Author Archives: Lisa Jones

Enigmas – Easter

Aim

To show pupils that the only reasonable explanation of the mystery of the empty tomb is that Jesus rose from the dead.

Bible base

  • John 19 – the death and burial of Jesus
  • John 20:1-10; Luke 24:1-12; Matthew 28:1-15 – the empty tomb;
  • John 20:11-29; 21:1-22; Luke 24: 13-53; Matthew 28:16-20 – appearances of Jesus after his resurrection.

You will need:

Either a digital projector & laptop or visual display cards.

Preparation

Prepare display cards or powerpoint for each enigma

Content

Enigmas

1. Explain that you are going to play ‘enigmas’. An enigma is another name for a puzzle or a riddle. You are going to describe some situations. The contestants have to work out how and why those situations have come about. For the sake of time in this assembly, they may only ask a maximum of three questions to which you can answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

2. Ask for six volunteers to make two teams of three people each. Each team takes turns in trying to solve the following ‘enigmas’. Display each ‘enigma’ in turn, so that everyone in the audience has the opportunity to consider them. Here are the ‘enigmas’ (NB: they are quite well known situations, so be prepared for quick answers!):

  • In the middle of a field is a hat, a scarf, a pipe, a carrot and a few lumps of coal. (Answer: A snowman has melted.)
  • A man goes into a pub and asks for a glass of water. The man behind the bar takes out a gun and points it at the man’s head. The man says, ‘Thanks,’ and walks out. Why? (Answer: he had hiccups! The barman frightened him to make the hiccups stop.)
  • A man is pushing a car along. He can see a hotel in the distance and he knows that when he gets there, he’ll have to give the owner of the hotel a lot of money. Why? (Answer: He’s playing Monopoly!)
  • An empty ship is floating in calm waters. It is far from any port and is in no danger of sinking. There is no one on board, there are no signs of a struggle and it hasn’t been reported missing. Why? (Answer: It’s a plastic toy boat in someone’s bath!)

3. Whether the two teams get the answers right ot not, give them all a round of applause and then pose the next situation to the entire audience:

• A cave hollowed out of a rock has been used as a grave. The mystery is – it’s empty. Inside, the sheets which had been wrapped around the body are lying on the floor. Why?

4. Suggest a few questions people might ask in order to solve this ‘enigma’, and follow each with the answer. For example:

  • Did the person really die? (Answer: Yes. He was executed by experts.)
  • Was the body stolen? (Answer: No. The body was never produced.)
  • Did this person appear alive to anyone after his execution and disappearance from his grave? (Answer: Yes, to well over 500 people on various occasions.)

5. Say that the most reasonable explanation for this ‘enigma’ is: this person must have risen from the dead!

Application

  1. Explain that the enigma you have just solved is not a made-up one like the ones in the game earlier. This enigma is actually the key to the Christian faith.
  2. Many people through the centuries have asked many more questions than these about this amazing event. And they have ended up coming to the conclusion that Jesus Christ – the person buried in that grave in the cave – did come back to life from the dead, and he could only do this because he was none other than God himself.

 

Family Breakdown

Topic

Family breakdown

Aim

  • To help children consider that some things that go wrong can’t be put right.
  • To help them understand the importance of knowing someone is with you when things are hard.

Bible base

Psalm 23

Content

1 Ask the children to imagine they are on a car journey.

You have a breakdown. What do you do? Can you see what’s wrong? Can you fix it yourself? If you can’t, what will you do next? (Answer: phone for help on an emergency phone or your mobile.) Point out that you need to tell someone about the problem.

The AA (or equivalent) come. What will the AA mechanic do? (Answer: he’ll try to fix the problem.) If the problem is simple, the AA person can fix it and you can continue your journey. If it’s a big problem, so that the breakdown mechanic can’t do anything, what then? Either you can have your car towed to a garage to be mended, or you might choose to have it towed back home.

The car owner needs to think and make a decision. Do you want it fixed? Is it worth it?

The passengers have to be thought about too. The breakdown and the breakdown services affect them too. Perhaps the driver will try to blame them (‘I told you to put some water in…’), even though the car and driving it is the driver’s responsibility. How might the passengers be feeling? This could depend on the relationships. For example, are the passengers family members? Or friends being given a lift to the airport? Can the passengers do anything about the problem? (Answer: ‘No’.)

