Scripture: Matthew 8:18-27
Memory Verse: “You, Lord, are the light that keeps me safe. I am not afraid of anyone. You protect me, and I have no fears.” Psalms 27:1
Concepts:
·
Sometimes
following Jesus can be hard or scary.
·
We can trust
Jesus to take care of us.
Objectives:
1. Older children will locate the story of Jesus calming
the storm in their Bibles. Younger children will learn that the story is in Matthew
(and Mark and Luke).
2. The children will play the Voting Game to reinforce
their understanding of the story and promote discussion.
3. The children will discuss what it means to trust Jesus
during difficult times.
4. The children will identify a problem or source of fear
in their lives, and think about how Jesus can help them.
Procedure:
Welcome and Introductions: (
1. Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name-tag. Make sure the children
are wearing name-tags. If not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge.
Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week who
may not know you.
2.
Open with a brief
prayer (optional, as they have just prayed in Great Hall).
3. Explain the purpose of this workshop. Today we’re
going to play a game to help us learn about Jesus calming the storm.
Scripture/Bible Story:
1.
Grades 1-2 will
not use Bibles, but do open yours to show them where the story is. For grades
3-5, make sure everybody has a Bible. The shepherds will have extra
Bibles. Help the students to find the
book of Matthew. (Get the shepherds to go around the room and help with this.)
2.
If necessary,
review the organization of the Bible: The Bible is divided into two big parts,
the Old and New Testaments. Each part is made up of books, which are divided
into chapters and verses. Have them figure out whether Matthew is in Old or New
Testament (it’s about Jesus so it’s in NEW Testament). Show them that if they
open their Bible in the middle, they’ll usually land in the book of Psalms in
the OT. Point out that the book name is at the top of each page. After finding
Psalms, if they then take the pages on the right side and divide them in half,
they’ll land somewhere near the beginning of the New Testament. Matthew is the
first book in the New Testament. Some of the older children should know the
books of the Bible. Encourage everyone to learn them.
After
they’ve found Matthew, help them find chapter 8. Some of the children will
confuse chapters and verses. Show them that chapter numbers are the big ones,
and also are at top of every page. After they’ve found chapter 8, help them
find verses 18-27 and tell them this is where the story of Jesus calming the
storm is told.
3.
Read the story
from the Contemporary English Version (let older kids follow along in their
Bibles), or tell the story using the summary below as a guide. If you are
telling the story in later weeks of the rotation, let the children help you. This
will give you an idea of how much they already know. Other ideas for reviewing
the story in later weeks:
Begin
the story and let each person in the circle add one line to the story until it
is complete. Help them tell the COMPLETE story.
Tell
the story with inaccuracies and let them correct you (especially fun for the
younger ones -- but don’t do this until the later part of the rotation).
Photocopy
the passage (remove verse numbers), cut it up and see if they can put it back
together correctly (for older kids only).
Optional visual effect to use during storytelling:
Fill a clear mixing bowl about 3/4 full with
water. Use a spoon and gently stir the water next to one edge of the bowl.
Watch the effect the stirring has on the water.
The
Story Summary
One time Jesus was teaching a
crowd of people along the
When Jesus had finished
teaching, he and his disciples got into a boat and started to cross the lake.
Jesus was tired, so he lay down in the boat and went to sleep.
While Jesus was asleep a
storm came up, and waves started splashing into the boat. The disciples got very scared. They were sure
that the boat was going to tip over and that they were all going to drown.
But Jesus slept through it. So
the disciples went to Jesus and woke him up.
"Lord! Save
us!" they cried. "We will drown!"
"Why are you so afraid?"
Jesus answered them. "You must not have much faith."
Then Jesus got up and ordered
the wind and the waves to calm down. The wind stopped blowing. And the
sea became calm.
The disciples were amazed. They
said, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Grades 3-5: If you have
time after reviewing the story, have the children search in their Bibles for Luke 8:22-25, and Matthew 8:23-27, the other Gospel accounts of Jesus calming the
storm. Have them close their Bibles first, and see who can find the passage the
fastest. Point out that each version of the story was written by a different
person and at a different time, so the details are a little different.
Application: (
The Voting Game: Have kids walk to one
side of the room or the other depending on how they answer each of the
following questions. Ask the shepherd help the kids move to the right spot in
the room and stay calm. After each vote, go to someone on each side and ask
them why they voted the way they did.
True or False --the body
of water where this story took place was the
True or False --Jesus
fell asleep because he was tired from a full day of teaching others (true according the story. Jesus was human
and got tired just as we do).
True or False: A crash
of thunder woke Jesus up. (false—the
disciples woke him up).
True or False: Jesus
said the disciples were scared because they couldn’t swim (false – because their faith
was weak).
True or False: Jesus
ordered the wind and waves to calm down (true).
True or False: The
disciples were not surprised when the storm stopped, because they knew Jesus
could do anything (false—they were amazed).
Put the children back into one big group for the following multiple
choice questions and have them stand up for the answer they choose.
If I had been with Jesus
that day, and I knew there was danger of a bad storm, I would have:
-Followed
him onto the boat
-Stayed
on shore
If I had been on the
boat with the waves crashing in, I would probably have:
-
been scared like the disciples
-
not been afraid at all
-
been afraid just a little bit
When I saw Jesus
sleeping on the boat, I would have:
-yelled
his name and tried to wake him up
-not
been afraid at all because I knew he was with me
-done
something else (what?)
