Quieting the Storm
Children's sermon
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First Thoughts: This story is almost magical and is likely to appeal to young children. We want to help the children understand how the magic of Jesus' presence is real in their lives, but first let's examine how real it is in ours. Can you remember a time in your life when you were going through a personal "storm," whether the peril you faced was emotional, spiritual, or physical? Were you able in that time to pray and discover God's presence with you? If so, what was that experience like? That's the lesson of this story from Mark. The disciples find themselves in peril and need to be reminded that even in the midst of their fear and endangerment, their salvation is present to them. The moment they are made aware of Jesus' calm confidence, the winds are calmed and the ocean soothed. And so are they! We hear stories of people who have faced dangerous circumstances but, in the middle of it, found calmness and a peace that passes understanding. This is the real magic of God's love for us, a magic we don't need to conjure ourselves but only realize is there. Take your reflection and prayer with you in your time with the children.
Props You Will Need: none
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 looks tired)
Leader 1: Hey (name), you look tired. Did you not sleep well last night?
Leader 2: Not really. See, I decided to watch this scary movie last night. But my mom told me she didn't want me to watch it since she thought it would give me nightmares. So I had to turn out all the lights and hide under my covers and watch it by myself in bed.
Leader 1: And what happened?
Leader 2: It was REALLY scary, and there I was alone in the dark. At one point, I got so scared I yelled out, "Mommy!"
Leader 1: And what happened next?
Leader 2: My mom came in, turned on the light, turned off the movie, and everything was better. My heart began to slow down and I felt calmer. Then she tucked me into bed and sang to me until I fell asleep.
Leader 1: That sounds nice.
Leader 2: Yeah, but I did have nightmares. I woke up three or four times. Each time I woke up, though, mom came in to help me calm down and go back to sleep.
Leader 1: And did it work?
Leader 2: Every time.
Leader 1: That reminds me of our story today, about Jesus and his friends. They were on a boat in the middle of the sea when a big storm came up. It was so big and scary the disciples thought the boat would sink. It seemed no matter what they did things just got worse. Finally they cried out for Jesus.
Leader 2: Just like I cried out for my mom.
Leader 1: Jesus was asleep, but he heard them when they called. He came to them and then spoke out to the storm to be quiet. Suddenly everything grew calm, and the disciples realized they were safe.
Leader 2: Like when my mom turned on the light and turned off the movie.
Leader 1: Right. It's a good thing to remember when we're afraid. God is with us in any storm -- whether the storm is a real storm with thunder and lightning, or a storm in our hearts when we feel shaky or afraid. It doesn't matter what goes on in our lives, God is with us and is able to calm our fears.
Leader 2: But how do we ask for God's help when we're scared?
Leader 1: Well, we can get really still and pray or sing a song. Or we can shout out and cry like you did. No matter how we reach out to God, God will hear us and give us help.
Leader 1: That's nice to know.
Leader 2: It sure is!
Teaching On Your Own: Hey guys, have you ever seen a really scary movie? I mean, REALLY scary? Well, I started to watch one last night. My mom told me she didn't want me to watch it, since she thought it would give me nightmares. So I turned out all the lights, hide under my covers, and watched it by myself in bed. So there I was, all alone, in the dark, watching this movie. Can you guess what happened? I got REALLY scared. Finally I got so scared that I yelled out "Mommy!" And you know what happened next? My mom came in. She turned on the light and turned off the movie and everything was better. My heart began to slow down and I felt calmer. Then she tucked me into bed and sang to me until I fell asleep. That reminds me of our story today, about Jesus and his friends. They were on a boat in the middle of the sea when a big storm came up. It was so big and scary the disciples thought the boat would sink. It seemed no matter what they did things just got worse. Finally they cried out for Jesus, just like I cried out for my mom. Jesus was asleep, but he heard them when they called. He came to them and then spoke out to the storm to be quiet. Suddenly everything grew calm, and the disciples realized they were safe. Like when my mom turned on the light and turned off the movie. It's a good thing to remember when we're afraid. God is with us in any storm -- whether the storm is a real storm with thunder and lightning, or a storm in our hearts when we feel shaky or afraid. It doesn't matter what goes on in our lives, God is with us and is able to calm our fears. So what are some ways we can ask for God's help when we're scared? Well, we can get really still and pray or sing a song. Or we can shout out and cry like I did. No matter how we reach out to God, God will hear us and give us help. Isn't that nice to know?