2 Now make the comparison with family breakdown.

Sometimes things go wrong in families and there are arguments (eg adult/adult; adult/child; child/child). Sometimes there’s a ‘breakdown’. Sometimes we can fix things easily by saying sorry, talking about the problem and trying to put things right. Sometimes we can’t. It’s a big problem. Then we need help (refer back to the emergency phone call). We need to talk to someone about our problem who knows how to help us get it fixed.

The people involved in the breakdown have to make a decision. Do I want to get this fixed? Sometimes the answer is ‘No’ and that will mean that things are going to change.

Like the passengers in the car, everyone in the family will be affected. Like the driver, adults sometimes try to blame the children. Make the point that it is not the children’s fault It is the grown-ups’ responsibility.

Point out that, no matter what your faith, sometimes things go wrong for you and your family.

Application

For everyone

  1. Read Psalm 23. Then talk about the role of the shepherd. Explain that to keep his sheep from straying, the shepherd would sometimes even break a sheep’s leg. It was the shepherd’s role to protect his sheep. But there is no promise in the psalm that a sheep will never get lost. This psalm is for everyone. It promises that God will be with you in the bad times.
  2. Sometimes a friend can give you the support you need to go through a difficult time. It may be that you will be able to see God’s love through your friend.
  3. Often when there’s a big breakdown, we can’t know how things will turn out. We just have to be patient and wait.

Response

  1. Ask the children to sit quietly for a few moments. Ask them to think about people they know (it might be them) who are going through difficult times in their families. Perhaps some people will be going home after school to difficult situations which make them unhappy or afraid.
  2. Ask the children to think about people who have got difficult family situations and are being helped at the moment (eg by social workers, counsellors, friends).
  3. If you feel it is appropriate, you could end the assembly with this prayer:

Dear God, please help… (ask the children to choose someone they know) who is going through a very difficult time in their family. Please help them to be ready to accept help and to know that you are with them and want to take care of them. Amen.

NB Be very sensitive to the difficult family situations children in the assembly may be in. Remember that this assembly may raise issues that the children will want to talk about. If appropriate, you could talk with the head teacher about how to provide opportunities for children to do this.

 

The Bible

Topic

Scriptures – the Bible

Aim

To show pupils that rules are useful and important. For Christians, the most important rules are God’s rules which are found in the Bible.

Things you’ll need

  • The rules for the drawing game cut up, so they can be given to different pupils.
  • 2 green pens, 2 blue pens and 1 red pen
  • A large sheet of paper which everyone can see (eg a flip-chart)
  • A watch with a second hand (or a stop watch)

Bible base

Exodus 15:22-26

Content

1 Ask for five volunteers (from Year 5 or above). Explain to everyone that the volunteers are going to play a drawing game. Give each volunteer one of the rules for the drawing game and the appropriate pen. Tell them to read their rule and to make sure no-one else sees it. Explain that each person has been told to draw something. The one who draws the most will be the winner. Any things which happen to get crossed out, don’t count. Tell the contestants that they will take it in turns to draw on the sheet of paper on display. They must draw according to the rule you have given them. They will have only ten seconds each.

2 Play three rounds of the game and then count up and see if you have a winner. Discuss with the volunteers what made their tasks difficult. Bring out that it was because they were working against each other. They were all following different rules and that made a mess of things.

3 Tell the pupils that the Bible says that rules are really important, and the most important rules are from God. Many years ago (nearly 4000) the Bible says that God gave his people, the Israelites some special rules. He did this when they were in the desert and very thirsty and the only water was so nasty no one could drink it. God gave their leader, Moses, a command. He told him to throw some wood into the water. Moses obeyed and the water was good enough to drink. God then gave his people lots of rules to show them how to live in a way that was right and good. God expected them to obey the rules, just like Moses obeyed when God told him to throw the wood into the water.

4 Go on to explain that one of the important things about rules is that we need to know them, if we are going to follow them. Ask the pupils how they find out about rules: at home, at school or for when they’re out in the street. We need people to tell us what the rules are. But where do the people who tell us the rules find out what the rules are? Who finds out the rules to start with?

