tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79502186079134010792024-03-13T16:13:01.367+00:00Anne's Collective Worship blogCollective Worship ideas and stories for primary schools.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-77058256330718372312016-07-14T16:12:00.000+01:002016-12-04T16:12:32.420+00:00Solomon's Gift<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Show the children a large wrapped box.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you were given a present today, I wonder what you would
hope it would be?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Gather responses.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Tell story of God’s gift to Solomon.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last time I came in, I told you a story about King David,
one of the great kings of Israel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
King David had a son, called Solomon, and when David grew old
and died, Solomon became king in his place.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
David had been a very great king. The kingdom was very rich
and powerful with him as a leader. He was going to be a hard act to follow. But
Solomon was determined to do his best.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One night, after Solomon had spent the day praying and
thinking about how he was going to rule over the country, he fell fast asleep,
and as he slept, he had a dream.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In his dream God spoke to him. “Solomon – what gift would
you like me to give you? You can ask for whatever you want.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Solomon thought very hard. What <u>did</u> he want? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He could ask for gold and silver and jewels, to be rich and
have fine clothes and houses…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He could ask to be very powerful , to always win his battles
when he went to war…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He could ask to be very famous, for everyone to look up to
him and tell him how wonderful he was…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Solomon thought, and thought, and thought…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He thought about his father David. He thought about how God
had looked after him, and how David had trusted in God. He thought of what a
great leader he had been, and all the challenges he had faced – the giant
Goliath, the struggle to be king, the difficult decisions he had had to make.
He thought about how hard it would be to be as good a king as David. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And suddenly he knew what he should ask for.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Lord, I feel like a little child compared to my father
David. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t feel that I could ever be a king as
good as him, so I know what I need. I need wisdom. I need your help to make the
right decisions so I can live wisely. That’s the gift I need from you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And in Solomon’s dream God answered him. <i>“Solomon, you
have asked for a good gift. You could have asked for wealth. You could have
asked for power. You could have asked for all your enemies to be defeated, but
you didn’t. You asked for something that might not sound exciting, but which
will make you a good king, and so I will gladly give it to you. And because you
will be wise, and will make good decisions lots of other things will go right
for you too.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Solomon woke up, and he remembered his dream, and he
knew that he had chosen the right gift to ask for. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Solomon became famous for his wisdom. People came to him
when they had really tricky problems to sort out and he thought about them
carefully and prayed to God, and was able to help.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of you are going
on to new schools, some are going up a class here, and taking on new challenges
and new responsibilities. What might you need to do that? We don’t always know
what is right to do if we haven’t done something before. It can feel a bit
scary. But we can ask for help, just like Solomon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
……………………<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Prayer – think about that box, and what you need as you grow
up. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-83538646933086023282016-05-31T16:09:00.000+01:002016-12-04T16:10:28.275+00:00Pentecost<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Pentecost Assembly <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wind that moves us<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Show sailing boat
with sound effects as children come in<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sing - One more step along the world I go.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Play "Flap the kipper "</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>what made the kipper move?</li>
<li>It is the same force that makes a sailing ship move</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Story<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus’ friends weren’t moving at all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were sitting still – can you sit absolutely still?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They didn’t know what to do<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus had told them to tell people his message of love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But they didn’t know where to start.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They wished he was there to ask <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But he wasn’t<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At least they could pray<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were gathered together on the day of Pentecost, which was a special feast
in the Jewish faith. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sitting still <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When all of a sudden they heard the sound of a rushing wind.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It wasn’t windy outside, but they suddenly felt as if
something new had blown into their lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of a sudden they remembered the things that Jesus had
told them, they remembered what it was like when he was with them. And they
knew that God was with them, just like
he had been with them in Jesus. They felt like they could do anything. Of
course they could tell people about Jesus – after all he was their friend, and
its easy to talk about your friends.They were so excited that they rushed out
into the street and started talking to anyone they could. And even if the
people weren't from their country they understood what they were saying.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And very quickly the message spread, just as if that rushing
wind had spread it around. And Jesus’ friends told people in Jerusalem, and all
over the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus’ friends called this experience of God being with them
the Holy Spirit. He wasn’t just in heaven. He wasn’t just in Jesus. God was
in all of them, helping them to do things that felt difficult, moving them when
they felt stuck like statues.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Think of things that are difficult for you to do. When you
are stuck it is easy to panic, but we can stop and pray and ask for help – we
might get a good idea, or we might think of something we can do or someone we
can ask. Christians believe that Pentecost tells us that God is always with us,
helping us to get moving.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-66686804657887092682016-03-31T16:11:00.000+01:002016-12-04T16:11:14.501+00:00Faithful and unfaithful servants (Luke 12)<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are you ready?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What might you need to be ready to do now?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Ready to listen. Ready to think.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What other times do you have to get ready for something?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What do you need to do to get ready for school?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus told a story about two people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were both servants of rich masters<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Both masters had to go away on business, and they didn’t
know when he would be coming back. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Both masters told them to look after all his things. Make
sure no one stole anything. Make sure everything was ready for him when he came
back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first said to himself: What a privilege! I must make
sure I take care of everything. And he did.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every day he checked the stores that he was responsible for.
He dusted and tidied and straightened. He watered the plants and looked after
the animals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He weeded the garden and sowed seeds – they would be ready
to eat when his master came back. He looked after the money, paid the bills.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He made sure everyone else who worked for his master was
doing what they should too and he looked after them all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other one, in the other household, thought to himself<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What a lot of power I’ve got”. I’m just like my master now
– I can do what I want. Of course I’ll have to be ready when he comes back, but
that won’t be for ages, and when I hear him coming I’m sure I will be able to
rush around and tidy things up…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the meantime, I intend to have a really great time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So he ate his master’s food – never mind, I’ll replace it
when I hear he’s coming back!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He drank his master’s drink – never mind – he’ll never
notice!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He didn’t do a stroke of
work around the place. The dust and dirt built up – never mind I can run
around with a duster and mop quickly when I hear he’s coming.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was cruel and unjust to his masters other workers – the
master will never find out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He had the time of his life. For the first few days he kept
an eye out, just in case his master came back. But as days stretched into weeks
and weeks stretched into months he almost forgot his master was coming back at
all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then, one night, late, very late, when he was sprawled on
his master’s couch, a bit drunk, with all the dirty plates and cups around him,
he heard a noise. The noise of the front door opening, the noise of someone
coming into the hallway, the noise of a very familiar voice shouting out….I’m
home…where is everyone. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hurriedly he tried to stuff all the dirty plates under a
cushion…but it was too late. His master looked at him, and he looked at his
master…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you were the master of those two servants what do you
think you would have done?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What would you have done with the one who looked after
everything?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What would you have done with the one who didn’t?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus told that story to remind people that they never
really knew what was going to happen next. It might be something good. It might
be something challenging. But they could help themselves to be ready for
whatever happened. Being a good friend. Loving and caring for others. Looking
after the world around us. Being fair. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If we fill up the oceans with rubbish, there won’t be fish
in them when we need them to feed people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If we throw litter around, we won’t have nice places to play
when we want them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
If we are mean to our friends then when we need them, we
won’t have any.<o:p></o:p></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-68336455563190280862016-01-14T15:58:00.003+00:002016-01-14T16:06:46.351+00:00Flight into Egypt - Refugee journeys<!--[if !mso]>
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<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Look at the picture. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://40.media.tumblr.com/3b8a49a9c8b867b2f835c25c44710043/tumblr_inline_o0gj32Qmjw1qkqzlv_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://40.media.tumblr.com/3b8a49a9c8b867b2f835c25c44710043/tumblr_inline_o0gj32Qmjw1qkqzlv_500.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://globalworship.tumblr.com/post/136644066545/christmas-story-art-from-india-sr-claire-set-3">http://globalworship.tumblr.com/post/136644066545/christmas-story-art-from-india-sr-claire-set-3</a></span></div>
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who is the picture of?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do you think Mary and
Joseph feel? How do you know?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is Joseph carrying?
What about all the other things they own – furniture? clothes? </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We know all the stories about when Jesus was born – (ask
what they can remember)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But after that, I wonder what happened next.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you remember King Herod? He was the king the wise men
went to see. He was angry at the thought there might be a new king. He was king
and he wanted it to stay that way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He wanted to get rid of this new baby.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Joseph was asleep one night when he had a dream. In his
dream an angel told him that Herod wanted to kill his child.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As soon as he woke up he told Mary that they must leave Bethlehem
as fast as they could to escape to somewhere safe. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They gathered all their things together and set out for
Egypt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was only just in time, because Herod’s soldiers were
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>What might it have been
like to arrive in Egypt? <i>(The children talked about the feeling strange and
not having friends, but also feeling safe )</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Look at some pictures of modern refugees, people making
dangerous journeys. They are escaping from Syria where there is fighting. They
come across the sea in little boats looking for safety. </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/24/guardian-and-observer-refugee-appeal-2015-the-charities#img-1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/24/guardian-and-observer-refugee-appeal-2015-the-charities#img-1" border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ls1UkwzBQ93HhH1JbK8Rr5BvkC3RXRL5Tf0-F8NMC4xq7nKBNUjRunNsWDPURSEytt0YAY_eZDTeZgujw4Iy8dY1-nr6yPl2A3IgrdiYJJQ47I_xTf6OpUuBJIsvloDi8KjvqMDts0g/s320/Refugee+baby.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/24/guardian-and-observer-refugee-appeal-2015-the-charities"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/24/guardian-and-observer-refugee-appeal-2015-the-charities</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://www.redcross.org.uk/~/media/BritishRedCross/Images%20-%20special%20use/Teaching%20resources%20-%20copyright/Quick%20activities/hellenicrc.jpg" height="209" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.redcross.org.uk/~/media/BritishRedCross/Images%20-%20special%20use/Teaching%20resources%20-%20copyright/Quick%20activities/hellenicrc.jpg"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">http://www.redcross.org.uk/~/media/BritishRedCross/Images%20-%20special%20use/Teaching%20resources%20-%20copyright/Quick%20activities/hellenicrc.jpg</span></span></span></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.redcross.org.uk/~/media/BritishRedCross/Images%20-%20special%20use/Teaching%20resources%20-%20copyright/Quick%20activities/Refugees%20munich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.redcross.org.uk/~/media/BritishRedCross/Images%20-%20special%20use/Teaching%20resources%20-%20copyright/Quick%20activities/Refugees%20munich.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="direction: ltr; language: en-GB; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">
<a href="http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Teaching-resources/Quick-activities/Images-of-refugees"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Teaching-resources/Quick-activities/Images-of-refugees</span></span></span><span id="goog_778740455"></span><span id="goog_778740456"></span></a></div>
</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is happening?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>What might feel scary about
making this journey?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What might feel good about
it? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What might help them? </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Prayer</b> for Refugees, people who have to take journeys
they don’t want to take. For those who welcome and help them.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Teaching-resources/Quick-activities/</span></span></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-34738978203464145612015-09-24T16:00:00.001+01:002015-09-24T16:00:48.538+01:00Paul and Silas in prison: Making friends out of enemies<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i>I was a bit uncertain about telling this story. Would the children be worried by it? Would they think they should stay in dangerous situations? </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>In the event their responses seemed to indicate that, for the most part they had been inspired to be courageous, and that they got the point that this was a story about loving our enemies. Quite a few also told me how they could see the pictures of the story in their heads, and one described the prison in great detail to me afterwards. </i></div>
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<i> </i> </div>
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There was once a man who lived a long time ago in a town
called Ephesus, and he had a difficult job to do. His job was to guard the city
prison and make sure none of the prisoners escaped. It wasn’t just people who
had done bad things who were put in his prison. The Romans ruled Ephesus, and
their soldiers could arrest anyone they wanted to. If they didn’t like what
someone was saying. If they thought it might be a threat to Rome, they could
throw them into prison. And the jailer had to make sure they stayed there. If
anyone escaped he knew he would be in a lot of trouble. He’d probably end up
thrown into prison himself, and maybe the soldiers would even kill him. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So the jailer was always careful at the end of each day to
make sure all the prison doors were locked and barred and bolted. No one was getting
out of his prison. </div>
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One evening he went round and checked with special care. It
had been a busy day. Two new prisoners had been brought in. “Who are they?” he’d
