Thin Ice
Children's Liturgy and Story
Call to Worship:
The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus as he worshipped in the synagogue at Nazareth. Let us ask God's Spirit to fill us as we worship in church today.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, when we are unaware of your Spirit within us,
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, when we deny your Spirit within us,
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, when we reject or damage your Spirit within us,
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Luke 4:14-21
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. [15] He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. [16] He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. [17] The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: [18] "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." [20] Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, [21] and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Story:
Jesus returned to Galilee in "the power of the Spirit". This, of course, was the secret of his amazing deeds and teaching and preaching. It can also be true for us, since the Spirit is freely available to us.
This is a story in which Jason finds he can do great things in "the power of the Spirit".
Thin Ice
Jason and his friends loved the winter, especially when the pond froze over. Their parents always warned them not to go near the pond in winter because they said the ice was too thin. All the boys knew about the dangers of thin ice, but they also knew that the pond was only three feet deep even at the centre, so they reckoned there was no real danger. All of them were taller than four feet, so there was no way they could drown. Besides, they were all skinny so none of them weighed very much. They were confident that the ice would hold for them.
They wrapped up warm and set off. None of them took ice skates with them because their parents would instantly have known what they planned, but the five of them knew they'd have a brilliant time sliding on the pond.
It was so cool. They started at the edges of the pond where they knew the ice would be thickest and "skated" their way round. They discovered that they really didn't need ice skates when they had slippy soles on their shoes. Soon they were laughing and playing and growing bolder by the minute. Gradually they crept further and further away from the edge, testing the ice as they went. John was showing off. He was the most daring of all of them and he suddenly skated right to the middle of the pond.
"Come on," he yelled. "It's quite safe. Look at me!" And he jumped high in the air.
The others froze in horror as he crashed down through the ice. They waited for him to reappear, but nothing happened.
"Where is he?" asked David, worried. "He should be up by now. It's only three feet deep."
Jason was stunned by the accident and confused. He had no idea what to do, but he knew they had to do something. he also knew that if John hadn't reappeared, they would all have to be very careful. John was the tallest of all of them.
Jason sent a quick arrow prayer to God, asking for help. Then he took a deep breath. "David," he began. "Go and get help. Raise the alarm and fetch our fathers. Peter, get your mobile and ring 999 for the emergency services - all of them. Paul, come with me."
The others shot off to do his bidding. Jason and Paul lay down on the stomachs and inched their way towards the hold in the ice. As they looked down they could see John unconscious, suspended below the surface.
"I'm going in," announced Jason. "Be ready to grab him when I lift him out."
The water was so icy that it made Jason gasp for breath. Immediately he realised that the danger of the pond wasn't simply its depth, but was the shock of freezing water. John hadn't been prepared for such a shock. Perhaps it had killed him. Jason gripped John tightly beneath the armpits. Then he lifted. It was quite easy to lift John in the water, but as he tried to lift him over the edge of the hole, John's weight became huge with his drenched clothing dragging him down. And the edge of the hole kept breaking away because the ice was so fragile.
Jason was rapidly becoming numbed. Already he was unable to feel his feet and he could barely feel his hands.
"Come on!" urged Paul. "Come on! Just a little bit more. You can do it!"
Jason wasn't at all sure that he could do it, but he gave one last superhuman effort. He didn't know where he found the strength, but somehow he did. He was able to lift John sufficiently for Paul to grab John's clothing and haul him out onto the surface of the ice. As Paul began to slide John back towards the shore, Jason knew all his strength had gone. He wouldn't be able to get out himself. And he suddenly felt terribly tired.
'Just a short sleep,' he thought to himself and closed his eyes. Then he felt something flung over his body and heard a voice shouting. It seemed to come from a long way away. But he grabbed the lifebelt that had been thrown to him and saw his father desperately urging him to hang on. Then his father pulled on the rope and dragged him in.
Everyone was so thankful that all the boys survived, that they hadn't the heart to be cross with them. Some even called them heroes. But Jason knew the truth. He knew that it was God's spirit within him that had given him the means to save John and the strength to do it.
And he never forgot.
Activity:
You need:
A strong rubber band for each child
Some small pieces of paper to make pelletts
A balloon
A rectangular sheet of paper for each child
Today's activities are based on unseen power, to illustrate the unseen power of God which is within us. Start by blowing up the balloon, then releasing it so that it flies all over the room. Explain that it's the power of your breath when it's released which enables the balloon to move. It's the power of God's Spirit within us when it's released which enables us to do great things, things which we never thought we'd be able to do.
Give each child a rubber band and a small piece of paper and have a competition to see who can make the paper fly furthest. Again, it's when the rubber band is released that its power is felt.
Finally, give each child a rectangle of paper and make a "banger":
Banger works with other rectangles - the bigger the louder! (From this website - British Origami.org)
Again, it's when the children's energy makes the folded paper unfold, that the bang is heard.
Intercession:
God within, teach us in the church how to tune into your Spirit within us. May we learn to trust our deepest instincts knowing that they come from you, and to act upon them.
God within, may your Spirit be felt within the world. May all world leaders be so filled with your Spirit that no-one goes hungry, no-one is abused and no-one wages war.
God within, remind us that you are within each of us through your Spirit and that we too can use your Spirit's power. Remind us that you are ready and waiting to help us whenever we need help, but remind us too the seek you out in those times when we don't need help.
God within, strengthen your Spirit within those who are sick, that they may be healed. We name them before you....
