Psalm 22 starts with the cry that one day Jesus will echo on the cross, but the end of the psalm comes with joy as ‘all the families’ recognise God and join together to worship him.
This craft Captures the feeling of Verse 27 as it shows the people gathered. It’s made deliberately plain, so the kids can go wild decorating it themselves.
Psalm 22 is usually quoted nearer Easter than the second week of lent, but in the readings for year B we see the other end of the Psalm. Here is not the opening, where the cross bound Jesus cries the first verse about ‘God forsaking him’, but the place the psalm ends. Like the first line of a hymn, I wonder if people couldn’t help sing the whole song in their heads as they walked away from the cross. It’s a song of torment that lifts at the end into a song of praise not just by the psalmist but by all the families of nations. These games concentrate on the idea of families uniting in praise.
The first person pulls their silliest smile and directs it at each child in the circle, trying to make someone giggle or laugh. On the leaders’ mark, they use one hand to literally “wipe” the smile off their face, and hand it to the next person, and on it goes. This can get silly rapidly. Link: passing on God’s praise to the next generation
Praising family traits
All Ages
Any size group
No Setup time
Noisy game
Can be seated
A simple identity game where whomever is speaking names a trait and all those it applies to shout “Praise God!” Wearing a colour, rolling your tongue, liking ice-cream, any trait qualifies. Link: all will eventually praise him
Psalm Beat
Ages 7+
Any size group
No Setup time
Noisy game
Can be seated
Using a small section of words from the Psalm as lyrics, have the youngsters make up a tune or a beat to sing the words. Add percussion instruments and work in pairs. Link: Psalms were songs sung, not read.
The big band
All Ages
Small group
Requires setup time
Quiet game
Can be seated
Turn your group into a band, if you have no instruments, use pots pans, plastic bottles, containers to shake. Link: This Psalm/song ends in praise.
These are the Character resources provided for: Psalm 22 | Colouring pages
Each JWL lesson has a collectable card alongside high-quality character images and a colouring page that links to each lesson. (Psalm lesson have no hero card and are predominantly colouring pages) Click on the images below to see a larger version. Save the images by right click + ‘save image as’ (computers) OR long press + ‘save image’ (mobile).
These images are NOT copyright free.
These resources are provided for personal/classroom use only. Use can use them for teaching, games, publicity, decor, big screen presentations, flannel graphs, stickers, or any other non-commercial activity in your church, school, home, or organised group. You may not use them in products you are going to sell — both printed and digital, or to upload the original images online, on websites, social media or in YouTube videos. Any questions, please reach out to me using the contact page link at the end of the page.
This week we look at Psalm 22 verses 23 to 31. It’s a passage about, God’s people, the nations, and the call of praise. Rather than tell a story about the passage, we will incorporate the verses into the ‘talk’ time.
These psalm lessons follow the Lectionary passages for the six weeks of year B Lent.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
I wonder when you sing songs? Do you ever sing songs on journeys? We know that Jesus’s friends and family would have sang songs as they travelled.
Imagine a big crowd, moving slowly, the old ladies wobbling on their old legs, the young men carrying the heavy bags, the kids running back and forth, the babies crying. Then someone in the back of the crowd calls out a line from a song, and another voice responds. (If possible, get two voices to read this psalm, the second reading the words in bold)
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! All you descendants of Israel, revere him!
25 I will give praise in the great assembly because of you; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear you.
26 The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him. May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before you,
28 for kingship belongs to the Lord; he rules the nations.
30 Their descendants will serve him; the next generation will be told about the Lord.
31 They will come and declare his righteousness; to a people yet to be born they will declare what he has done.
This is such a joyful song about every generation. God loves his people, no matter how old or young they are, and they can all praise him.
