Sharing - at the heart of Christian life
AGE: Juniors |
THEME: Sharing |
AIM: |
| To develop an understanding that sharing is at the heart of Christian life. |
PREPARATION: |
You will need:
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PRESENTATION: |
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The Leader introduces the session. Who can guess what I'm hiding behind my back? (Shake the tube of sweets). Yes, it's a tube of tasty, very bad for your teeth, sweets. Who would like to eat a few? I'm feeling very generous this morning and I shall allow one person to have the tube - but she or he will have to win it! Therefore I'm looking for a few fast, competitive runners this morning and I think I'll turn to Years 5 and 6 - three girls and three boys. I shall place the tube of sweets at one end of the stage (or clear a space in the middle of the hall) and the six of you need to wait at the starting line until you hear the whistle after the count to three. Then it's the first to run down and grab the tube that gets to keep it - but no running outside the cones! Now then, wait for the whistle after three. One, Two, Two and a Half - come back here. Let's start again. One, Two, Three - Blow! (Expect some encouragement from those sitting down and if the same happens with you as it did with me, the six runners will push and shove in order to get at the sweets first. You may be lucky and the force on the table will be so great that it splits the tube open, sending the sweets over the floor and therefore rendering them uneatable!) Was that a tidy, fair race? Describe the race. What did it show us? (Write down responses on a whiteboard or flipchart, e.g. unfair, cheating, pushing, greed, competition, survival of the fittest.) What else could they have done? (Again write down the responses.) Yes, they could have agreed before the start not to run, not to push but to share! Did they? Why not? Would you? Now I need another six pupils, this time from the other classes. I'm going to give you one sweet each, but you mustn't eat it until I've told you to do so. How about using a wipe to clean your hands first? Now that you have one each, I want you to form a circle all facing inwards and put the arm and hand holding the sweet straight in front of you. After the count to three and the sound of my whistle, I want you to eat the sweet BUT... you are not allowed to bend your arm or twist your wrist! Do you understand? One, Two, Three - Blow! No cheating! Why aren't you enjoying the sweet? What - you can't? Why? Let's see if anyone here can give you a few suggestions (Jot down the responses). Which do you think is the best suggestion? No, I don't think that trying to throw it in would work - there's an element of risk since you could miss your mouth - and you're not supposed to twist your hand anyway! I think it's impossible for you to feed yourself. But you could feed someone else! Enjoy the sweets. Now let's listen to this morning's reading. It's all about a massive picnic and one boy's willingness to share. (Read 'Feeding the Five Thousand' from John 6:1-15.) Later on in the New Testament in Hebrews 13:16 we find: 'And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.' (NIV) |
MUSIC: |
| 'I will bring to you the best gift I can offer' No. 59, Come and Praise. |
PRAYER: |
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Dear Lord, Thank you for the fun we've had this morning. Through the fun, let us learn to put others first and to share. Sorry that I find it easier to take than to give. Help us learn that sharing is important and that what we give, however small it may look compared with the need, God can use. Amen. |
FURTHER IDEAS TO DEVELOP: |
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How did the other classes feel not being allowed to 'compete' for the sweets in the first place? Was it fair? How fair are things in the world? Older pupils could look at the Christian Aid publication It's Not Fair and attempt some of the tasks there. Research in books and on the internet about the work of Tear Fund (www.tearfund.org), Christian Aid (www.christian-aid.org.uk) or CAFOD (www.cafod.org.uk). Prepare a PowerPoint presentation on an aspect of work done by one of these agencies to be shown during collective worship later in the term. www.globalgang.org.uk is a Christian Aid web site with high-tech games, stories and news. You can also use it to talk to pupils from around the world. www.tearfund.org and also Gobstopper Gardens: Issue 20 from Tear Fund. These will help you find out about people all over the world and have a crazy time along the way! But what about all those hard questions? Are people really poor in our town? And what can we do about it? The School Council could discuss ways of supporting one of the above agencies. |