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Prayer / Worship Activity
Option 1: 5 MINS
Resources: pillows or cushions and music
Before the service, ask the congregation to bring a pillow or cushion for each person, or provide some of your own. Play gentle music in the background and read Psalm 23 from The Message. Read it slowly and encourage the congregation to lie down, relax and ‘walk through’ the Psalm in their heads as it is being read.
Option 2: 5 MINS
Resources: white stickers, pens
Provide enough white stickers for everyone to have at least one. Ask the congregation to write or draw some thank you prayers on the stickers – writing down something they are grateful for this morning before sticking them on their hands. The children will need help with this. When everyone has finished, encourage people to stand, raise their hands in the air and after you have counted to three, shout out their thank you prayers!
Story
10 MINS
Split the congregation into several mixed aged groups of about ten people. Provide resources such as cardboard boxes, masking tape, chairs, pens, paper, small toy people, lego and bowls of water so that each group can decide how they would like to tell the story. Some may choose to sit and listen. Some may choose a cardboard box for a boat and act out the story within their group. Some groups may choose to make a paper boat and float it in the bowl of water. Ensure you explain all the options and then give time for each group to make their choice. Encourage them to act out the story using their chosen method as you read it out.
Read the following story with plenty of dramatic effect. Encourage the congregation to add appropriate sound effects each time you say ‘the waves swooshed and wind howled’.
Jesus’ friends were fisherman. It was the middle of a dark, windy night and they were in the deep waters of the lake, in their boat. The waves swooshed and the wind howled. Suddenly, they noticed something strange on the water coming towards them. One of them screamed! Was it a ghost? Was it a sea monster? How could it be walking on top of the water? The waves swooshed and the wind howled. Water was splashing into their faces and it was difficult to see properly.
Then they heard a voice. It was the voice of their friend and master, Jesus. ‘Have courage!’ he shouted across the water, ‘It’s me! Don’t be afraid!’ The disciples were confused. They knew Jesus was amazing, but they’d never seen anything like this before! The waves swooshed and the wind howled. Peter stepped forward and shouted ‘Jesus? Is that really you? If it’s you, then tell me to walk across the water to you!’ Jesus answered him, ‘Come on then!’ Peter’s friends looked at him as though he was completely crazy! Was he really going to attempt to walk on the water? The waves were enormous tonight and the wind was tearing around their faces.
Peter looked straight at Jesus and clambered off the boat. He kept his eyes straight on Jesus’ face. He took a few tentative steps right across the top of the water. The waves swooshed and the wind howled. Suddenly, a big gust of wind threw a wave right up into Peter’s face. He took his eyes off Jesus and started to realise that he was in deep, dangerous water. He began to sink. The waves swooshed and the wind howled.
‘Jesus! HELP!’ he yelled. Jesus held out his hand and pulled Peter out of the cold water. Safely back in the boat, Jesus quizzed Peter: ‘Why did you doubt me? I could have kept you safe.’ As the wind finally dropped and the waves grew calm again, the men in the boat dropped to their knees in front of Jesus. They had never, ever seen anything like that before. Surely he must be God’s son.
Reflective response to story
Option 1: 10 MINS
Give each group a maraca or small drum. Ask them to re-tell the story using their chosen equipment but to be thinking of simple prayers related to the story. When they have thought of a prayer, at any point during the story, they can shake the maraca or bang the drum and the storytelling stops for a moment while they pray. The storytelling then continues until the next person wishes to pray. Give the opportunity for as many people as possible in the group to pray.
Option 2: 5 MINS
Have several large mirrors around the hall. With a non-permanent whiteboard pen, draw a boat and some water on each mirror. Leave the pen next to the mirror. Ask people to think about where they might place themselves in the story and then go to the mirror and draw themselves (stick people will do) into the story.
Group discussion questions
10 MINS
While the group are discussing these questions, smaller children and toddlers can make a boat with Duplo or similar bricks. Parents can encourage them to join in with the group discussion as much as they can.
~~What was your favourite part of the story?
~~What could the water represent?
~~Why did Peter start to sink?
~~ I wonder how the other men in the boat felt as they were watching…
~~ Does this story feel like anything in your life?
