In a Storm
Coping during the storms of life
by Claire Law
Suitable for Key Stage 2
Aims
To reflect upon the storms of life by considering the RNLI’s work and the Bible story of Jesus calming the storm.
Preparation and materials
- Have available an image of the RNLI’s logo and the means to display it during the assembly. An example is available at: https://tinyurl.com/3vcrwmcm
- Have available the video ‘A race to rescue two youths struggling in the water’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 1.12 minutes long and is available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09x7p5k
Assembly
- Welcome the children to the assembly and explain that you are going to show them a logo. You would like them to identify the organization that the logo represents.
Show the image of the RNLI’s logo.
Listen to a range of responses. - Explain that this logo belongs to the RNLI: the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
The RNLI is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Its volunteer lifeboat crews provide a 24-hour rescue service, and its seasonal lifeguards look after people on busy beaches. Since it was established in 1824, the RNLI has saved over 143,900 lives. If any of you have ever watched the BBC Two programme, Saving Lives at Sea, you will have some idea of what the RNLI does. - Explain that you are going to show a short clip from Saving Lives at Sea that shows RNLI volunteers helping to save the lives of two teenagers in danger of drowning.
Show the video ‘A race to rescue two youths struggling in the water’ (1.12 minutes long). - The RNLI also seeks to educate people about the risks that are associated with open water. If we get into difficulty in open water, our instinct is to panic and try to swim quickly, flapping our arms and legs. However, if we fight our instinct by staying calm and floating, we can increase our chance of surviving and being rescued.
- Tell the children that there is a Bible story about Jesus’ disciples getting into difficulty in open water. Many of the disciples were experienced fisherman, so they were used to being out on the water, sometimes in difficult conditions. They knew the risks that open water presented, particularly when a storm was brewing.
They fished in the Sea of Galilee, which is a large freshwater lake. However, the lake could sometimes experience sudden, violent storms. A passage in Mark’s Gospel describes how the disciples found themselves fearing for their lives during one such storm.
Read or retell the story of Jesus calming the storm, which is found in Mark 4.35–39.
Jesus Calms the Storm
That day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. - In this passage, the disciples were at risk of drowning and they knew it. We hear that Jesus demonstrated his power over nature by performing a miracle. His words - ‘Be still’ - were aimed at the waves and the storm, but they might also have been aimed at the disciples’ sense of panic. Jesus’ words might have helped to steady both the disciples and the waves.
Time for reflection
High waves, storms and choppy seas can also be metaphors for times in our lives that are tough or difficult.
Jesus tells the waves (and perhaps the disciples too) to be still. When we experience any kind of difficulty or stress, being still and finding ways to achieve calmness can help.
Slow breathing, for example, can really help to calm our nervous system when we feel fearful or overwhelmed.
For many people, prayer and meditation on the words of Jesus are another tool that they turn to when they feel that they are in difficulty. Jesus’ simple phrase - ‘Be still’ - has been used for centuries as a prayerful mantra that is repeated silently to settle the heart, mind and breathing. Let’s take a moment to try silently repeating that phrase in our mind as we breathe in and out.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the work of the RNLI.
Thank you for people who are there to help us in our times of need.
When we face difficult times, please help us to find peace.
Please help us to offer a listening ear to others and to help bring them peace.
Thank you that you are always with us.
Amen.
