The Crisis

Martyn Payne

On your marks:

God sometimes feels so close while at other times God seems to be out of reach and out of sight. Sometimes God startles us by the immediacy of his presence but then God is gone again, drawing us on by his very absence. This has been the experience of God's people all down the ages, ever since we cut ourselves off from intimacy with God at the beginning. This is just as true an experience of God for the 'great names' of the Bible as it is for Christians today. God calls us to 'live by faith, not by what we see' (2 Corinthians 5:7) because 'faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see' (Hebrews 11:1).

Today's story focuses on the story of the storm on the lake, which was a time of crisis that revealed something new about Jesus to his disciples. It is part of a series of stories linked to the big Bible story of 'Hide and Seek'.

Get set:

You can find a retelling of this story in The Barnabas Children's Bible, story 270. The story is told in the Bible in Mark 4:35-41.

Go!

1. Start today's activities with a rude awakening! Hide some alarm clocks around your meeting area and set them to go off about five minutes into your session, during a time of general news sharing. Alarms are usually an unwelcome intrusion into a pleasant dream or a deep sleep. Today's story is about a rude awakening for Jesus, who was enjoying a much-needed rest at the end of a busy day of storytelling.

2. Talk about how the group feel when they are woken up in the mornings. Are they grumpy? Are they still very sleepy? Are they reluctant to get out of bed? Or are they raring to go and start the day? Perhaps it depends on how tired they are and how well they have slept that night.

Jesus had had a very tiring day telling parables about the kingdom. The boat trip across the lake was his chance to rest. He was so much in demand that he could rarely find the time and space on land for a quiet bit of shut-eye. Read the story in the retelling found in The Barnabas Children's Bible - story 270.

3. The story begs to be acted out! This need not be complicated to organize. In Mark's version of the story there were several boats, which is useful if you have a large group to involve in the drama. Sit them in small groups and let them imagine they are rowing out across a lake. One person (with a cushion!) should play the part of Jesus. Another person could be on the tiller, another standing by an imaginary mast on the lookout, and the rest on the oars.

Pause the scene, once it is set up, and interview the cast:

• What are they all thinking about?

• What stories that Jesus has told can they remember?

• What do they think about Jesus at this stage?

Then the mast lookout can describe the sudden onset of bad weather; maybe a leader could play this role. Build up the scene slowly - bad news on bad news - and let the others react, as it becomes harder to row and they are increasingly drenched by the mounting waves splashing over the sides.

Again, pause the scene and interview the characters. Remember these were experienced fishermen, so the storm must have been really bad for them to begin to get frightened.

Now act the next part as melodramatically as possible - with plenty of panic, shouting, emergency bailing of water, fear and anger. Jesus goes on sleeping throughout the lot.

Pause the scene again. I wonder why they've waited until now to wake Jesus. And what do they want him to do? Is he just to be another pair of hands to help hold the boat together or do they expect a miracle? Ask the group 'in character' what they're thinking.

Finally act out the dramatic moment when Jesus stands up and tells the storm to 'be quiet'. Explore the amazed and frightened reactions of all the crew.

4. Jesus was always with the disciples but today's story was one of those moments when they were made more aware of his supernatural presence and the mystery of his true nature. It was the moment of crisis that revealed more of God in Christ to his friends.

It can be like that with us too. God is, for most of the time, present but invisible during the routine of our lives. It takes a moment of danger and a cry for help, perhaps, to see God more fully.

I wonder why Jesus asked his friends where their faith had gone. Talk about this together.

• Do they think the boat would have sunk if the disciples hadn't woken up Jesus?

• Did Jesus want them to trust him without performing a miracle?

• What do they think the disciples learnt from this?

5. Psalm 107:21-31 is a section from a psalm of thanksgiving that reflects the events of today's story almost exactly. Read this psalm together.

Print this out, verse by verse, on large pieces of paper with plenty of space around the words and then ask the children in twos to illustrate each verse. For example:

Verse 23 - plenty of fish, ropes and nets

Verse 24 - some sea life and exotic coral and shells

Verse 25 - lots of waves

Verse 26 - a boat that is tossed and looks worse for wear

Verse 27 - frightened faces

Verse 28 - prayer bubbles calling for help

Verse 29 - a peaceful scene with a becalmed boat

Verse 30 - happy faces

Verse 31 - shouts of praise in speech bubbles.

Put all these together to create a long frieze that illustrates today's story.

6. There are some more ideas of ways to explore this story on the Barnabas website:

Jesus calms a storm - for 4-7 year olds

7. For a time of prayer, sit everyone in a circle and let them hold the edges of a large round piece of blue material (like a mini parachute). They should shake and flap the material to represent the storm at sea. As they do this, invite them to call out (or to think about) all those things they are worried about. Then, when the leader says, 'Peace, be quiet,' they should hold the material flat and calm, to represent the peace that Jesus brings, and say together something like: 'We trust in God who stills the storm.'

At the end of the prayers, give some time for quiet reflection on the story. This incident is very special to many Christians and helps them remember that God is always with them and can transform situations of fear and danger by his presence.

• What do the group like best about this story?

• What has the story meant for them today?

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