asked the soldiers” and what have they done?” “Their names are Paul and Silas,
and they have been making all sorts of trouble. They are followers of a man
called Jesus. They have been saying that God thinks everyone is important, even
the poor people and the slaves. We can’t have that! If slaves start to think
they are important they might not do what they are told. They might rise up and
rebel. Who would do our work then? So we have given them a good beating and now
we must wait to see what our bosses want us to do with them next.” </div>
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<br /></div>
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So Paul and Silas were thrown into a dark, damp prison cell,
along with all sorts of other prisoners. To be specially careful, the jailer
chained their feet to the wall. They weren’t going anywhere. He locked all the
doors behind him.</div>
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<br /></div>
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As he went upstairs to his house and family, though, he
heard a strange sound, the sound of singing. It wsa Paul and Silas, and they
were singing a song about God, thanking God and praising him. “What a strange
pair!” he said to himself. “What on earth have they got to sing about?” </div>
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<br /></div>
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The jailer went to bed, and was soon fast asleep. In the
middle of the night, though, he woke up suddenly. Everything around him seemed
to be shaking. It was an earthquake. The whole prison house was shaking. when
the shaking stopped, he rushed out of his room and started to go down the
stairs to the prison. Oh no! The doors of the prison had been shaken loose by
the earthquake. They were all standing open. The prisoners were sure to have
taken the chance to escape – who wouldn’t? The jailer knew he would be in
terrible trouble. </div>
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All of a sudden he heard a voice, calling to him from
the darkness of the prison. “Don’t harm yourself. We are all still here!” And
sure enough there were Paul, Silas and the other prisoners. “We knew you would
be in trouble if we ran away, and it’s not your fault we are in prison, so we
stayed. We know that God is with us anyway, whether we are in prison or free,
whether things are going well or not, and that gives us courage.” </div>
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<br /></div>
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The jailer was amazed. But he remembered how Paul and Silas
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<br /></div>
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“I would like to know more about this Jesus whose teachings
you follow”, he said. Come upstairs and tell me more about him. He took Paul
and Silas upstairs, gave them some food and washed their wounds where they had
been beaten. And as he did so, they told him about Jesus, and about how he had
loved and cared for people, even if they had been cruel to him. “He told us we
should love our enemies, and pray for those who were mean to us” said Paul and
Silas. The jailer had never heard of someone living like this before, and he
had never met anyone as brave as Paul and Silas. “How do I become one of Jesus’
followers,” he asked. “You need to be baptised” said Paul, and so that’s what
happened. The jailer and all the people who lived in his house were baptised
that very night. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And after that? Paul and Silas went back down into their
prison cell to wait for the morning, so that the jailer wouldn’t get into
trouble. In the morning, when the soldiers came, they set Paul and Silas free –
the judge decided that one night in the cells was probably enough to put them
off their message. But Paul and Silas never gave up spreading the message of
Jesus, and the jailer never forgot these people who should have hated him for
locking them up, but who had loved him instead.</div>
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<br /></div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Prayer</b>: Protect us when we are feeling scared. Remind
us that you are always with us. And help us to love and pray for everyone, even
the people we don’t get on with.</div>
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<br /></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-76230722734773949982015-07-09T12:04:00.002+01:002015-07-09T12:04:21.848+01:00The wolf of Gubbio (a story of St Francis)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> There was once a young man called Francis who loved having a good time,
dressing in fine clothes and drinking with his friends in the town of Assisi
where he was born. As soon as he was old enough he decided that the life of a
soldier was the life for him – going into battle on a fine horse with gleaming
armour – wouldn’t that be exciting! He didn’t have to wait long for a chance.
Assisi was at war with a neighbouring town so Francis rode off to battle. But
instead of glory</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">, Assisi was defeated and
Francis captured and imprisoned in a cold, dirty prison, where he fell ill.
Eventually his father paid his ransom, but that year had changed him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">He tried to go
back to his old life, drinking with his friends and spending money like water,
but somehow he found he couldn’t help noticing those who were cold, dirty and neglected,
as he had been in that prison. He thought about Jesus who had loved everyone
and he decided he would like to live like Jesus too. So he gave up the fine
clothes and the old life and lived very simply, helping those who were poor and
sick and telling them the stories about Jesus that had inspired him. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Once, it is said
that, on his travels he came to a town called Gubbio, up in the mountains. It
was surrounded by a high wall, with fields outside it. As Francis walked up to
the town, he was puzzled. He would have expected to see lots of people working in
the fields, but there was no one anywhere. He came to the gates of the city –
they were shut tightly. What was going on? He knocked on the door. He heard it
being unbolted, then opened just a crack. “Come in, come in, as quick as you
can – you’re not safe out there…!” said the doorkeeper, pulling Francis inside.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“Whatever is the
problem?” said Francis. “What’s the danger?” By this time a crowd had gathered.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“It’s the wolf,”
they told him “a ferocious wolf, a huge wolf, a wolf with great sharp teeth and
strong, strong legs! He’s been terrorizing us, killing our sheep and cows<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">, </b>causing mayhem. They were afraid for
their children, afraid for themselves.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Francis listened
and then said, “Hmm, I can see this is a real problem. I will have to go to
talk to Brother Wolf.” “No, no,” they all cried – you will be killed.” But
Francis insisted. He walked out of the gates, and all the people peered over
the walls and out of the windows, trembling with fear for him, sure he would be
torn apart. Francis strode across the fields towards the woods around the town.
All of a sudden, from the shelter of the trees, out ran the wolf, heading
straight for Francis on his strong, strong legs, with his great jaws open, his
sharp teeth gleaming, and his tongue lolloping out of his mouth. He got closer
and closer. The townspeople were sure this was the end. But Francis calmly
raised his hand and made the sign of the cross, and as soon as he did so, the
wolf stopped, right at Francis feet. He sat stock still, closed his mouth, and
looked up at Francis. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“Brother Wolf, “
said Francis “what’s this I hear about you terrifying these good people? I know
you are just doing what a wolf does, but it can’t go on. I will make a bargain
with you. If these people promise to feed you every day, will you promise not
to harm them or their livestock ever again?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The wolf nodded
his great grey head.”Let us shake upon our promise,” said Francis, and the wolf
lifted up his paw to put it into Francis’ hand. Then they walked together back
to the town. The people weren’t sure they could trust the promise of a wolf at
first, but reluctantly agreed to the bargain, and every day they fed the wolf.
And the wolf did them no harm. In fact, the story says, he became so tame that
he wandered from house to house and the children played with him like a pet.
And when he eventually died, the people of Gubbio wept for their friend the
wolf. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a good story – a story that reminds us that
making peace takes courage, courage to go to those you disagree with, and
courage to respect them for themselves too. As we share the peace, we commit
ourselves not just to saying the words, but to listening to one another and
respecting each other too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><i>I suppose you could illustrate this with a picture of a wolf, but to be honest, the wolf in the children's imaginations will be a far more vivid one...! </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><i>Practice telling the story so that there is a moment of suspense as the wolf comes charging towards Francis, and a silence as he makes the sign of the cross. I have never found a group of children (or adults) who don't love and respond to this story. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><i> </i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-55368669350410121612015-03-19T16:55:00.000+00:002015-03-19T16:55:57.791+00:00Moses parts the Red Sea<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The school in which I usually lead collective worship is now following Rochester Diocese's three year plan for worship, which can be found <a href="http://www.rdbe.org.uk/schools/collective-worship/diocesan-worship-materials/year-1">here</a>. The theme this term is the sea, so although it isn't actually in the plan I thought the parting of the Red Sea might fit in. The children loved it, and one, who has quite profound physical disabilities came up to me afterwards and told me how sometimes he really struggled to do his school work, but that he had found that people helped him. He told me about some of his strategies for coping with his difficulties - a child for whom the glass, movingly, was clearly half-full rather than half-empty!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, a long way from their home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The king of Egypt, who was called the Pharaoh, was very
cruel to them. He made them work very hard, and he wouldn’t let them rest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who would help them? Had God forgotten them? That’s what
they thought.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But God had other ideas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was a young man he had his eye on to help. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His name was Moses. Moses was an Israelite, but he had grown
up in Pharaoh’s palace. He’d run away when he was grown up though, and lived in
a desert place, looking after sheep. But one day Moses saw a strange thing. A
bush that was on fire, but wasn’t getting burned up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As he went closer to look, a voice came from out of the bush.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Moses, I have a job for you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Huh?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“ I am the God your ancestors worshipped before you came to
Egypt. I haven’t forgotten abuot my people. I love them very much and I can see
how much they are suffering. So I want you to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let
my people go!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I can’t do that” said Moses, “no one will listen to me!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh yes they will, “said God, “Just you wait and see.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Moses went back to Egypt, and he went to Pharaoh.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My God says‘ let my people go’ “said Moses. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No” said Pharaoh. “Why on earth should I do that.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If you don’t,” said Moses “terrible things will happen.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Pah! Don’t be ridiculous”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But terrible things did happen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First the rivers of Egypt all went bright red, like blood.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then frogs filled the land.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then there were locusts and biting insects, and hailstorms
and all sorts of other disasters.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each time Moses gave Pharaoh another chance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Let my people go!” he said. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Pharaoh wouldn’t listen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until the very last disaster.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A sickness swept through the land and the oldest child of
ever family, human and animal, died. All except for the children of the Israelites,
who were spared. It was a terrible, terrible thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Let my people go!” said Moses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Pharaoh said yes. How could he not.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Moses told all the
Israelites to pick up their bags and follow him, as fast as they could.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And they did. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And it was just as well they were moving fast, because they
hadn’t gone far when Pharaoh changed his mind. “Why should I let them go? I
need them to work as my slaves!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So he sent his soldiers after them, with all their armour
and their chariots. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the people ran, but the soldiers ran faster. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They began to catch up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then Moses and the Israelites came to a big sea called the Red
Sea.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They didn’t have boats.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There wasn’t a bridge.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were stuck.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everyone thought it was hopeless.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Moses remembered God’s promise<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He didn’t think God would let them get this far and then let
them down.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Moses prayed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And God told him what to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moses lifted up the stick he held in his hand. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And he stretched out his hand over the sea.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And a wind began to blow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And it blew the water up into a wall on one side, and a wall
on the other, so that the water was all heaped up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the people just walked across the sea bed to the other
side.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what about the Egyptians?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If the Israelites could walk through, they could come
through to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They set off , following the Israelites, with all their chariots
and their armour.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Moses had got to the other side.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And he turned round.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And he stretched out his stick again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the waters came crashing down on the Egyptians and swept
them away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
And the Israelites were safe and
free.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now I don’t know if it really happened like that at all. The
Bible isn’t a newspaper report or a history book, which tells us things exactly
as they were. It is a book of stories to help us think.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That story helps me think, because it reminds me that when I
think it’s all hopeless, that I can’t do something, I shouldn’t give up. Things
can happen that I haven’t thought of. God can help me, perhaps through someone
else who comes along to help me. I might
have an idea I hadn’t thought of before. I’m not on my own. There are always
people who can help. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Prayer</b>: Think of something you find really hard. Think about
who you could talk to about that. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Hold silence.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Loving God, help us when we feel we don’t know what to do.
Help us to tell someone who can help us. Help us to accept their help. Amen</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p><i>(The children were entirely unbothered by the Egyptians being swept away - I was a bit worried, but they didn't seem to worry about the wholesale slaughter in the story. They listened very thoughtfully to the final plague though, and I could see they agreed with me that it was a terrible, terrible thing.)</i></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-13936433128327171792015-02-11T09:42:00.001+00:002015-02-11T09:42:33.958+00:00Candlemas - Let your light shine<div class="MsoNormal">
This Sunday in Church we’ll be celebrating a special
occasion. It is called Candlemas, so it’s obviously got some candles in it. But it also has a baby in
it too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Show a picture of a baby</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wonder what this baby will grow up to be?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We can’t tell. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We might not know what job he or she will do, but what do we
hope his or her life will be like?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(ask children for their ideas)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Happy? Successful? Loved? helping others? etc…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He or she will be special – there will be no one like him or
her. Everyone is special in their own way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tell story of presentation of Christ in the Temple<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This story is about two very old people, called Simeon and
Anna. They spent all their time in the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city> in
<st1:city w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:city>, the
place where everyone gathered to pray. But they didn’t just come once a week or
once a month, they were there every day. Anna even slept in the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city>. They were
waiting. Waiting and waiting. What were they waiting for? They were waiting for
God to come and help their people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They looked around them and saw that people were unhappy.
