Get Out The Boat!
Hi Werb’s Kids and Werb’s Parents!
How are we feeling this week?
I think some of us are probably a bit sad with the news that we won’t be going back to school still for what seems a long time. Some of us might be happy that we’re still home and get to spend more time with family.
However you’re feeling, I hope you are making the most of this time.
We are lucky right now to be able to spend so much time with our loved ones and with less stuff in the diary we should be able to spend some time really focusing on what is important.
Think back to one of the first weeks of lock down when we made blessing cards. Could you make some for some neighbours this week to cheer them up or maybe just think of a way that you can make someone smile!?
Really hope you managed to send a drawing or two to the food bank.
I’m sure we have blessed them and helped put smiles on their faces!
If you are still wanting to send in a picture I’m sure they would love to receive it! Here’s the address should you need it:
25 Charnwood Street, Derby, DE1 2GU
Remember to be a warrior of kindness and hope you have a great week!
Stay safe and stay connected,
Love Amy
GET OUT THE BOAT!
Last week we talked about how sometimes we can get overwhelmed when the things we face feel really big but we remembered how BIG our God is which means we don’t need to be as scared.
In today’s story Jesus’ friends face ANOTHER storm but this time Jesus isn’t in the boat with them but outside walking on the water!!
Have you ever tried walking on water? It’s impossible to do on our own - if you think about it we can’t walk on water!! It is NOT possible as we are too heavy! We can swim but not walk on water…but we could walk on custard…
How cool is that! The reason the man could walk on custard was because of SCIENCE!
The type of custard in the video is called a non-newtonian fluid which means it acts like a liquid and then acts like a solid when impacted and hit upon which is why he can walk on it.
BUT water is NOT like this…it’s just a liquid and yet Jesus walks on it because he is God!
Not only that Jesus walks on water whilst there’s a storm.
THEN…Peter sees Jesus and asks if he can join him on the waves! YES you heard right JOIN HIM!
Would you be brave enough to get out the boat?
This is what we’re gonna talk about today.
BUT FIRST LET’S PLAY A GAME!
WILL IT FLOAT OR WILL IT SINK?
YOU WILL NEED:
A large bowl of water, objects to throw in it made of a variety of materials. For example – paper, paper clip, toy, polystyrene, rubber duck, balloon, coin…
Before putting objects into the water, try and guess whether they will float or sink.
You can also do something cool with Raisins and Soda Water where this is completely turned on its head and the raisins dance! HERE is a video so you can see what you need to do.
I think God wants to talk to us about how to be brave in stormy times.
peter was brave by daring to get out the boat but he knew if it was jesus he’d be safe.
I find it amazing that Peter joins Jesus walking on water! What an incredible thing to do!
He’s incredibly brave for stepping out and trusting Jesus, but then…he looks around around the wind and the waves…
Watch the video below and see what happens.
You will need to use your bowl once again which you used in the game at the beginning of the session.
Last week one of the crafts was origami boats. You’ll need your boat again so go find it or you’ll need to make another one! HERE is a video again should you need to make a new one.
If we just put paper in the water, as it normally is - unfolded and flat - we know it will begin to get soggy and eventually sink. But once the paper is transformed into a boat this changes!
Write on your boat things that might help you trust in Jesus. For example, you might write down some of the things they know about what Jesus has done and who He is. Peter knew who Jesus was and that is why he trusted him so much to get out of the boat and walk on water. His bravery came from the knowledge of knowing who would keep him safe - JESUS!
Once you’ve written on your boat float it on the water.
Last time you did the float or sink game you might have seen that normally a coin sinks. If you' didn’t do this before see now how a coin will instantly sink to the bottom of the bowl!
Now place a coin or two in the boat and you will see it will still floats!
Think about how on it’s own the coin will sink but how the paper boat helps it to float.
This is just like Peter when he walked on the water. He couldn’t stay afloat on his own. He had to trust in Jesus.
We can trust Jesus because of what we know about him and what he has done for us. He can keep us safe even when we think we could sink.
For those aged 0-7:
Have a little think about what you would wear if it was raining?
What about if there were big puddles?
What about if you wanted to go for a swim?
In today’s story we see that Jesus’ friends were crossing a lake and they weren’t prepared for a storm to come along any time soon.
How would you cross a lake? Would you go in a boat or try and swim?
Jesus’ friends were in a boat but Jesus wasn’t with them in the boat; he’d gone up a mountain to pray and talk to Father God.
It was night-time as the friends were going across the lake and suddenly the wind got strong and it made the boat rock and the waves splash. In the video we saw that they got caught in ANOTHER storm!!
Can you pretend you’re in a boat in a storm?!
When Jesus came down from the mountain he wanted to join his friends on the lake.
Do you remember how Jesus followed his friends? Did he have another boat? Did he swim?
No!!! He just walked on the water!
Do you remember what we said about walking on water at the beginning of the session?
Is it possible? No but Jesus was the son of God so he can do ANYTHING!!!!
When Jesus came near to the boat with his friends, his friends suddenly spotted him and thought that he was a ghost. They began to feel very scared.
Pretend to be scared!
Jesus told his friends: “Don’t be afraid, it’s only me!”
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
Peter walked on water…he asked Jesus if he could join him and he said yes!
Peter put his leg over the side of the boat and stood on the water. Now he wasn’t wearing wellies and probably got wet feet! But he was WALKING on WATER so I’m not sure he minded!!
For a few steps he walked toward Jesus. He couldn’t believe it! He was doing the impossible – walking on top of the water.
How was Peter feeling NOW at this moment when he’s walking on water? How would you feel if you could walk on water? Can you act out this?
But then he heard the roar of the wind and noticed how big and scary the waves had become. He didn’t feel safe.... He looked around, saw the big storm and began to sink.