When I'm scared or
afraid of a storm I:
-hide
under the covers
-go
to a parent
-do
something else (what?)
Of these three things,
what would be the scariest to you?
-A
haunted house
-Being
laughed at by your friends
-Being
homeless
When I'm scared, I would
be most comforted by:
-Being
with my mom or dad
-An
object like my blanket, a doll, or curling up in my bed
-Ignoring
my fear and thinking about something else
-Other:
A "storm" in
my life right now is:
-someone
who has been making me upset
-an
illness or health problem I'm having or someone I love is having
-problems
at school
-other
Rainstorm -- cool
down game (
Here
are the actions:
Begin by
rubbing your hands together (gentle rain)
Snap fingers
together (harder rain)
Clap hands on
thighs (even harder rain)
Stomp feet
(thunder)
Then
go in reverse:
Clap hands on
thighs
Snap fingers
together
Rub hands
together
End by holding your
hand silently at your mouth (in a silent “shush” action)
As you go around the circle the storm will
gradually build, peak, then ebb away to calm.
When all is quiet, have the children sit down.
Reflection Time: (
Discuss: The
disciples followed Jesus into the boat, and then a storm came up. Do you think
any of them wished they hadn’t come? Probably.
Sometimes following Jesus means doing things that are hard or scary.
The disciples went to
Jesus when they were afraid. How can we go to Jesus? Prayer, reading the stories of Jesus in the Bible, remembering things
we’ve learned about Jesus, talking to other people who trust Jesus.
When you’re afraid, is
it OK to do other things to comfort yourself, like talking to your parents or
holding your favorite blanket? Yes, these
are some of the ways God takes care of us. God gives us lots of people and ways
to find comfort and get through bad times.
Jesus said the
disciples’ fear showed they didn’t have much faith, and then he calmed the
storm. Does faith mean that Jesus will always make our problems go away? No, faith means trusting that Jesus loves us
and is with us no matter what happens to us. Jesus might not solve our problems
but will help us to be strong and learn how to handle our problems.
The disciples woke Jesus
up and asked him to save them, but then they were amazed when he calmed the
storm. I wonder why they were surprised that he did what they asked? Even people who love and trust Jesus are still
awed by the effect he has on their lives.
Recite the Bible memory verse learned in the Great
Hall. : “You, Lord, are the light that keeps me safe. I am not afraid of anyone. You protect me, and I have no fears.” Psalms
27:1
Storm collection (
Journals (
Read the prompt out loud. If they have trouble thinking of what to
write or draw, give suggestions and remind them of some of the things you’ve
talked about.
Grades 1-2: Draw some big waves. These are the problems or scary things in your life. In the waves, draw a picture of yourself with Jesus holding your hand. OR, on each wave, write down a way you can ask Jesus for help with a problem (pray, talk to other people who trust Jesus, think about things you know about Jesus and what he would do).
Grades 3-5: Draw some big waves. These are problems or things you’re
afraid of. On each wave, write a way in which Jesus can help you. (Jesus loves us, hears our prayers, gives us
courage, helps us to know how to handle our problems, gives us people to talk
to, gives us activities and objects that comfort us).
Those who finish early can turn the page over and do the activity on
the back. (Note that there are different pages for older and younger kids.)
Ask the students to close their journals and sit quietly.
Encourage them to bring an offering next week. Remind them that the
offering from this rotation will go Presbyterian Disaster Relief, to help
people who were hurt by Hurricane Isabel.
Prayer: Offer the contents of the “storm’ envelope to
Jesus in a prayer. Suggestion: Jesus, We
trust you with these problems. Help us to be strong and learn how to handle the
things that worry us. Help us to follow you even when it is hard or scary, and
to know that you love us and are with us no matter what happens.
Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help collect pencils, Bibles, etc.
When the room is tidy, dismiss the class.
Teacher preparation in
advance:
1. Read the scripture passages and attend the
Faith Quest Leaders Bible Study
2. Prepare a closing prayer.
3.
Write the
scripture memory verse on the white board or display it in the room some other
way.
4.
Go over the
lesson plan multiple times until you are very familiar with it. Practice
reading or telling the story dramatically. If you plan to use the mixing bowl
effect, try it out beforehand.
Supply List
Dry-erase marker (in supply
bin)
Extra Bibles (in cabinet in
Creation Station)
Clear mixing bowl, spoon, and
water (if using)
Pencils (in supply bin; the
shepherds also have pencils)
Slips of paper and envelope
Journal pages (different for
younger and older kids) copies provided at Bible Study or the first Sunday of
the rotation
References
Jesus Stills the Storm. Neil MacQueen.
http://rotation.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=1206067121&f=7716088121&m=9036021841
Jesus Calms The Storm. State Street UMC,
http://www.state-street.org/childrens-ministry/sunday-school/greatadventure/rotations/index.html
“Be Still” Jesus Calms the Sea.
http://rotation.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=1206067121&f=7716088121&m=781608812
Jesus Calms the
Storm. Steve and Brenda Klusmeyer.
http://rotation.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=1206067121&f=7716088121&m=9716088121
Storytelling
ideas:
http://www.dennisdewey.org/Dennis8.htm