Jesus and the Storm (Jesus und der Sturm)

At Family Brunch between now and Easter, we are exploring the life of Jesus which is a natural build-up to Easter and a good complement to all of the Lenten activities which focus both on Jesus’ death and the character of God.  This week, we heard the story of Jesus and the Storm. Again, this story is from Young Children and Worship.  (As much as I love Godly Play, I couldn’t imagine doing it without Young Children and Worship, which provide more depth and playfulness to the story of Jesus.)

Das ist mein erster Versuch eine Post auf deutsch zu schreiben, weil viele Freunde und Bekannten mich dazu ermütigt haben: ) Aus zeitlichen Gründen kann ich nicht versprechen alle Posts auf deutsch zu schreiben, aber ich versuch’s mindestens mit den Posts über die Familienbrunches.   Beim Familienbrunch am Sonntag haben wir die Geschichte, “Jesus und der Sturm”, von Young Children and Worship, gehört.  Ich stehe voll hinter Godly Play als Konzept für die Kinderkirche, aber ich könnte mir nicht vorstellen es ohne die Jesus Geschichten von YWC zu machen. 

The materials for this story were simple:  a boat, wooden figures respresenting Jesus and the disciples,  and felt for the Sea of Galillee and the banks of the sea. 

Das Material für diese Geschichte war schlicht, aber schön:  ein Holzboot, Holzfiguren für Jesus und die Jünger, und Filz für den Genezareth See und dessen Ufer.  

Although this story is short, there is much to think about here.  What makes us afraid.  How we react to fear.  How God meets us in the midst of our fear and how we acknowledge his presence.  I am not sure what connections the children made, because they did not verbalize much or give many clues in their drawings this week.  But this is okay, because whatever happened in their hearts and minds is between them and God.

Obwohl diese Geschichte kurz ist, gibt es ganz viel zum Nachdenken.  Wöfür haben wir Angst?  Wie reagieren wir auf Situationen,  die uns Angst machen?  Wie begegnet uns Gott mittendrin und wie erkennen wir seine Gegenwart in so eine Situation?  Ich bin mir nicht sicher, inwiefern die Kinder diese Verbindungen in ihren Gedanken gemacht haben, weil sie nicht viel geäußert haben und nicht viele Hinweise in ihren Bildern hinterlassen haben.   Aber das ist ganz in Ordnung. : )

I’ve started trying to make a focus table which stands behind me as I tell the story.  As you can see below we have a purple mat representing the color of the Lenten season, a cross that is also the risen Jesus, and a shell to be used in the prayer time.  Since a friend brought me this shell from Japan, we started our prayer time praying for the precious people who are suffering because of the tsunami. 

Ich fing vor kurzem an einen Fokus-Tisch für jeden Kindergottesdienst zu gestalten, der hinter mir steht, während ich die Geschichte erzähle. Ihr könnt das folgende sehen: eine purpurfarbene Matte, die die Fastenzeit darstellt; ein Kreuz, der auch der auferstandene Jesus ist; und einen Muschel.  Da dieser Muschel aus Japan kommt (von einer Freundin, die eine Reise dort gemacht hat), fingen wir die Gebetszeit mit einem Gebet für die kostbare Menschen da an, die unter den Tsunami gelitten haben.

The first option during the creative phase was to work with chalk pastels on colored paper.  Regarding art materials, I try to limit the number of mediums that the children work with so that they get to know a few mediums really well.  I don’t buy very many new art supplies, but try to rotate paint, oil pastels, chalk pastels, collage and clay.  I do, however, try to vary the types and sizes of paper that I give them.  These are principles that I learned from a book called Experience and Art that is a classic in American art education. The child below drew a house, perhaps suggesting security since we had just been talking about being in a fearful situation.

Die erste Option während der Kreativphase war Arbeit mit Kreidepastellen auf buntem Tonpapier.  Wegen Kunstmaterial versuche ich die Zahl von Kunstmittel zu begrenzen, damit die Kinder ein paar Kunstmittel wirklich gut kennenlernen, und wissen, was sie damit machen können.  Ich kaufe selten neue Mittel, sondern ich rotiere Farbe, Ölpastellen, Kreidepastellen, Collage, und Ton.  Aber ich biete mit Absicht den Kindern unterschiedliche Größen und Farben von Papier an.  Diese Prinzipen habe ich von einem Buch, Experience and Art,  die ein Klassiker in der amerikanischen Kunsterziehung ist, gelernt.  Das Kind unten hat ein Haus gemalt, vielleicht als Symbol von Geborgenheit, da wir über eine ängstliche Situation geredet haben. 

