St Pauls Wibsey WWJD This week 2 8
St Paul’s Wibsey WWJD This week: 2 -8 August ‘Belong, Believe, Become’
WELCOME TO YOUR WEEKLY ‘WWJD’ (What Would Jesus Do): activities for young people around the Bible. This Power. Point presentation will give you all what you need to think, read, sing and pray, alone or with others. The Presentation is divided in 5 parts: ‘The Bible’ (which gives you the text of the week and activities to read it more deeply); ‘Connect’, to actualise the text; ‘Explore’ to approach the text differently; ‘Pray’; ‘Live your faith’ with a challenge proposed for the week. Feel free to do all the parts, or only some: it’s your time. To listen to the songs, just click on the weblink, and watch on full screen.
WARM-UP
Write down or share with someone who are the people you like spending time, catching up, and sharing together. How did you live the last months without being able to do it as well as before?
Lord Jesus, may I be as keen as the people in the crowds in today’s story; wanting to stay close to you and ready to hear what you will say to me today. Amen.
‘POWER’ by ‘We are Messengers’
Part 1 THE BIBLE
THE TEXT
Read the text, then try to retell it with all the details that you remember. Read it a second time, and note the details you didn’t notice the first time. Matthew 14. 13 -21
13 -14 When Jesus got the news, he slipped away by boat to an out-ofthe-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick. 15 Toward evening the disciples approached him. “We’re out in the country and it’s getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper. ” 16 But Jesus said, “There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper. ” 17 “All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish, ” they said. 18 -21 Jesus said, “Bring them here. ” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed. (The Message)
Choose a part in this story: Jesus, a disciple, someone in the crowd etc. How would you tell the story from that point of view (imagine all the feelings). You may want to just think of it, or say it, or act it. Then, you can change your part and do another if you want.
QUESTIONS
• What do you think brought all these people together? • How do you think the disciples felt about what Jesus asked them to do? • Jesus mentions that ‘the hour is late’. What do you think that means?
STUDY
• Surrounded by a crowd of hungry people, Jesus performs a miracle to feed them all. Jesus actually passes the challenge of feeding the crowd on to the disciples. Their suggestion that the people should be sent away to find food is a perfectly sensible one, but Jesus challenges them to provide enough food for the whole crowd. • The disciples must have felt utterly incapable of doing what Jesus asked of them, but they faithfully do what they can, and Jesus performs a miracle through their efforts. So, there is hope here for all of us who ever feel powerless to do what Jesus is asking of us. • This passage is a reminder of how God provided manna in the wilderness. Matthew does not labour this, but the fact that he describes the place as a wilderness makes this link.
• Jesus’ comment, ‘The hour is late’ gives an urgency to his work and message. Similarly, it is urgent for us to serve others and share what we have with them, in Jesus’ name.
Part 2 CONNECT
What do you know about the climate crisis? Try to find on the web simple, clear information on the climate situation (some weblinks are given below as examples). www. arocha. org. uk www. greenpeace. org. uk www. un. org/en/climatechange/
• What have you learnt? • What makes this issue urgent? • What can and should we do? • What can and should you do? • How long do we have to make changes?
Part 3 EXPLORE
TURN OUT YOUR POCKETS Turn out your pockets or bag. What do you have with you that you could share with someone else? What other (less tangible) things could we share? Time? Energy? Expertise?
THE BIG BOUNCE Look at what you have taken out of your pockets or bag and that you could share. Take out what is too fragile for the game explained now. Put a bin or bucket at 3 m distance, and throw your things into it as quickly as possible; pick up what has not been thrown into the bin/bucket, and start again until you have succeeded. Look at the time it took you, and start again with everything, trying to beat your time. How does it feel to be trying your best and knowing that what you’re doing is urgent?
• Why is there a need to share? • What are the best things about joining together with your community? And with your family church? • What would you share with them?
Part 4 PRAY
‘MAKE US ONE’ by Jesus Culture
PRAISE (Write on a piece of paper what you want to thank God for. Then pray) As Jesus thanked you for the baskets of food, I thank you, God, for the many things you give to me every day. Amen.
‘SORRY’ ( Take something in your hand hold it in a clasped grip before slowly releasing your grasp. Then pray) Lord Jesus, I am sorry for the times I keep you to myself and for not sharing your love with others. Help me to share it with those around me. Amen.
(Have your own ‘Sorry prayer’ and open your heart to God’s forgiveness)
PRAYER FOR YOURSELF Light a candle and set up a timer to 4 minutes. Remember that ‘the hour is late’ – doing God’s work is urgent. Pray quietly, asking God how he wants you to serve other people, and reflecting on what he might be saying. Instead of a timer, you can use the song of Taizé in the next slide.
‘O LORD, HEAR MY PRAYER’ Taizé song
PRAYER FOR OTHERS Holy Spirit, come, and reveal to me those I need to hear about you. Help me to see who I can share you with. Give me courage to share your good news And bring us together as one in our communities. Amen.
(Have your own prayers for others)
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done; on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
Part 5 LIVE YOUR FAITH
Share something with at least one other person, every day this week. This could be food, time, energy or knowledge, for example.
‘HOLD US TOGETHER’ by Matt Maher
SENDING OUT The crowds gathered around you, Lord, to share with you; your words and your food. Help me to go out to share your words of love and your bread of life. Amen.
SEE YOU NEXT WEEK! Most material is © ROOTS for Churches Ltd (www. rootsontheweb. com) 2002 -2020. Reproduced with permission.
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