God Is Bigger...
Hi Werb’s Kids and Werb’s Parents!
How is everyone doing?
We’ve had some weird weather the past couple of weeks from glorious warm sunshine to some drizzly rain and showers! It looks like it’s likely to continue this way next week too!
Hope you have managed to enjoy the sunshine and appreciate the rain. After all we do need rain for the flowers and plants to grow!
Our story today is all about the weather and how Jesus is able to control it!
If you could control the weather what would you want it to be like?
Sun or snow? Rain or shine? Hot or Cold?
Last week I asked you to draw a picture for the food bank.
DID YOU MANAGE TO DO IT???
Why not send them another! Wouldn’t it be amazing to see their walls completely covered in our art work? I think so!!!
Here’s the address again:
25 Charnwood Street, Derby, DE1 2GU
Hope you’re all doing well and managing to get some work done and being kind to one another.
Stay safe and stay connected,
Love Amy
GOD IS BIGGER!
We can sometimes get overwhelmed when the things we face feel really big. Being overwhelmed means feeling like something is too much or too big for us to handle.
And that’s why today we are thinking about how big our God is!
So first of all I want you to think about things that are big and I mean REALLY BIG!
Make a list of things you think are big for example elephants, giants, skyscrapers!
How many big things can you name?
In our story today we see how Jesus is BIGGER than the storm! How amazing!
BUT before we do that LET’s PLAY A GAME!
I have a fun game for you to play to get you thinking about boats!
You will need a pillow case! You might be able to use a pillow but this might be harder and probably will work better on a smooth floor so not carpet.
You need to row your boat from one part of the room to the other! By pushing with your arms and keeping your feet on the pillow case you should be able to row, row, row, you boat!!
Can you race? Who can do it the quickest?
I think God wants to talk to us about knowing who he is.
By knowing who God is when we get scared or worried we can tell our fears that our God is bigger and this will help us face our fears!
We have mentioned before that there is a saying “Don’t just tell God how big your fears are, tell your fears how big your God is.” By telling your fears that your God is bigger, stronger, that he never leaves us alone, that our God created everything and that he’s in control we can begin to feel stronger ourselves and our fears don’t then look as big as they did before!
In our story today we see Jesus’ friends get super scared when faced with a storm and they forgot who they were in the boat with!
Watch the video below and see what happens.
JESUS WAS IN THE BOAT!
They saw everything around them crashing and they got super scared and they thought Jesus didn’t care cause he was sleeping. The amazing thing is that Jesus was in control the whole time. He was never going to let them get hurt by the storm but they just needed to trust him.
There was no speaking in the video you just watched. Can you re-watch it and use your own words to describe what is happening? How do you think the disciples felt?
Now Jesus’ friends had every right to scared because storms can be scary!
If I was in a boat in a crazy storm I’d be very VERY scared too! So they were completely allowed to feel fear! After all it looked like their boat might sink!
But remember….
JESUS WAS IN THE BOAT!
Because of who was sitting right beside them they didn’t need to be scared. After all Jesus calmed the storm. STOPPED IT COMPLETELY! His friend’s had seen before that Jesus can do amazing things and yet they had let their situation forget that! The storm was right in front of them clouded their minds and they forgot how big their God was! Don’t let that happen to you.
Here’s a few FACTS to help you whenever you something scary or worrying happens:
- Storms can be scary
- It’s okay to be scared sometimes
- Jesus is always with us
- Jesus will protect us
- Jesus loves and cares for us
- Jesus gives us his peace and strength when we face storms so that we don’t need to be scared
Spend some time now talking about something this week that made you worry or a little bit scared.
Be really honest.
Then pray to God and ask for his peace. Finish by reading this bible verse together and remind yourself that God promises you that he will give you peace.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14v27”
For those aged 0-7:
You might want to read the story again , it’s page 236 (The Captain of the storm) in the Jesus Storybook Bible! Then see if you can answer these questions:
Why were the disciples scared of the storm?
Why wasn’t Jesus afraid?
How did Jesus stop the storm?
How did the disciples feel at the end?
What were they thinking about Jesus?
How does it make you feel, knowing that Jesus can tell the weather what to do?
Do you know that Jesus can keep you safe today, anywhere?
My favourite sentences in this story, in the storybook bible version are:
“Jesus’ friends had been so afraid, they had only seen the big waves. They had forgotten that, if Jesus was with them, then they had nothing to be afraid of. No matter how small their boat or how big the storm.”
Can you think of any songs we’ve sung at church or any songs you know that talk about how big God is?
Here are a few if you’re struggling to think of any along with their YouTube links so you can listen to then and have a bit of a sing and dance reminding yourselves how good and big our God is!
- Our God is a great big God
- You are good
- Our God is greater
- Lion and the Lamb
For those aged 8 and above:
You may want to read the story again, Mark 4v35-41. You can also read it HERE.