The second option was a Montessori activity called a Practical Life Activity.  This particular exercise uses a medicine dropper to transfer water from one jar to another.  This went well with our sea theme.  These kinds of Montessori activities are not generally used with Godly Play, but I find them very valuable when one has preschool children.  For a great article on why Practical Life activities fit well into a church setting, please see: Why Practical Life? from Leslie at Thoughts from the Sheepfold. My personal philosophy as a children’s pastor is that I help prepare children for life and this is one way of doing it.

Die zweite Option für die Kreativphase war eine Montessori Übung vom “Praktisches Leben” Bereich.  In dieser Übung haben die Kinder eine Pipette benutzt um Wasser von einer Dose in die andere zu übertragen.  Das passte auch gut zum Seemotiv. Dies ist eine Vorbereitung fürs Schreiben lernen.  Normaleweise findet man solche Montessori Übungen nicht beim Godly Play, aber ich finde sie sehr wertvoll.  Eine super Artikel über dieses Thema ist hier:  Why Practical Life? Meine persönliche Philosophie als Kinderpastorin ist das wir die Kinder fürs Leben vorbereiten und das ist ein Weg dies praktisch zu realizieren.
  

See you next time!  Tschüss!

Celebrating Lent with Children

While the idea of celebrating Lent (in German “Die Fastenzeit” = “The Fasting Time”) may seem an oxymoron to many, it is actually a beautiful time of year where we again invite God’s grace into our lives, reflect on His love and sacrifice for us, and respond by actively loving others.  With sensitivity and a little planning, we can help our children learn the process of drawing near to God and experience the sorrow of the cross and the wonder of Jesus’ resurrection.  Easter then becomes a true celebration rather than the anticlimatic let-down of a one-day event and too much chocolate. 

As children’s pastors and parents, we seek to instill in our children values (from which habits and behaviours stem!) that will serve them a lifetime. One important value is setting aside special times to concentrate on God.  And these special times then lead us to action:  for example, changing patterns in our own lives, or considering how we can serve our city.  Lent and Advent are such seasons.  Learning as young children to genuinely approach God in these seasons can have a life-long effect on their spiritual formation and identity.

Here are some ideas:

1) Stations of the Cross for Children – This is a sensitive and well done website for children that you can use to explain the story of the crucifixion to your children.  Each of the 15 stations has a child-appropriate picture with an explanation of what is going on in the picture (“Look at Jesus”) and is followed by a practical response to the picture (“Look at your heart”).  My own children were deeply impacted by this website last year. 

From the website "Stations of the Cross - Especially for  Children" by Lucille Perrotta Castro.

I would also recommend visiting a Catholic church or hospital where the children can view the Stations of the Cross in person and parents can explain the pictures.  We did this last year as well and my children talked about it for months afterward. 

(One last thought:  Many Protestants are put off by the story of St. Veronica, because it is not in the biblical text.  If this is an issue for you, I recommend explaining that the story is not in the Bible, but is in the Stations because it is considered a part of church history.)

2) Tell the Godly Play or Young Children in Worship Lent/Easter stories. The Godly Play story called “The Mystery of Easter” features a 6-piece puzzle that forms a cross.  The six pieces represent the six weeks of Lent.  I absolutely love how this story communicates the necessity of taking time to draw close to something as precious as Easter. Even if you can’t afford or don’t have the expensive wooden materials, you could easily make the puzzle for the cross out of poster board. 

Wooden puzzle pieces for  the Godly Play story, "The Mystery of Easter"

3) Use symbols of Lent in your nature table: water, sand, a candle, a cross, a beautifully written portion of Scripture.  Symbols in Our Home from Creighton University has wonderful ideas and the meanings behind the symbols. 

4) Make a sculpture garden.  Your children can make figures out of clay or recycled items that respresent aspects of the life of Jesus and the Christian faith.  See my blog entry Godly Play Outside of the Church: Part 1 for ideas.

5) Make a Prayer Pot.  This is a great sensorimotor worship activity to help children think about the meanings of Lent and Easter.

6)  Take part in a social project.  Lent is also about compassion and loving others as a response to Christ's love for us.  Think of something to do for a neighbor, your school, or your city.  Sponsor a child in a third world country and pray for him/her.

What ideas do you have for celebrating 

this wonderful season?

Update 2014: See here for all the Lenten ideas on this blog!