Roman soldiers had marched into their land and they had to do what the soldiers
told them to. Often the soldiers were cruel. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Simeon and Anna saw that people often made each other
unhappy too. They treated each other badly, as if they didn’t matter,
especially people who were ill, or poor. It wasn’t right, and Simeon and Anna
did what they could to help people, but they knew that they couldn’t do it on
their own. They needed God’s help. People believed that God would send a
special helper – they called him the Messiah – but when would he come, and what
would he look like. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All day, every day, Simeon and Anna watched and prayed. They
looked at all the people who came to the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city>,
but none of them was the one.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then one day, a little family – a man and a woman carrying a
baby – came into the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city>.
The baby was about six weeks old. It was baby Jesus, with Joseph and Mary. They
had come to the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city>
to say thank you to God for Jesus. All families did that. And when they came
they brought something to offer – two pigeons. Here’s a picture of them. You
can see Joseph carrying the pigeons. They felt very small – the <st1:city w:st="on">Temple</st1:city> was HUGE, and it
was crowded. No one would notice them. But someone did. Simeon and Anna.
Something told them that this little baby was the one they had been waiting
for. They pushed through the crowds
towards them. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Simeon took the baby in his arms and said. “This is the one
I have been waiting for. Now I can die happy, because I have seen that God is
coming to help our people, and people all over the world. He will be like a
bright light shining for everyone.” Anna told everyone around that this child
would be very special when he grew up, someone would help them to live right. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mary and Joseph didn’t know what to make of it at all, but
they remembered Simeon and Anna and what they had said as Jesus grew up, and
thought about it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-----------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s the story, and it doesn’t just remind us about Jesus
being special. It reminds us that we are all special. Jesus said that each of
us is like a light that can light up the world, so we’ve got to remember to
shine! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We say that to every person who is baptised or christened in
Church. We give them a special candle to take home to remember that. Here is
baby Seth with his mum and dad and his candle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBgirUbCloaCfl24Js6UxxFXheQuiuEM2vDm7Gd2c1A3UJJVafPKILehweyjPVuV6_i0Jv-ZowGgWREuCzKTjC40aQuPUscFr7OZqVOZrSSrd9Papiibzu6Mnj5tmz7xCAqeTg7a6sjs/s1600/IMG_9994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBgirUbCloaCfl24Js6UxxFXheQuiuEM2vDm7Gd2c1A3UJJVafPKILehweyjPVuV6_i0Jv-ZowGgWREuCzKTjC40aQuPUscFr7OZqVOZrSSrd9Papiibzu6Mnj5tmz7xCAqeTg7a6sjs/s1600/IMG_9994.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Silence to think about that some way in which you could "let your light shine" today - something you could do to help someone.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sing : “This little light of mine.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Play the Song of Simeon to go out. <o:p></o:p></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-58085538130636379202014-10-10T12:05:00.000+01:002014-10-10T12:05:28.855+01:00The hole in the sack - a Harvest story<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I wrote this for a harvest assembly for children aged
from 3 to 7. It was (very) loosely inspired by the story of the man who built
bigger barns, which would have been inappropriate for this very young age. I
noticed the way that in the story (Luke 12.16-21) the man appears to be totally
alone The pronouns are all “I” – there isn’t even any mention of his own
household – and it seemed to me to be significant and sad.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>("What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down
my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And
I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life
easy; eat, drink and be merry.”)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The other starting point for the story was the Old
Testament requirement that the edges of the fields should be left unreaped, and
any corn not cut in the first reaping be left, so that the landless poor could
glean it, something that would be horrifying to any efficiency expert today…</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>It is an original story by me - you are welcome to use it, but please don't spread it about without my name attached to it. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Need: A sack with a small hole – big enough to stick
your finger through – in the bottom to be produced at appropriate moments in
the story. It is not essential, but I think it helped the children to visualise
the scene. They enjoyed spotting how the seed had come to be sown, so it was
good in the telling to have given them the clues, but not told them how the
grain got out until the point that the farmer realised it!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> ....................................................................................................................</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was once a rich farmer who had lots of land to grow
his crops, and lots of money. One spring morning he decided it was time to sow
the wheat seed in his field. He called for his worker and gave him a sack which
was hanging on a nail by the door. “Fill
this with seed and we will carry it to the field to sow it.” The farmer didn’t
notice, though, that the sack had a little hole in one corner where a mouse had
nibbled it. The worker took it away and filled it up. He didn’t notice the
litte hole that the mouse had nibbled either.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They set off through the village with the worker carrying
the sack of seed on his back. As they walked along they passed a row of
cottages where some very poor people lived. They didn’t have any fields to sow
seed in – just a bit of muddy ground in front of their houses. And they didn’t
have any seed either. As the farmer went by they called out to him. “Mr Farmer,
we have no seed to sow in our gardens, and we see that you have plenty. Won’t
you give us just a handful, so that we can sow our little patch of ground and
grow some wheat for our children?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I can’t do that,” said the Farmer. “ This is my seed, and I
am going to sow it in my ground, where it will grow into my wheat that I will
grind into my flour for me to eat!” And he and his servant went on. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When he got to his fields they sowed the seed all over the
ground till the sack was empty, but still they didn’t notice the little hole
that the mouse had nibbled. Then they went home again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sun shone and the rain fell, and pretty soon the wheat
in the farmer’s fields started to grow. It grew taller and taller as the months
passed. The sun shone and it turned from green to golden as it ripened. Then
one day he knew it was ready to be cut. Each little seed had grown into a new
plant and each one had lots of seed on it now. So he sent out his servants to
cut the wheat and bring it back to store in his barns. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What a fine harvest – he thought – and all mine!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That evening, though, there was a knock at his door. “That’s
funny – I wasn’t expecting anyone.” If the truth be known he didn’t have many
friends! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He opened the door and there outside were all his
neighbours, the ones who had asked him for seed in the springtime. The ones he
had said no to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were holding in their hands, a great big fresh loaf of
bread. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’ve come to say thank you” they said. You said that you
couldn’t give us any seed, but then you must have come back and sown some
anyway, because during the summer, all along the pathways at the front of our
houses – all the way from your house to your field, lovely golden wheat has
grown. And now we have cut it down, and stored away plenty for the winter. But
we have taken some of it, ground it up into flour, baked it into bread and
brought it to you, to say thank you for giving us the seed. We are having a
harvest party tonight to celebrate and we would love it if you would come.” The farmer didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t
given them the seed, even if he really felt he should have done. So how did it
come to be growing there? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was very puzzled. But then he noticed the sack the seed
had been in, hanging on the nail by the door, and he suddenly saw the little
hole that the mouse had nibbled. And suddenly he realised what had happened…
And I expect you have realised it too…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He felt really mean and miserable. These people thought he
had been kind and generous, but really it had just been an accident. As they
had walked along, some of the seed had just trickled out of the hole. He hadn’t
even noticed, because there was so much in the sack to start with. He could
have easily spared that seed for these people. And now here they were inviting
him to their party!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I am so sorry,” he said, “but I didn’t give you the seed –
it just fell from the sack – but I wish I had given it to you…and I would
really like to have come to your party” – he had realised just how lonely it
would be eating all his fine harvest by himself – “but I am sure you won’t want
me now you know the truth!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the people on the doorstep just laughed. “Well, maybe we
should have invited the mouse instead then, but we would still be glad if you
came because no one should be on their own at harvest time.” So the farmer went
to the party, and it was the best party he had ever been to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then next spring he sowed up the hole in the corner of
the sack…and he sent the whole sack to his neighbours, and gave them some land
to sow the seed in too, because he had realised that when we share with others
we make new friends, and friends are always better than money!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
copyright: Anne Le Bas</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-29905561682692787672014-09-25T16:08:00.000+01:002014-09-25T16:10:20.588+01:00Brother Comgall and the Mouse<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once, a long time ago there was a monk called Comgall. A
monk is someone who tries to live as Jesus did, very simply, helping others and
praying. Brother Comgall lived in Ireland, with a small group of other monks in
a little monastery there. A monastery is where monks live. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Comgall and the other monks had come to Ireland to tell
people there about Jesus, because people in Ireland hadn’t heard about him
before then. The monks tried to help the people around them as well, sharing
what they had with them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was one skill the monks had which very few other
people did at the time. They could read
and write. Very soon local people were sending their children to them to
learn, and they started a little school, taking in children as well who had
nowhere else to live.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Comgall was kind and wise. He loved not only the people
around him but also the animals and birds. It was said that he could even
understand and talk to the animals and birds. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One special friend he had, says the story, was a little
mouse who lived in a hole in the corner of Comgall’s room. Every night the
mouse would creep out of his hole and climb up onto Comgall’s desk. Comgall
would share a few crumbs of the bread and cheese he had for supper, and the
mouse would tell him news of what was going on in the countryside around the
monastery. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One year it came around to harvest time, and the news the
mouse brought Comgall was very bad. The weather had been dreadful and the
people had hardly been able to grow anything. To make matters worse the ruler
of that land, the Prince of Ulster, was a greedy man who had insisted that the
people give him most of what they had managed to grow. Everyone was
hungry. Comgall knew this anyway,
because the monks own vegetable crops had failed. They were as hungry as anyone
else. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Worse still, said the mouse, was the story he had heard from
a swan who had flown down to a nearby lake. The swan had flown over the Prince
of Ulster’s castle, and inside the Prince and his friends were feasting and
having parties every night. They had plenty of food piled high in their store
rooms– the food they had taken from the local people – while everyone else went
hungry. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Comgall thought this just wasn’t fair. He knew that it said in
the Bible that God had meant everyone to share the good things of the earth,
the vegetables and fruit and grain that grew in it. It even said in the Bible
that when you harvested the land you should make sure there was some left over
for those who had no land of their own to grow food in. Certainly no one should
be taking food from the poor so they had more than they needed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Comgall decided that he must go to speak to the Prince of
Ulster, and try to tell him it wasn’t fair. The other monks thought he was mad.
The Prince wouldn’t listen to him. It would make him angry, and it was
dangerous to make the Prince angry – who knew what he might do to Comgall? But Comgall was determined, so he set off to
see the Prince. It was late in the year. Nearly Christmas. It was cold and dark
and Comgall was weak and hungry when he set off through the snow to walk the
long journey to the castle. He could hear from outside the feasting that was
going in inside.He knocked on the door. “Who is that at the door,” roared the
Prince. A guard looked out. “Just one of those monks – he says he wants to
speak to you.” ”Send him away. I don’t want some ragged monk in my hall,” said
the Prince. But Comgall kept knocking. He wouldn’t go away, and eventually the
Prince let him in. “What do you want?” he asked. “Prince. Your people are
starving because you have taken away what little food they have. That’s not
fair. God gave us our food to share, not so that some could feast while others
starved.” “Pah!” said the Prince. “I don’t care about that. So long as I have
what I want why should I care about anyone else?. – Throw him out!” he said to the guards. “He
should be glad I’m not throwing him into a dungeon!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And they threw him out into the snow. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Comgall was even hungrier and more tired than he had been
before as he trudged back to the monastery. By the time he got there he was
very ill. The other monks thought he might die. They put him to bed to try to
warm him up, but they had no food left to give him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day would be Christmas Day, but there would be no
feast for them, or for the children who they looked after, or for the local people.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the morning Comgall got up, very weak and ill. “It is
Christmas Day anyway, brothers” he said, “and we should celebrate however we
can, thanking God and singing and praying. After all Jesus and his mother and
father didn’t even have a home to live in when he was born. They had to take
shelter in a stable!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the end of their church service Comgall asked the
brothers to go and check once more in their store room. Perhaps there might be just
a little food there which they could share.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They went off to the stores, and suddenly he heard a great
cry of joy. He went to join them and there in their storeroom he saw food piled
high from floor to ceiling, more food than they could ever eat. Where had it
come from? They couldn’t imagine. But they called all the local people to come
and take some, and everyone had enough to eat that day and for many days more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But where had it come from? Comgall didn’t know, until that
night, his little friend the mouse crept out of his hole and onto the table as
usual. “Brother mouse – do you know where the food came from,” he asked. “Well,
yes, Comgall, actually I do,” said the mouse. “When you went to see the Prince
of Ulster, one of my relatives was sitting in a corner of his hall. He had
heard news of you and how kind you were to the people and animals around you.
