Rotation.org Writing Team

Peter do you love me?

Feed My Sheep! (Food) Workshop

Summary of Activities

Students will feed each other in a special "monastic" or "Monk's" meal where they may not feed themselves, but must feed each other without speaking or asking for anything.

About the "Monk's Meal"
"Monk's meal" has appeared in many versions over the decades in Christian education resources. It gets its name from the spiritual practice of eating in silence. In our version of that meal, by selflessly feeding each other, students will learn some important lessons about feeding sheep.

The meal rules found below can be modified by the teacher to suit the age of the students and needs of the subject. Extra help and structure are essential to successfully conducting the meal and making connections to the lesson.

Scripture for the Lesson

John 21:1-17

You will read and discuss this scripture passage during the Monastic Meal.  It is the only time your "monks" are allowed to speak.

Jesus said to Simon Peter, ... “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep."  (a compilation of the 3 times Jesus asks this question.)

Lesson Objectives

See the Bible Background at rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives.

Preparation and Materials

• Read the Bible Background and scripture.
• Table Setting:  table cloth, plastic ware, bowls, plates, cups, napkins.
• Pitchers of apple and orange juice.
• Course 1: Fruits and muffins,
• Course 2: Individual boxes of cereal, pitcher of milk (Soy or rice beverage). Option: include toast, butter and jam. Sweet rolls.
• Two blindfolds
• Bibs
• Hand sanitizer
• Permanent fine point markers.

Make sure you have a variety of breakfast foods and drinks so that students must figure out what others would like to eat and feed it to them.

Note: This meal is not the time to put your dietary beliefs over the needs of the lesson. Have a wide-variety of cereals and foods so that every child can experience feeding and being fed, rather than feel left out because they don't like your idea of breakfast food.

Lesson Plan

Open

Explain what a "monk" is and what a "spiritual practice" is by saying something like this:

Across the world there are special communities of Christians called monasteries. The people who live in them together are called "monks." They engage in daily worship, prayer, and service. In some of the monasteries, meals are eaten in silence. They believe it helps them focus on God's word. Today, we too are gathering together as a special community of "monks" and will eat breakfast together in silence to help us focus on one special story from God's Word: the story of Jesus telling Peter to "feed my sheep."

Explain the "rules" for the Monk's Meal. It will be helpful to write them out.

Rules:

1. No talking or sounds, unless the teacher asks you to speak.
2. You may not serve yourself. You may only serve others.
3. You may not ask or motion for anything for yourself.
4. You CAN only shake your head yes or no when someone offers you something to eat.
5. You may not get your own utensils, bowls, plates, napkins or cups.
6. You may not pour your own drink.
7. You may not use your hands or any utensil to feed yourself. Your utensils can only be used by someone else to feed you.
8. Your job is to be aware of those around you and to feed them without making a mess. Your job is to discover what it is they like to eat and feed it to them. By doing what's right to someone else, you are showing them the right way to do things for you when YOU need fed.

Now pass around a bottle of hand sanitizer.

The Monk's Meal

Setting the Table

Setting the table is a good introduction to the rules and how they will need to learn to work together to make sure everyone's needs are met.

Items:  Napkins, forks, spoons, cups, plates, bowls.

First, have everyone stand behind their chair at the table. Tell them that it is now time to set the table, however, they must set it for each other and cannot set their own place. All the rules are now being observed. Point out where all the items for setting the table are located and that they may now set the table for each other.

As the table is being set, make a comment or two about whether or not the table looks complete.

Tell them that when the table is set, that they are to stand behind their chair. Then announce that they may all be seated IF someone helps them into their chair.

First Meal Course

Have a helper place several bowls or plates of food on the table.

Suggested foods:  Fruits and muffins,

Announce that they may go ahead and serve each other, and begin to feed each other.

Scripture Reading 1:  John 21:1-15 "Breakfast on the Beach with Jesus."

After the monks have gotten the hang of helping each other eat, have a helper read today's story from the Bible.  After the reading is over, ask the following questions --announcing that whoever wants to answer them can raise their hand and speak out loud.

Questions to ask at the end of the reading:

• Why was Peter so excited to see Jesus?   (It was the resurrected Jesus whom Peter had denied and abandoned. You may need to fill in a bit of that back-story.)
  
  
• What questions would you have asked the resurrected Jesus at your breakfast on the beach with him?
  
  

Second Meal Course

Have a helper place individual boxes of cereal on the table, along with a pitcher of milk. You may also include toast, butter and jam.

Announce that the rules are still observed, and that they may continue to feed each other any of the foods on the table.

Scripture Reading 2:  John 21:15-22 "Jesus asks Peter the same question three times."

After your monks have gotten about half way through their bowl of cereal, have a helper read the second half of today's passage.

Questions to ask at the end of the reading:

• Why did Jesus ask the same question three times? (Ask this three times!)
  
  
• What does Jesus mean when he tells Peter to "feed my sheep"?
  
  
• What are you learning from THIS MEAL about how to "feed" others?
  
  
• What is it that people need the most to live a life that will be pleasing to Jesus?

Finally.... Switch it up:

To make an important point, have students pick up their plate and cup and go to a new seat so that they will need to be fed by a new person.  Tell them to sit next to someone they don't know that well.  Cue them to resume feeding each other.  If you need to add more food, bring out some sweet rolls.

Ask: (let them know that whoever answers is allowed to speak)
Who are Jesus' sheep that we are supposed to feed?  Is it just our friends? Just the people in the church?  Just good people?  

Say: All people are God's children, his sheep. During his life, Jesus helped all sorts of people, including strangers, and those who didn't think they were worthy of his help (didn't think they were good enough).

Say:  One of the ways we "feed" each other, is by coming together for worship and Sunday School.

Ask: If you come to church and IGNORE someone, or don't HELP someone, or are not KIND to someone —simply because you don't like or know them, are you obeying Jesus' command to feed his sheep?  

Ask: What have you learned from this meal about feeding sheep?  (You have to put others needs ahead of your own. You have to pay attention to what other people need. And you have to trust that your needs will be met.)

Closing:

Pass around a couple of permanent markers so that the students can write the phrase, "Feed My Sheep" on their spoon or fork to take home as a reminder of the lesson.  Then invite everyone to clean up another person's messy place.

Notes for the Meal Leader

You are the Director of the Meal
It is your job to direct how the meal unfolds, watch how students respond, and make the most out of teachable moments so that the meal reinforces your lesson.

At some point, you may need to instruct your class which people they need to feed. For example, you could say, "Make sure the person on your left takes a sip of something to drink."

Have an extra chair/setting next to a helper or the teacher, that way, if a student becomes unruly, trying to spill or biting a spoon, for example, you can tell them to come sit by you. Say this, "One of the ways we feed each other is to feed each other the right way to go about things. So I'm not going to punish Janette for goofing-off, instead, I'm going to feed her with my example."  you can also point out that "One of the ways we can feed others is by not being a distraction when they need fed!"  Remind them something interesting about sheep —that they will follow other sheep right off a cliff if led that way. Feeding sheep means being a good shepherd —someone who GUIDES.

Be sure to get to the final questions found in the "Switch It Up" section. They connect what we have learned from feeding each other to what we need to know about feeding sheep.  

For Younger Students or those Short on Time:  

Reduce the meal down to one course. Read the Bible story to them from an illustrated book.  Kindergartners may benefit from extra adult/teen helpers who they would enjoy feeding and whose quiet behavior they could emulate.

Written by the Rotation.org Writing Team
Based on a lesson by members Kim Trimboli and Carol Hulbert
Copyright 2017, Rotation.org Inc.