Application

A Christian viewpoint

Christians believe that God has given us rules which show us how to live. Rules which teach us how we should treat people, rules about what is right and wrong. These rules are in the Bible which is why the Bible is so important to Christians. They believe it is God’s word telling people how to live.

For everyone

All of us need rules to live by. We need to know what is right and what is wrong. We need to have rules that we all agree about, otherwise life ends up in a mess like the game at the start. If we all had different rules about what was right and wrong, then school, home and the world would be in chaos. But it’s not enough just to have the rules. The challenge for all of us is to obey them.

Response

Use this prayer as you encourage the pupils to think about their own rules and how they know right from wrong.

Dear Lord, thank you for the rules we have which keep us safe. Help us to know what is right and wrong, and to be people who obey the rules. Amen.

 

Rules for the drawing game

You must draw lots of red triangles. Cross out any circles.

You must draw lots of green circles. Cross out anything blue.

You must draw lots of blue stars. Cross out any triangles.

You must draw lots of blue squares. Cross out anything green.

You must draw lots of green triangles. Cross out any squares.

 

Worship

Topic

Worship

Aim

To help pupils understand that God is worth knowing.

Things you’ll need

  • Music of introductions to several songs of a currently popular music group.
  • 6 pens
  • 6 pieces of paper
  • 6 small prizes
  • A dictionary
  • Some quiet music

Bible Base

Psalm 95:1-7

Exodus 20:3,4

Content

1 Ask for six volunteers who think they know the music of… (name of currently popular group) very well. Tell them that they are going to hear the introductions to some of the group’s songs. They must write down the titles in the order they hear them. Play the tape. Give prizes to the volunteers who got all the song titles correct.

2 Comment that no matter what you might think about…(name of group) their music is known all over the world! They’ve had lots of Number 1’s. Some of their songs have gone straight to the top of the charts.

3 Ask if any of the children can name the members of the group.

4 Ask children to put up their hands if they think the group has been a good influence on or role model for young people. Ask for some examples. Then ask the children to put their hands up if they think the group hasn’t been a good example. Again ask why.

5 Comment that for lots of children and young people, this group has been a big influence in their lives. Ask the children how many of them have the group’s records, CDs, tapes, clothes etc. Point out that not everyone here agrees that…(name of group) are the best. Everyone has to make up their own minds!

6 Talk about how making up your mind about things isn’t always easy. What might their friends think if they chose to be different and like another group? Sometimes being different is difficult. Ask the children for some examples of this.

7 Sometimes people go too far in following a particular group or celebrity. They might almost begin to worship… (name of group or other famous personality).

8 Ask if anyone can tell you the meaning of the word ‘worship’. Read the definition from the dictionary. Comment that the word can be to do with God, or someone or something else. But it’s always about giving special worth or value to that person or thing.

9 Explain that the Bible teaches that there is only one person who should be worshipped and that is God himself (Exodus 20:3,4). Christians believe that he is the God who made the world and everything in it, including…(name of the group).

10 Read Psalm 95:1-7 (from the Good News Bible). The writer of these words believed that God was the boss, and only he was worth worshipping.

Application

A Christian viewpoint

Christians believe that they should love God with everything they’ve got. But that’s not always easy to do. The verses from the Bible you’ve just read tell us that God cares for us. What could you do for God today to show you care about him?

For everyone

Remind the children that earlier you said that making up your own mind about things isn’t always easy. Choosing who and what you should or shouldn’t worship isn’t easy either. Sometimes it’s a very private thing. You have to try to make up your own mind, and make sure that what or who you make Number 1 in your life is worth it.

Response

Play some quiet music. Whilst they are listening to it ask the children to:

  • remember that real worship is something that you have to decide about for yourself;
  • think about who or what is Number 1 in your life;
  • think about how you could do your best for God today;
  • be silent for a few moments.

 

The lame man at the pool of Bethesda

Topic

The lame man at the pool of Bethesda

Aim

  • To show children that no-one is ‘invalid’ (ie not valid), whatever their social status or disabilities.
  • To help children understand that it’s important to learn from your past.

