During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Before class, carefully tear out the Bible verse page from the end of this lesson and carefully tear apart the verses. If possible, use tape to hang them in 4 different areas of your teaching space.
Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.
Proverbs 16:31
When we are young, we cannot wait to get older. We long for the advantages we believe will come with age. But when we get older, we often long to be young. We wish we could regain the health and energy that we usually do not value in our youth. But the Bible teaches us that old age is a crown of splendour! It is a beautiful blessing in the lives of the righteous. But often the elderly are not honoured in the ways they should be. Does your community treat the elderly as the honoured people they are? If so, thank God that His older creations are cared for and loved. If not, how can you help to change that perspective?
Think about the older people in your life. What unique physical, emotional, and spiritual needs do they have? How can you help to meet those needs? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you their needs, and pray for God’s provision of grace over their lives. Make a commitment to honour the elderly people in your life by praying for them and spending time with them. Ask them questions about their lives and listen to the wisdom they share. Ask them to pray for you! You may find that the rewards you gain are far greater than the efforts you put forth.
Encourage the students to ask their family members to share about people they have learned from. Then together they can think of practical ways to honour, serve, and care for elderly people in their family, neighbourhood, and community.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet students by name as they arrive. Ask them, “Who is the wisest person you know? How do you know that person is wise?” Invite them to share their thoughts with others in the class. Then allow 2–3 teens to share their examples with the whole class.
Begin class by playing a game. Divide students into groups of 5, and have the groups spread out so they are in different areas of your teaching space. Have each group choose 1 teen to be the first actor. Have all the actors come to you to hear their assigned role.
When I say to begin, the actor in your group will pretend to be a certain type of person. The rest of the group will guess what type of person the actor is pretending to be. The first group to guess correctly wins that round and gets 1 point. Then each group will choose another actor, and we will repeat the process. The team with the most points at the end will win the game.
For each round, give the actors 1 of the people from the list below. The actors cannot say anything when they return to their teams. When you say to begin, the actors will begin acting to try to get their teams to guess what type of person they are. When a team correctly guesses, share the correct answer with everyone, and the round ends. Each team will then choose a new actor to repeat the game.
Here is the list of people:
Congratulate the winning team. Have teens remain in their groups as you continue the lesson.
It was fun pretending to be different types of people. Some of your acting was very funny! Though it is okay to have fun in our game, we should carefully consider how we treat others. God created every person in His image. Neither age nor ability change a person’s value to God. Every person is worthy of honour.
Have the students discuss the following questions with their groups:
What are some ways we show that we value each of these different types of people?
How would you like others to show their care for you?
Give the groups a few minutes to discuss their ideas. Then allow each group to share an idea with the class.
Every person wants to be treated with honour. Because we are all created by God, we are all worthy of honour, and this includes the elderly. Today we will learn about treating elderly people with honour.
The Bible teaches us to honour and care for the elderly. I have placed 4 Bible verses around our space. Each of these verses is about honouring elderly people. We will do an activity to help us learn about these verses.
Point to the 4 Bible verses you set out before class. Choose 1 student to be the caller. The caller will close his eyes and count slowly out loud to 10. As he counts, everyone else will quietly move to 1 of the 4 Bible verses. When the caller finishes counting, he will call out a number between 1 and 4 and open his eyes. Everyone standing next to the Bible verse with the number he called will read the verse aloud.
After they read the verse, ask the following question:
What does this verse teach us about honouring the elderly?
After the class discusses this question, choose a new caller and play again. Continue until students have read and discussed all 4 verses. The Bible verses are printed here for your reference.
Bible Verse 1:
Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:32
Bible Verse 2:
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
1 Timothy 5:1–2
Bible Verse 3:
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5
Bible Verse 4:
Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?
Job 12:12
Have the teens sit in their usual seats.
Though elderly people have the same needs all of us do, they also have needs that are unique to their age group. For example, they may have difficulty walking or need help preparing meals because they cannot see well. They may not remember things well or may struggle with grief because a spouse recently died. They may have difficulty getting to church, so they may experience loneliness or disappointment that they cannot worship with other believers.
In many cultures, elders are treated with great honour. Their experience and wisdom are highly valued, and their stories, relationships, and contributions are considered treasures to be shared.
The Bible tells us that God values every person—from the youngest to the oldest and everyone in between! So we should treat those around us with honour. Let’s talk about some ways we can show honour for those who are older than we are.
First, ask them for advice. A long life means more experience—and often more wisdom. Think about things you need help with or do not understand, and ask for advice from an elderly person.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, have the teens write wise advice they have received on their pages.
Second, talk to them. Many elderly people struggle with loneliness because they do not have opportunities to spend time with others in the same ways they did when they were younger. Visit an elderly man at his home or talk to an elderly woman on the bus. You will probably enjoy the conversation as much as they do.
Third, listen to them. Ask questions about family, traditions, or history, and then listen to their answers. You may be surprised by the interesting things you can learn about your family and your community from those who have experienced some things you have only heard and read about.
Fourth, thank them. We often forget to show our appreciation for others, especially those who are elderly. So thank them for what they have done for your family and your community.
What else can we do to show honour to the elderly people in our community?
Allow 2–3 teens to share their ideas.
Sometimes valuing others, such as the elderly, can be difficult. We may feel frustrated or impatient because they cannot do things as quickly as we can. The Bible teaches us that God provides help to live in ways that help us to value others. Listen to this verse and think about which of these characteristics would help us to show honour to the elderly.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22–23
Which of these characteristics would help you to care for the elderly? Why?
Allow 2–3 teens to share their ideas.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders.All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5
God values elderly people. Elderly people have a lot of wonderful things to share with younger people. They can teach us a lot about life. And some of them can teach us a lot about faith, too!
One way you can honour elderly people is by helping them meet their physical needs. Think about an elderly person in your life, such as a grandparent, neighbour, aunt, or uncle.
Have the teens find partners to discuss the following questions. After each question, give the students time to discuss their answers. Then allow 3–5 teens to share their ideas with the whole class.
I challenge you this week to spend time with someone elderly if possible. Talk with that person and see what new things you can learn from him or her.
Close with a blessing based on Job 12:12:
Blessing: May you seek to honour the elderly with your words and actions for, like you, they are created, loved, and valued by God. And may you always seek to learn from their wisdom.
Lead the teens in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
