Below are TWO software lesson sketches you can use to study Philippians 2:5-11, (or any long section of scripture) with any age. Use them for two different classes, or fit them together into one class if you have plenty of time.
(1) Lesson 1 below, “How Few Can You Do,” uses Sunday Software’s Let’s Talk software.
(2) Lesson 2 below uses the downloadable verse set is for use with Cal and Marty’s Scripture Memory Game.
TIP: Use these same basic lesson techniques with any longer passage, such as, the Creation Story, Beatitudes, Psalms, Jesus’ words on the cross, or 1st Corinthians 13.
Lesson 1: The “HOW FEW CAN YOU DO? game
Students create an onscreen character and provide it with keywords from the passage to speak aloud to the rest of the class using the Let’s Talk “Talk Now” module. They will do so in three rounds, each time reducing the number of words they are allowed to speak from 20 to 10 to 3! -Hence the name of the game, “How Few Can You Do?”
“HOW FEW CAN YOU DO?”
Bible study technique can be used with any long passage.
Here’s how you play…
First… discuss the whole passage with the kids. Go over vocab. Explain that this is Paul writing to the churches. Then read the passage with them, pausing to make some word substitutions/illuminations when you encounter one of those vocab words (such as, “exploited/grasped” in v6). Don’t unload everything you know, instead, look for opportunities to expound on meaning during the game rounds.
Second… split into teams at your computers and have them turn on the Let’s Talk CD’s “Talk Now” module and create a character.
Now they are ready to play “How Few Can You Do!”
They will type in their condensed version of the verses per your instructions, –which their onscreen character will then speak aloud for the class. You’ll do three rounds of “How Few.”
Round One:
Have them condense the passage down to 20 words from the scripture. The words don’t have to form complete sentences. In round 1, have them use the words right from the passage. In round 2, if you like, you can allow them to do word substitutions using some of the vocab written on the board during the opening of the lesson.
TIME: Give them about 3 or 4 minutes depending on the round, passage and age group.
TYPING TIP: Add commas or periods so that the Let’s Talk text engine pauses between words.
Teacher: As students go to each computer to hear each other’s playback from the Talk Now module in Let’s Talk, you should compare & contrast what the teams keep/eliminate. Ask the kids to debate.
Round Two: 10 Words
Condense the passage down to 10 words. They can condense from their list of 20 or start over. They can create phrases out of existing words in the passage. Talk to them about what they are typing and bend the rules a bit.
Teacher: As students go to each computer to hear each other’s playback from the Talk Now module in Let’s Talk, you should compare & contrast what the teams keep/eliminate. Ask the kids to debate.
Round Three: 3 Words
You might loosen the rules and let them add a connecting word that wasn’t in the scripture, or form a sentence out of words found in scripture. Here’s a 3 word example one of my students came up with that reorders 3 words found in various locations to create a very convincing summary: “Confess Jesus Lord.”
- Ask them if they know what a “confession” is. Say: A confession is “the truth” that comes out of someone. It is something we admit.
- How can you tell if someone is a Christian? (ie…that someone confesses that Jesus is their Lord?)
- In what ways to How do we ACT OUT our confession? –with our words, with our time, treasure, talents, way we treat others, thoughts.
- What things can help us “confess” (act out) everyday that Jesus is OUR Lord?
Creative Illustration Closing: See my creative illustration idea at the end of the second lesson below.
Here are two condensed versions my kids created…
Think like Jesus
Become servant
Be obedient
Confess Jesus
Think
Serve
Obey
This technique works for all sorts of long passages and stories, and gives the teacher a lot of things to talk about with the kids.
Neil’s Comments on the Passage
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus
–be like Jesus –think like Jesus
who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited/grasped
—Jesus who was God chose not to come in power, or as one of my students said, “He didn’t want to show off.” That wasn’t his style. Exploited/grasped can mean “taken advantage of” or “held onto tightly,” “understood.” Jesus let go of how he could have acted (with power and razz-a-ma-tazz), and instead chose a message of love and sacrifice.