Things you’ll need

  • Small pieces of fabric (or coloured paper), enough for one for every person in the assembly. These could be ‘fringed’ at each end, if you have time, to suggest a mat.
  • Small elastic bands (or short pieces of string), enough for one for each person in the assembly.

Bible Base

John 5:1-9a

Content

1 Talk to the children about the ‘stupid’ questions people sometimes ask. For example, ask the children to imagine they are washing the car. Someone comes along and asks, ‘What are you doing?’ It’s a stupid question, because it’s obvious what you’re doing! So you give a stupid answer (‘Peeling potatoes!’). The person who asked the question continues, ‘No, you’re not…’

2 Introduce the story in the Bible of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, explaining that in it Jesus seem to ask some ‘stupid’ questions.

3 Read or tell the story in your own words from the Bible up to the point (verse 6) where Jesus asks the man, ‘Do you want to get well?’ (The New International Version uses the word ‘invalid’.)

4 Comment that the man maybe thought to himself, ‘What a stupid question!’ After all, he couldn’t walk, but to be healed he had to somehow be first in the race to the pool! Now ask the children to think carefully whether it is a stupid question.

5 Point out that Jesus was not asking a general question to everyone. This was a personal question which was special to this man: ‘Do you want to get well?’ Comment that maybe the man didn’t really want to change. After all, he had been used to being in that place for a long time. People would give him food and drink. Maybe in a way he quite liked living like this.

Jesus’ question was perhaps not so silly as it first seems. He knew that if this man was healed, his life would change. He wanted to know if this man was serious. Did he really want to change?

6 Continue to tell or read the story from the Bible (verse 7). The man’s reply showed he was serious about being healed. He couldn’t get to the pool on his own. He needed Jesus’ help. Then Jesus said something else which sounds stupid. He told the lame man, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’ (verse 8).

7 Ask the children for their ideas about why Jesus might have said this to the man. After all, if the man had left his mat, someone else could have used it.

8 Point out that the mat was an important reminder to the man of his history, his past. If he had left it perhaps he would have forgotten what he had been like and how much he had changed. Emphasise the importance of remembering the past (eg the Cenotaph in London, or other locally well-known memorial). ‘Memorials’ help us remember important events and people. If we didn’t have them or they were knocked down, we’d forget. (Remind the children about the words on war memorials, ‘Lest we forget’.)

9 Ask the children what they think happened at the end of the story. (Answer: the man picked up his mat and walked!)

Application

A Christian viewpoint

It’s important to remember our past. The good things and the bad things all affect our future. God can use our past to help other people.

For everyone

Everyone needs help. We all need to learn from our own past and other people’s experiences. None of us can look down on others as being ‘invalid’.

Response

Either

  1. Ask for several volunteers to help you give out the pieces of fabric (or coloured paper) and elastic bands (or pieces of string), one of each for everyone.
  2. Tell the children that this is to make a reminder for them to keep, a bit like the lame man’s mat.
  3. Ask them to spend a few minutes in silence looking at their ‘mat’, thinking about one thing from their past which has had a big effect on their lives. It might be something good or something which makes them sad. Now ask them to think about one good thing which they have learnt from that event or situation.
  4. Tell the children to roll up their ‘mat’ and fasten it with the rubber band (or piece of string), and then put it somewhere safe. Every time they look at their ‘mat’, it will be a reminder of their history and the things they have learnt from it.
  5. Ask the children to think of ways in which their experiences in the past could help other people.

Or

  1. Ask the children to think about what they could learn from people who, at first look, might not seem to them to have much importance (eg old people, people with physical disabilities).
  2. Challenge the children to find out if there is a local community centre where they could help in some way (reading, talking to elderly people etc).
  3. Finish with a prayer, if this is appropriate:

Lord, help us to be ready to learn from other people, however unimportant they might seem to us at first. Help us to learn from our own past experiences and to be ready to use what we have learnt to help other people. Amen.

 

Dying to live – the thief on the cross

Topic

The thief on the cross

Aim

To help the children learn that everyone needs the help of others.

