Truth Taught: Our hearts need to be like good soil, ready to receive God’s Word and grow in faith.
Materials:
- Seeds
- Four types of “soil” (good soil, rocks, path, thorny weeds)
- Shallow tray of water (optional)
- Bible
Instructions:
- Prepare four different “soils” for the children to see:
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- A section of good soil
- A section of rocky ground
- A section with a path (hard, packed dirt)
- A section with thorny weeds or plants
- Show the seeds and explain: These seeds are like God’s Word. He plants his truth in our hearts, but how well it grows depends on the condition of our hearts—just like these seeds depend on the soil.
- As you place the seeds in each type of soil, ask the children: What do you think will happen to the seeds in the rocky ground? On the path? In the weeds? And in the good soil? Allow the children to respond.
- After discussing their predictions, read Matthew 13:3-9 (NLT): “A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
- Explain the meaning of each soil type:
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- The Path: When our hearts are hard or distracted, we don’t understand or receive God’s Word, and it doesn’t grow.
- The Rocky Ground: When we get excited about God’s Word but don’t let it take deep root, it fades away when life gets tough.
- The Thorny Weeds: When we care more about other things than following God, his Word gets choked out by our worries or distractions.
- The Good Soil: When our hearts are open and ready, God’s Word grows strong and produces a lot of good fruit in our lives.
- Emphasize: We want our hearts to be like the good soil—open to receiving God’s Word and letting it grow deep so we can live for him.
- Ask the children: Which type of soil do you want your heart to be? Encourage them to pray and ask God to help them be like the good soil.
Aha Moment: The children can physically see the difference between the soil types and begin to understand how the condition of their hearts affects how they receive and respond to God’s Word.