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
–emptied = gave up, chose to become a servant rather than try to impress others. This is the Christmas message.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.
–he was in human form and decided to stick with it! Or as one student said, “…instead of letting himself off of the cross.” Obedient? Obedient to who? Obedient to himself (because he was God afterall). Jesus was “TRUE” to himself, what he was about, what he wanted to show.
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
–God made the life and name and message of Jesus #1. Jesus is the Way, not just a nice guy.
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
–even the dead (under the earth) get the chance to bow down to Jesus. Hell is not off-limits.
and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
—When you admit Jesus is Lord, you are not taking away from God’s Glory. Rather, you are honoring God who came as Jesus to rescue us. When we call upon the name of Jesus, God says to us, “you get it! you got what I was trying to say in him!”-end lesson 1-
Lesson 2: Philippians 2:5-11 Memory Verse
Do you really need my downloadable verse below? Only if you need to save time!
Ideally, you would have your students do the typing of the memory verse into the Cal & Marty Scripture Memory Game verse editor. Why? Because typing is part of the memory work. Have one type while another reads and checks the spelling of the typist. It should take them about 15 minutes to put this verse set in through the editor. More if they also choose to add comments and quiz questions to each verse.
The following downloadable verse set is only for use with Cal and Marty’s Scripture Memory Game CD
Click here to download philippians2.zip –the Philippians 2:5-11 memory verse SET for use with Cal and Marty’s Scripture Memory Game software.
When you click the download link above, you will be asked to SAVE the philippians2.zip file. Save it to your desktop (or wherever).
After downloading (which will take 1 second max!), double click the philippians2.zip file to ‘extract’ (unzip) the actual text file named philippians2.txt.
Once you unzip and save philippians2.txt to your computer, all you need to do is COPY the philippians2.txt text file to the FOLDER where you have Cal and Marty installed on your harddrive. This is where all your other verse-set text files are located. This philippians2 verse set is free and you can use it on as many copies of Cal & Marty you (legally) have.
Here are the verses I put in the Philippians 2:5-11 set:
- Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus
- who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited
- but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
- And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.
- Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
- so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
- and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
You can change the wording/translation in the Cal and Marty Verse Editor.
Next up, the actual lesson plan…
THE LESSON PLAN:
Teaching Philippians 2:5-11 ….Paul’s understanding of the Cross
“…he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross…”
After a brief Bible study, you’ll
In a mere 7 verses, Paul summarizes God’s purpose in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s powerful stuff!
There are several different interesting translations of this verse. Probably the most important variant is found in verse 6. NRSV uses the word “exploited” where other translations use the word “grasped” or “held on to.” Lots of discussion fodder there! You will see that I have put some questions about the verses in the “comments” section of each verse used in the game.2) Prior to doing the memory verse work, study the passage with your kids.
Begin the lesson…
FIRST: Identify and EXPLAIN key vocabulary BEFORE your class starts reading the verses together (otherwise you have to start-stop your way through the verses and this doesn’t help comprehension). See my notes below.
SECOND: UNPACK the verses. Don’t assume your students “get” what the verses are alluding to.
EXAMPLES: “Being found in human form” is strange English, especially to kids, and they may not realize Paul is talking about Christ’s birth. Ask and EXPLAIN how Jesus was “obedient to the point of death”. They won’t catch the ALLUSION to Isaiah 9 when Paul talks about God giving Jesus a name above every name. So read Isaiah 9 for the famous list of names for the Messiah (wonderful counselor…Prince of Peace). They won’t understand that “under the earth” is a dramatic way of saying “everywhere” ….as it is a reference to numerous Old Testament descriptions of where water was stored (God separated the waters and made the dry land appear). It could also be a way Paul is saying “even the dead” will know Jesus.
One creative illustration technique: paint the words onto a canvas using silicone adhesive. Then paint over the canvas and silicone using colors. when the silicone dries, peel it off to reveal the keywords where paint didn’t stick to the canvas. You can use individual canvases to go home, or have the class create one big one with all their keywords for display in the church.