Bible base

Luke 23:32-34; 39-43

Content

1 Ask the children to imagine the following:

Claire was rushed into hospital because of a serious problem with her heart. The doctors said there was no cure. The only thing that would save her life was a heart transplant.

The problem with this was that, in order for Claire to have a new, healthy heart, another child would need to die. For her to have life, someone else needed to die.

A little while later, Mark was tragically killed in a road accident. The doctors asked his parents if they would be willing for his healthy heart to be given to Claire, so that her life could be saved. They agreed. Claire was given Mark’s heart and new life as a result.

Mark’s death meant Claire could live.

2 Tell the children that this reminds you of the story in the Bible about Jesus’ death and the death of the two criminals who were executed with him. Read (or tell in your own words) the story from Luke 23:32-34; 39-43. Talk about how life in the future was possible for the thief on the cross because of Jesus’ death.

3 Ask the children to imagine the three crosses and the three people on them – Jesus on the centre one, with a criminal either side of him. They were all going to die.

  • Jesus was special. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Christians believe that he died as punishment for the things we’ve done wrong, so that we can be friends with God.
  • Thief number 2 knew he wasn’t perfect and admitted he’d done wrong. He knew he needed help. He had realised that Jesus was special and that he could help him. So he asked for help. Then Jesus made him a very special promise. Because Jesus was going to live, the criminal could live too.
  • Thief number 1 thought only of himself. He didn’t care about Jesus or the other criminal. He could have chosen to ask for help from Jesus, and Jesus would have promised him life too.

Application

A Christian viewpoint

Explain briefly that Jesus’ death meant that thief number 2 could have life. Christians believe that because of Jesus’ death, everyone can have life. None of us is perfect. We all need help. Thief number 2 knew Jesus could help him. He will help anyone who asks him.

For everyone

The criminal on the cross needed help. We all need to recognise that we can’t ‘make it’ on our own. Sometimes we need to ask for help.

Response

You could use this prayer:

Dear God, help us to know that we are not perfect. We do things wrong. Help us to know that we need your help. Amen.

 

 

God’s special messengers – Amos

Topic

Amos

Aim

To help children understand that selfishness can seriously damage your health!

Things you’ll need

  • Blu-tack
  • 3 sheets of A1 paper
  • A length of wallpaper
  • A spirit level
  • A length of string with weight attached to make a plumb-line
  • A stick of coloured chalk
  • A few marker pens

Bible base

Amos 7:7,8

Preparation

Before the assembly begins, use Blu-tack to attach the A1 sheets of paper to a wall (so that they are visible to everyone), so that you make one large work surface. Also attach Blu-tack to the back of the piece of wallpaper ready for use during the assembly.

Content

1 Hold up the spirit level and ask the children if they know what it is and what it’s used for.

2 Ask the children what would happen if we didn’t build things level. Ask for two helpers. Tell them that you want them to check that the spirit level is working properly. Send them together to different parts of the hall/room you are meeting in, to inspect the window frames, door frames, shelves etc and check whether they are level. Get them to inspect four items. Have one child check two items, with the other reporting back to you. Then swap round and check two more items.

3 Explain that before the spirit level was invented, builders would use a length of string with a heavy weight attached to one end to give them a straight line. Show the children your plumb-line. Ask if anyone knows what it’s called.

4 Demonstrate its use in the following way:

a) chalk heavily along the length of the string;

b) ask someone to hold the end of the string against the sheets of paper attached to the wall;

c) when the weight has stopped moving, hold it still against the paper and ask a volunteer to ‘ping’ along the length of the line, so that you finish with a straight chalk line printed onto the paper.

Remove the plumb-line.

5 Ask for a few volunteers who think that they can draw a straight line free hand on the paper. Give them each a marker pen and ask them to draw a vertical or horizontal line (drawing over the chalk line doesn’t count!). Ask the rest of the children to judge which is the straightest line. Check their choice with the plumb-line or spirit level. Give a round of applause to the person who gets nearest to straight.

6 Use the chalk line (if it’s still there) or draw a new vertical line as a guide for hanging the sheet of wallpaper. Explain that you are going to put up this piece of wallpaper using the line you’ve drawn to make sure that it goes up straight. Line up your paper, then press it onto the wall.