It’s ALSO page 236 (The Captain of the storm) in the Jesus Storybook Bible!
Why not put yourself in the story? You could act it out and be one of the disciples or Jesus’ friends.
A few things to think about:
How did they feel before they set sail and got on the boat? What do you think they said?
How did they feel when the storm came? What did they say now and how did they say it?
How did they feel when Jesus calmed the storm? What did they say?
How do you think this miracle might have changed the disciples view of God?
What does this miracle tell us about God's character?
Jesus’ friends are so surprised at what Jesus does! Hopefully you remembered that they say:
"Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mark 4:41)
Why do you think this verse is important and what do you think it means.
How do you think you would have felt if you had been in the boat? Would you have acted the same or different from the disciples?
Just like the disciples we sometimes need to remind ourselves who is with us through all who they face!
Sometimes when things are scary we forget how big our God is so below are some verses from the bible.
How many of these can you try and memorise!? Can you learn some them and try to remember them later today?
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
By repeating these again and again and AGAIN they will get stuck in our heads! Then when we face troubles or hard times we can remember these verses and how big our God is and that he is there with us.
CRAFT ideaS!
Something to do during the talk
- Colouring Sheet ONE and TWO
- Spot the difference
- Break the code
- Draw your own boat!Make a rain stick!
YOU WILL NEED: Toilet tubes, tape, aluminium foil, rice and some pens
First stick your toilet tubes together. Next tape over 1 end so your rice doesn’t fall out!
Now scrunch up the foil and put in inside the tube. This will slow down the rice so it sounds more like rain. Next put in some rice. You won’t need loads but enough to make a good sound.
Last of all cover up the other end and decorate your tube!!HERE is video you can watch to help you make it.
Origami Boat - all you need is an A4 piece of paper for this!
HERE is a video to watch to help you make it.
Once you’ve finished decorate it! You may even want to draw Jesus and his friends and put them in the boat! These origami boats actually float so you could use them in the kitchen or bathroom sink! Beware though if it gets too soggy or water gets on the inside of the boat it might get too wet and sink to the bottom but that just means you’ll have to make another!Edible storm picture!
YOU WILL NEED: Lettuce, slices of tomato, cucumber sliced into circles, sliced peppers, slices of cheese (rectangles), slices of thin ham.
First grab a plate! Use shredded lettuce to form the base of the sea and a slice of tomato to be a red sun. The rest of the cucumber and peppers can be added to give the sea depth – or they may want cucumber green clouds. Place a rectangular slice of cheese on the lettuce to be a boat and a slice of ham above it to be the sail.Now let the children eat their sea pictures.If you don’t have these items of food then use whatever you have in your fridge!
How creative can you be?
THEN EAT IT ALL!!!!!!!
SONG!
This week I thought I’d share a favourite!
We’ll be sing this on Sunday so practice your actions!!
This song is perfect for what we are thinking about today! Look at the lyrics and link them to the story.
Think about how God is our peace and what does it mean that he is our lighthouse?
“In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures You won’t walk out
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
In the silence, You won’t let go
In the questions, Your truth will hold
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness.
I will follow You
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore ”
LET’S PRAY!
We’re gonna use this cool experiment to pray.
Please be careful when doing this and make sure an adult is with you!
As you can see from the image you need:
- a clear big plastic bottle
- water
- matches
We are going to stop at each step and pray.
STEP 1: As you fill up the bottle think about how we sometimes get filled up with good and bad thoughts or feelings.
Tell God how you are feeling right now.
STEP 2: As you shake the bottle think about how sometimes we feel shaken up and worried. Think about people who might feel this way and ask God to look after them and protect them.
STEP 3: Watch the droplets on the side run down. Think about times when it’s raining outside. Most of us love sunshine more than rain but thank God for all types of weather and how the rain helps the flowers grow.
STEP 4: Watch the match fall in the water. The light goes out. Pray for those who are scared of the dark, you might include yourself in this.
STEP 5: As you squeeze the bottle and watch the clouds form think about how things at the moment seem cloudy and uncertain. We can’t see what will happen. Tell God how you feel about this.
STEP 6: Gently open the top of the bottle and watch the air release. Thank God that he is in control and that he wants release the pressure we’re under and give us peace.
Finish by praying this prayer:
Dear God, when I feel scared or worried please give me your peace.
When I feel happy please give me the power to share this with those around me. Fill me God with your love so I can love others better and be the best I can for you. Amen.
PUT SOMETHING INTO ACTION: GIVE THANKS
It’s often very easy to forget to say thank you especially when we face times when things get hard.
Each day of the week I challenge you to say thank you to God for something BUT ALSO to say thank you to your parents and family for something! By saying thank you we can remember that things are still good and that God is still good to us even when somethings things around us don’t always look that way.
Edited and adapted by Amy Farrar from several sources including energize.com
