June 2009 Sharing Time on Forgiving
Week 4: As I forgive, I will be forgiven
References: Genesis 37:5-35; 45:1-15; Matthew 6:14; D&C 64:9-10
The church says to use church approved resources. The lessons I've been posted are not, of course, approved, although I try to follow the rules. In this sharing time, I’m building an entire lesson around materials found in church approved materials, to show you how you can do this yourself. To find these, I went to the Gospel Library, to magazines, and searched the Friend for the word “forgive.” Then I selected materials from a variety of articles to create this lesson.
This sharing time is based on “Jane McBride Choate, “Pebble of Forgiveness,” Friend, Feb 2003, 42.”
The story above is a true story about a sharing time’s impact on a child. Use the lesson the teacher in this story gives, having the children walk reverently with a pebble in their shoe.
This sharing time has the story of William Phelps that is referenced in the story above: Ann Jamison, “Sharing Time: The Prophet’s Example,” Friend, Nov 2000, 8
Follow this object lesson and story with material from the following sharing time:
Judy Edwards, “Sharing Time: I Forgive You,” Friend, Sep 1994, 46
Adaptation from the sharing time in the Friend:
Ask the children how many times they have to forgive someone who makes them mad. Have them turn to Matthew 18:22 and invite someone to read it. Ask who knows how to multiply big numbers. Invite that child—or several—to come to the chalkboard and do the math. Continue with the explanation given in the lesson of what that scripture means.
To do the shoe activity, either bring in real shoes or enlarge the shoe pictures in the lesson. Post the pictures or display the real shoes. Write the situations offered on index cards and hand them out. Invite the children with cards to come up one at a time and read their situation, find the correct shoe, and finish the sentence.
Follow this with number six in the suggestions. Discuss with the children why they think God expects them to forgive others if they want to be forgiven.
Go to this sharing time: Sheila E. Wilson, “Sharing Time: Build Upon My Rock,” Friend, Aug 2004, 15
Use idea number two. You’ve already done the math problem, so skip that part.
If you’d like to finish with a craft, look at the door hanger in this lesson. It would be too expensive to make one for each child, so instead, give the children a typed handout with the words. Give them each a piece of paper and have them draw a hill with a house on it and let them glue the words below. Remind them to glue the words first, so they know how much room is left for the picture.
