Through the roof
Hi Werb’s Kids and Werb’s Parents!
You made it through another week! GREAT JOB!
I know we hoped for a better start to the year but today we’re talking all about reimaging and rethinking what we want from 2021.
It looks a little rubbish right now but in the bible there’s a verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 which says “THE BEST IS YET TO COME”.
Hopefully you watched this morning and are already thinking of how to raise your expectations for the year but if you missed it you can catch up now!
HERE is the link for the STWDerby YouTube channel where we upload all our videos if you ever miss any weeks you can always watch again here!
Stay safe and stay connected!
Amy x
EXPECT MORE!
Last week we looked at how we feel and forgiving 2020 for the bad things, disappointments and frustrations it brought. If you missed this session and want to check it out here it is: FEELINGS.
Even though 2020 wasn’t what we expected or wanted it to be I’d like to say it actually wasn’t ALL bad. And if we really think about it I bet you could think now of something fun and good that you enjoyed in 2020.
From birthdays to weddings to babies being born (little brothers or sisters) I’m sure there’s something good you can say about 2020!
Maybe you loved being able to spend more time with your family.
Maybe you enjoyed a few funny zooms with friends and family.
Maybe you got to reach out and make contact with someone you talked to for a while.
Maybe lockdown meant you were able to bake some really good cakes and yummy treats or maybe there were some delicious roasts or meals you could enjoy because of lockdown.
Maybe you just enjoyed being able to watch more TV!!
Whatever it is let’s give thanks to God for it!
I mentioned this morning how every year I make a photo book and I was pleasantly surprised at how many amazing moments 2020 had because like many of us I’d thought it to not be that great a year and very disappointing. But looking back made me remember some amazing moments like in Summer when I got to see many of you and this morning I showed off, Riley my beautiful black Labrador puppy who was definitely my highlight of the year!
I’m sure it won’t take you long to think of 1 really good thing that came out of 2020.
And so I want to encourage you that we need to take this with us into 2021 and expect good things!
God is still doing good things. This year may not have started how we wished being back in lockdown but let’s raise our expectations and reimagine what 2021 could be like if we put a little work in.
This morning we looked of the story where Jesus heals a Paralyzed Man.
This story from the bible is when some friends had to reimagine and rethink their situation in order to help their friend.
Here’s a little video to help you recap the story and remember everything that happens!
I find the man’s friends incredible!!
Sometimes all we can see is the problem in front of us. The man had been unable to walk for a long time and his friends could have just allowed him to live that way but they didn’t they knew Jesus could heal him and so they went to find him.
The man’s friends get to the house and then they face another problem!
It’s packed, there’s a huge crowd and they can’t reach Jesus.
There is literally no way they can get through and get their friend in front of Jesus.
The friends of the paralysed man could have easily seen the crowd of people and thought it was too difficult and just not possible to get to Jesus. It would have been fair enough to just give up and go home.
Instead they reimagined and creatively thought about how they could get their friend to Jesus. They worked out new ways to change the story.
We can do the same.
Last week we had the chance to say bye to 2020 and allowed ourselves to feel however we felt about it. But now we’re in 2021! So let’s say hello to this year and think about what we want this year to look like.
It can be very hard to think about the whole year so let’s just start with right now.
What could you do to make this lockdown special?
Maybe you can be super kind to your parents by trying your hardest at home-schooling and not complaining at all even if it’s not always fun and what you want to do.
Maybe you can rethink how you act towards those at home with you always trying to be kind first and slow to anger.
Let’s also thing again about what we expect from this year and what we think might happen.
We don’t know if we can see our friends for a while but we can be better friends with God and with those in our households and bubbles. Plus we can write and connect in other ways even if not face to face!
More importantly we see in this story how God can do anything, but sometimes we need to put a little bit of work in too.
We see in the story that GOD is a healer and a good God who forgives us when we do bad things. But we also see the faith the friends had to bring the man to Jesus.
So let’s be expectant, excited to see God do great things this year but get ready to get your hands a little dirty as God might want to use you, to help one of your friends to reach him!
GO DEEPER
SPARKS (Preschool, ages 1-4):
Play a game of doctors. Dress up and pretend to bandage one another up! Whilst you play talk about the story and how Jesus heals someone. Talk about how Jesus wants to make everyone well again but also he wants to heal our inside hurts too and forgive us when we do naughty or bad things.
FLAMES (KS1 ages 4-7):
Jesus healed many people. Use THIS sheet to find more examples of when Jesus heals others.
Can you remember any other stories of when Jesus heals?
Think about how Jesus changes their lives. Jesus healed people when He lived here on earth, He still heals today. Next time you or someone you know gets ill, try praying for them, that Jesus would take away the illness and make them well again.
Is there anyone you’d like to pray for right now?
BLAZE (KS2 ages 7-11):
Listen to 'You've Got A Friend In Me' if you’ve ever watch Toy Story you’ll recognise it!
As you watch this think about how we know that they are all friends? What happens in the films with the friendships between the toys? What do the characters go through because of their friendship? You could focus on Woody and Buzz or think about Rex, Slinky and Ham etc too.
Think about your own friends those from school and church. What lengths would you go to for your friends. Why is friendship important?
Try and complete one of more of these challenges in the coming week
Share with your friends why they are important to you. You could write them a letter or card or talk to them on the phone.
Think about the people that you would like to bring to Jesus in prayer this week, for whatever reason.
Pray for these people this week, and ask Jesus to meet their needs.
Now, think about the year ahead, what do you want to see happen in 2021?
Is there anything that you need to do in order to make sure this happens?
CRAFT TIME!
Some things to do during the talk:
Activity Sheets:
- Spot the difference
- Find the hidden imagesThe story today is all about healing. Why not draw a picture for those who work for the NHS and maybe even send it in the post to the hospital to encourage all the workers there to keep going.
Royal Derby Hospital
Uttoxeter Road
Derby
DE22 3NE
Get creative!
Make the paralysed man in the story.
HERE is a helpful website with some printouts and instructions available. (Scroll down about half way to find this craft)
But why not see what you have at home and be creative in how you make the man lying on his bed. You could use lollipop sticks or carboard to make the bed. You could make your man out of paper or if you have playdough you could make it using that instead!Below is a fun way to retell the story. All you need is 4 strips of paper or card, all the same size and 3 paper fasteners or split pins so you can easily move the pieces around. Then once they’re attached as shown below have a go at telling the story!
WORSHIP
In our story today we see how the man who was brought to Jesus obviously needed to be healed as he couldn’t walk and get before Jesus heals him physically and makes his body better he forgives him of his sin. He forgives him of the bad things he’s done and heals his heart.
We all need Jesus to heal us and help us be better. What do you need to say sorry to God for today?
The song for today is called ‘Graves Into Garden’. I’ve chosen this because it’s all about how Jesus completely changes lives and the situations we face. Have a listen and think about the words they are singing.
Edited and adapted by Amy Farrar from several sources including energize.com