He thought it was terrible that the Prince of Ulster had treated you so badly,
so he decided to do something about it. He called all the mice of the castle
together and they spread the word to the other animals and birds around there.
In the dark of the night, they crept into the storerooms of the Prince of
Ulster and each one took a little of his food – and brought it here, so that you could share it out fairly, as it
should be shared.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Comgall laughed. “In years to come, people will say that
this food appearing here was a great miracle, he said, but the real miracle is
when God’s creatures learn to work together and share what they have!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I originally told this story at church on Christmas Day - you can find that <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/planet/sealpeterandpaul/archive.html">version here</a> - but here I have given it more of a Harvest slant, as we are preparing for the Harvest service. There are a lot of different versions of the tale around. In some the mice simply eat the prince's food, but that seemed to me to be profoundly unsatisfactory!</i><br />
<i>The children loved the story, though there did seem to be some concern about what happened to the Prince of Ulster afterwards - did he then go hungry? - and what he might have done in response. If it hadn't been home time we might have explored that a bit further. What can we do to bring about not only justice but also reconciliation?</i></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-25134702436691663942014-06-12T15:58:00.001+01:002014-06-12T15:58:27.440+01:00Pentecost energy<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Talk about cars, and about the
many things that need electricity – how many are there in the hall? Show an assortment of things that move or do something. Solar powered radio, balloon rocket, clockwork toy.What sort of energy do they use? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They all need energy to make them work. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s true for us as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You run around. How do you get the energy to do that? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What do we need in order for us to work and move? (Healthy
food & water)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you don’t eat a
healthy diet you won’t have the energy you need. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But sometimes, even when we have eaten, we don't feel we can do the things we need to. We might feel frightened, or just that it is too difficult. We need people to love us and encourage us. It is a different sort of energy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s a story in the Bible about a group of people who had
a job to do that felt too hard for them. They didn’t think they could do it.
They felt like they didn’t have enough energy or strength to do it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were Jesus’ friends, and he had asked them to go out
and tell other people all around the world that God loved them. But the world
is a big place, and they didn’t even know where to start. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One day, on a special holiday in their religion called
Pentecost, they were all gathered together praying to God, asking for help,
when they felt a strange feeling, like when you are getting excited about
something. They said it was like a rushing wind, except that the wind wasn’t
blowing, or like they had flames dancing on them. Suddenly they realised that
God would always be with them to help them. He hadn’t left them to do the job
on their own. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He had sent his Holy Spirit to be with them. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were so filled with energy when this happened that they
all got up and rushed outside and started telling people about Jesus, and
everyone understood what they were saying, and soon their message had spread
across the whole world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Think/pray</b> about the things we need to give us energy
- food and water, but also encouragement and love. Thank God for people who
encourage us, and for the Holy Spirit of God that is always with us.<o:p></o:p></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-14388439473030103962014-06-12T13:57:00.001+01:002014-06-12T13:57:24.623+01:00Good Samaritan<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Show a selection of pictures of people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My selection included:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A boy wearing Manchester United fan gear</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An elderly woman</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A child in a wheelchair playing basketball</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What can we tell about these people just from looking at the pictures?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>(I am glad to say that the first thing the children told me about the child in the wheelchair was that he was playing basketball, not that he was in a wheelchair.) </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>We also debated the idea that the elderly lady might be a grandma, and we wondered whether she might be a Man U supporter! We decided that there were some things we could tell from looking at someone but many things we couldn't)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I might be able to tell something about you just from
looking at you – girl or a boy, where you go to school… but that wouldn’t tell
me everything about you, and I might get things wrong because of it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes the really important things about us aren’t
obvious from the outside at all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Story of Good Samaritan<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus was Jewish. He lived in the land of Israel. The people
who lived in Israel, liked being there. They were proud of being Jewish and
living in Israel. It’s good to feel proud of where we come from and the groups
we belong to – Seal School – Yay!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But there can be problems if we think that people who don’t
belong to the groups we belong to or come from where we do, or aren’t like
this, arren’t as good as we are, and that’s what sometimes happened in Jesus’
country. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In particular, Jesus’ people didn’t get along with people in
the next country, the Samaritans. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Jesus told a story:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was a man like him, who was Jewish and lived in
Israel. He went on a journey – walking to his home many miles away. It was a
long journey that took him out into wild country. The cliffs were high and
rocky on either side of the road. There was no one to be seen on the road ahead
or behind. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then, all of a sudden, some robbers jumped out from behind
the rocks. They surrounded the man and beat him up. Bif, baf, bof. They stole
all his money, and even his clothes. Then they ran off and left him there. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The man was still alive,, just. He was badly hurt. He
couldn’t stand up. He couldn’t do anything to help himself. The sun was hot,
and he felt terrible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just then, though, he saw someone. Who was it? Was it the
robbers again? No. Good. It was a priest, someone who worked in the Temple in
Jerusalem, one of his people, someone who should care for him. Now he would be
all right!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The priest looked at him. He was going to help… surely. But
the priest just looked away again and kept on going! He just left him there.
Maybe he was too busy. Maybe he was frightened. Maybe he thought it was too
late. Maybe he thought it was someone else’s job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But never mind. There was another person coming… It was one
of the helpers at the Temple, a man called a Levite, one of his people, someone
who should care for him, surely, someone who would help him, surely…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Levite looked over at him. I’ll be ok now, thought the
man. But the Levite just made a face and carried on going. Maybe he was too
busy. Maybe he was frightened. Maybe he thought it was too late. Maybe he
thought it was someone else’s job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Was no one going to help him?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was one more person coming, leading a donkey. But , oh
dear, this man was a Samaritan. He could tell that from his clothes. He just
looked different. He’d never help. He was from a different country. He wouldn’t
care about him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Samaritan got closer. He looked over. “if the priest and
the Levite – my people, from my country – didn’t help, there’s no way this man
will…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Samaritan came across the road “ He’s probably going to
give me a good kicking to finish me off!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Samaritan bent down.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You look like you need some help. It’s a good job I came
along when I did. Here, let me put some bandages on those wounds. Let me put you
on my donkey, and we’ll take you to somewhere more comfortable than this.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that’s what the Samaritan did. He took the man to an inn
where he could be looked after, and he paid for him to stay there too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Jesus said. “Who was the one who was really a good
neighbour to that man?.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It wasn’t the one who looked like him, who came from his
country. It was someone who was quite different.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Prayer</b>: Help us to help each other. Not just the
people who are like us, and like the things we like, not just our friends, but
help us to help everyone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Amen<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-6698525121729421042014-06-12T13:46:00.004+01:002014-06-12T13:46:49.532+01:00Jesus calls his disciples<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Calling of the disciples – loosely based on <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.barnabasinschools.org.uk/every-day-a-special-job-to-do/"><b>http://www.barnabasinschools.org.uk/every-day-a-special-job-to-do/</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p>Tell story of calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John (Mark
1.16-20). Think of what it might be like to be fishermen. It would sometimes be
frightening, often need patience. You’d have to get along together. You might
not know what was going to happen, whether you would catch anything. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They had learned to be fishermen, but now Jesus was calling
them to do a bigger job – to help other people and tell them about God’s love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Things they had learned as fishermen helped them to do this
job too – patience, love, courage.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wonder what you have learned today that might help you
when you are grown up in whatever job you do?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reading, writing, maths, working together, working towards a
goal, coping with struggles and times when it all goes wrong… We can use all these
skills to help others..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Reflection</b>: Think about your day. What might you have
learnt today that will help you to help others.<o:p></o:p></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-82565667121163533372013-11-07T14:36:00.003+00:002013-11-07T14:36:37.434+00:00Jesus calms a storm<i>As the children arrived I played the sound of waves breaking gently on the shore and showed a picture of a calm seashore on a powerpoint presentation.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
What do you think I am going to tell a story about today...?<br />
<br />
It's a story about the sea.<br />
The picture we've just seen was of a calm sea, but here's a very different one.<br />
<img alt="File:Rembrandt Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee.jpg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Rembrandt_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Lake_of_Galilee.jpg/482px-Rembrandt_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Lake_of_Galilee.jpg" /><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Lake_of_Galilee.jpg"><span class="fn" id="creator" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.1875px;"><bdi><span style="color: #0b0080;">Rembrandt</span></bdi></span><span style="background-color: #e0e0ee; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.1875px;"> (1606–1669) </span></a><br />
<br />
<i>Talk about the picture. What is happening?</i><br />
<i>What are the people in it doing?</i><br />
<i>What might it feel like to be in this boat?</i><br />
(I cropped and enlarged details of the picture to help us look at it).<br />
<br />
It was the end of a long day, and Jesus was very, very tired. All day long he had been listening to people, healing people, helping people and now he was exhausted. He came down to the edge of the Sea of Galilee and asked his disciples to take him across it for a rest. Many of his disciples were fishermen so they thought that would be easy. They knew all about boats.<br />
So they set out across the water. It was calm and still - a perfect evening.<br />
Jesus put his head down on a cushion at the back of the boat, and soon he was fast asleep. His friends were glad they could help him and look after him.<br />
But then the wind started to blow, and the waves started to get higher and wilder.<br />
(Tell this part of the story as dramatically as you can!)<br />
Then the wind blew even harder, and the waves got even higher.<br />
They were coming into the boat.<br />
The noise of the storm was almost deafening. They couldn't hear themselves speak. They couldn't even hear themselves think.<br />
They were very worried, and they started to panic. They thought the boat was going to break into pieces and sink.<br />
They forgot that they were supposed to be looking after Jesus and leaving him to rest.<br />
"Wake up! Wake up!" they shouted at him. "Don't you care that we are going to drown?"<br />
And Jesus woke up....<br />
And he said to the storm "Shhh....be still" ( I whispered this part, and repeated it several times, to establish some calm)<br />
And the wind dropped.<br />
And the waves calmed down.<br />
And all was quiet.<br />
And the disciples and Jesus came safely to shore.<br />
And they thought he must be very special to be able to do this - they were amazed.<br />
But they also realised that he did care about them very much....<br />
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
Storms can be very frightening <i>(The children spontaneously told us about their experience of a recent storm at this point).</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
It's not just real storms that can be frightening.<br />
Sometimes we can feel like we are in a storm when we get angry, or worried.<br />
We get angrier and angrier till we don't know what we are doing any more...<br />
We get more and more anxious till we can't think straight at all...<br />
When that happens to me I remember this story, and Jesus who cares for us when we are in the middle of storms. Sshh... be still, he says to us. And if we calm down we find that often we know what we should do. We find too that there are people around to help us.<br />
<br />
<b>Play</b>: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fire-of-love/id420741906">"Calm me Lord" by Margaret Rizza</a>, and encourage the children to sit calmly and reflect on times when they have needed to calm down.<br />
<br />
<b>Prayer</b>: ask God to help us remember when we are feeling like we are in the middle of a storm that he cares for us and hasn't forgotten us.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-23058411268796005642013-09-30T07:23:00.001+01:002013-09-30T07:23:13.643+01:00Finding courage for difficult situations: The fox and the chicks<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The fox and the chicks<i> </i></b><i>(adapted from a
Masai story from Kenya)</i><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I “anglicised” this story because I was telling it early
in the school year to an audience which included the Year R children. I thought
that explaining what an ostrich and a mongoose were would probably distract
them, so wanted to go for more familiar animals. The original tale is here.</i><a href="http://www.storiestogrowby.com/stories/fur_feathers_africa.html">http://www.storiestogrowby.com/stories/fur_feathers_africa.html</a><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was once a mother hen who had two baby chicks. The
chicks were her pride and joy. She loved them so much!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One day she left them, just for a moment, to go and scratch
up some nice juicy worms to feed them. But when she came back to them, they
were nowhere to be seen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She flapped about in alarm and ran to and fro. “Where have
my chicks gone?” She searched high and low and eventually she came to a fox’s
den. And there was mother fox, with her chicks tucked up under her paws,
cuddled up as if they were fox cubs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Give me back my chicks” said the mother hen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Your chicks!” said mother fox. “These are not chicks, they
are fox cubs. my fox cubs.” “But they look nothing like you,” said mother hen. “They
have feathers not fur. They cheep, they don’t growl or bark like cubs do…Give
me back my chicks!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I shall do no such thing” said mother fox, “unless you can
find me one other creature who will stand here and look me in the eye and tell
me these are chicks and not foxes!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So mother hen went away and talked to all the other animals.
