### Lesson Plan for Junior Secondary 2 Christian Religious Studies
#### Topic: Parables Illustrating God’s Love
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**Learning Objectives:**
1. Understand the concept of God’s love as depicted in parables.
2. Analyze key parables that illustrate God’s love.
3. Apply lessons from these parables to daily life.
**Materials:**
- Bibles or New Testament texts.
- Whiteboard/Chalkboard and markers/chalk.
- Note-taking materials for students.
- Handouts with key parable texts and discussion questions.
**Lesson Duration:**
60 minutes
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**Lesson Outline:**
**Introduction: (10 minutes)**
1. **Welcome and Prayer:**
- Begin with a short prayer asking for understanding and wisdom.
2. **Icebreaker:**
- Ask students to share briefly about a time they felt deeply loved and cared for. This sets the stage for discussing God’s love.
3. **Lesson Objectives:**
- Outline the learning objectives and explain the importance of understanding God’s love through parables.
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**Main Teaching Section: (30 minutes)**
1. **Introduction to Parables (5 minutes):**
- Explain what a parable is—a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.
- Discuss why Jesus used parables to teach.
2. **Parable Study – The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32): (15 minutes)**
- Read the parable together as a class.
- Discuss key points: the younger son’s departure, the father’s reaction, and the elder son’s response.
- Highlight the aspects that illustrate God’s love: forgiveness, compassion, and unconditional acceptance.
3. **Parable Study – The Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7): (10 minutes)**
- Read the parable together.
- Discuss the shepherd’s actions and compare them to God’s nature.
- Emphasize how God seeks out and rejoices over every lost soul.
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**Class Discussion and Activities: (15 minutes)**
1. **Group Discussion: (10 minutes)**
- Divide the class into small groups.
- Distribute handouts with key texts and discussion questions.
- Sample Questions:
- What emotions do you think the father felt when his son returned in the Prodigal Son parable?
- How does the shepherd’s search for one lost sheep reflect God’s love for each person?
- Can you think of a modern scenario that mirrors the theme of God’s love in these parables?
2. **Group Sharing: (5 minutes)**
- Have each group share their insights and thoughts with the class.
- Facilitate the discussion and highlight important points mentioned.
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**Conclusion: (5 minutes)**
1. **Summarize Key Lessons:**
- Briefly revisit the key points of each parable.
- Reinforce the idea that God’s love is forgiving, patient, and unconditional.
2. **Application:**
- Encourage students to think about how they can show God’s love to others in their daily lives.
- Provide practical examples such as forgiveness, helping others, and showing compassion.
3. **Closing Prayer:**
- End the lesson with a prayer, thanking God for His love and asking for the strength to love others as He loves us.
4. **Homework:**
- Ask students to write a short reflection on how they experienced or observed God’s love in their life this week. They can share this in the next class.
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By the end of this lesson, students should have a deeper understanding of God’s love and be able to see how the parables provide powerful illustrations of that love. They should feel encouraged and equipped to reflect this love in their interactions with others.