objective summary of resources required this lesson · 2014. 5. 29. · help us always to show the...

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Objective• To explore the meaning of being a true friend.

Summary of resources required this lesson• Friends and Heroes Episode 7• DVD player• Lost in Alexandria Game (Printable Resources – page 6) [use one or more copies depending

upon the size of your group]• Dice, and buttons or counters• Several copies of the Good Samaritan Bible reading (Printable Resources – page 7)

[The following items are optional – see Prayer time on page 4]• Embroidery thread in varied colours cut into 25cm pieces• Leather strips cut into 25 cm pieces

Summary of Friends and Heroes storyPortia insists on helping to find Leah, who is lost in the marketplace, even though Samuel tells Portia that they can take care of their own family. After Portia leaves, Macky reminds Samuel about the story of the Good Samaritan and says that Portia is just trying to be a good neighbour and do the right thing. Meanwhile, Leah is kidnapped and put to work in a sweatshop weaving cloth with other children. Macky and Portia successfully locate Leah, and with Samuel rescue her. Diana and Samuel are grateful to Portia and realise that they were wrong to judge her for being a Roman.

Prepare yourself – Remember to pray first!Watch Episode 7: Note particularly Samuel’s rebuttal of Portia’s offer to help, and in spite of this, Portia’s commitment to helping her friend, Leah.

Lesson 7.2: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)

Episode 7 – Lost in Alexandria [Timing: 12:30 to end]


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Starting off

Board Game: Lost in Alexandria

Materials• Lost in Alexandria Game (Printable Resources – page 6) [use one or

more copies depending upon the size of your group]• Dice, and buttons or counters (for playing pieces)

Before you start watching the DVD together, if you covered 7.1 (Ruth and Naomi) last week, ask your children if anyone managed to do something good for the person they were thinking about at last week’s Prayer time. Just take a very short time to share thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Now watch the second part of Episode 7 together, from when Macky and Rebecca begin to search for Leah (start point = 12:30).

Afterwards, tell your children that you are going to play a short board game based on this episode. [Depending on the size of your group, use one or more copies of the game in Printable Resources – page 6].

After the board game, encourage the children to retell Leah’s story. Take time to draw out how Samuel didn’t want Portia to help them look for Leah, but in the end Portia played a huge part in finding and rescuing Leah. Portia proved that she was a true friend, even though she was a foreigner (a Roman). Draw out the parallel between Portia’s actions and the Good Samaritan’s. In Jesus’s time, Jews in Judea thought that the Samaritans (to the north of their country) were not good people and couldn’t be trusted. But Jesus’s story shows us that we can jump to conclusions and good people can come from anywhere.


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In deeper

Bible reading and play acting

Materials• Several copies of the Good Samaritan Bible reading

(Printable Resources – page 7)

Explain to the children that, between you, you are going to retell the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus originally told the story because he was asked what it means to be a good friend, to be a good neighbour. He told it in a way that made it easy for the people listening. He knew that they would probably not expect a Samaritan to help, and so it would be surprising to them when the only person who did help in the end was a Samaritan. This was after other people, who you might usually have been expected to help (such as a priest), didn’t!

We are now going to retell the story by acting it out, but instead of a Samaritan we are going to chose someone we might find surprising if they helped. For instance, a football fan might be attacked on the way to a football match, and the person that helps might be a supporter of the opposing football team (even though the two sets of fans are great rivals). Or the helper might be a homeless person, who helps with the little he or she has after many other, much wealthier people pass by. Choose one of these scenarios, or devise one of your own, and then create a short drama. If you have sufficient people, you can break into groups and devise different dramas that you then play back to each other.

Before the children start preparing their drama(s), read out the story again as told by Jesus, so that they can connect with the key elements. Make a copy of the story available in case any of the children want to refer back to it.


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Prayer timeFriendship Bracelets and Bookmarks (optional)

Please note: The activity below is not essential before you pray but it will be hugely enjoyable if you have the time and the children will be able to take home what they have made or even swap them in true Friendship Bracelet fashion!

Materials• For bracelets: Embroidery thread in varied colours cut into 25 cm

pieces. • For bookmarks: Leather strips (available at craft stores) also cut into 25

cm lengths

Preparation

You may wish to make a sample bracelet and/or bookmark in advance for demonstration purposes.

Introduction

Tell the children that ever since God created Eve to be a friend for Adam, he has been giving us people to love – and people to love us in return. God wants us to be good friends with each other. Friendship can be a lot of work, but it’s worth it!

Ask the group this question:

• Why do you think God gave us friends?

Listen to their answers and discuss or clarify what is being said as needed.

Read Ecclesiastes 4:12 aloud:

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided chord is not easily broken.”

[New Living Translation]


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Activity (Optional)

Hold up a piece of the embroidery thread and ask if someone thinks he or she can break it. Allow them to show that it can be broken fairly easily. Explain that that’s how we are if we try to stand alone, without our friends. But God tells us there’s a better way! We are much stronger when we’re united with our friends.

Distribute three pieces of embroidery thread or three pieces of leather strips to each person. Explain that they will be making either a friendship bracelet or a friendship bookmark. Tie the three pieces together in a knot at one end. Then braid the three strands together. When the whole thing has been braided, tie a knot at the bottom. For a bracelet, make a loop large enough to fit around the wrist, and tie both ends together in a knot. You might want to trim off the excess.

Ask if anyone thinks he or she can break the embroidery thread now that it has been braided. Have someone try, and then talk about why it is more difficult to break the braided thread than the single strand (refer back to Ecclesiastes 4:12). Tell the children that they can give the bracelet or bookmark to a friend and explain to their friend the significance of the triple braided cord described in Ecclesiastes 4:12.

Prayer

Encourage the children to thank God for their friends – you might want to use these words or something similar.

Dear Heavenly Father

Help us always to show the qualities of a true friend and to work with our friends not against them.

Help us to be true friends, patient and caring, honest and loyal, sharing and forgiving, loving and helpful.

When we meet people in need, guide us so that we can do our best to help.

Please help us to know that Jesus is the very best friend we could ever have and that we should make sure that he is our friend by giving him a place in our lives.

Amen

You might want to use these words or something similar:


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Rebecca loses Leah.

Start

Finish

Go back a space.

Leah stops

to watchthe magician.Lose a turn.

Leah becomes invisible. Go forward a space.

Lydia finds Leah. Go backward

a space.

Leah is stuck at the sweatshop.

Lose a turn.

Macky helps Portia

fly. Fly forward three

spaces.

You’ll need one die, and each player will need a playing piece. Take turns rolling the die and moving your pieces along the path. If you land on a square with special instructions, do what it says. The first person to the finish is the winner.

Printable Resources Lesson 7.2 – Lost in Alexandria Game


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Luke 10 : 30-37

A Jewish man was travelling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, “Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.”

“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbour to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” [New Living Translation]

Printable Resources Lesson 7.2 – The Good Samaritan


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Extra, extra!Lesson 7.2 – What is a True Friend?

loya

l

patient

kind

honest

forgiving

sharing

trustw

orthy

loves God

respectfulhelpful

faithful

stic

ks u

p fo

r you

angry

bossy

rude

tells your secrets

pressures you

brags a lot

jealous

tell-tale

foolish

selfish

nasty

mean

cruel

boastful

rebellious

liar

envious

bully

doesn’t share

stuck

up

disrespectful

unfaithful

holds agrudge

gets revenge

spiteful

hateful

wicked

unkind

gossipy

whiny

• Colour in the shapes with words that describe a true friend.• When the shapes are coloured in, what word do you see?

objective summary of resources required this lesson · 2014. 5. 29. · help us always to show the...

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