SundayMAXleaders Sunday School Resource Produced by Jane Tibbs Children s Adviser 25 September 2016, the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity Introduction In today s gospel story Jesus reminds us with a parable that the alluring safety of wealth may not be all that it seems. Game Sharing games Young children often find it difficult to share their possessions, or to be aware when someone is being left out. To help them understand that Jesus wanted his followers to notice and care for other people, play some of the sharing games below. Readings Jeremiah 32: 1-3a, 6-15 Psalm 91:1-6, 14 to end 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Luke 16:19-31 Make a large playdough cake for the children, cut into equal segments with a plastic knife. Tip out a pile of threading beads or buttons and let the children divide them up between themselves. Use some fabrics and clothes for dressing up and help the children to share them out so everyone is happy. Make a group collage using materials that they have to share with each other only one pair of scissors, one glue spreader and so on. Discussion How did the rich man spend his time and his money? All his time was spent on himself and doing the things which made him happy. Who lay unnoticed outside the rich man s house? Lazarus had no home and no money. He sat outside the rich man s house, and begged for food. Have you ever seen anyone begging? Many poor people beg for money to buy food and clothes. Often they are homeless and have no where to sleep, and we want to help them but don t quite know how. There are many homes and hostels where donations of food, clothes and even toys are gratefully received. Each of us in our own way, however small, could help where we can. What did the rich man do about Lazarus? The rich man didn t do anything. He was too concerned with himself to even notice Lazarus. What do you think the rich man should have done? Encourage the children to share heir ideas. In this story Jesus wanted to show us that being well off and comfortable often makes us blind to the needs of people around us. We can become selfish and self-centred and we need to always be aware of other people too.
Songs Don t hide your light Kidsource 445 He is King Kidsource 502 Keep me close to you Kidsource 224 If you believe and I believe Kidsource 529 Up, down, turn around Kidsource 347 When I needed a neighbour Junior Praise 275 Craft Activity Change a face You will need A copy of the face template for each child Pens and colouring pencils Ask the children to draw a straight line between the two dots to make a straight mouth and colour in the face. Fold the paper inwards in half first, and then the two sides outwards. The face is sad as you look down and happy as you look up. Talk about whether the rich man and Lazarus Prayer My stuff You will need some pieces of paper and pens to write or draw with Gather the children in a circle with a blank piece of paper each and felt pens to share. Ask them to write down or illustrate some of the nice things they have at home. Display all the things in the centre for everyone to look at. Then pray together: Father God, thank you for all the good things we have. For (insert some of the things that the children have mentioned) and for being able to enjoy ourselves so much. Please forgive us when we ignore the unhappy and lonely people around us, when we don t share the good things we have, and when we want more than we need. Please help us to notice the people who have difficult and unhappy lives, and show us how we can do something to help them. Amen. The Education Department, The Old Deanery, Wells BA5 2UG Tel:01749 685134 email:jane.tibbs@bathwells.anglican.org
SundayMAXkids There are two ways for the poor man to get to the rich man s house. Can you find the short way and the long way? Today is the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity The 29 th September is called Michaelmas or the day we remember St Michael and All Angels. Some of the last flowers of summer are long-stemmed purple asters with a yellow centre and these are known as Michaelmas daisies after one of the angels in the Bible who is given a name, Michael. How many Michaelmas daisies can you draw in this vase? Remember to colour them purple with yellow centres Heavenly Father, bless those who starve while we have plenty to eat; Those who are homeless while we lie safely in bed; Those who have no clothes while we throw clothes away. Help us to care for those less fortunate than ourselves and to do all we can to help them. Amen
SundayMAXstory The rich man and Lazarus A creative retelling for children of the story of the rich man and Lazarus from Luke 16.19-31, including actions This is a difficult story for all ages. Use the version below with all the children, emphasising for little ones how good it is to share what we have. Ask the children to join in by saying yum, yum and wiping their lips when they hear rich man and rumble, rumble and rub their tummies when they hear Lazarus. Once upon a time there was a very rich man who wore expensive clothes and had wonderful food to eat every day. At the bottom of the driveway to his house there was a poor man called Lazarus, who was covered with sores and was so hungry that he d have eaten the food that was left on the rich man's table. Even the dogs were sorry for Lazarus they came and licked his sores to make him feel better. One day, Lazarus died and the angels carried him off to be with Father Abraham in heaven where he was very happy. The rich man died as well, and he was buried. After he died, the rich man was really suffering and when he saw Lazarus in the distance he shouted out, Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I m so terribly hot. But Abraham answered the rich man, My son, you had plenty of good things while you were alive but Lazarus had only bad things. That s why he s feeling so good now and you re feeling so bad. Not only that, there s a big gap between you and Lazarus, and there s no way to get across it. The rich man thought a bit, then he said, Well, please could you send Lazarus to my father's house because I ve five brothers living there. He can warn them, so they won t make the same mistakes that I did. But Abraham told the rich man that his brothers could find out what God wanted them to do if they read the warnings that Moses and the prophets had written. No, said the rich man, they don t take any notice of the prophets, but if someone came back from the dead to tell them well, then they d take notice of him and they d look after people like Lazarus in future! But Abraham didn t believe the rich man. If they won t take any notice of the prophets, he said, I m sure that even if someone came back from the dead they wouldn t believe what he told them! So the man who had been rich was very sad, because he knew his brothers would never realise what God wanted them to do. God wanted all the rich people to share the good things they had with the poor people who didn t have much at all. But the man who had been so poor was happy now, because even though he hadn t had much to cheer him up during his life on earth, he was close to God when he died and went to heaven.
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