Sunday 15th November | The Parable of the Farmer and the Seeds

A Game for the Whole Family

Match the photos of the babies with their adult photos. See how they’ve grown!

Click here to open the PDF activity page from Ministry Spark.

Print and cut out the cards beforehand. Have some pens and paper that the whole family can see.

Take it in turns to pick a card.

Tell your family only the word that’s at the top of the card—dog, person, or tree. Then draw on the paper the item that’s written on the card. They are all things that a dog, a person or a tree need in order to grow.

The rest of the family try to guess what you are drawing.

You have a total of 30 seconds to draw the item and for your family to guess what it is.

Click here to open the PDF printable page from Ministry Spark.

Story - The Parable of the Farmer and the Seeds

(Luke 8: 4-15, Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23, and Mark 4: 1-20)

Questions to talk through together

For Younger Children

Use your hands to show how small you think you were when you were born. Now stretch up as tall as you can to see how much you’ve grown. Wow! Can you think of some of the things that have helped you to grow? (Clean water, good food, love and care)
Which of the seeds in the story grew the best? (Those that were planted in good/fertile soil)
Why didn’t the other seeds grow very well?
What is the seed in the story? (God’s word)
Explain that the soil is the different ways people will hear God’s word. Some people are like us and choose to believe and follow Jesus. But does everyone we know believe in Jesus? Talk about why this may be. Explain that God wants everyone to know Him because He loves them so much. We can’t make everyone believe in Jesus but we can pray for them and show them how much God loves them. How can we show them how much God loves them?
How can we as people who love and follow Jesus keep growing in Him? (We can talk to Him, read our Bible, listen to what He is saying to us…)

For Older Children

What do the seed and the soil represent in this parable? (The seed is God’s word, the soil is the different ways people will respond to or hear God’s word)
What are some of the things that can stop people hearing and believing God’s word? (not believing it, the worries and problems they might have, too busy thinking about other things, fear of being laughed at or people being mean to them)
Do you have friends who don’t believe in Jesus? How does this make you feel? What can we do about it? (Pray for them, show them love)
The strongest plants grow in healthy soil but keep on growing and developing deep roots. What are some of the ways we can we make sure we develop deep roots and keep growing in God? (Read our Bible, talk to God, listen to God, memorise some verses in the Bible and think about them deeply – another word for this is ‘meditate’)

Reflection

Remind children that each time they talk about Jesus or show His love for them, they are like the farmer scattering his seeds. Not everyone will listen, but some will. Encourage them not to give up if this happens! Just as seeds take a long time to grow, some people take a long time to listen. Remind them they can ask the Holy Spirit to fill them with His power to help them share Jesus with those around them.

Prayer

Thank you God that you’re always with us and love spending time with us. Help us to keep growing in you. Help us to listen to what you’re saying when we read our Bibles and talk to You. Holy Spirit, fill us today with your power. Help us to share Jesus with our friends who don’t know Him yet.

*Spend some time praying for these people by name.

Worship - God is Real

Craft - Good Soil Cups

Materials: Foam cups, pens, good soil, seeds (your choice), plastic spoons

On your cups, write or draw at least one way that you will choose to keep growing in God
Put some good soil in your cups
Plant a few seeds
Place them somewhere they will get sunlight
Remember to water them regularly
Each time you water them, remind yourself of what you can do to keep growing in God. You might want to use the time to talk to Him or to remember this story. You could write down a different Bible verse each time you water the seeds.