Gra

de

s 3–4 Leader Guide

STORY AT A GLANCE

CLOSING PRAYER

Fewer kids?Have each kid demonstrate their personal balancing act.

More time?Have kids try to balance the scale on their elbows, knees, nose, and chin.

More kids?Form small groups during Get Ready to discuss illusions.

Balancing God,Your love keeps us steady when we feel like problems are tipping us over. Help us keep you at the center every day to balance our work and our play.

Amen!

Less time?Kids write or draw 3 activities in the rectangles. Make 1 balance scale for the whole group.

ACTIVITY TIPS

Grades 3–4. Mary and Martha Leader Guide. Holy Moly. wearesparkhouse.org. © 2013 sparkhouse. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for local use only provided each copy carries this notice.

Mary• Sits “at the Lord’s feet,” a technical

expression that shows Jesus is treating her like a disciple.

• The only woman in the gospels who Jesus’ praises twice for her devotion (Lk 10:42, Jn 12:7).

• Some interpreters have confused her with Mary Magdalene and the repentant woman of Luke 7:37, but they were probably all different people.

Jesus• It is very unusual for a

male teacher to be going to the home of unmarried women.

• Friendly and casual with the sisters.

• Accepts Mary and tells Martha she doesn’t need to work hard to try to impress him.

Martha• Acts as the head of the house

since she is the one who welcomes Jesus.

• Both sisters seem unmarried and relatively wealthy. This is not a normal household!

• Becomes frustrated with Mary when she listens to Jesus without helping with the housework.

• Name means “lady” or “mistress of the house.”

KEY VERSE “[T]here is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:42

Jesus loved Mary and Martha for who they were, not for what they did.

Supplies:

Holy MolyDVD

Holy MolyLeaflets

MarkersConnect Bibles

Scissors Paper Clips

MARY ANd MARTHA

Hospitality• The ability and willingness to welcome visitors was an

important virtue in the ancient world.

• Jesus lifts up the virtue of hospitality in many of his parables, and says that the kingdom of God is like a banquet to which everyone is invited (Lk 14:7-23).

(10-15 min.)

(5-10 min.)

(20-30 min.)

CREATE

(5-10 min.)

dISCOVER

RELATE CONNECT

draw your favorite activity in the oval.

Write or draw activities in your life.

21

Cut out each rectangle. Place a paper clip at the top of each 1.

3

Add your activities 1 at a time to each end of balance scale.

5

Get ReadyShow kids each picture. For each one ask:

• What do you see?

• Does the picture change when I turn it?

Hold a finger in front of your nose. Look at it. Then look at the far wall. Is it possible to focus on 2 things at the same time?

Introduce the Characters• Mary and Martha are sisters, who are friends of Jesus.

• Jesus is a traveling preacher, with little chance to relax with friends.

• Mary and Martha invite Jesus to their home.

• They have different ideas about how they should treat their guest.

CREATE

Watch to see when Jesus looks the

happiest.

If time permits, watch it again!

Play the Mary and Martha Video

Talk about the Mary and Martha Video• Why was Martha upset?

• What was Mary doing?

• I wonder what would have happened if Martha had acted exactly like Mary. What if Mary had acted like Martha?

• When did Jesus look happiest? Why?

• Have you worked on a group assignment in school? How did you know the most important thing to pay attention to?

• How can people work together well?

Open the Connect BibleHelp kids find and mark Luke10:42 on page 1181.

• Gospel stories don’t always use people’s first names. This one does. This is not the Mary who is Jesus’ mother. There are even more women named Mary in the Bible. Turn to other pages in Luke. What other first names do you see? Do you know anyone with these same names?

Do the Luke 10:38-42 Connect Bible activity on page 1182.

• Have you ever sat at someone’s feet to listen to them? Find a partner and try it. While one says something Jesus said, the other listens. Switch.

• How does it feel?

• What is your favorite place to sit when you are listening to someone?

BALANCING ACT: Kids make a balance scale to think about activities in their lives.

Cut paper balance. Put clip on each end. Practice balancing on your fingertip. Hold your thumb on

the green circle in back for extra support.

4

Holy Moly!Give kids time to imagine and help them reflect.

• What are the things you do every day?

• Are there good or not-so-good times to do some things?

• What would life be like if you did the same thing all day, every day?

Holy Moly!Martha felt out of balance. It can be frustrating to try to do too much.

• What can you do when you feel out of balance? How can you help someone else find balance?

• What happens if you put too many activities on 1 side?

• Who helps you remember Jesus always loves you?