She went from one to another – the squirrel up a tree, mouse in a hole, duck on
the pond, and she told her sad story , and they all agreed it was a terrible
thing that had happened, and quite wrong. She summoned them all to a meeting at
mother fox’s den. Finally she went to rabbit, in her burrow. Rabbit was just as
horrified as all the others, and she thought and thought – hmm, she said. Give
me an hour or two – I need to do some digging first, but I will be there at
your meeting. And Rabbit began to dig. She dug and dug, a great long tunnel, a
tunnel with a hole at each end, one near her own burrow and the other just by
fox’s den.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It By the time she
popped her head out of the hole, all the other animals were there, along with
mother hen. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Now” said mother hen, “you said that if I could find one
other animal who would look you in the eye and tell me that those are my
chicks, not your cubs, you would give them back. So here they are.” And she
turned to the squirrel. “Squirrel, you will tell the fox won’t you, that these
are chicks, not fox cubs.” But squirrel looked at fox’s sharp teeth, and the
fierce look in her eyes…. “Um, well, they could be fox cubs, I suppose – no I
really couldn’t say they were chicks.” Mother hen looked at her, very surprised.
“Mouse, surely you will tell the fox the truth!” But mouse looked at fox’s
sharp teeth and fierce eyes too. “I really couldn’t say, “ she squeaked. “Duck,
what about you?” But duck just kept her bill closed and shuffled her feet…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There you see,” said fox. “I told you so. Everyone agrees
with me!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh no they don’t!” said a little voice. It was Rabbit. “I
don’t agree with you at all. How can they be fox cubs? When ever did you see a
fox cub all covered in yellow feathers? Give mother hen her chicks back at
once!” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mother fox was furious. She got up on her legs, and snarled
at Rabbit, showing all her sharp teeth and she set off running towards her…But
Rabbit was ready, and quick as a flash, she dived down that tunnel she had dug.
It was too small for fox to fit down, but fox thought – never mind. She’ll have
to come out sooner or later. I’ll just sit here by the hole and when she comes
out, then I’ll get her. But you know and I know that Rabbit’s tunnel had two
entrances, but fox didn’t know that. She sat by that hole for hours and hours,
all day and into the night, but Rabbit didn’t so much as show a whisker,
because she had got out the other end and gone right home to bed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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And while fox waited, mother hen quietly, quietly rounded up
her chicks and went home too…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What did you think of that story?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why didn’t the other animals tell the truth to the fox?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What helped Rabbit to feel brave enough to tell the truth?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>(<i>Having dug a tunnel so she could escape - she knew she was safe.)</i></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><i><br /></i></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Christians believe that it’s important to tell the truth,
and that God is with us to help us when we do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wonder what helps you to feel brave when you are
frightened.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I then showed a Power point slide with quote below, which I set in context, explaining that Joshua had a difficult and frightening thing to do, leading the people of Israel into a new land. We listened to some music as we thought about the question I had posed below.(I used the Lente from Handel’s water music Suite in D, which had
the right sort of brave feel, without being too loud.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or
dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’ Joshua 1.9<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Who or what helps you to feel brave when you are
frightened?”</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> </i><i>We then talked a bit about what helps us to feel brave when we are frightened or know we have to do something difficult. The children suggested that their mums and dads or friends helped them to feel brave, and one child said it helped him to think of playing with his toys later - having something to look forward to.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-80646161747539736942013-05-09T18:38:00.003+01:002013-05-09T18:52:19.071+01:00Ascension Day: Time to say goodbye<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Show some pictures of people saying goodbye, waving to
trains, seeing children off to school etc. – Google has plenty.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Talk about the pictures. What is happening in them? Where
might the people be going? What might those who are leaving and those who are
staying behind be feeling and thinking. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Show a picture of the Ascension. <a href="http://nunraw.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/ascension-of-lord.html">http://nunraw.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/ascension-of-lord.html</a><o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGlJFqv9Y2fuscbezH-s6CUptnFPCwPr-_mINl2PbVMbgGa7sBlMMtQm8xglQAXJfu8tdYn3eh1kQXB7ccENs3n5BjMDuiamtVvn1p29PBpat5GUtdEPCTVUDwSIoC7sWG4juEtfmd-E/s1600/Ascension.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGlJFqv9Y2fuscbezH-s6CUptnFPCwPr-_mINl2PbVMbgGa7sBlMMtQm8xglQAXJfu8tdYn3eh1kQXB7ccENs3n5BjMDuiamtVvn1p29PBpat5GUtdEPCTVUDwSIoC7sWG4juEtfmd-E/s200/Ascension.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Talk about it. What are the people in it doing?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What can you see in the sky?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whose feet do you think they are?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>(There was a lot of response to this, and to the earlier pictures, and the children spotted and commented at length.)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is a picture of the story we remember today.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus had been with his friends for a long time. They had
travelled around with him and heard him tell stories and help people. They were
very close to him. Then he had been crucified, and they were very sad and
shocked.But then, according to the Bible, they started to meet him again. He
ate with them and talked with them. They didn’t know how that was possible, and
neither do I, but they knew it meant that he was safe, and that the things he
had taught them were good things, that he had been right to say that God was
with them, even when things were very sad and difficult. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then one day he gathered them together and told them it
was time for him to leave them to go to be with his Father in heaven. They
wouldn’t see him any more.. “You have a job to do,” said Jesus, “and if you are
going to do it you can’t just cling to me all the time”. You are going to go
out and pass on my message to others.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They weren’t sure about that – they felt sad and scared, but
Jesus said that God would still be with them to help them, wherever they were. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And as he said that, a cloud came down and surrounded Jesus
and then rose up in to the sky, and Jesus wasn’t there any more. As they looked
up they could see the cloud getting smaller and smaller and smaller, till it
was hardly there at all… They didn’t want to stop looking up into the sky – no
one wanted to be the first to turn away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then they knew Jesus was gone. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then two angels appeared and they said to them. “What
are you standing looking up into the sky for? Haven’t you got a job to do “<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was sad, but what had Jesus said? They wouldn’t be on
their own. God was still with them, just like he had been with Jesus, even when
he was dying on the cross. So they knew they would be all right. And they had a
job to do – a wonderful job, an exciting job, a job Jesus had trusted them with
– to spread his message and help other people love each other.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So there was work to get on with – and they couldn’t do it
if they were standing around feeling sad. So back they went to Jerusalem to get
on with it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some times it is sad
to say goodbye – we’d rather not do it. There are lots of different goodbyes
too – the goodbye in the morning to mum or dad when you go to school – but you
soon learn that they will be back at the end of the day. The goodbye to friends
or family who you don’t see very often.
Some of you will be saying goodbye to Seal school soon – you might be
sad, but you can’t get on with the rest of your life and do all the exciting
things you’ll do at secondary school unless you say goodbye and move on. And
when we do feel sad, we can remember that we aren’t alone. Although we are
saying goodbye to some things and some people, we aren’t losing everything from
the past. There will be lots of people still there to help us, lots of memories
to treasure, and lots of new people to meet too.</div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-70017884982646079552013-01-17T11:50:00.002+00:002013-01-17T11:51:14.428+00:00Moses in the Bulrushes. SEAL theme Going for Goals: Knowing your strengths and weaknesses<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>“I can’t do that,
but I can do this!”</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Need: (though not vital) a baby doll, some straw/reed to
show plaiting and weaving, a straw basket.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a story from the Old Testament of the Bible. (Exodus
2)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A long time ago there was a cruel king in Egypt. Kings of Egypt
were called Pharaohs. This Pharaoh liked having power, making people do what he
told them to. But that meant that he was always worried that someone might take
his power away, someone bigger and stronger than him. At that time there were a
lot of people who came from the land of Israel living in Egypt. They had come
to Egypt many years before when there was no food in their own country, but
then they had stayed and settled down and had families there. By the time of
this Pharaoh there were a lot of Israelites in Egypt, and he didn’t like that
one bit. What if they all ganged up on him? So he made them all into slaves,
who had to work hard all day for nothing and couldn’t do what they wanted any
more. He made them build his big buildings and pyramids, pulling heavy stones
around. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But still they kept having children and their numbers grew. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Pharaoh thought of another plan. A really wicked plan. He
sent out orders to all the midwives, the people who helped women who were
having babies. “When an Israelite woman has a baby boy, you must kill it
straightaway,” he said. The midwives were horrified – they were there to bring
babies into the world not kill them. They couldn’t do it. After a while Pharaoh
realised that it wasn’t happening, so he summoned two of the midwives to his
court. They knew they were in trouble, but they weren’t going to let these
babies be killed. They got together and they thought of a plan. “We aren’t
strong enough to stop Pharaoh – we can’t do that – but that doesn’t mean we
can’t do anything. We can do this…” and they whispered their plan to each
other…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So they went to Pharaoh “Why aren’t you killing the boy
babies?” he shouted. “Ah, well, Pharaoh, you see it’s like this…” they said.
“The thing is that those Israelite women are so strong and fit that they give
birth to their babies very quickly, before we even get to them, so we are never
there in time to kill them…” That was a lie, of course, but it was a lie told
to keep the children safe, so it was ok. And Pharaoh couldn’t do anything but
believe them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Pharaoh didn’t give up his wicked plans. So, when one
Israelite woman gave birth to a fine healthy son, she was very worried. <i>(I brought out the baby doll at this point)</i> For
three months she hid him, but as he grew it was harder and harder to keep him
hidden. “What shall I do,” she said to herself. I’m not strong enough to defeat
Pharaoh. I can’t do that…but I can do this! And she went and got herself a
whole pile of dried reeds and began to weave them together.<i> (I produced the basket and the reeds and did a bit of plaiting to give the younger children some idea of what she was making.) </i>She wove and wove
until she had made herself a basket out of the reeds. Then she painted the
outside with sticky, black pitch, which was used to make ships waterproof. And
she took her baby and laid him in the basket and took him down to the river and
put the basket very carefully in the reeds at the water’s edge. Perhaps someone
would find him who could look after him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now this mum had an older child too, a daughter called
Miriam. And she watched her mum do all this. She felt very sad because she
loved her baby brother. But what could she do to help? She knew she wasn’t
strong enough to fight against Pharaoh. “I can’t do that… she thought – I’m
much too small – but I can do this…” and she thought up a plan. When her mum
took the basket down to the river she followed and when her mum went sadly home
she stayed behind to see what happened.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a while, someone did come along. It was the daughter
of the Pharaoh, a very fine, rich woman. She had come to bathe in the river.
