Miracles of Jesus – Calming the storm

for this session you will need

Cotton wool ball and a straw each and an outline of a boat on paper, pens or pencils.

Prayer

Jesus,

you are our unseen friend, we know that you are here with us. Help us to believe in you, even though we can’t see you. Bless us as we gather together with you.

Amen.

Game

Windy race

Create a race track on a table or the floor. Use a straw to blow a cotton wool ball along the race track. Who can get to the finish the quickest. Don’t make the track too long, we don’t want any fainting.

Story

Challenge

Draw a boat on a piece of paper. Around the boat write words that describe Jesus’ character and things he has promised. Here are some examples.

Healer
Protector
Listener
Provider
Father
He loves us
He will not leave us
Provider

Talk together about some of the things that might make you feel scared or anxious. Maybe getting sick, not being able to see to family, making people cross, the dark…

Sometimes in our lives it can feel a bit like we are in a storm. Not that its raining and windy but that life feels difficult or scary and we don’t know how we will get through the things were facing. Just like the disciples we have Jesus with us to help us through.

It might be hard to see him, but he will never leave us and he is all the things we wrote around the boat. So we can ask Jesus to help us when we are afraid or worried.

This week ask Jesus to be with you when you feel afraid, lonely, angry, upset. Jesus is with us all the time, not just in the good but in the bad moments too.

Song

Activities

Boat Building

Two options here

Make a boat from junk and see if you can make it float. Use a paddling pool, washing up bowl, kitchen sink or bathtub. See if you can add weight to it. Use pennies, marbles or play dough. How much weight before it sinks.
Elastic band powered boat, one for the bathtub

Storm in a bottle

Glue several toothpicks in the shape of a raft (“boat”)

Create a storm in a bottle. Fill a bottle with half water and half oil. Add some glitter and blue food colouring. Put the small toothpick boat inside. put the lid on and seal with glue.

Rock the bottle to create the storm and the watch the waves calm as you keep the bottle still.

Instructions here, bottom of page.