Protect us

To think about the people who protect and help us, using the story of Jesus stilling the storm.

by Penny Hollander

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To think about the people who protect and help us, using the story of Jesus stilling the storm.

Preparation and materials

• You will need a selection of outer protection: coat, hat, scarf, gloves, umbrella, sunglasses, sunblock, etc.

Assembly

1. Ask what kind of coats, etc. did the children wear today to get to school to protect them from the weather. How does this vary according to the season? Why do we wear this kind of protection? Ask two children to demonstrate different kinds of protective clothing – winter and summer – using the selection you have brought.
2. In the Bible we can read how Jesus, when talking about food, clothes and all that we need to live, said, ‘Your Father who is in heaven knows that you need them’ (Matthew 6.32).
   
   With older children you might like to discuss the obvious fact that some people in our world, some of whom are Christian, do not have enough food or proper shelter from the sun or storms. Perhaps we have to play our part too in sharing out the world’s resources.
3. Say that there’s a famous Bible story showing Jesus helping his followers and you are going to enact it now (Matthew 8.23–27).
   
   Divide the children into two groups and position them with a large gap down the middle between them. One group represents the wind – what kind of noises does the wind make during a storm? The children practise these.
   
   The other group represents the rain – what kind of noises does the rain make during a storm? The children practise, pattering their hands/fingers on the floor. You’ll have to control the sound level to ensure that the children can follow as you conduct the noises up and down.
   
   Pick out 13 children and put them in the middle of the two groups, sitting as in a boat. One child represents Jesus, asleep. The other 12 sit at the other end of the boat quietly chatting among themselves, steering the boat.
   
   Start the storm up – conduct the children from the two groups to make the appropriate noises. The disciples stand up, clearly very frightened. Quieten the storm a little and ask the disciples, ‘What are you going to do? How can you save yourselves?’
   
   They then cry out to Jesus, who is asleep, ‘Lord save us! We’re all going to drown!’
   
   What do you think Jesus does? Stays asleep? Is grumpy for being woken up? Tells them not to be so silly?
   
   Jesus orders the winds and waves to stop – all is calm again. He has protected his followers.
   
   They say: ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and waves obey him.’
4. Explain that Christians believe that Jesus still helps them today in the ‘storms of life’ – the difficult times that we all go through from time to time.

Time for reflection

Reflection

Let’s spend a few moments thinking about all the ways in which we are protected – not only in the clothes we wear at different times and seasons but also about the people who help and keep us safe: our parents and carers who look after us all through our lives; our teachers who look after us in school; our friends who look out for us and help us when we are feeling sad or unhappy. Silently say thank you to all of them.

Prayer

We thank you, God,

for all those people who look after us and protect us when we need it.

Teach us to look after one another too,

and most of all to remember that Jesus is always willing to take care of us.

We ask him to teach us what it means to look after one another

and to ask him when we need help.

Amen.

Song/music

‘Thank you, Lord’ (Come and Praise, 32)