Pause for Thought: About-Turn
Heading towards Lent
by Ruth Hind (revised, originally published in 2014)
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To explore the concept of a new start and the meaning of repentance.
Preparation and materials
- Optional: you may wish to have available a compass and a map as visual aids.
Assembly
- Ask the children whether they know what orienteering is.
Listen to a range of responses. - Ask the children whether they have ever been orienteering.
Encourage the children to describe their experiences. - Explain that orienteering is an outdoor adventure sport. The aim is to move through several control points, which are marked on a map.
Optional: show the compass and map, if using.
Explain that people move from point to point, deciding the best route to complete the course in the quickest time. It can be very exciting. - Tell the following story.
Sam Learns a Valuable Lesson
Sam loved orienteering. Sometimes, he did it with his family, and at other times, he went with a group of friends from his club. He was a great map-reader, so he had never got lost before. However, he would never forget the first time that he did.
On this particular day, Sam was expecting his team to win the orienteering challenge. He was in a familiar wood, one that he thought he knew like the back of his hand. He looked at his map and thought, ‘Yes! What an easy route!’
Sam planned his route quickly and set off at a fast pace, shouting to the others in his team to follow him. ‘Come on, we can win this!’ he yelled. Even though he hadn’t given them a chance to see the map, the others followed him.
At first, everything was fine, but gradually, the path that they were taking became very narrow and overgrown with brambles. Although the route wasn’t as easy as Sam had thought, he was determined to carry on. The path became steeper and they hadn’t seen a control point in ages. Sam began to suspect that he might be going in the wrong direction.
Pause to ask the children, ‘What do you think Sam should do?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Sam didn’t tell anyone else that he thought he might have got it wrong – he just kept going. His team-mates began to get worried. ‘Are you sure we’re on the right track, Sam?’ they asked. They looked at the map and decided that they needed to go in another direction.
Sam was too proud to admit that he was wrong. He decided to break all the rules and go on alone. He was sure that he would see a landmark he recognized soon and work out where he was. However, it started to rain heavily and Sam was struggling to see anything at all. He soon realized his mistake: he shouldn’t have left his group.
Pause to ask the children, ‘What do you think Sam should do?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Sam turned round and began to retrace his steps. He moved quickly, even though he was tired. He wanted to catch up with his friends as soon as possible!
Pause to ask the children, ‘How do you think Sam would have felt?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Finally, Sam saw his team-mates in the distance. He was so relieved! Together, they looked at the map. They realized that they had been going in completely the wrong direction and needed to go the opposite way.
Sam’s team didn’t win the orienteering that day, but they did complete the course and Sam learned a valuable lesson: if you’re going in the wrong direction, it’s best to admit it as soon as possible. - In the Bible, there are many examples of people realizing that they have gone the wrong way and changing direction. Often, they aren’t physically lost, but their lives have taken a wrong turn.
Depending on the level of the children’s knowledge of the Bible, you might ask them to suggest examples, expecting responses such as Zacchaeus, the prodigal son or Jacob. - Realizing that we are going in the wrong direction and turning around is what Christians call ‘repentance’. We don’t need to be Christians to repent, though. When any of us make a mistake, we should admit it and then do something about it. Sometimes, when we make mistakes and feel like we are lost, we need to turn around and start again.
Time for reflection
I wonder whether you have ever made a wrong choice.
Pause to allow time for thought.
I wonder how you feel about asking for help.
Pause to allow time for thought.
It isn’t always easy to admit when we’re wrong. However, brave people face up to their mistakes and, when they do, they often find that others are willing to help put it right together.
Remind the children that there are people who they can talk to if they feel like they have got something wrong or are feeling lost at the moment. Tell the children how to access this help.
Prayer
Dear God,
Sometimes, we can take a wrong turn.
Sometimes, we can realize that we have been wrong.
Sometimes, we just feel a bit lost and don’t know what to do.
Give us the courage to change direction and the confidence to know that you are with us.
Amen.
Song/music
‘One more step’, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PXV3dwaeNU (2.51 minutes long)
