From Mourning to Joy: 8 Lessons in the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount

In the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn.” Are you curious why He thought mourning was a blessing? Maybe you’re tired of feeling weighed down by the burdens of life. Subsequently, you do not feel blessed and long for a sense of elusive joy and fulfillment. Look no further than the fruitful lessons of Little Pot, a fruit-bearing vessel created by the potter. The Wisdom Jesus shared in the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount is transformative. Little Pot calls them “Bee-Attitudes” because bees help flowers pollinate and transform into fruit.

These eight powerful lessons guide understanding how the Beatitudes can lead to growing the fruit of the Spirit. Join us as we embark on a fruit-bearing journey as we uncover the hidden blessings and fruit-bearing opportunities within each Beatitude. Additionally, through inspiring stories, we explore how embracing an attitude of mourning leads to unshakeable joy. Get ready to become a fruit pot and experience a profound transformation as we dive into the second blessing within the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount.

8 lessons to teach beatitude activities with Little Pot — Little Pot’s eight lessons to teach the Beatitudes.

Likewise, the eight lessons on the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount are listed below. Click on each to read that specific lesson.

Lesson 1: (Matt. 5:3) Blessed are the poor in spirit -Be 🐝 Humble; depend on God.
Lesson 2: (Matt. 5:4) Blessed are those who mourn -Be 🐝 Sorry for your sin.
Lesson 3: (Matt. 5:5) Blessed are the meek. -Be 🐝 obedient all the time
Lesson 4: (Matt. 5:6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. -Be 🐝 eager; God will win.
Lesson 5: (Matt. 5:7) Blessed are the merciful. -Be 🐝 a friend to everyone.
Lesson 6: (Matt. 5:8) Blessed are the pure in heart. -Be 🐝 without sin and stay pure.
Lesson 7: (Matt. 5:9) Blessed are the peacemakers. -Be 🐝 the one for peace and fun.
Lesson 8: (Matt. 5:10) Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness. -Be 🐝 bold and brave for God.

Learn a Lot about the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount with Little Pot

First, let’s discuss why Little Pot is the best tool to help us understand the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. Little Pot is a character in the children’s books about the potter and the different vessels he creates. It is a vessel that holds many different items for the potter. As it does, it tries to discover its purpose. Eventually, Little Pot learns it is a fruit pot and can grow fruit for the potter.

In the same way, we were created to be fruit pots too. We can grow the fruit of the Spirit for our creator. That process is illustrated in Little Pot’s seven steps. The sixth step in the process is when Little Pot blooms a flower. The flower is then pollinated before it can become a fruit. Bees sometimes do the pollination process. As the bees buzz around Little Pot’s flowers, their fuzzy bodies and attitudes pollinate to produce fruit. Consequently, Little Pot refers to the beatitudes as Bee Attitudes.

A Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount Song

Likewise, we bloom knowledge and attitudes that allow the Holy Spirit to grow His fruit through us. Therefore we’ve paired each of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 with a bee. We’ve created a song and lesson for each. You can download a free copy of the song and learn how each line matches a Beatitude within the Biblical text. You will also be added to our Fruitful Friday email list and … “Learn a lot from Little Pot!”

If you haven’t read Little Pot’s introduction to Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, go here.

Blessed are those who mourn.

Mourn means to feel sorry and sad. We think of mourning as how we feel when someone we love has died. However, Jesus meant something else when he used the term. He was referring to mourning or feeling sorry for doing something wrong. Can you think of a time when you wrongly treated God or another person? How does it feel when you accidentally or on purpose hurt someone else? How should we feel when we hurt God? The following lesson will help students to see that God blesses us when we feel sorry for our sins.

Lesson 2: Bee 🐝 Sorry For Our Sin.

Introduction: Who likes baseball? What is your favorite thing to do? How would you like to be able to do something you love all day, every day? The little boy in the book, Baseball for Breakfast like baseball so much that he wants to play baseball for breakfast! He would love to play it all day and skip the bad moments of life. In this story, he can do just that. Let’s read and find out how God wants us to experience the good and the bad in life.

Read Baseball for Breakfast by Bill Myers

Discuss with the students how the boy’s actions caused others to suffer. As he realized that bad times are important, he also began to feel sorry for the trouble he had caused. He was mourning. Likewise, we should feel bad when we do wrong. God can forgive and comfort us when we feel bad and are sorry. Just as the book teaches about bad times, helping us enjoy the good, we also must learn that doing wrong and sinning can bring joy and comfort when we have an attitude of mourning.

Bible Integration:

Did you know that God has a specific time for everything?

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Language Arts and Math Integration

Tri-fold a large sheet of paper. Draw a clock on the corner of each section. Draw and write about three events in sequence and add each time. Share your paper and describe if the events were good or bad.

Write your own story pretending you found the unusual pocketwatch that Jimmy found. What things in your day would you skip, and what would you do for a longer period if you could? Title your story “______________ for Breakfast” and write in the blank your favorite activity.

Science Integration

Pull from the book the cause and effect of Jimmy’s choices. For example, Jimmy wanted to skip rainy days. That would lead to a drought. Then, crops would die, and we’d face a food shortage. Finally, come up with other cause-and-effect situations.

Social Studies Integration

Jimmy’s actions affected his community. Discuss how our individual actions affect our communities too. Consequently, what actions can we take to make our communities better?

Dramatic Play and Physical Education

Play baseball together.

Bee Attitudes to Grow the Fruit of the Spirit

Do you see the similarities between mourning and the fruit of the Spirit? Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and our mourning turns to joy when we allow God to work through our situations. Little Pot’s fruit-bearing cycle explains more. Add your first name and email below, and we’ll send you the seven steps to growing the fruit of the Spirit.

what is fruit of the spirit — Learn how the potter grows the fruit of the Spirit through you.

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