But what was this? A basket in the reeds? And what was in it? A baby! Pharaoh’s
daughter wasn’t like her father. She was kind. Who would leave their baby in
the river like this, in a basket so carefully made? It must be one of the
Israelite women’s babies, who her father was trying to kill. She was very
sorry. But what could she do. “I’m not strong enough to stop my father, the
Pharaoh, she said. I can’t do that… but I can do this…” And she picked up the
baby and told her servants that she was taking it home with her to look after
it. At least one baby would be saved! “I will call him Moses” she said –
because that means “I have pulled him out of the water”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now Moses’ sister saw all this. She was glad to see that her
brother had been found, but she didn’t like to think she and her mum might not
see him again. “I can’t make it so that we can all be together and safe the way
we’d like,” she thought to herself. “I can’t do that…but I can do this…” and
she skipped out of her hiding place up to the Pharaoh’s daughter. “What have
you got there?” she asked. “It’s one of the Israelite baby boys” said the Pharaoh’s
daughter. “I’m going to look after him, but I’ll need someone to help…” “I know
an Israelite woman who could do that…”said Miriam. “Would you like me to fetch
her..?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s what she did. She
fetched her mum, Moses’ mum, and Pharaoh’s daughter gave her very own baby back
to her, and gave her some money too. “Look after this baby for me,” she said,
“and when he is older he can come and live in the palace with me.” And Moses’
mother was only too happy to do so. And that’s how Moses came to survive. And
when he grew up he managed to rescue all his people from Pharaoh. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it was all those people – the midwives, his mum and
sister, and Pharaoh’s daughter who made that possible. They knew they weren’t
strong enough to get everything sorted out, but each one could do something to
help, and that was all it took when they were working together…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
….</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are lots of things we can do – and lots of things we
can’t do. Sometimes we think of the things we can’t do and we feel really
helpless. Perhaps we might know someone who is poorly; we can’t make them
better, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything to help. What could we
do?....<i>Children suggested staying with them, fetching their medicine etc.</i>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or perhaps we’ve got to do something at
school that feels difficult – if your teacher tells you to write a story, it
might feel really difficult to do, but what can you do to help yourself get
started …<i>Children suggested making a story map and thinking through what it
would be about… </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is always something we can do to help, like the people
in the story of Moses and those small things all add up to make a real
difference.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Prayer</b> – think of the things we struggle to do, and
remember that there is always something we can do, even it seems small. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-56658159759061993632012-12-13T15:27:00.002+00:002012-12-13T15:31:54.073+00:00Christmas assembly - the glow in the dark baby<i>I created a <a href="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59103132/adorationshepherds.pptx">powerpoint</a> of this picture, focussing on different details of it (<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gerard_van_Honthorst_-_Adoration_of_the_Shepherds_-_WGA11657.jpg">The adoration of the shepherds, by Gerard Van Honthorst</a>) and cycled through it with some music playing as the children came in. (I used "How sweet is Love" by Michael Paget - I've taken the music out of the powerpoint here, for copyright reasons, but you can find something suitable of your own.) The children were remarkably transfixed by this, and reflected really well and with some sophistication on the image.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUk72Mp6gAZxieQ5cxAgHJu1lfThuUYAAjqUacuVJReL90qjhx4ZQzULtQLOuuoQYn5Cl5czOegP6Kk6nMx6d6M0AXspyTQXsuR7xCGROw5owu7Dar1Fvpn2Iu10MAm2PmeMKAhBQV8Y/s1600/glowinthedarkbaby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUk72Mp6gAZxieQ5cxAgHJu1lfThuUYAAjqUacuVJReL90qjhx4ZQzULtQLOuuoQYn5Cl5czOegP6Kk6nMx6d6M0AXspyTQXsuR7xCGROw5owu7Dar1Fvpn2Iu10MAm2PmeMKAhBQV8Y/s200/glowinthedarkbaby.jpg" width="200" /></a>Look at this picture. (Show the whole picture on a powerpoint or OHP)<br />
What can you see in it?<br />
<br />
<i>Children talk about the things they see.</i><br />
<br />
There is something in this picture which is very strange. What do you think it is.<br />
<i> </i><br />
<i>The glow in the dark baby!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Have you ever seen a glow in the dark baby?<br />
Do you think Jesus really glowed in the dark?<br />
<br />
<i>Some children tend to answer yes... Explain that the Bible doesn't say this - he was an ordinary baby.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
So why do you think this artist painted Jesus like this?<br />
<i></i><br />
<br />
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In the Bible Jesus is described as the Light of the
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But Jesus didn't just say in the Bible that he was the Light of the World, he also said that we are all lights of the world. You are a light of the world, and you, and you... The things we do can light up other people's lives.</div>
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As we watch the powerpoint presentation again and listen to the music, think about how you might light up other people's lives today.</div>
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<br />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-44234849159837625952012-10-18T12:13:00.000+01:002012-10-26T13:19:14.159+01:00Creation Assembly<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Creation Assembly </span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The unfinished masterpiece
</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">There was once an artist, who
was very, very good, but very, very slow. One morning he woke up with a brilliant
idea for a painting. He got out some paper, very, very slowly. He sharpened his
pencils very, very slowly. He mixed his paint very, very slowly. He thought a
bit, and thought a bit more. Finally he was ready to begin. He started to draw.
But he had taken so long that it was lunchtime and just at that moment his wife
said the food was ready. Paulo loved his food, so he put down his pencil and
went downstairs. After a long, long lunch he had a little nap, but when he woke
up he just couldn’t remember what it was he was going to paint. He couldn’t
even remember which way up it was going to be. And all he had was this…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">(Show sheet of paper with
a circle somewhere on it – better if it is not right in the middle. Turn paper round
, portrait and landscape, so that they can see that the circle could be at the
top, side or bottom.) </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I wonder what he was going to
paint? Do you have any ideas what this circle was going to turn into?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvdrVAaTG2Kv295x-750nlUYIMQpo41r0d2H5OqPaHh4CNPM3QD5QCJZb1ZyahdwRKh40fgBo_FL362TdZgAcpopajgWcMnFpUwg_sj6s16s_8K-bfyF8qMKk1vbbfq1BSkApi27A3NE/s1600/Circle+picture+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvdrVAaTG2Kv295x-750nlUYIMQpo41r0d2H5OqPaHh4CNPM3QD5QCJZb1ZyahdwRKh40fgBo_FL362TdZgAcpopajgWcMnFpUwg_sj6s16s_8K-bfyF8qMKk1vbbfq1BSkApi27A3NE/s200/Circle+picture+1.jpg" width="125" /></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Think about it, but don’t
tell me. <i>Give a few children who think they have an idea a copy of the “unfinished
masterpiece” and let them sketch while you talk. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlHfCSDOCyJokri-4YC1aJIp3rpieMvOtT7a21d0ynLZM9D_jSk0RAnXNei4ISf0qWsXrNz7zCoyE9GW060BRyQ206tspiog54YNv88khqXchISRpWuHm-F-U4mnMMyb7mmemRxi6M1o/s1600/Circle+picture+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlHfCSDOCyJokri-4YC1aJIp3rpieMvOtT7a21d0ynLZM9D_jSk0RAnXNei4ISf0qWsXrNz7zCoyE9GW060BRyQ206tspiog54YNv88khqXchISRpWuHm-F-U4mnMMyb7mmemRxi6M1o/s200/Circle+picture+6.jpg" width="182" /></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I know you’ve got lots of
ideas, and I bet they are all different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You are a very creative bunch of people – <i>point out artwork in the hall.
</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The Bible tells us that God
is creative too. In fact it starts off with stories about him making the world.
They are only stories. They didn’t really mean us to think that it happened
like this – but the stories tell us that they thought God was creative, just
like we are. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKocEM-3OuL-SNzPjLHZd06VJxe0fPebR2zypccWaQoKt2t-bJFjcjwjG9ArFOLukweJsTWg-bTbkaj_Xvo7qkDQ3Xll9DbGLsUxwEWiHxCA-uByw76rc6rINmVcy4YwiYrUtXUKhB_Y/s1600/Circle+picture+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKocEM-3OuL-SNzPjLHZd06VJxe0fPebR2zypccWaQoKt2t-bJFjcjwjG9ArFOLukweJsTWg-bTbkaj_Xvo7qkDQ3Xll9DbGLsUxwEWiHxCA-uByw76rc6rINmVcy4YwiYrUtXUKhB_Y/s200/Circle+picture+2.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwV5WcEI0qpu9rYJy12yfEspMah8ZgIUv9FdZk8l4tcrHXjtuSLMqPSDFS7W2QonfcIGRasR7TXpbn_MegBc-EISpaIPFRKbrR-jMXilnaweC4mb4UDB7zJEp3gzo2Dyj5kLVFtDylQlM/s1600/Circle+picture+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwV5WcEI0qpu9rYJy12yfEspMah8ZgIUv9FdZk8l4tcrHXjtuSLMqPSDFS7W2QonfcIGRasR7TXpbn_MegBc-EISpaIPFRKbrR-jMXilnaweC4mb4UDB7zJEp3gzo2Dyj5kLVFtDylQlM/s200/Circle+picture+8.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The story the Bible tells
says that God made light and dark, heaven and earth and all that is in it,
plants and animals. And after he had made each thing he looked at them and said
“It is good!” He really loved the things he had made. He felt proud of them and
enjoyed making them. And finally he made people. And the Bible said that he made
them to be like himself – not that they looked like God, but that they were a
bit like him in other ways. They could love like he loved. They could care for
each other, like he cared for them. And they could make things too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">So when we make things we are
being a bit like God – so long as we are making good things.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfAf3wOvF8-yhE6VFmQyntd_mWxkOcAgcKe-sC8YSUA6TZMovNHZg9i-5EYTqKtF5HPGi5THgHpj5K3hUdt7M1h1x343jeUmlRi79w66eL5RnLXXIbZ_S-Y4wlwnsOhXOgNVU29oyW_Zs/s1600/Circle+picture+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfAf3wOvF8-yhE6VFmQyntd_mWxkOcAgcKe-sC8YSUA6TZMovNHZg9i-5EYTqKtF5HPGi5THgHpj5K3hUdt7M1h1x343jeUmlRi79w66eL5RnLXXIbZ_S-Y4wlwnsOhXOgNVU29oyW_Zs/s200/Circle+picture+9.jpg" width="105" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-vs6G_nFCGNDY9tn4G4uIDubKOWvmkIPxZgaqYgd_wOnOq7T3hEeAdVOakSzaBJV12aqu4gFWyIp09rAfZBjPLyX5BJmDk5GCawumrOTC-RU5GavPP7OluIYnvnqUZ0qBP2x1IZtjM0/s1600/Circle+picture+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-vs6G_nFCGNDY9tn4G4uIDubKOWvmkIPxZgaqYgd_wOnOq7T3hEeAdVOakSzaBJV12aqu4gFWyIp09rAfZBjPLyX5BJmDk5GCawumrOTC-RU5GavPP7OluIYnvnqUZ0qBP2x1IZtjM0/s200/Circle+picture+10.jpg" width="140" /></a><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Look at pictures that the
children have drawn – all different</span></i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><i> (In this instance I got a snowman, a girl on a bicycle, a portrait of one of the teachers, a drawing of an atom with spinning electrons, the London Eye, Big Ben clockface and the Earth)</i> .
