meal for him. She was a friend to Jesus when she brought him food. She served him the food. And she helped his tummy not be hungry. We can be a good friend to Jesus, too, by serving and being helpful to others.

            Share a couple of preschool-friendly ways you can serve Jesus. For example, you serve Jesus by teaching preschoolers about Jesus. You also might serve Jesus by giving food to hungry people or clothes to people who don’t have clean clothes to wear.

            Ask: • When we help others, that’s a way to serve Jesus. What are some ways you can serve Jesus? Help preschoolers think of ways they can serve Jesus. Older preschoolers will have an easier time with this. With younger preschoolers, you can simply give them examples if they don’t have any ideas. For example, they can serve Jesus by helping a parent put away silverware or by picking up toys at home.

            Say: When we do anything to help people, Jesus loves that. That’s a way to serve Jesus. It’s a way to show Jesus we’re his friend. But it’s not the only way.

            Martha thought serving was the best way to be a good friend to Jesus. She thought Mary should serve Jesus like she was. But while Jesus was teaching, Mary was just sitting and listening to Jesus. Lead the children to pretend to sit and listen like Mary did by sitting quietly for 10 seconds. Say: Jesus said he liked that! Jesus thought Mary was being a good friend by listening to him. And Mary wanted to spend time with her friend Jesus. Mary wanted to learn more about Jesus! Sometimes just spending time with a friend, like Mary was, is a good way to be a friend.

            Let’s practice being friends by spending time with each other like Mary spent time with Jesus. Put children in pairs. Then lead them in taking turns telling each other things they like about themselves. Remind them that they’re listening and sharing because those are great ways to learn about a friend.

            Say: Mary showed Jesus he was her friend by listening to him. Jesus loved spending time with Mary, and he loves spending time with you! Jesus wants to be your friend! You can spend time with your friend Jesus when you sing songs to him. You can also spend time with him when you listen to someone read the Bible to you. The Bible helps us learn all kinds of things about Jesus. We’re spending time with Jesus right now by learning about him! Share a couple of other ways you spend time with Jesus, such as praying or going to church. If children have other ideas about ways to spend time with Jesus, invite them to share.

Sing About Friendship With Jesus

            Say: Let’s sing a song about being friends with Jesus. Lead children in singing the following verses to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Lead children to do the different actions for each verse.

            (walk in a circle with their arms around each other)

            Jesus wants to be our friend,

            Be our friend, be our friend;

            Jesus wants to be our friend,

            He is always with us.

            (stop walking, turn to any friends nearby, and make a talking motion with hands)

            Jesus wants to talk with us,

            Talk with us, talk with us;

            Jesus wants to talk with us,

            He is always with us.

            (cup hand around ear and lean toward any friends nearby)

            We can listen to Jesus,

            To Jesus, to Jesus;

            We can listen to Jesus,

            He is always with us.

            (continue walking in a circle and clap hands)

            We can praise and thank Jesus,

            Thank Jesus, thank Jesus;

            We can praise and thank Jesus,

            He is always with us.

            (walk in a circle with their arms around each other)

            Jesus wants to be our friend,     Be our friend, be our friend;

            Jesus wants to be our friend,

            He is always with us.

            Repeat the song several times.

            Say: Just like we sang, Jesus wants to be our friend. He wants to be the best of friends with us!

Tip 

Discuss and Watch “Jesus and His Friends”

            Say: We’re learning that Jesus wants to be our friend. But what does it really mean to be friends with Jesus? Let’s watch what happened with Mary and Martha and see what we can learn.

            Watch “Jesus and His Friends.”

            Ask: • Based on this Bible story, what’s important to Jesus?

            • Would you rather be friends with Mary or Martha? Why?

            • We can’t sit down face to face with Jesus. So how can we spend time with him as a friend?

            Say: Jesus wasn’t mad at Martha for serving food and cleaning the house. But the most important thing to him was spending time with his friends, and Martha was missing out on that. Jesus wants to be our friend and spend time with us, too.

Tip

• Before printing, turn on page numbering in Word to keep the pages in order (or simply hand-number each page after printing). You may also find it helpful to highlight your part and set the script on a music stand nearby during the skit.

Leader: It’s time for our puppy friend, Theo, to come for a visit. Let’s call him to our class with a “woof, woof.” Ready? (Leads kids to bark until Theo is brought into view.)

Theo: Hooowwloo, friends! (Howls.) I have an itchy-itch, right here. (Points to his head.) Would you give me a scratch? (Circulates among kids so each child can pet him.)

Leader: Great job welcoming Theo!

Theo: Yeah, that was a great scratch!

Leader: We’re glad you’re here today, Theo.

Theo: I’m happy to see all my friends, too.

Leader: Today we’re learning about friendship and about being friends with Jesus. Jesus wants to be our friend!

Theo: Jesus is the best friend!

Leader: He is! Do you want to learn the song we learned about friendship with Jesus?

Theo: A song! (Wiggles excitedly.) I love songs! I do want to learn a song from my friends! (Hugs each child excitedly.)

Leader: Wow! I knew you liked songs, but you’re even more excited than I expected you’d be!

