Setting Firm Foundations
Foundations for the year
by Alison Thurlow
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To consider how we can build firm foundations to help us in the year ahead.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Setting Firm Foundations) and the means to display them.
Assembly
- Tell the children that, as it is the beginning of a new year, you are going to spend some time thinking about what could help them to have a good year.
Ask the children to turn to the person next to them and talk together about some of the things that they are looking forward to this year.
Listen to a range of responses. - Ask the children to turn back to their partners and talk about some of the things that they are hoping to achieve, or get better at, this year.
Listen to a range of responses. - Comment that it is a good thing to have aims and ambitions. Tell the children that you are going to read them a story from the Bible that contains some good advice that might help them to achieve some of their aims.
- Show Slide 1.
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders
Once upon a time, Jesus told his friends a story about two men who each wanted to build a house.
The first man was wise and chose to build his house on the rock. It was hard work, digging through all that rock to lay the foundations. However, when the house was finished, it looked wonderful and the man was very pleased with his handiwork.
Just as he’d finished, a huge storm blew up. The wind and the rain battered the man’s new house, but it wasn’t a problem. The house built on the rock stood firm and was completely undamaged by the storm.
The second man, however, was rather foolish and he chose to build his house on the sand. It was much quicker to dig the foundations in the sand than in the rock and his house was finished in no time at all. It too looked wonderful and the foolish man was pleased with his handiwork.
When the storm blew up, however, and the wind and the rain battered the foolish man’s house, it shook and wobbled, then collapsed completely.
Jesus told his friends that, if they listened to him and did the things that he said, they would be like the wise man and would build their lives on a solid foundation. - Ask the children what they think they can learn from the parable.
Suggest that it is important for everyone to have strong foundations in their lives. Ask for suggestions as to what some of those strong foundations could be. If possible, record the answers.
Time for reflection
Show Slide 2.
Thank the children for their suggestions about strong foundations in life. Tell them that you have been wondering what kinds of strong foundations could help them to have a good year and you have come up with three ideas.
– Find some good friends you can trust who will stick by you.
– Don’t bottle up your worries: always talk to someone.
– (Use if appropriate.) Try reading some more stories from the Bible because they often contain excellent advice.
Explain that the story of the men building their houses on rock and sand is so good that you have found a limerick version of it. (You can either read it to the children or ask everyone to read it together.)
Show Slide 3.
One house with foundations dug squarely
And one house built all willy-nilly.
When the storms came along,
The first house stood strong,
But the second collapsed like a jelly!
(Lucy Moore, The Gospels Unplugged, BRF, 2008)
Prayer
Dear God,
Please help us to build our lives on firm foundations
and to have a good year.
Please help us to love and care for people as we go through the year.
Amen.
