FAITH QUEST

 

Faith Quest

 

A Walk on Water

 

February 8 – March 7, 2004

 

Apostle’s Playhouse

 

 

Scripture:   Matthew 14:22-33 (CEV)

 

Memory Verse:  “Christ gives me the strength to face anything.”  Philippians 4:123 (CEV)

 

Concepts:      

·        Jesus gives us the power to do God’s work in the world.

·        If we focus on Jesus, our faith is strengthened.

 

Objectives:   

The children will explore how balancing with our bodies can be like focusing on Jesus to strengthen our faith and create balancing shapes that represent God’s work that we do in the world.

 

Procedure:                

Welcome and Introductions:

1.     Greet the children and introduce yourself.  Wear your nametag. Make sure the children are wearing nametags. If not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge. Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week that may not know you.

 

2.     Today as we’re learning about the story of Jesus walking on water, we’ll also be learning about balance, focus and doing God’s work.

 

Application:

1.     Ask children to stand in a circle and tell them they are going to work on balancing.  Ask them to pick up one foot and try to hold their balance without wobbling or falling.  (Invariably, some children will have trouble, but that’s ok!)  As you lead them through trying several different balancing positions (YOU WILL MAKE UP THESE POSITIONS, an example is a yoga tree where one foot is kept on the floor, the other outstretched behind you and the body leaning forward) ask them to think about what is helping them balance. 

2.     Have the children sit down and discuss what helped them balance and what they had to do in order to keep their balance.  (Possible answers might be: muscles, brain, legs, feet, holding arms out to the side, etc.)  Tell them (if they don’t come up with it themselves) that their tummy muscles and their focus are what really strengthen their balance.

3.     Ask children to stand again and challenge them to try balancing in new and different positions—but this time remind them to tighten up their tummy muscles and to focus and concentrate by looking out at a spot across from them on a wall or some other stationary object, not another person.  Keep reminding them to use their concentration and focus to hold their balance.  Hopefully their balances will be stronger and more steady this time.  Point out children who are using their focus to balance well.

4.     Have half the children sit down and watch as the other half demonstrate three balances.  Ask the audience group to notice who is using focus and concentration to balance well.  Then switch groups and repeat.

  1. Scripture/Bible Story:  Now review the Bible story. Encourage the children to use their bibles in looking up verses. (The first few weeks you may want to read aloud to the children from the bible; in later weeks, you may ask the children to tell what happened first in the story, what happened next, etc., filling in any details they may leave out.)  After you have gone over the story, ask children to talk about what happened to Peter.  Why did he begin to sink in the water?  (because he lost his focus on Jesus and began to pay attention to everything around him like the waves)  How is Peter’s focus and faith like our balancing?  (If we lose our focus while balancing, we will “sink” or fall like Peter when he lost his focus on or faith in Jesus.  If we stay focused, our balance is strong and steady; if we stay focused on Jesus our faith is strong and steady.)  When we lose our balance can we get it back?  (Yes!) Can we strengthen our faith by strengthening our focus on Jesus? (Yes!)
  2. Ask children to stand and find and hold a balancing position and then “lose” their focus by looking around the room at others and letting go of the tummy muscles.  Hopefully, they will begin to lose their balance as well.  Once that begins to happen, ask children to sit back down before they get too silly or fall and get hurt.  Tell them this is like Peter losing his focus on Jesus and beginning to sink.
  3. Sit back down and discuss:  When our focus is steady on Jesus, and our faith is strong on the inside (like our tummy muscles) we have the power and the confidence to do God’s work in the world.  What are some of the things we can do that are God’s work in the world?  (Let kids suggest-hopefully things like coats for kids, Family Ties, rake and run, helping a friend or neighbor, making friends with the new kid at school, singing in the choir, etc.) 
  4. Now ask the children to create two balancing shapes:  The first balance shows their own focus and strength from Jesus, the second balance represents one of the suggestions about God’s work in the world.  Have the children practice changing smoothly from shape 1 (strong and focused) to shape 2 (God’s work) several times. 
  5. Finally arrange the children in a line and have one child on the end begin a chain reaction: The first child does shape 1 and changes to shape 2, which signals the second child to make his/her shape1 and change to shape 2, which signals the third child to begin and so on down the line.  After a practice, have the children perform their balance shape chain reaction with musical accompaniment (something instrumental and smooth such as  Suzanne Ciani’s Aegean Wave on the Neverland CD—let me know if you would like to borrow it)  If there is enough time and enough children are present, have them perform in two groups so that they have an audience.      

Older and younger children:  This lesson should work well with older and younger children.  Younger children may need more prompting to review the story.

 

Reflection Time:

At 10:35 a.m. ask the shepherds to pass out the journal sheets and pencils/markers. Suggestion: You may wish to give the children a sticker or some memento to paste in their journal as a reminder of the story or activity.  The offering will be going to a church in Ethiopia that is the home church for a refugee from Ethiopia who now comes to our church.

 

Prompts for journal writing: Ask children to write in their journals about what they need to do to keep their focus on Jesus so they don’t lose their balance or start sinking like Peter.  Or ask them to write about three things that they can do that would be doing God’s work in the world.  Use the fill in the blank/maze worksheet if you have extra time.

 

At 10:45 ask the students to close their journals and sit quietly for prayer.

 

Closing:

Prayer:  Dear God, Thank You for sharing Your Son Jesus with us.  Please help us to stay focused on Jesus so that we can do your work in the world. Amen    

 

Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help tidy up. Close/lock the door and turn off the lights. Put away CD player.

 

Teacher preparation in advance:

1.     Read the scripture passages and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Bible Study.

2.     Prepare a closing prayer.

3.     Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.

Supply List

·       CD player

·       Music (smooth, instrumental)

 

References

·       Notes and minutes from the curriculum writers bible study meeting prepared by Lori Houck and Amy Woynicz

·       Jesus Walks on Water worksheet by Sharon Whittaker