Theo: It’s just good to know I have friends here who I can hug, and who will give me a scratch, and who I can talk with and sing with!

Leader: We’re glad you’re here, too. Are you ready to sing with us?

Theo: Yes!

Leader: Let’s teach him the song, kids! (Leads kids in teaching Theo the following song to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” along with the motions.)

            (Walk in a circle with arms around one other.)

            Jesus wants to be our friend,

           Be our friend, be our friend;

           Jesus wants to be our friend,

            He is always with us.

            (Stop walking, turn to any friends nearby, and make a talking motion with hands.)

            Jesus wants to talk with us,

            Talk with us, talk with us;

            Jesus wants to talk with us,

            He is always with us.

            (Cup hand around ear, and lean toward any friends nearby.)

            We can listen to Jesus,

            To Jesus, to Jesus;

            We can listen to Jesus,

            He is always with us.

            (Walk in a circle and clap hands.)

            We can praise and thank Jesus,

           Thank Jesus, thank Jesus;

           We can praise and thank Jesus,

           He is always with us.

            (Walk in a circle with arms around one another.)

            Jesus wants to be our friend,

           Be our friend, be our friend;

           Jesus wants to be our friend,

            He is always with us.

            (Repeat as time allows.)

Theo: Wow! There are lots of ways to spend time with Jesus and be his friend.

Leader: That’s right!

Theo: (Quickly lifts a paw to an ear.) I hear my mom calling. I’d better go!

Leader: Okay, Theo. Kids, let’s give Theo a quick “woof, woof, goodbye”! (Leads kids to say “woof, woof, goodbye,” and then places Theo out of sight.)

Listen to the Sounds of Glasses

            Help preschoolers form groups of six and sit in a circle.

            Give each group two glasses of water and two metal spoons.

            Say: We’ve been learning that Jesus wants to be our friend. And Jesus taught Martha that friends listen to each other. Let’s practice our listening.

            Let children take turns gently tapping the glasses of water with the metal spoon.

            Ask: • Explain whether you think the glasses sound the same or not.

            Say: Let’s change the amount of water in the glasses and find out if the sound changes.

            In each group, have an adult leader pour about half the water from one glass into the other glass.

            Ask: • What do you think the glasses will sound like now?

            Let children take turns gently tapping the glasses again with the metal spoon.

Talk About It

            Let the children share their reactions, and then ask: • What did you have to do to tell how the glasses sounded?     

            Say: In the same way we listened to the sound the glasses made, friends listen to each other. Even in our Bible story, Mary listened to Jesus. Jesus liked that, and Jesus likes it when we listen to him because Jesus wants to be our friend. Like we listen to Jesus, he listens to us, too, when we pray.

            If you have extra time, lead all the groups in making up a song with their glasses. Have a child in each group tap one of the glasses in his or her group one time whenever you point to that group. Then have that child give the spoon to another child in his or her group for the next time you point to that group. Make sure as many children as possible have a turn tapping a glass. The song kids play doesn’t have to be a recognizable tune.

Learn a Song

            Say: In our Bible story today we heard about two sisters named Mary and Martha. They were having Jesus and his friends over for dinner. Martha was busy cooking the big meal, but Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, spending time with him and listening to everything he had to say. Mary knew that Jesus wants to be our friend. Let’s sing a song and do some activities to help us remember what we’re learning today.

            Teach the children to sing the following verses to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

            Jesus wants to be our friend, (sign for Jesus*; hug a friend)

            Be our friend, be our friend; (hug a friend; hug a friend)

            Jesus wants to be our friend, (sign for Jesus; hug a friend)

            He is always with us. (cross arms over chest)

            Practice the song a few times so kids can learn it.

Sing, Play, and Pray

            Say: It’s so fun to sing together and know that Jesus wants to be our friend. Something we all like to do with our friends is play together! And because Jesus is our friend, too, we can know he is with us all the time—even when we’re playing! Let’s play for a few minutes right now and remember that Jesus is right here playing with us!

            Set out a small selection of classroom toys, and allow a few minutes for kids to play. As children play, remind them every once in a while that Jesus is with them while they play. Then gather them together, and say: It made me feel [happy, glad, excited] to know Jesus was here all along while we played.

            Ask: • How did you feel knowing that Jesus was right there with you while you were playing?

            Say: Let’s sing the next part of our song!

            Jesus wants to talk with us, (sign for Jesus; make hands open and close like a talking mouth)

            Talk with us, talk with us; (make hands open and close like a talking mouth; repeat)

            Jesus wants to talk with us, (sign for Jesus; make hands open and close like a talking mouth)

            He is always with us. (cross arms over chest)

            Say: What is something you want to talk to Jesus about? Maybe something that you feel worried or sad about. Something l want to talk to Jesus about is… Share your own example first, such as concern for a sick family member. Then say: Talk with Jesus about something you’re worried or sad about right now. Pause for 20 seconds.

            Say: Let’s sing more of our song again!

