MIRACLES OF JESUS

Apostles Playhouse #1

This lesson plan is copyrighted and belongs to the Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian,

Cary North Carolina. It may be used for non-profit uses only.

APOSTLES PLAYHOUSE This workshop will last 45 minutes.

SCRIPTURE: Paralyzed Man and his friends (Mark 2:1-12) Memory Verse: Mark 2:11 “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go home.” NSRV (This story can also be found in Matthew 9:1-8 and Luke 5:17-26)

OBJECTIVES: The children will begin to understand that in healing and forgiveness we glimpse God’s promise of life for us all.

The children will experience frustration/disappointment - how the paralyzed man and his friends felt when they couldn’t get near Jesus.

The children will explore how the paralyzed man felt when he heard the words, “Stand up....and go home.”

CONCEPT: Define “miracle” for children (miracle - a wonderful event which shows us the power of God, or an especially vivid moment when as a result of an unexpected and surprising event, one becomes aware of the presence and power or God at work).

Acting out the story will give the children a way to experience and share in the joy the healed man must have felt. Acting out the story will also help the children commit this story to memory - a story that fully demonstrates God’s and Jesus’ love for us and how we are to help each other and share in each others joy and pain.

PROCEDURE:

1. Welcome the kids. Open the time with prayer. In your prayer, thank God for each person gathered there and ask God to open your ears and eyes that you might all see/hear/experience God’s awesome power. If you are not comfortable using your own prayer, find one in a resource book in library, ask someone to write one for you to use.

2. Make sure you know each child’s name and use their names when speaking with them. You may want to have each child introduce themselves in way appropriate for APOSTLE’S PLAYHOUSE.

For example - you might ask each child to introduce themselves using a voice other than their own - high pitch, low pitch, scared, funny, old, young voice, etc.

3. Introduce the bible lesson. You may choose to tell the story, read the scripture from your bible, have kids find bible passage and you read it, have kids find it and volunteer to read it, have it written on scroll and read it, have it printed out in large print for all to read together - you choose how you feel is best for you and your teaching style. What method best suits the story? How old are the kids?

Whatever method of introducing the bible lesson you choose, it is recommended that you use either the New Revised Standard Version or Contemporary English Version.

4. Assign part for the play. If you have more kids than parts, put someone in charge of choosing costumes and helping actors get dressed. Another person could gather props that would work well with the story.

5. Give those children with lines a few minutes to practice saying their lines. Have a copy of the script for each child.

6. SHOW TIME! (See attached script) Younger children can act out the story as you read it or they can act it out using their own words. Older kids can act it out as written, reading the script, or they can act it out using their own words. Let each group decide, or you decide prior to teaching the lesson what you think will work best.

7. DISCUSSION:

a. How did the paralyzed man feel about being paralyzed? When he walked?

b. How did the his friends feel about having a paralyzed friend?

c. How did the 4 friends feel when they couldn’t get the man in to see Jesus?

d. How did the person who portrayed Jesus in the play feel when they helped the man?

e. How did the 4 friends feel when their friend was healed?

f. How did the crowd that was in the house feel when Jesus interrupted their discussion

to help the man?

8. Review the memory verse.

9. Clean up. Put away costumes and put away props.

10.. Have kids put either a stamp from your workshop, a sticker or a small item (stamp or sticker of feet? Foot print?) in their journal to help them remember where they went and what the workshop was about. This is to help them when they do their journal writing at the end of the day.

CLOSING:

Close with a prayer. For example: Loving God, we are your people. Help us to look around us for all the miracles in our lives. Help us to feel that you are with us and to tell the world about You. Amen.

You might also want to close with the memory verse or have kids remember a time they were helped by someone or a time they helped someone and how that felt.

TEACHER PREP IN ADVANCE:

1. Make sure there are costumes that will work for this story in the room.

2. Decide what props would work and have them available for the kids to use if they choose.

3. Go over the script and know the story very well. Do NOT try and lift the ill person. Have a mat, towel or something that kids can use to drag the ill person. Let kids figure out a way to act out story without lifting!

4. Decide how you want to present the bible lesson and practice whatever method you choose. Practice telling the story, choose the bible translation that you think best suits the kids’ needs, get any props you might wish to use (nothing to elaborate for props!)

5. Be prepared in case kids are shy about acting out the story. Be prepared to give “stage directions” to help them along. This may involve reading the script while the kids move. If the class is very large, you could have 1 person be the voice of the character and another the actor for the character. This way the person ‘acting’ doesn’t have to worry about saying/reading lines. You can also have ½ the class acting and ½ being audience and then switch.

6. Decide what you want to use to ‘mark’ kids’ journals. This sticker/stamp/item is to help them remember what they saw, did, learned in your workshop to help them at journal writing at the end of the day. It is NOT to be a craft they do, just a small item you have for them to place in their Daily Journal to encourage them to respond to what they have experienced.

7. Decide how you want to close. Have prayer written - are you going to read it, have kids read it together, one kid read, etc. What if you have extra time? Are there other activities you could do?

MATERIALS:

*Script

*Costumes

*Props

*Item to mark journals

*Backdrop/scenery (may already be in room - not sure what room is going to look like!)