7 Explain that if you continued to paper along this wall, all the pieces of wallpaper would be straight, just because of that one line. (Don’t mention papering around corners!)

8 Tell the children about Amos, one of God’s special messengers, and his message from God about a plumb-line.

Nearly 3,000 years ago, the prophet Amos had a sad job of work to do for God. As a prophet, he had to give messages to people about how God wanted them to live and what he wanted them to be like. Sometimes this was very difficult to do.

9 At this point read, or ask someone else to read, Amos 7:7,8. Then continue telling the children about Amos:

God showed Amos a plumb-line, just like we used, to show that the wall that had been built was straight. God was saying through Amos that it was as if he was measuring his special people, the Jews, against a plumb-line.

Remind the children that a plumb-line helps you get things right and see when things aren’t quite right. Ask the children for their ideas about why God would compare his people to a plumb-line.

10 Explain that the Bible says that God had given his people a way of living which was the very best for them, and they had agreed to live that way. Ask the children to imagine that the plumb-line represents that way of living. Now move the piece of wallpaper so that it’s crooked, and say that the piece of wallpaper represents the people.

11 Pointing to the crooked wallpaper, ask the children who (or what) has moved. (Answer: the wallpaper.) Or – in the case of God and his people – the people had moved away from the straight line. They had decided to do things their own way and had chosen to ignore God. They were no longer on the level. Their ways were not straight! They were moving away from God. God knew this and told Amos to show the people this picture of the plumb-line to help them understand what they were doing and how sad it made God.

Application

A Christian viewpoint

  1. The Bible says that God’s people had promised to obey him and live the way he said. Like most of us, they thought they knew what was best and decided to ignore God’s rules for living. Through his messenger Amos, God said that there would be very serious consequences for everyone who carried on breaking their promises to him, doing things that hurt him and other people.
  2. It’s the same for people today. God has given us good rules for living. If we ignore them and insist on living our own way, we hurt ourselves and other people.

For everyone

Compare the plumb-line to the rules of the road. The Highway Code says you must stop when the lights are red. Some road-users take a risk and ‘jump’ a red traffic light, hoping that they will get away with breaking the rule. Sometimes it doesn’t work out. Accidents happen because people choose to disobey the signals (or rules). Or you might get caught on camera and then be prosecuted by the courts. These things happen because people choose to break the rules, which are there to protect everyone. Explain how the plumb-line is a bit like those rules.

Response

  1. Ask the children to look at the crooked piece of wallpaper – which should still be on the wall. Ask them to follow the line of the paper from top to bottom.
  2. Now ask them to think for a few moments about what their school (home, local community, country etc) would be like if we all chose to ignore the rules.
  3. Straighten the wallpaper and ask them to think again about the difference it makes when we try to live life ‘on the level’.

 

God’s special messengers – Jeremiah

Topic

Jeremiah

Aim

To challenge children to stop and think about whether something is good, rather than just being carried along by the enthusiasm of others for whatever is new.

Things you’ll need

  • Bold, clear adverts for new products (eg latest fashions, sportswear, toys or games, pop groups/songs etc), or a selection of new, ‘latest’ products to show.
  • A simple signpost, made out of card, pointing in two directions with a space to add the word ‘good’ during the assembly.
  • Words from Jeremiah 6:16, Youth Bible, Nelson Word copied onto a large sheet of paper, and rolled up like a scroll

Bible base

Jeremiah 6:16

Content

1 Show the adverts for, or examples of, a variety of the ‘latest’, ‘new’ things, which are also popular. Invite the children to comment on the various items. Ask why they think the things are ‘good’. Do they like them/want them because ‘everyone’ likes/has them?

2 Talk about being in a crowd when everyone is going in one direction and how hard it is to go the opposite way. Then show the signpost. Talk about coming to a crossroads where you have to stop and choose which way to go.

3 Talk to the children about Jeremiah, using the following idea, adapting the style and vocabulary to suit the particular situation:

Over two and a half thousand years ago a man called Jeremiah was living in the country we now call Israel. We can read about him in the Bible. He was a prophet– one of God’s special messengers. He listened very carefully to God and then told the people what God had said.

