Bringing Light
We all need help sometimes
by Janice Ross
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To consider that there are often many people who are willing to help us.
Preparation and materials
- Have available the following YouTube videos and the means to show them during the assembly:
- ‘Lighthouse’, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HfBbSUORvo (3.04 minutes long)
- ‘How crazy ants carry heavy loads’, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjyTkagc8BI (1 minute long)
Assembly
- Explain that you are going to show a short animation called ‘Lighthouse’. Encourage the students to think about the characters in the video as they watch.
Show the YouTube video ‘Lighthouse’. - Ask the following questions.
- What was your initial impression of the lighthouse keeper? (Answers may include adjectives such as hardworking, organized and critical.)
- What was your initial impression of the villagers? (Answers may include words such as a community, drinking together and laughter.) - Ask the students to consider how they think the lighthouse keeper might describe the villagers.
Next, ask the students to consider how they think the villagers might describe the lighthouse keeper.
If appropriate, ask the students to discuss these questions in groups.
Listen to a range of responses. - Identify that the lighthouse keeper appears to be something of a loner, whereas the villagers appear to enjoy each other’s company.
- Ask the following questions.
- What problem did the lighthouse keeper face? (The light in the lighthouse broke and he could see a ship approaching the rocks.)
- How did this bring about a change in his attitude? (He realized that he would need to ask for help.)
- What did the lighthouse keeper discover when he decided that he needed the villagers’ help? (He discovered that help was already on its way; they had helped without needing to be asked.)
- What did this joint venture bring about? (Together, the villagers and the lighthouse keeper brought light into a potentially dangerous situation.)
- How might the relationship between the characters have changed as a result? (Answers will vary, but may identify a new closeness developing between the villagers and the lighthouse keeper.)
Time for reflection
Explain that as we grow up, we learn to become increasingly independent: in our learning, our thinking and our living. However, there are still times when we need the help of others.
Show the YouTube video ‘How crazy ants carry heavy loads’.
Point out that the ants seem to understand that to achieve their goal, they need one another. Sometimes, a task can seem too big for us on our own, but with help from others, we can achieve far greater things!
Remind the students that to receive help, we often need to ask for it. This means admitting that we can’t do something by ourselves, which involves humility.
Ask the students, ‘Do we see humility as a weakness or a strength?’
The lighthouse keeper was surprised that the people he had looked down on and criticized were the ones who were ready and eager to help him.
In Matthew 7.12, we see Jesus sitting on a hillside, teaching his new disciples the basics of living God’s way. He says to them, ‘Do to others what you would have others do to you.’
Reflect on what this means by asking the students to complete the following sentences.
- If you want help . . . (Answer: learn to help others)
- If you want to be shown kindness . . . (Answer: learn to be kind)
- If you want to be accepted . . . (Answer: accept other people)
- If you want to be encouraged . . . (Answer: encourage those around you)
You may wish to remind the students of the various services that are available in school if they need help at the present time.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for people who are there to help us.
Please help us never to feel like we have to manage all alone.
None of us is expected to exist in a vacuum.
Please help us to be aware of the needs of others
And to offer help in whatever form that may take.
Amen.
Song/music
‘You’ve got a friend in me’ from the film Toy Story, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNi02gxTI1M (2.04 minutes long)
