(This is a response to the devastation caused by the bushfires in Victoria of summer 2009. The sermon for the day also dealt with the suffering caused by the fires. The following format can be used for other disasters.)
Theme: Jesus heals
Aim: To teach the children that God provides people to help and care.
To teach the children that Jesus gives healing.
Materials:
1. pin-up board
2. A selection of coloured pictures to form a collage on the pin-up board: a picture of doctors and nurses, farm animals, cows, sheep, horses, cat, dog, fire fighters, rescue workers, ambulance personnel, a veterinary doctor, bush animals, koala, wombat, kangaroo, a picture of the bush fire. You may not use all of these pictures.
Caution: do not use pictures that may scare the children. I used pictures from various calendars.
3. a piece of card with the following words written on it: Jesus gives healing.
4. Sticky tape or pins to fasten the pictures to the board.
Drama points:
1.“Go morning children. This week you would have seen pictures and heard the news of the terrible bush fires in Victoria.” Pin up a pictures of the bushland on fire.
2.Pin up a picture of fire fighters. “Here is a picture of brave fire fighters, fighting the fires and trying to put them out. I don’t know how they do it, but we can thank God for giving us brave fire fighters”.
3.Pin up a pictures of doctors and other health care workers caring for injured people. “During a fire people can get injured and burnt. Here are pictures of doctors, and ambulance people all caring for the injured people. I don’t know how they do it, but we can thank God for these people who can heal our cuts, bruises, and burns.
4.Pin up pictures of farm animals: cows, sheep, horses, and even cats, dogs. “Animals on the farm and in the house can get injured from a fire”.
5.Pin up a picture of a veterinary doctor caring for animals. “Here is a picture of an animal doctor. I don’t know how they do it, but we can thank God for veterinary doctors who can heal these animals”.
6.Pin up animals that would be found in the bush that is, kangaroos, wombats, koalas. “Not only are people and our pets hurt in the bush fires, but also many of our favourite animals that live in the bush. Once again, I don’t know how these doctors do it, but we can thank God for the veterinary doctors who can bring healing to these bush animals.”
7.“When everything is lost: the bushland, our pets, our house, and even worse someone we have loved, who is there to take away our sadness, our anger, who is there that can give us healing, to give back peace in our life?”
8.Pin up the card with the words on it ‘Jesus gives healing’.
9.“We can thank God for Jesus. He is the one who can take away our sadness, our anger, and give us peace in our life. I don’t know how Jesus does it, but I do know we can ask Jesus for healing.”
10.Conclude with prayer: “Dear God, thank you for all the people who help when there is a bush fire and we especially thank you for Jesus who also gives healing in our life. Amen.”
