"Help from friends "

Today's selected readings: – Mark 2: 1-12 "Man lowered through roof"

Kid's Church talk: -
• "Life without friends is like a garden without flowers"
• How many of you have a garden at home that has flowers in it? (Discuss types of flowers, colours etc)
• Can you imagine what it would be like with out any flowers or colour? (Discuss)
• It would be very boring to say the very least.
• One of the great blessings in life is friendships. Friends that you can rely on when you are sad or scared or hurt etc
• Has there ever been a time when one of your friends has helped you like this? (Discuss)
• In today's special story, Jesus tells about a man who was paralysed (Do you know what this means?) - Demonstrate by getting one or a number of the children to drink something, or eat something without using their hands or body and only their head.
• He had heard about Jesus, but it was just too hard to get into the house where Jesus was because of the crowds.
• He asked his friends if they would help, and so four of them took him to the roof, opened the manhole and lowered their friends on ropes to the feet of Jesus.
• Jesus was so impressed that this man was valued that much by his friends that he healed the man and he was able to get up and walk away.
• Just imagine how grateful the healed man would have been towards his friends.
• Jesus wants us to be a friend to others just like that. To help each other as often as we can.

Kids Church Activity:
To make a model of the story of lowering the man needing healing through the roof

What you need to get ready:
One shoe box, scissors, pipe cleaners, cardboard scrap, sat ring, tape, scraps of fabric

Directions:

1. Remove the lid and turn the show box on its side as shown in the sketch
2. Cut a hole in the top of the box
3. Make the sick man's bed by cutting out a small rectangular piece of cardboard and cover with material
4. Tape 4 pieces of string to the corners of the bed
5. Make Jesus, the sick man, the four friends and other people from pipe cleaners OR use provided graphic to glue to cardboard and make them self standing. Do this as a group or as individuals (depending on the time you have). Make clothing for figures to give a 3D effect.