Blessing:
May you be so filled with God's Spirit
that you are full of God's power.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus as he worshipped in the synagogue at Nazareth. Let us ask God's Spirit to fill us as we worship in church today.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, when we are unaware of your Spirit within us,
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, when we deny your Spirit within us,
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, when we reject or damage your Spirit within us,
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Luke 4:14-21
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. [15] He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. [16] He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. [17] The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: [18] "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." [20] Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, [21] and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Story:
Jesus returned to Galilee in "the power of the Spirit". This, of course, was the secret of his amazing deeds and teaching and preaching. It can also be true for us, since the Spirit is freely available to us.
This is a story in which Jason finds he can do great things in "the power of the Spirit".
Thin Ice
Jason and his friends loved the winter, especially when the pond froze over. Their parents always warned them not to go near the pond in winter because they said the ice was too thin. All the boys knew about the dangers of thin ice, but they also knew that the pond was only three feet deep even at the centre, so they reckoned there was no real danger. All of them were taller than four feet, so there was no way they could drown. Besides, they were all skinny so none of them weighed very much. They were confident that the ice would hold for them.
They wrapped up warm and set off. None of them took ice skates with them because their parents would instantly have known what they planned, but the five of them knew they'd have a brilliant time sliding on the pond.
It was so cool. They started at the edges of the pond where they knew the ice would be thickest and "skated" their way round. They discovered that they really didn't need ice skates when they had slippy soles on their shoes. Soon they were laughing and playing and growing bolder by the minute. Gradually they crept further and further away from the edge, testing the ice as they went. John was showing off. He was the most daring of all of them and he suddenly skated right to the middle of the pond.
"Come on," he yelled. "It's quite safe. Look at me!" And he jumped high in the air.
The others froze in horror as he crashed down through the ice. They waited for him to reappear, but nothing happened.
"Where is he?" asked David, worried. "He should be up by now. It's only three feet deep."
Jason was stunned by the accident and confused. He had no idea what to do, but he knew they had to do something. he also knew that if John hadn't reappeared, they would all have to be very careful. John was the tallest of all of them.
Jason sent a quick arrow prayer to God, asking for help. Then he took a deep breath. "David," he began. "Go and get help. Raise the alarm and fetch our fathers. Peter, get your mobile and ring 999 for the emergency services - all of them. Paul, come with me."
The others shot off to do his bidding. Jason and Paul lay down on the stomachs and inched their way towards the hold in the ice. As they looked down they could see John unconscious, suspended below the surface.
"I'm going in," announced Jason. "Be ready to grab him when I lift him out."
The water was so icy that it made Jason gasp for breath. Immediately he realised that the danger of the pond wasn't simply its depth, but was the shock of freezing water. John hadn't been prepared for such a shock. Perhaps it had killed him. Jason gripped John tightly beneath the armpits. Then he lifted. It was quite easy to lift John in the water, but as he tried to lift him over the edge of the hole, John's weight became huge with his drenched clothing dragging him down. And the edge of the hole kept breaking away because the ice was so fragile.
Jason was rapidly becoming numbed. Already he was unable to feel his feet and he could barely feel his hands.
"Come on!" urged Paul. "Come on! Just a little bit more. You can do it!"
Jason wasn't at all sure that he could do it, but he gave one last superhuman effort. He didn't know where he found the strength, but somehow he did. He was able to lift John sufficiently for Paul to grab John's clothing and haul him out onto the surface of the ice. As Paul began to slide John back towards the shore, Jason knew all his strength had gone. He wouldn't be able to get out himself. And he suddenly felt terribly tired.
'Just a short sleep,' he thought to himself and closed his eyes. Then he felt something flung over his body and heard a voice shouting. It seemed to come from a long way away. But he grabbed the lifebelt that had been thrown to him and saw his father desperately urging him to hang on. Then his father pulled on the rope and dragged him in.
Everyone was so thankful that all the boys survived, that they hadn't the heart to be cross with them. Some even called them heroes. But Jason knew the truth. He knew that it was God's spirit within him that had given him the means to save John and the strength to do it.
And he never forgot.
Activity:
You need:
A strong rubber band for each child
Some small pieces of paper to make pelletts
A balloon
A rectangular sheet of paper for each child
Today's activities are based on unseen power, to illustrate the unseen power of God which is within us. Start by blowing up the balloon, then releasing it so that it flies all over the room. Explain that it's the power of your breath when it's released which enables the balloon to move. It's the power of God's Spirit within us when it's released which enables us to do great things, things which we never thought we'd be able to do.
Give each child a rubber band and a small piece of paper and have a competition to see who can make the paper fly furthest. Again, it's when the rubber band is released that its power is felt.
Finally, give each child a rectangle of paper and make a "banger":
Banger works with other rectangles - the bigger the louder! (From this website - British Origami.org)
Again, it's when the children's energy makes the folded paper unfold, that the bang is heard.
Intercession:
God within, teach us in the church how to tune into your Spirit within us. May we learn to trust our deepest instincts knowing that they come from you, and to act upon them.
God within, may your Spirit be felt within the world. May all world leaders be so filled with your Spirit that no-one goes hungry, no-one is abused and no-one wages war.
God within, remind us that you are within each of us through your Spirit and that we too can use your Spirit's power. Remind us that you are ready and waiting to help us whenever we need help, but remind us too the seek you out in those times when we don't need help.
God within, strengthen your Spirit within those who are sick, that they may be healed. We name them before you....
Blessing:
May you be so filled with God's Spirit
that you are full of God's power.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