            We can listen to Jesus, (put hands behind ears; sign for Jesus)

            To Jesus, to Jesus; (sign for Jesus; sign for Jesus)

            We can listen to Jesus, (put hands behind ears; sign for Jesus)

            He is always with us. (cross arms over chest)

            Say: We can listen to Jesus all the time! Maybe we hear his voice through a thought in our head, a warm feeling in our heart, or special words we hear in the Bible. Let’s close our eyes and listen for Jesus right now. Lead children to close their eyes and to listen for Jesus for about 15 seconds.

            Say: Let’s keep singing!

            We can praise and thank Jesus, (pump fist in the air; make the sign for “thank you”**)

            Thank Jesus, thank Jesus; (make the sign for “thank you”; repeat)

            We can praise and thank Jesus, (pump fist in the air; make the sign for “thank you”)

            He is always with us. (cross arms over chest)

            Say: What’s something you’re thankful to Jesus for? Maybe a kind word from a friend today, the chance to go to your favorite restaurant with your family after church, or a pretty flower you saw in your yard. Thank Jesus for that thing right now. Lead the children to say “I’m thankful for…” and have them give examples of things they’re thankful for. Then have kids shout, “Thank you, Jesus!”  

            Say: I’m so glad that Jesus wants to be our friend! Let’s sing that part of our song one more time!

            Jesus wants to be our friend, (sign for Jesus; hug a friend)

            Be our friend, be our friend; (hug a friend; hug a friend)

            Jesus wants to be our friend, (sign for Jesus; hug a friend)

            He is always with us. (cross arms over chest)

            Pray: Jesus, thank you for wanting to be our friend and always being there for us. We love you! Amen.  

*To do the sign for Jesus, touch your right middle finger to your left palm, and then touch your left middle finger to your right palm.  

**To say “thank you” in sign language, touch a flat hand to your mouth. Then move your hand forward and down to meet your other hand. 

Tip

• If you used the Music Video block, consider repeating the songs from today’s lesson during the game. You can find the album here.

Recommended for 6 or more kids.

Run in Pairs

            Say: Martha and Mary were Jesus’ friends. They liked doing things with Jesus. They liked spending time with him at their home. Let’s play a game where we get to do something with our friends.

            Help preschoolers form pairs and stand on one side of the room. Have each pair link arms.

            Say: We’re going to run across the room and back with a friend. Keep your arms linked together, and run to the other wall and back. Then we’ll each find another friend to run with.

            Have adult and teen helpers help the pairs stay connected as they run to the opposite wall and back.

            When all the pairs have returned, help kids each find a new friend to run with and repeat the game.

            Play as time allows.

Talk About It

            Ask: • What did you like about running with a friend?

            Say: It’s fun when we get to do things with friends. It helps us not feel alone. It also gives us someone to be happy with. Jesus wants to be our friend. When we do things with Jesus, he helps us know we’re not alone. And we can be happy friends with him, too.

Tip

• If you used the Music Video block, consider repeating the songs from today’s lesson during the game. You can find the album here.

Play a Version of Hot Potato

            Say: In our Bible story, Mary learned about Jesus by listening to him. Let’s play a game where we get to learn about each other by listening, too.

            Help preschoolers form circles of no more than eight and sit on the floor.

            Hold up the ball, and say: While the music is playing, pass this ball around the circle. If you’re holding the ball when the music stops, you’ll get to say your name and something about yourself. The rest of us will listen.

            Give one of the preschoolers the ball, and start the music.

            Occasionally stop the music and have the kids holding the ball share their names and something about themselves, such as something they like. If children are struggling to think of something to share, suggest one of the following ideas or some ideas of your own.

• age
• number of brothers and sisters
• favorite animal
• favorite ice cream
• favorite food
• favorite color
• favorite toy
• favorite superhero
• favorite song
• favorite TV show or video

Play as long as time allows.

Talk About It

            Share something new you learned about a few of the children in the game.

            Ask: • What’s something new you learned about one of your friends?

            Say: When we listen to our friends, we can learn new things about them. That’s one reason it’s good for us to listen to Jesus, because Jesus wants to be our friend. Just like we listened to each other in the game, we can listen to Jesus when we pray. When we listen to Jesus, we can learn new things about him, too.

Be Complimented

            Say: Today we learned that Jesus wants to be our friend! One thing that friends do is say nice things to each other. Like this: Say one nice thing to each child. If you have more than six children, you can do this in small groups, having adult or teen leaders give compliments to individuals in their groups.

            Share why you like it when someone says nice things to you.

            Ask: • How do you feel when someone says something nice to you?

            Say: It makes us feel good when a friend says something nice to us. It shows us that our friend thinks we’re special.

Pray to Jesus With Compliments

            Say: We can say nice things to Jesus, too. When we say nice things to him, it’s a way to tell him he’s our special friend. Let’s do that now. We’ll tell him in a prayer.

            Have the children make prayer hands. Say a couple of nice things about Jesus, as if you’re saying them to Jesus.

            Ask: • What are some nice things you can say to Jesus? Help the children think of nice things to say to Jesus. For example: Jesus, you’re a good friend, you’re nice, you’re helpful, you’re loving, you’re God, or you’re strong.

            Close the prayer. Then say: Remember this week that Jesus is your friend. You can talk to him anytime! I hope you’ll be back next week to learn more about our friend Jesus!

           Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week.