Lesson Objective:
The children will learn that God expects them to honor, respect, and obey their fathers.
Scripture:
Ephesians 6:1
Arrival:
As the children arrive, talk to them about their fathers. Find out what they love most about their dads, what they like to do with them, and how their dads show they love them. Be sensitive to any children who do not have dads, and let them talk about their grandpas.
Prayer Time:
When you pray, thank the Lord for giving the children such wonderful fathers and grandfathers.
Lesson:
Today is Father’s Day. What is that all about? (take responses) Father’s Day is a day we honor our dads. Did you know that this is something the Bible actually tells us to do? No, the Bible doesn’t command us to celebrate Father’s Day, but it does talk about how we should treat our dads.
Have you ever heard of the Ten Commandments? These were some of the first rules God gave to man. He gave them to Moses for the Israelites to follow. One of the rules was to “honor your father and mother.” If God’s first rulebook talked about how we treat our parents, don’t you think it is pretty important?
What does it mean to honor someone? (take responses) Honoring someone means telling him how much you care about him and how special he is to you. Telling your dad “I love you” and giving him a big hug is one way to honor him. You can also honor someone by talking nice about him to other people. When you complain about your dad, you are not honoring him. When you brag about him, you are.
Honoring someone is sometimes called respecting him. To respect someone is to hold them in high regard. This means you think a lot of them. In other words, you think your dad is one great guy!
Does this mean your dad is always going to be perfect? Nope, your dad is a person, and people make mistakes. However, you need to treat your dad as though he is the greatest man on the planet. That is respecting and honoring your dad, and it pleases God.
The Bible also tells us to obey our mommies and daddies. Does anyone know Ephesians 6:1? (take responses, then read the verse from your Bible) What does it mean to obey your parents? (take responses) Obeying is when you do what your parents ask you to do.
Sometimes your dad is going to tell you to do something that doesn’t make sense. When he does, remember two things. First, remember that he was a kid once, and he knows things that you don’t know. Second, remember that God commands you to obey your dad. After you have obeyed, your dad may be able to tell you why you needed to do that thing. But always obey first.
Maybe you don’t have a dad. Remember, you have a heavenly Father who loves you and sent His Son to die on the cross for your sins. If your father is not here, God is with you, even on Father’s Day.
Memory Verse:
Have the children learn Ephesians 6:1. Some children may already know it. Have a small prize for any children who can quote the verse at the end of the hour.
Craft:
Make the Car Nut Picture Frame as a Father’s Day craft.
Dismissal:
Remind the children to honor and obey their fathers, and tell them to give their dads extra attention on Father’s Day.