Long before Jeremiah was born, God had given the people some very good instructions about how to live. He had told them about what was really important in life– loving God and caring for each other. But by Jeremiah’s time they had forgotten all about God’s rules. They were greedy, always wanting more things. They told lies. They didn’t care about helping poor people. They certainly didn’t love God. God’s rules were ‘old’. They were rushing through life towards something ‘new’.

One day, God told Jeremiah to give the people this message.

Ask the children to listen carefully. Then read the Jeremiah’s message from the scroll (Jeremiah 6:16).

This is what the Lord says:

‘Stand where the roads cross and look.

Ask where the old way is,

where the good way is, and walk on it.

If you do, you will find rest for yourselves.’

4 Show the children the signpost again. Remind them that the message told the people to do several things. Ask the children what these things were. Talk about each as the children respond, explaining as appropriate. The instructions were to:

  • stand still and look (comment that if we’re always rushing from one thing to the next, we’ll never have time to think about what we’re doing);
  • ask where the ‘old way’ is;
  • ask where the ‘good way’ is.(write ‘good’ on the signpost);
  • walk on it.

5 Ask the children if they remember what the promise was at the end of the message (‘…you will find rest for yourselves’). Explain that the word ‘rest’ here doesn’t mean resting your body. It means being peaceful inside yourself– being at peace with God.

Application

A Christian viewpoint

Even though Jeremiah’s message was given thousands of years ago, Christians believe it is still important today to take his message from God seriously. They believe that God’s way is the best way. The Bible is a book full of instructions about how to live God’s way, the good way. Christians believe that Jesus gave us an example of how to do that. For Christians, Jeremiah’s message from God reminds them to stop and take time to read the Bible to find out what God says ‘the good way’ is– and then to follow it!

For everyone

For all of us, it is good to stop sometimes and think about what we are doing, to think about what ‘the good way’ is, and then to go that way.

Response

Ask the children to look at the signpost and think about what they have been doing recently. Have they been walking along ‘the good way’? In a few moments of quiet, ask the children to think about whether there is something in their lives they need to change.

 

God’s special messengers – Isaiah

Topic

Isaiah

Aim

To help pupils see the difference between appearing to do good and actually doing good.

Things you’ll need

Bible Base

Isaiah 58:1-9a

Preparation

Before the assembly, scatter the pieces of paper around at the front so that it makes a mess. Place some of the paper on top of things (the piano, window-sill etc) so the pupils will notice it.

Content

1 Ask for a volunteer to come and clear up all the rubbish and say that you will help. Give him/her the rubbish sack. As your volunteer starts clearing up, tell the rest of the pupils what a kind person you are and how you are going to help (but don’t!). Go on about how nice and helpful you are and how you can’t wait to help clear up. Pause after a while and ask the volunteer if a brush would make it easier to collect up the rubbish. Give him/her the paint brush. As the volunteer finishes clearing up, carry on telling the pupils how helpful you are. Just as your volunteer finishes, say that you’re now ready to help. Then thank your volunteer for all their work.

2 Ask the children who they think was the most helpful: you or your volunteer. Argue your case by saying that you said you were helpful, and you even gave the volunteer a brush to help.

3 Make the point that it’s quite easy to appear to be doing good – working when the teacher is looking, not running down the corridor when you’re being watched. Sometimes, though, people seem to be doing good, when really they’re not.

4 Tell the children that in the Bible we read about one of God’s messengers (prophets) called Isaiah. God had seen that people thought they were being good, when really they weren’t. God knew what was going on and he sent Isaiah to tell them. Tell the story, using pictures if possible.

The people of Israel were worshipping God every day. They would pray to God and promise to keep God’s laws. They even had special festivals when they fasted and prayed, but God never seemed to answer their prayers so they started to complain.

It was then that God sent Isaiah with a message. God wasn’t pleased with them, because even though they were worshipping God, fasting and looking as if they were being good, they were actually being horrible to each other. They were fighting, arguing and bullying people. They looked as if they were doing what was right and good, but in fact, they weren’t. God told them that real worship would mean caring for each other, sharing their food with the hungry and looking after people who were homeless and hungry. God told them that if they did that, he would always be with them to protect them.