How do you think Peter was feeling now? Can you pull a face to show this?
“Lord, help!” cried Peter. And Jesus held out his hand for Peter to grasp.
“Where’s your faith, Peter?” he said. “You know I am always with you. Why did you doubt me?”
Jesus and Peter walked together, across the stormy water and into the boat. As they climbed aboard, the waves and the wind died down.
“You really are the son of God!” cried the disciples.
How was Peter feeling once back in the boat? Can you act like Peter?
Why did Peter start to sink? (It was when he looked away from Jesus and got scared.)
Often we can be scared, but if we look at Jesus, if we remember that he is always with us, then we can have faith and trust that He won’t let us down.
The reason Peter struggled so much and started to sink is that again he forgot who he was with! Last week we tried to remember some songs that talk about how big God is. See if you can remember one again now and sing it out!!!
It was amazing that Peter got out of the boat in the first place. We should always try and step out of our own boats this means stepping out into the unknown sometimes and being brave by trusting in God!
God wants us to be brave and he will help us when we feel scared - we just need to keep our eyes on him.
For those aged 8 and above:
Read the story once again - Matthew 14:22-33
As you tell the story see if you can create a freeze frame with each part of the story.
You might want to focus on a particular character and think about props and things you can use around you to make the scene look better! Don’t forget to show emotions and how you feel in the freeze frame!
Here are some scenes to recreate:
Jesus walks towards the boat
Peter calls out to Jesus to see if it is Him
Peter walks out to Jesus
Peter starts to sink
Jesus and Peter walk back to the boat.
What does this story tells you about Jesus and specifically what do you think Peter thought of Jesus.
Reflect on how Peter felt in each freeze frame. Did his emotions change? Why?
Which part of the story sticks out to you the most? Why?
I love the fact that Peter gets out the boat in the first place! He seems to be the only one of Jesus’ friends who trusts him enough to ask if he can walk on water too.
It’s incredible that he has so much trust and faith in Jesus. He knows the one he’s walking with.
Last week we tried to remember some memory verses to help us remember who our God is.
Try and see if you can remember any of them now!
What happens to Peter later on though?
The storm is so big it’s all he can see and so he forgets who he is trusting in and so begins to sink.
Whenever you feel like you’re struggling or beginning to sink remember who your God is.
If you couldn’t remember any of the verses before try and learn one now. Say it lots of times and try to get it stuck in your head. Then later on today see if you can remember it again.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. - Psalm 56:3
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. - Psalm 28:7
I can do everything through God who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13
The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. - Psalm 29:11
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble - Psalm 46v1
It is difficult sometimes to trust people because they can sometimes let us down. It is hard to trust God as well but only because sometimes we see how big the problem is and forget how big our God is. But remember the verses. The Bible tells us that God cares for us, He loves us, we can always trust Him and He will NEVER let us down or let us sink.
CRAFT IDEAS!
Something to do during the talk
- Colouring Sheet ONE and TWO
- Crossword
- Maze
- Draw a picture of Peter OR yourself walking on water with Jesus!Sink or float JELLY!
When making jelly you’ll find that some fruit and sweets will float and be near the top as the jelly sets and some will sink to the bottom.
Make your own jelly and choose some fruit or sweets to put in it and see if you can guess whether it will float or sink when you come back to it when it’s set.
* 2 LITTLE THINGS *Jelly is made with boiling water so please be careful and an adult must be present when it’s being made.
Apparently pineapple stops the jelly from setting - so best not to use that!
Walking Peter
Make your own Peter who walks across the water!
First print out THIS page. It might work best if you are able to print it onto card.
Next you will need to do some cutting! Cut out Peter who is the character at the top on his side - be sure to cut round the stick too as this is how you will hold him to make it look like Peter is walking on water! You also need to cut round the clouds as otherwise the sky will look a little weird where you have cut Peter out of it!
Now you need to colour it all in!!
Last of all you need to cut along the thick black wave in the sea. Make sure you don’t cut completely cross the page as you need it to be a slit so that Peter is able to move across it.
Then all you do is slide Peter back and forth in the place you’ve just cut and it will look like he’s walking on water!Footprints Art
Using some paint make some footprints on some paper.
BE CAREFUL - it’s not fun for mums and dads if paint goes everywhere! So please be kind and sensible as you do this!
Once you’ve made your footprints let them dry completely before you continue.
If you don’t have paint you could just draw around your feet with a pen or pencil instead.
Now get creative. Using pens and pencils can you make these footprints into cool animals or objects? Could you make your footprint look like a boat? Or could you make it into a cloud in a storm?
NEW SONG!
The words to this song I think are amazing. I have a big map of the UK in my office with the words of the song on it. It helps me remember to step out each day and be brave for God.
“You make me brave
You make me brave
You call me out
beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now
the promises you made”
LET’S PRAY!
In the song the words ‘You make me brave’ are sung over and over again. When we sing them we are saying to God that he makes us brave. He gives us the strength to step out the boat and be brave every day.
Listen to the song again. How can you be brave for God this week?
Spend some time listening and ask God if he can show you how to be brave.
Being brave isn’t like being a superhero - it can be being brave enough to smile at a stranger or helping someone in need. Or being brave enough to say sorry first or being brave enough not to do the bad thing you were thinking of doing.
Let God speak to you now.
PUT SOMETHING INTO ACTION: GET OUT THE BOAT!
Hopefully in your time of prayer God told you a way that you could be brave this week.
Maybe something just came to mind. It doesn’t matter how small it seems.
Put this into action this week. Ask God for the strength to be the best you can be this week.
Be sure to still follow all the rules from the government with social distancing whilst being brave for God.
Edited and adapted by Amy Farrar from several sources including energize.com
