Bartimaeus - listening and showing we are listening - KS1 &2

Bartimaeus – Listening 08/10/2009

Shut your eyes and listen – what can you hear?
(sounds,  inside and out, gather responses)
What can you tell me about the things you heard (e.g.was the bird you heard singing inside the hall, or outside – near or far away?)

We can tell a lot by listening.
Ask for volunteers - 3 or 4 children – stationed around the hall. Tell them you want them to clap twice if you point to them. Other children close eyes – tell the children that when they hear one of the children clapping they are to point,  without opening eyes, to where the sound came from. Then can open eyes to see if everyone agrees.  Repeat a few times.

We are good at listening. Can tell a lot from the sounds around us.

Tell story of Bartimaeus. Mark 10.41-52

Bartimaeus was blind. Difficult at the time of Jesus – no one to help him. Had to ask others for money to live on. Bartimaeus was very good at listening though – knew the sounds around him. He couldn’t see, but there was a lot he could tell about the world around him by listening, just like we did just now
Ask children to close eyes.
Bartimaeus could hear all sorts of sounds around him. Dogs barking, people coming and going, knew people by their voices.
One day could hear from their voices that they were excited. Kept hearing name – Jesus – Jesus is coming. Bartimaeus had heard that name before. Jesus – healer and helper.
Bartimaeus wanted to meet Jesus, but didn’t know where he was. Called out. Crowd told him to shut up. Didn’t want to listen to him. Bartimaeus kept calling out – “help me, Jesus!”

Then Bartimaeus heard a voice calling out “Tell him to come here.” Someone helped Bartimaeus get up and he went towards the voice he’d heard. Jesus said “What do you want me to do?” “Make me see again” – And Jesus did.
Bartimaeus opened his eyes.
Ask children to open their eyes.
 And there was Jesus in front of him. Bartimaeus was very happy that Jesus had listened to him.

Bartimaeus was a good listener – Jesus was also a good listener. He listened to Bartimaeus when everyone else wanted him to shut up, and he did what Bartimaeus wanted, helped him and healed him.

PRAYER
Begin prayer with quiet.

Help us to listen to each other, and to show we are listening by helping each other.