It was up to you what you made of them - you all started with the same thing, but came up with something different. In the same way we can all make different things every day. We might make good things </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I wonder what you are going
to make today? It’s up to you. You can make a mess, or make trouble. You can
make an enemy. Or you can make a friend, or make things better. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br clear="all" style="page-break-before: always;" /></span>CREATION PSALM</b><i><br />Here is a sort of version of that Creation story that we can all join in with. I include actions - gesturing to heaven and earth, making sun and moon shapes, growing as trees and flowers - you can make up your own, I am sure. Make them big and sweeping, so that the movement becomes a part of the praise. I encourage them to join in with the bits in bold type, but I tend to find that they rapidly get the idea and often say the whole thing along with me, or repeat bits after me spontaneously, in which case I go with the flow!)<br /></i>In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth and he said<b> </b><br />
<b>They’re good, I like them!</b><i><br /></i>He made the angels and the archangels and he said<i></i><b> </b><br />
<b>They’re good, I like them!</b><br />
He made the sun and the moon and he said<b> </b><br />
<b>They’re good, I like them!</b><i></i><br />
He made the hills and the valleys and he said<b> </b><br />
<b>They’re good, I like them!</b><i><br /></i>He made the trees and the flowers and he said<b> </b><br />
<b>They’re good, I like them!</b><i><br /></i>He made the whales and the worms and he said<b></b><b> </b><br />
<b>They’re good, I like them!</b><i><br /></i>He made all the people, big and little and he said<b></b><b> </b><br />
<b>T</b><b>hey’re good, I like them!</b><i></i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>And the heavens and the earth <i> </i> </b><br />
<b>And the angels and the archangels<br />And the sun and the moon<br />And the hills and the valleys<br />And the trees and the flowers<br />And the whales and the worms<br />All said</b><i></i><br />
<i><br /></i>Three cheers for God<br />
<b>Hip, hip, hooray<br />Hip, hip, hooray<br />Hip, hip, hooray!</b><br />
<br />
And all the people said<br />
<b>Amen, Amen!</b><i><br /></i>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-23951976431297329752012-07-05T12:17:00.000+01:002012-07-05T12:22:30.664+01:00Ezekiel and the valley of the dry bones - SEAL theme Changes<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ezekiel and the valley of the dry bones</b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>(Ezekiel 37) </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Play “danse macabre” by Saint-Saens as
children enter. I put up a <a href="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59103132/Danse%20Macabre.pptx">powerpoint slide </a>notice explaining that the music we were listening to was a dance done by skeletons and that if you listened carefully you could hear the bones rattling in the music (played by the xylophone).</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>I stook the school skeleton in hall. Yes, my local primary school has a school skeleton - full size, genuine article. It often seems to be in the YR classrooms. None of the children seem in the least bothered by it...</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>I don't know what those of you unlucky enough to be in skeletonless schools could do instead - a picture would have to do, I suppose. The skeleton isn't vital to the story, but he did rather bring it to life!</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The Jewish people who wrote
the Bible were once in deep trouble. An enemy army had come and destroyed their
city of Jerusalem and taken then away as prisoners far away across the desert
to a place called Babylon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">They thought they would never
go home. They thought it was all over. They were very, very sad. There was no
hope, and they might as well be dead.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The Bible says that God saw
how sad they were and wanted to encourage them not to give up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So he chose a man named
Ezekiel, someone who would listen to what God said and tell everyone else.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">One day Ezekiel had a sort of
dream. You know how in a dream sometimes strange things happen…well that’s what
happened to Ezekiel. He found himself in his dream far away from the city out
on a deserted plain, flat and dusty, in the baking sunshine. But all around
Ezekiel were bones, human bones. A lot of people had died here, thought
Ezekiel. It was a place where a great battle had taken place, and the bodies
had just been left. Now there was nothing but bones, dry bones, hundreds and
hundreds of them. They were all scattered about and mixed up – a skull here and
a leg bone there… What a muddle. And they were all as still as still could be,
as dead as dead could be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">And then Ezekiel dreamed that
God spoke to him.. “Well, Ezekiel – do you think these dry bones could ever get
up and walk about and live again?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">What a daft idea – of course they
couldn’t. They were dry and dead. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But Ezekiel said “I don’t
know – you are God – you tell me…”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">“Ezekiel” said God “What I
want you to do is this. Talk to the bones and tell them to come together and
sort themselves out into bodies again…” It sounded silly, but Ezekiel did as he
was told. “Come on bones – sort yourselves out” shouted Ezekiel, probably
feeling a bit stupid. Of course nothing would happen, would it?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But then he started to here a
noise. First a faint scritch-scratching, then a rattling, then a clattering –
the bones were moving! As he watched they moved themselves about across the
desert. A skull found a backbone, a backbone found some legs and arms, and pretty
soon there were whole skeletons lying on the ground. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Of course that was just the
inside of the people. We’ve all got bones inside us, but we aren’t just bones.
We need muscles and things to join the bones together. As Ezekiel watched in
his dream the skeletons grew muscles and ligaments and then skin. There they
were, lying on the ground, whole bodies. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But then God said to him. “they
look pretty good, but they aren’t alive – they aren’t breathing, so that’s no
good. Now I want you to talk to the breath – call it to come from the four
winds and make them live.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">“Come on breath,” shouted
Ezekiel “Come and make these bodies live!”. And as he waited he felt a gentle
breeze sweep over the bodies, and… they all took a deep breath in, and a deep
breath out, and another deep breath in again…And they all stood up…full of life
from the tips of their fingers to the tips of their toes.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>(get the children to
breathe in and out, stretch, wriggle their fingers and toes.)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">And Ezekiel woke up from his
dream…What a strange thing. What did it mean?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Ezekiel thought and thought.
And then he went to his people and he told them this.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">We feel just as hopeless as a
bundle of dry bones. As if nothing good will ever happen again. As if it is all
over for us. But God has other ideas. He can take us back to our own land
again. We can start again. We mustn’t give up. We must keep going… God is still
with us and wants to help us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">And the people believed him.
And they were right – they did eventually go home, and rebuild their city.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Sometimes we all feel like
giving up – there’s no point trying, we think, it will never come right.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Perhaps when we do we could
remember Ezekiel’s dreams. If we keep going and keep trying, with help from
others and from God things can change.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Prayer</b></span><span style="font-size: small;">: In silence think of something you find hard and feel
like giving up on. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Ask God to help us when we
feel like that so that we can keep trying, and thank him for all the people who
encourage us in difficult times.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-27960223311483710132012-05-31T11:36:00.002+01:002012-05-31T11:36:49.288+01:00Pentecost - good news to share<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Last time I came to
school I told you about when Jesus went back to heaven. His friends felt sad.
They missed him, and they wondered how they would manage without him. He had
given them a big job to do, to tell other people that God loved them and wanted
to help them, but they didn’t know how they would do it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He had said that even if they couldn’t see him, God would
still be close to them to help them through his Holy Spirit, but they didn’t
know how. All they could see were the problems.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One day they all gathered together in a room in Jerusalem.
It was the Day of Pentecost, a big Jewish time of celebration, but they didn’t
feel much like a party. They were praying together. Lord, help us to tell
others about you – we don’t know how we are going to do it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Choose four children to help –</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then, as they prayed, a strange thing happened. They could
hear a sound, like the sound of a rushing wind…but there was no wind blowing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>(Give two of the children bunches of blue and white crepe
paper streamers and let them wave them like wind. It is important to feel
confident that you can stop the children when you need to, though, otherwise
you will have a complete riot – they enjoy this bit!)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It felt good – very exciting. Suddenly the disciples started
to feel that maybe God was with them,. They couldn’t see him but they felt like
they had done when Jesus was around – as if everything would be all right. So
this was the Holy Spirit – God close to you right where you were, right inside
you!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then they looked around at each other, and each one of them
was shining with excitement. It was like flames were dancing on their heads.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>(Give the other two children bunches of red and yellow
streamers and get them to wave them.)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Of course we can do it, “ they said. “We can do what God
asked. In fact, how can we <u>not</u> tell other people – it is the most
exciting thing in the world – God loves them and wants to help them. They can
have a new start!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were so excited that they all rushed out of the house
and started talking to people. Even the people in the crowd who had come from
far away, who spoke a different language understood what they were saying.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And from that beginning they took their good news out all
across the world, showing people how to live as Jesus had taught them, loving
one another, and when they felt down they remembered that God was with them and
the day that he had come to them like wind and flames.<i> (Shake the streamers)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Can you tell me about a
time when you had some really good news to share – something really
exciting that you couldn’t wait to tell your friends? <i>(could pass
around the streamers for children to shake as they share their good news,
though I didn’t as I was starting to run out of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>time.) The children shared various
things – new friends they’d made, a new baby on the way, a new puppy, a
set of times tables finally mastered…</i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">It is often easier to
think of things to grumble about – but if we love and care for each other,
we will find that there is always good news to get excited about, and that
will encourage us to feel we can do things that are difficult</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Prayer</b> – thank you that you are always close to us
through your Holy Spirit. Thank you for all the things that make us feel happy
and excited. Help us to see the good news in the world and be ready to share
it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The point of this was really to convey the sense of
excitement the disciples felt on the day of Pentecost, and how this helped them to share their good news. They knew that God was with them. The children were dead
keen to shake the streamers, and there was lots of laughter, and when asked to share their own good news, they were very keen to do so, so it seemed to
work! </i></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-45592922834136018442012-02-09T11:50:00.000+00:002012-02-09T11:51:27.500+00:00Tower of Babel – SEAL theme: Going for Goals. Making choices – just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">This story comes from the Old
Testament of the Bible. It’s a story people told to help them think about what
they did.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">A long, long time ago, when
the world was new, there weren’t many people around. But gradually people had
children and they grew up and had more children, and they grew up and had more
children, and soon there were people everywhere. And some of those people came
together into a great city called Babel. And they were very clever and very
powerful, and they knew it. They learned to do lots of things. They all spoke the same language, and that
meant that they could understand each other and teach each other what they had
learned.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Now that would have been great
if all the things they said to one another were good things, if all the ideas they
shared were good ideas, ideas that would help people. But they weren’t. What
they mostly talked about was how powerful they were, and how to make sure
everyone knew it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">“We can do anything !” they said to each other – “ so we will!” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">One day someone had an idea. “Let’s
build a tower, the biggest tower in the world, a tower that will reach far up
in the sky.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Everyone will think we are
really important, really clever, really powerful. No one will ever dare to
argue with us, because they will see how strong we are. Not even God will dare
to argue with us…”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">So they started to build.
They weren’t building a place to live, or a place to work – they were just
building. Taller and taller and taller the tower grew. <i>(The children joined
in with some building actions with enthusiasm) </i>Higher and higher and higher
into the sky it went…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">But God saw what they were
doing, and he wasn’t very pleased at all. “They are just building so that they
can impress others, so that others will be frightened of them – never mind how
much it costs, or what a waste of time and effort it is… I can’t let this go on
…”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">And God had an idea. All of a
sudden, the next day, while they were all busy building their tower, God made
them all speak different languages, languages they didn’t understand. One
person would be talking to a friend, and suddenly he found that he was talking
in French, but his friend was talking in Spanish. Another would be talking in
Arabic, while her friend was talking in Polish. And no one could understand
anyone. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">They tried to carry on
building, but no one knew whether the other one was saying “up a bit” or “down
a bit”, no one knew if their mate was asking for more bricks, or whether it was
time for dinner yet. You can’t build much like that, and pretty soon they had
to stop, and there stood the tower, half-finished while they all babbled away
at each other…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">And the Bible says that the
place where all this happened was called Babel – which sounds a bit like
babble, because that’s where different languages started.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The people of Babel learned
that just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean to say you should. We’ve
got lots of power, but we have to think carefully about how we use it. The
people of Babel also learned that often words are the most powerful things we’ve
got. Just because we can say something, it doesn’t mean we should.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> We can do almost anything with words – have an
argument, make up after an argument, persuade someone to something they
shouldn’t, or encourage them to do something they should.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Hand out strips of OHP acetate
with the following statements on them. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">“Thank you”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">“Would you like to play with
me?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">“You can’t share it, it’s
mine”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">“Let’s all gang up on her”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">“He looks really stupid –
pass it on…”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">“I’m sorry I hurt you.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Get the children to read
them out, and then say whether they think they are kind or unkind – words that
we should say or words that we shouldn’t…</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Arrange on an OHP sheet
with Kind and Unkind printed on it. This could just as well be done using cards
and a large sheet to stick them on.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The people of Babel learned
that just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should do
it. We need to think carefully before we do something or say something and ask
ourselves whether it is kind or unkind, whether it will build something good or
bad.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Prayer</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> – that we should remember that just because we can do
something doesn’t mean we should. That God would help us to think about the
things we say to make sure they are kind and not unkind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Following the assembly,
the deputy head said to the children that she hoped during the day that
children would come to her to tell her the kind words other children had said
to them (which some did straight after the assembly. One little boy came up to
me to tell me that it was a good story, which was kind of him, so I told him
so!) </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We also had a very
remarkable question from one Y1 child who asked, and I quote, “Where was the
city of Babel located…?” I explained
that we didn’t know whether there ever was a city of Babel, or whether it was
just an imaginary city, and that people might have been thinking of the city of
Babylon, because it was very big and powerful. I also explained that the
stories in the Bible weren’t all things that actually happened, but that some
were just told to help people think about important things. It was an
extraordinarily perceptive and intelligent question from a child of 6! I hope
he was satisfied with the answer…</span></i></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-45363453547162215592012-01-26T14:53:00.000+00:002012-01-26T14:56:27.732+00:00The wise and foolish builders SEAL theme: going for goals. Making choices and making mistakes<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Need: </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>wooden building blocks, </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>tray with glass nuggets or pebbles stuck to it</b><b> (or some other way of creating an uneven surface)</b><b>.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Choose three children. Ask one to build a tower
with wooden bricks on a firm surface, another on a tray of pebbles or glass
nuggets (stuck down, so they can’t build between them), a third on the palm of
someone’s hand. Which do they think they will build the tallest tower on? What actually happens? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then swap and try it the
other way. <i>(In retrospect, it might have been better to have chosen one
child and let them do each activity in turn – it would have been a bit clearer
and less frenetic…!)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why was it better to build
on the firm, level surface? The bricks were the same. The builders were just as
good as each other. </b><i>The children all got the idea that it was the surface that made the difference and that it was really pretty impossible to build on uneven or shaky surfaces.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus told a story…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were once two men who each wanted to build a house. The first
one came along and looked around for a good place to put it. He found a nice
level spot beside a river. The soil was fine and sandy, it was nice and smooth
and level. He would’t have to do anything to it at all. He could just get
building. Now there were a few people who said to him…Ahem, do you think its
wise to build there. Wise? Why not? It’s very easy to build here. I can just
get right on with it. “Well,” they said. It is right by the river, and the
reason why that sand so smooth and level is that he river washes over it during
storms and smooths out all the sand…” But the man didn’t take any notice.
