Pester Prayer: The parable of the Unjust Judge
AGE: Juniors |
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THEME: The Power of Pester Prayer |
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AIM: |
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| To understand the importance of persistence in prayer and some of the reasons why prayers seem to be unanswered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BIBLICAL MATERIAL: |
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| Luke 18:1-8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PREPARATION: |
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| Choose children to play the parts of the Judge, the Widow, the Unjust Steward and two police officers/guards. The leader should act as Narrator. Rehearse the dialogues. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
INTRODUCTION: |
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| Begin by welcoming the children to the act of collective worship and start to outline the theme. Almost immediately, as arranged, find yourself interrupted by a child who wishes to use the toilet. At first, deny the child permission, but after much 'pestering', accede to his/her request. However, having gained permission, the child states that he/she no longer wishes to go. Inform the children that they have just witnessed one of the world's strongest powers in action. That power is known as pester power and is well known by every child and parent on earth. Invite individuals to tell you how they have used pester power to get what they have wanted. You might also wish to stage a mini competition to find the child blessed with the best 'pestering' voice. |
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THE PARABLE OF THE UNJUST STEWARD: |
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Jesus once told a story about pester power, but it didn't feature a parent and a child. The two people in Jesus' story were a judge and a widow. (Invite the children involved in the dramatization of the parable to join you at the front. You should play the part of the Narrator. On one side of the stage, re-create a court. The judge is on the point of passing sentence. The 'accused' before him is flanked by two guards. The widow stands alone on the other side of the stage.)
(Guards lead accused away)
(Guards enter and drag Widow away)
(Judge mimes teeing off at a driving range. Just at the point when he is about to strike the ball, the widow appears, causing him to miss his shot)
(Two police officers, who look remarkably like the guards, enter and drag the Widow away.)
(Judge mimes reading a TV listings magazine)
(Judge is about to switch on his TV when there is a knock on his door.)
(Judge, just having got out of bed, yawns and stretches. He mimes putting shaving foam on his face and is just about to shave when the Widow appears next to him.)
(Widow leaves.)
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THE POWER OF PRAYER: |
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Jesus told his followers this story to encourage them not to give up praying. If this mean old judge eventually gave into the widow's persistence, then, Jesus said, just imagine how a loving and merciful God responds to the prayers of those who love him. According to Jesus, God knows what people want even before they ask for it and is eager to answer their prayers. So how come it seems that God often says 'No' to people's prayers? Ask children to share with you their own experiences in this respect. Jesus taught his followers to call God 'Daddy' ('Abba' in the original Aramaic). Therefore, perhaps God says 'No' to people's prayers for the same reason that parents say 'No' to their children's requests. Role-play a number of situations in which a parent denies a child's request. You should play the role of the child, whilst a child plays the role of your parent.
Even though some prayers appear not to 'work', Christians believe that God is always 'at work' in their lives, although this is often hard to see. |
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PRAYER: |
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Dear God, Thank you for being a God who listens to our prayers. Help us to keep praying to you even when it seems that our prayers are not being answered. May we never forget that, like a loving parent, you only want what is best for us. Amen. |
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SONGS: |
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'Father God I wonder', Kidsource, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN: 1-84003-310-X 'Abba Father', Kidsource, Kevin Mayhew, ISBN: 1-84003-310-X. |
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DEVELOPMENT: |
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