Application

A Christian viewpoint

Christians believe that the Bible teaches God still wants people to worship him today, and to care for those in need. It’s no good people saying they will do what God wants, and then not doing it. The Bible says that being a Christian means loving God and caring for others.

For everyone

Whoever we are, it’s easy to look as if we are a caring person. Talking about caring for others is easy. The real challenge is to do it: to be friends with someone at school who has no friends; to share your crisps with someone who hasn’t got any; to be the kind of person who doesn’t just say you care, but actually does.

Response

Ask the pupils to think of a time when they have pretended to do good, but haven’t really. Now ask them to think of any ways in which they can do good things for others today and during the week.

End with a prayer saying sorry for the times they’ve not really done the right thing, and asking for God’s help to care for others during the day.

 

God’s special messengers – Samuel

Topic

Samuel

Aim

To help children understand that Christians believe God cares about who we are, not just what we look like.

Things you’ll need

  • Some objects with unexpected things inside, for example:

– 1 or 2 food cartons/boxes which will be familiar to the children. Replace the contents with something the children won’t like;

– a tasty looking apple. Make a hole in the bottom of the apple with a knitting needle. Squeeze a little ink from an ink cartridge into the hole and let it soak in. Turn the apple up the right way on a paper towel to allow any excess ink to drain away.

  • Pictures of a chrysalis and a butterfly
  • Pictures of different kinds of people

Bible base

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Content

1 Show the items you have prepared and talk about the way they look on the outside– their ‘outward appearance’. Reveal what is on the inside (open the packets/cut the apple in half). Show the pictures of the chrysalis, keeping the butterfly covered, and then reveal the picture of the butterfly. Make the point that in each case we couldn’t tell by looking at the outside what was going to be on the inside. We often make the mistake of judging people by what they look like on the outside.

2 Tell the story of Samuel using 1 Samuel 16:1-13.

Samuel was a prophet– one of God’s special messengers In the land where Samuel lived they needed a new king. They needed a good king who would lead the people wisely and look after them well. But how would they know who to choose?

Samuel listened very carefully to God. God told him, ‘I am sending you to Jesse who lives in Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.’ So Samuel went to Bethlehem and invited Jesse and his sons to come and see him.

When the sons arrived, the first son Samuel saw was Eliab. Eliab was tall and handsome. ‘Surely this is the one God has chosen to be king,’ Samuel said to himself. Samuel listened to God again. God told Samuel, ‘Don’t look at how handsome Eliab is. Don’t look at how tall he is. ‘I haven’t chosen him. God doesn’t see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but God looks at the heart.’

One by one, seven of Jesse’s sons came to Samuel.

‘No,’ said Samuel, ‘No…no…no…no…no…no… God hasn’t chosen any of these sons. Are these all the sons you have?’ he asked Jesse.

‘I have one more son,’ said Jesse. ‘David. My youngest. He’s out looking after the sheep.’

‘Send for him,’ said Samuel.

So Jesse sent for David. He was a fine boy, tanned and handsome. Samuel listened to God. God told him, ‘Yes. This is the one.’ And there in front of all his older brothers, Samuel poured some special oil on David to show that he was the one that God had chosen to be king, not because he was handsome, but because God knew the kind of person David was. He loved God and wanted to do the things which pleased God. He was brave and he was kind. He worked hard looking after the sheep and God knew that he would be a wise king and look after the people well too.

Application

A Christian viewpoint

Christians believe that God knows what we are really like. It’s not what we look like on the outside that is most important to him– he looks at our ‘hearts’. He knows the kind and unkind thoughts we have. He sees the things we do, even when we think no-one has noticed.

For everyone

Display the pictures of different people (young/old; male/female; different ethnic backgrounds). Talk about the pictures, pointing out that we can’t tell what a person is like just by looking at them. What’s important is not the outside of a person (their clothes or good looks), but what a person is like on the inside.

Response

In a short time of quiet, ask the children to think about themselves:

  • What do you look like on the outside?
  • What are you like on the ‘inside’?
  • What kind of person are you?
  • Think of something good about yourself.
  • Is there anything not so good that you know you could change?