Storms – what storms? He said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He got the very best building materials he
could. The best strong wood. Marble floors. Gold taps… What ever you could
think of, he had. He started to build. And he built and built. Then he sat in
his house and thought – what a fine house this is! And it was.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second man, meanwhile,
was also busy building and he had found another spot by the river. His house
wasn’t nearly finished yet, though, because he had started not by building
upwards but by digging downwards. He knew that the best and strongest houses
have deep, firm foundations. The first man had seen him doing this – what a
fool, he thought! Why dig downwards when you could build upwards? What a waste
of time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was hard going too,
because the second man had chosen to build his house not on the soft sand, but
on hard rock, so he had to dig with a pickaxe. He’s making life very hard for
himself, thought the first man.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But eventually, long after
the first man had finished, he finished too. And his house was a very fine
house as well. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And he only just finished in
time, because that night, the rain began to fall. And it rained, and rained and
rained and rained. And the wind got up. And it blew and blew and blew and blew.
The rain ran down the hillside and into the river that ran past the two houses.
The river started to fill up, but still it rained. It got right to the top of
the river bank, and still it rained. It lapped at the doorsteps of the houses,
and still it rained. And little by little it began to wash away the sand under
the first man’s house, just like it does at the beach when the tide comes in.
And eventually the house started to lean a bit, then it started to topple over,
then it washed away completely and broke into pieces…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the house on the rock
stood firm. No amount of water could wash away the rock it was built on and it
had firm deep foundations. And when the storm ended, the second man’s house was
still there, but the first man’s house was nowhere to be seen, and he had to
start all over again…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b>What do you think the story tells us? </b><i>(The children talked about “starting properly)</i><b></b></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we do something it is
important to make plans – <i>(we talked about writing a story or drawing a
picture) </i>– and take advice too. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus said to his disciples,
if you listen to God’s words and do what they say you will be building on good
foundations and when something bad happens you will be able to cope much
better.</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-39679902138863036832012-01-12T11:43:00.003+00:002012-01-12T11:43:44.085+00:00Manna in the wilderness (SEAL theme: Going for Goals. Patience and Persistence)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Have you ever been on a
long journey?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Where have you been? </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Did you get fed up? <i>(Children
told me about plane flights where there were delays, car journeys where
they got lost etc… Many children came to me as I sat in the school Quiet
Garden during playtime after assembly with other stories of long journeys)</i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Did you ask “are we nearly
there yet?” <i>(almost every hand went up…!)</i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">What do you do on journeys
to help pass the time? <i>(looking out of the window, playing games of
various sorts…)</i></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m going to tell you a story about people on a long journey</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a story about Moses. Moses was a great leader, a
great hero. All his people, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. They had to do
just what the king – the Pharaoh – told them. They had to work hard all the
time for nothing, and if they complained then their masters beat them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were miserable, and they wanted to be free. But they
couldn’t see how that would happen. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then along came Moses. God had told him that he should go to
Pharaoh and demand that he set the people free. Let my people go, said Moses.
No! said Pharaoh. Again and again he said no. He said no even though God sent a
plague of locusts – flying insects to eat all the plants in the land. He said
no even though God turned all the rivers red so no one could drink the water.
He said no even though God sent a plague of frogs…He just kept saying no. Moses
could have given up, but he didn’t. Finally, though, Pharaoh had had enough,
and just for a moment, he said yes. Moses gathered up the people and they got
out as soon as they could. Only just in time, because Pharaoh changed his mind…
No! he said again, and sent his soldiers after them. They chased them but they
didn’t catch them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Phew! Finally the people were free. They’d never been free
before. They danced and they sang, and they were really happy. Free at last! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But now what? Moses told them that God would lead them to a
new country where they could live, a really good place, full of good food for
them, milk and honey. It sounded really good, but when would they get there?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They walked all day, and the next day and the next day…They
kept on walking, and walking, and walking. Where was this Promised Land?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They started to grumble.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Grumble, grumble, grumble.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Are we nearly there yet?” When are we going to get there?
Do you even know where you are going? We’re too hot. We’re too cold. We’re
thirsty. We’re hungry. Why did we even come anyway? At least when we were
slaves we had food to eat. It might not have been much, but it was food. We’re
probably going to starve to death out here. We might as well have stayed behind.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Grumble, grumble, grumble.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh, for heaven’s sake! Said Moses. Aren’t you glad to be
free?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Grumble, grumble, grumble….</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Moses prayed to God. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God, these people are driving me nuts. What can I do with
them? I don’t know where to get food for them. What are we going to do?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And God said to Moses, don’t worry, just give them the
message I am going to give you…And God told Moses what to do, and Moses spoke
to the people. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Listen up! I know we can’t see any food anywhere, but God is
going to feed us. Go to bed, and in the morning we’ll see what we can see.
Well, they didn’t think anything was going to come of it, but they went to bed
anyway. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And in the morning, when they came out of their tents they
looked around. The ground was covered with…something. It was a bit like a
wafer, and it tasted like…honey! It was good. But what is it? they said to each
other. What is it? In their language, the word for “What is it?” was manna, and
so that’s what it was known as – the “what is it?” Now, said Moses, God says
that you can gather up as much as you like. Some people worked really quickly ,
some people could only gather a little at a time, but when each of them came to
measure out what they had they found it was just enough – no more. If they
tried to save any for the next day it would go all horrible and filled with
worms… They just had enough for everyone for each day …</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They wandered on for years and years, but always there was
manna to eat, until the day they finally came to that land God had promised to them,
then they never saw it again. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The manna kept them going through the wilderness. I wonder
what keeps you going when you have to do something that takes a while –
learning something new…? <i>There was a long silence at this point as the
children thought… clearly the idea of having strategies to keep themselves
going was a new idea. I asked the football team, whose success we had
celebrated earlier what kept them going when they were losing matches, and one
said – the thought of winning one day… which triggered a few other
contributions like “telling yourself you mustn’t give up”. One child said that
God could help us. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I suggested that friends, teachers, knowing our goals etc.
might help us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Prayer</b>: silence to think about the times we struggle
and how we keep going. Prayer for help at these times. </div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950218607913401079.post-78684368472614670392011-12-01T14:06:00.000+00:002012-01-20T14:08:42.845+00:00Mary visits Elizabeth: Advent: Waiting for someone to help<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Miss Smith talked a few days ago about waiting. Can you
remember the kind of things people were waiting for?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She was talking about waiting because it is Advent, the time
when Christians get ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I want to tell you a bit about some people who were
really excited and waiting for that to happen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first you already know about – in fact you can tell me
about her…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s a picture. Who is this and what’s happening here? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is Mary, and an angel is telling her that she is going
to have a baby, who she will call Jesus. The people of Mary’s time were waiting
for someone to help them. They believed God would send someone special to be
their leader. They called him the Messiah, which meant the one God had chosen. People
wanted god to help them because life was very unfair and hard for them. Their
land was full of Roman soldiers, who often treated them cruelly. But it wasn’t
just that. When they looked around them they saw there were people who were
very poor or sick and no one was helping them. If you were rich you were
important and people listened to you, but if you weren’t no one cared. They
needed to change, but who would help them to do that? The angel told Mary that
it would be her child who would grow up to do this. She was VERY excited.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But did you ever wonder what happened next – before Mary
went to Bethlehem to have her baby? She went to visit a friend, a cousin called
Elizabeth, and as it turned out, Elizabeth had her own exciting news. Because
she was expecting a baby too. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Elizabeth was a lot older than Mary. She had been wanting to
have a baby for many years, but it just hadn’t happened, and now she thought
she was too old. Now, Elizabeth’s husband Zechariah was a priest who worked in
the Temple, and one day he was there, praying, when all of a sudden there was
an angel – the same one that came to Mary. “Your wife, Elizabeth, is going to
have a child.” “That’s impossible,” said Zechariah. “No its not” said the
angel. “You wait and see! And your child is going to be special. He is going to
get people ready so that when the Messiah is born, the one everyone has waited
for, they will be ready for him. They need to learn first to listen for God’s
voice. They need to be ready to change their lives. They need someone to help
them think. Your child will be the one – just like a herald that goes before a
king, to make sure everything is ready. That will be your son – and his name
will be John!” Zechariah was so surprised that he couldn’t speak, not then, and
not until his baby was born”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When Mary turned up at her house, they both had some news.
Elizabeth came running out of the house to say hello to Mary, wanting to tell
her about her baby. But as soon as she saw her she knew that Mary had exciting
news too. “I know” said Elizabeth, “I
know you are going to have a baby and that he is the one who God is sending to
us to help us. My son will be the one who helps people get ready to listen to
yours. Inside my tummy, I can feel my baby jumping up and down in excitement
already. God is going to help us to live as we should, to love each other and
look after each other.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Mary stayed with Elizabeth while she waited for her baby
to be ready to be born. Elizabeth’s baby grew up to be someone very special
called John the Baptist, and just as the angel had said he helped people get
ready to listen to Jesus. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGc-qFH_RlHv1jiKQsmabXpYhG3D7-ruWGuhdg97iIsbjmwFt_6ivZRuxhzAAseMi_-X0zxGnOM9pV5Q74oHssj5OVueqFqmf-70KVKRR7N5uV6tDAMf1hrI0qI0f9Gcfmc1P2PdZrcM/s1600/Visitation+bloch.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGc-qFH_RlHv1jiKQsmabXpYhG3D7-ruWGuhdg97iIsbjmwFt_6ivZRuxhzAAseMi_-X0zxGnOM9pV5Q74oHssj5OVueqFqmf-70KVKRR7N5uV6tDAMf1hrI0qI0f9Gcfmc1P2PdZrcM/s320/Visitation+bloch.jpeg" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890)</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s a picture of the moment when Elizabeth and Mary met.
What do you think of this picture? Mary and Elizabeth were both very happy that
their children would grow up to help others. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Pray: </b>for everyone who is waiting for someone to help
them today, for those who are sick and waiting for a doctor, for those who
haven’t got enough money for food, for people who are lonely and waiting for
someone to be their friend. Help us to be ready to help them, just as Mary and
Elizabeth’s children were. </div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027055112792656907noreply@blogger.com0