All-Age Service #2: Stranger danger!

Prayer / Worship activity

Option 1

5 minutes

Split the congregation into smaller, mixed aged groups. Each person should lie down on the floor (or sit down). Explain that they are like popcorn in a pan. Shout: “Three, two, one pop!” They must jump up one at a time, say a short thank-you prayer, and pop back down again. Set a time limit and encourage people to keep ‘popping’ until the time is up.

Option 2

10 minutes

Provide a mixture of different art materials, eg pens, watercolours, pencils, glue, craft resources, magazine cut-outs. Before the session, cut out some bunting-shaped paper and ensure there is enough for everyone to have at least one each. Read out Psalm 138 and ask people to draw or create their own prayers of thanks to God on their piece of bunting. When everyone is finished, string up the bunting up around the room and celebrate together.

Story

15 minutes

Before the service you will need to choose some members of your congregation (perhaps some willing teenagers) to act out some of the roles in the story. You will need: an interrupter, a Jewish man, robbers, a priest, a Levite, a Samaritan, a donkey (two people if you have a pantomime donkey), an innkeeper (hang a sign around his neck, saying ‘Innkeeper’) and a sound effects leader.

You could practise beforehand, but this isn’t strictly necessary. Mark out a road down the middle of your meeting place. Place a sign by the road saying ‘Jericho Road’. At the end of the road, have a large cardboard box with the sign ‘Inn’ written or stuck on it. To begin this section, stand at the front, explaining something simple to the congregation, eg what is going to happen for the rest of the meeting, or where the fire exits are – it doesn’t really matter! Prime your interrupter to stand up in the middle of your explanation and interrupt you with this question: “What must I do to get eternal life?” Everyone will be surprised – we are British, after all! You reply with this answer: “What do you read in the Bible?” The interrupter should say: “The Bible says ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength. And love your neighbour as you love yourself’.”

You: “That’s your answer, then.”

Interrupter: “But who is my neighbour?”

You: “Ah, well, this is exactly like the conversation Jesus once had with someone. And to explain his answer he told a story. Who likes stories? (Pause.) Good! Are you sitting comfortably? Well… You won’t be for long!”

Move all the chairs back so that the road is in the middle of the room and all the chairs are facing inwards, towards the road. Explain to your congregation that they are the going to make sound effects and you will be giving them noises to make throughout the story. Your sound effects leader should conduct the congregation. Use this script to tell the story.

A Jewish man walked from his home in Jerusalem, down the Jericho Road. (Everyone makes footstep noises with their feet.) While he walked, some robbers attacked him and left him lying in the middle of the road. (Make this comical rather than scary. Man looks shocked and lies down on road. Everyone make ‘boo, hiss’ noises – be aware of those who may find this a little scary and perhaps warn them or their parents beforehand.) The man lay there, not moving and in pain. (Everyone says “ouch”!)

Ooh! Hold on! There’s someone coming! A Jewish priest! Surely he will help (The priest walks along the road, sees the injured man, crosses the road and continues.) What? The priest didn’t help? (Everyone makes tutting noises.) Aah now! Look! There is a Levite! He works at the temple. It’s OK! Help is on the way! (The Levite walks along the road, dramatically walks up to the injured man, sniffs him in disdain, and continues down the road.) I can’t believe this is happening! (All make tutting noises again.)

Hmm. Here is a Samaritan. Well, the Samaritans and Jews really hate each other. I’m not holding out any hope here! If the man’s own people won’t help him then surely a Samaritan isn’t going to stop. (The Samaritan and donkey walk down the road. The Samaritan walks over to the injured man, stops and gets out his first-aid kit. He puts bandages on the man and lifts him on to his donkey.) What?! I’m in shock! The Samaritan has helped the man! But where is he taking him? (Everyone gasps. The Samaritan, pantomime donkey and injured man make their way to the inn. Everyone makes clip-clop noises. The Samaritan helps the man off the donkey and hands him to the innkeeper, giving him some money to look after him.)

So the Samaritan stopped to help this Jewish man and even paid for him to be looked after. When Jesus told this story, he asked his friends which of these people was a neighbour to the injured man. We’re going to have a vote! Hands up and cheer if it was the Jewish priest. (The Jewish priest parades up and down the road, looking expectant.) Hands up and cheer for the Levite. (Levite does the same as the priest.) Hands up and cheer for the Samaritan. (The Samaritan stands still, looking at the ground.) So, the Samaritan is our hero! Let’s give him a cheer! Now, like Jesus also said to his friends… Go and do likewise.

Reflective response to the story

Option 1

20 minutes

Divide into small, mixed aged groups and rewrite this story with a modern version. Who would the characters be in today’s world? Make a story board and put it up around the room for others to view

Option 2

5 minutes

Cover the floor with large pieces of paper. On the paper, draw several concentric circles. Ask people to draw or write their neighbours in the circles – starting with those closest in the middle circles and then moving out to those further afield. Once this is done, give out some heart-shaped paper and ask people to write on the hearts what they can do to love their neighbours – give examples, eg making a meal for someone or babysitting someone’s children. Once they have written their ideas, they can place the hearts next to the person to whom they want to show love.

Group discussion questions

10 minutes

Divide into mixed aged groups and encourage the younger members to join in the discussion. Give them some playdough or plasticine and ask them to make the different characters in the story (and the donkey) while you are chatting. Make sure you include them as you chat.