Opening Prayer

           First: start this class by writing 8 (eight) lines on the blackboard. Ask different the children to say which letter fills each gap/line. As soon as they say one of the letters that forms the word PARABLES, please write it at the appropriate place on the blackboard. Please ask them to keep saying letters out loud until they manage to find out the topic that will be discussed in class.

           Second: explain the meaning of the word parable and the reasons why Jesus used them to teach the people at that time.
          Parables are stories that Jesus used to tell. The purpose of these stories was to transmit true messages in a way that could be easily understood by the people at the time. Jesus used them to facilitate the understanding of the people who were listening to him. Jesus' parables are simple and memorable stories, but the messages they convey are deep and central to His teachings. If these stories would not have been told in this way, they would not be understood or even listened to at that time. Many of Jesus' parables refer to simple everyday things, often with imagery. These stories enable the listener to come up with his own conclusion. This comparative method makes the process of understanding spiritual matters easier.

          Third: tell them two or three parables, using visual resources. We all enjoy listening to stories with drawings or displayed.

          Suggested parables to be discussed:
          The Parable of The Rich Man & Lazarus. You could tell them this story using colorful drawings which can be glued to a thicker paper. We used drawings from the book "O Evangelho Segundo o Espiritismo para a Infância", from Maria Helena Fernandes Leite, edited by Feesp, 2001 (not yet translated to the English language).

          Parable of the widow's mite. You could put a play on a stage using two bags (a big and a small one; or a big bag and three coins).

          The Parable of the Mustard Seed. You could tell the story through visual means. As soon as you start telling the story, you start placing the drawings (one at a time) into the board.

Click here to find the drawings used.

Click here to find out the final result.

          Remind the children that the parables were used so people would be able to understand and keep Jesus’ teachings in their hearts.

          Fourth: Create a big panel together with the children. Each of one should draw a tree and write in the middle one of Jesus’ teachings they want to grow in their hearts.

          Obs.: depending on the children’s age, the stem of the tree could be distributed with the feeling already written on it (love, peace, forgiveness, friendship, charity, happiness, work, education, respect, faith, etc).

Click here to find the example.

         As soon as the children finish their drawing, they should take it to the spiritist teacher so it is glued into the big panel. Drawings of flowers to be painted and affixed into the panel could also be distributed to the children. Please write a phrase into the panel that enables all children to understand the value of the work they have just done.

          Suggested Phrase:
          Jesus’ teachings are just like little seeds. We plant them into our hearts and look after them so the seeds grow and become beautiful trees of love.

          Closing Prayer

         Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, Sir William Crookes Spiritist Society linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.