*Bible or storytelling resource

REFERENCES

“Jesus’ Miracles”, J. Nowak, Memorial Presbyterian Church, Xenia, OH

The Paralyzed Man and his Friends

A drama play for 14 characters. Some characters may be combined if needed.

NARRATOR There was a man who was paralyzed, so that he couldn't walk. He

lived in Capernaum. He was very unhappy.

PARALYZED MAN I am so unhappy. I am unhappy because I can not get about and I

have to beg for a living. I am also unhappy because I know I

have done many wrong things in my life. Thinking about those

things make me very unhappy.

NARRATOR One day as he lay on his mat-bed, four of his friends came

rushing up.

4 FRIENDS Jesus is in Capernaum! He’s healing sick people!

PARALYZED MAN What good is that to me. I can’t go and ask Him to heal me. You

know I can’t walk!

FRIEND #1 You don’t have to walk! Look - we have brought ropes!

The 4 friends tie a rope to each corner of the mat-bed.

PARALYZED MAN What are you doing?

FRIEND #2 It is all right. All you have to do is lie still. We’ll carry you to

the house where Jesus is!

The 4 friends drag/carry the man along PUFFING and PANTING

PARALYZED MAN Don’t drop me! Oh, be careful! I wonder if Jesus really will be

able to cure me. (To himself) I have been such a bad person in

the past. Maybe Jesus won’t want to have anything to do with me.

FRIEND #3 Here we are! This is the house. Look at all the people gathered

in front.

FRIEND #4 Do you see Jesus? Oh, there he is. He is inside talking with the

Pharisees and lawyers.

FRIENDS TOGETHER Excuse us! Excuse us!

FRIEND #1 Please let us through. This man needs to be healed.

PERSON #1 Hey! You can’t just push your way in here. We are trying to

see Jesus too! Wait your turn!

PERSON #2 Yes, you must wait your turn!

PERSON #3 Go to the back of the crowd and wait there!

NARRATOR It was no use. No one would make room for the paralyzed

man and his friends.

PARALYZED MAN We’ll have to give up. You had better take me back.

FRIEND #2 No! We won’t give up so easily!

FRIEND #3 There must be a way.....I know! Let’s take him up onto the roof!

FRIEND #4 That is a great idea! Maybe we can see some space from there!

PARALYZED MAN Wait! I am not so sure that is a good idea. How are you going to

get me up there? I can’t walk up the stairs.

FRIEND #1 Don’t worry - we will carry you!

NARRATOR And the 4 friends did just that! Very carefully, lifting with the

ropes, they carried the man, still on his bed, up the outside stairs

and on to the flat roof of the house.

PARALYZED MAN Well, what are you going to do now? What’s the use of all

this anyway? I still can’t see Jesus!

FRIEND #2 Listen, Jesus is just below us in the house. How can we get down there?

FRIEND #3 I think that all we need to do is remove some of the tiles from the

top of the roof.

NARRATOR And that is what the friends did! They removed enough of the roof

tiles to make a whole large enough for the bed to get through...

FRIEND #4 Yes, I see Jesus! He is still speaking with the Pharisees and lawyers

FRIEND #1 Well, what are we waiting for....

NARRATOR Slowly and carefully, they began to lower the man who couldn’t

walk down through the hole they had made. The man clung to his

bed and hoped he wasn’t going to fall.....

PHARISEE #1 What is the meaning of this? How dare anyone interrupt our

discussion.

LAWYER #1 How rude! What does those people think they are doing?

FRIEND #2 Keep going! We are nearly there. He is landing in the middle

of the crowd! He is going to land right in front of Jesus!

NARRATOR Jesus looked up at the faces of the friends. He could see they were

certain He had the power to heal their friend. Then Jesus looked

down at the paralyzed man. Jesus could see the fear and unhappiness in his eyes.

JESUS My friend, all the wrong things you have done are all forgiven.

PHARISEE #2 What? He is forgiving sins?

LAWYER #2 Who is this man? It is against our laws for any man to forgive sins. Only God can do that!

JESUS Which is easier? To say ‘your sins are forgiven’, or to say

‘get up and walk’?

NARRATOR Nobody answered Jesus. The Pharisees and lawyers looked at

each other and shrugged.

JESUS So that you can know I have the power to forgive sins - I say

to you - get up. Pick up your bed and walk!

PERSON #1 Him walk? He has not walked for years!

PERSON #2 What did Jesus say? Did he tell him to pick up his bed?

PERSON #3 Shhh! I can’t see what is happening....what is happening!

PARALYZED MAN I feel strength flowing into me! I can move my legs! I can

move my legs!

NARRATOR The legs that had been paralyzed and helpless for so long could

now be moved. The man sat up. He struggled to his feet, just as

Jesus had told him to do. He wobbled a little.

PARALYZED MAN Praise God! Let me take my mat and go! Make way - I am

coming through!

NARRATOR The people stepped back in amazement to let him pass. His

four friends came rushing out to meet him.

FRIEND #3 Praise God! Look - he can walk!

FRIEND #4 Friend, you must go home and let them know what wonderful

thing has happened here today. Praise God!

PERSONS #1,#2.#3 We have seen something amazing happen here today!

NARRATOR Other amazing things were to happen...........