Closing Prayer: Thank you, God, for being with us in every storm of our lives and for calming us down. Help us to cry out to you whenever we feel afraid or need a friend. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this lesson in a home or classroom environment, encourage the children to talk about what "storms" they have in their lives that scare them. Invite literal translations (like real thunderstorms), but also encourage them to think about non-literal storms -- times when they are fearful or feel they need a friend. Ask what it feels like when you're in a storm in your heart, in your body, or in your mind. Then introduce children to the idea of the "calm in the storm." Share with them that, for example, right in the middle of a tornado there is a quiet place. All the winds might be blowing around that center, but the center is calm and safe. That's what God is for us, a place of rest and calmness in the middle of any storm. Give the children a few ideas of how they can ask for God's help in times of fearfulness (pray quietly, ask for someone to pray with them, even shout to God for help). For a craft idea, we're going to help the children built a tornado in a bottle. Provide each child with a small jar with a lid (tall baby food jars will do or craft jars available in craft stores) Fill each jar about 2/3 full with water and add a few drops of any food coloring. (You might let the children pick their favorite color.) Add a half teaspoon of liquid dish soap and a half teaspoon of vinegar and put the lid on tight. (Experiment with this beforehand to see if you need to increase or decrease these amounts or adjust to your jar size.) Give the jars a hard shake and then a twist. A vortex will appear. Ask the children if they can see the calm in the middle of the storm. Encourage them to keep their mini-tornadoes somewhere in their home as a reminder of that calm in the storm and to help them look for God in times of trouble. Close with prayer.
Props You Will Need: none
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 looks tired)
Leader 1: Hey (name), you look tired. Did you not sleep well last night?
Leader 2: Not really. See, I decided to watch this scary movie last night. But my mom told me she didn't want me to watch it since she thought it would give me nightmares. So I had to turn out all the lights and hide under my covers and watch it by myself in bed.
Leader 1: And what happened?
Leader 2: It was REALLY scary, and there I was alone in the dark. At one point, I got so scared I yelled out, "Mommy!"
Leader 1: And what happened next?
Leader 2: My mom came in, turned on the light, turned off the movie, and everything was better. My heart began to slow down and I felt calmer. Then she tucked me into bed and sang to me until I fell asleep.
Leader 1: That sounds nice.
Leader 2: Yeah, but I did have nightmares. I woke up three or four times. Each time I woke up, though, mom came in to help me calm down and go back to sleep.
Leader 1: And did it work?
Leader 2: Every time.
Leader 1: That reminds me of our story today, about Jesus and his friends. They were on a boat in the middle of the sea when a big storm came up. It was so big and scary the disciples thought the boat would sink. It seemed no matter what they did things just got worse. Finally they cried out for Jesus.
Leader 2: Just like I cried out for my mom.
Leader 1: Jesus was asleep, but he heard them when they called. He came to them and then spoke out to the storm to be quiet. Suddenly everything grew calm, and the disciples realized they were safe.
Leader 2: Like when my mom turned on the light and turned off the movie.
Leader 1: Right. It's a good thing to remember when we're afraid. God is with us in any storm -- whether the storm is a real storm with thunder and lightning, or a storm in our hearts when we feel shaky or afraid. It doesn't matter what goes on in our lives, God is with us and is able to calm our fears.
Leader 2: But how do we ask for God's help when we're scared?
Leader 1: Well, we can get really still and pray or sing a song. Or we can shout out and cry like you did. No matter how we reach out to God, God will hear us and give us help.
Leader 1: That's nice to know.
Leader 2: It sure is!
Teaching On Your Own: Hey guys, have you ever seen a really scary movie? I mean, REALLY scary? Well, I started to watch one last night. My mom told me she didn't want me to watch it, since she thought it would give me nightmares. So I turned out all the lights, hide under my covers, and watched it by myself in bed. So there I was, all alone, in the dark, watching this movie. Can you guess what happened? I got REALLY scared. Finally I got so scared that I yelled out "Mommy!" And you know what happened next? My mom came in. She turned on the light and turned off the movie and everything was better. My heart began to slow down and I felt calmer. Then she tucked me into bed and sang to me until I fell asleep. That reminds me of our story today, about Jesus and his friends. They were on a boat in the middle of the sea when a big storm came up. It was so big and scary the disciples thought the boat would sink. It seemed no matter what they did things just got worse. Finally they cried out for Jesus, just like I cried out for my mom. Jesus was asleep, but he heard them when they called. He came to them and then spoke out to the storm to be quiet. Suddenly everything grew calm, and the disciples realized they were safe. Like when my mom turned on the light and turned off the movie. It's a good thing to remember when we're afraid. God is with us in any storm -- whether the storm is a real storm with thunder and lightning, or a storm in our hearts when we feel shaky or afraid. It doesn't matter what goes on in our lives, God is with us and is able to calm our fears. So what are some ways we can ask for God's help when we're scared? Well, we can get really still and pray or sing a song. Or we can shout out and cry like I did. No matter how we reach out to God, God will hear us and give us help. Isn't that nice to know?
Closing Prayer: Thank you, God, for being with us in every storm of our lives and for calming us down. Help us to cry out to you whenever we feel afraid or need a friend. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this lesson in a home or classroom environment, encourage the children to talk about what "storms" they have in their lives that scare them. Invite literal translations (like real thunderstorms), but also encourage them to think about non-literal storms -- times when they are fearful or feel they need a friend. Ask what it feels like when you're in a storm in your heart, in your body, or in your mind. Then introduce children to the idea of the "calm in the storm." Share with them that, for example, right in the middle of a tornado there is a quiet place. All the winds might be blowing around that center, but the center is calm and safe. That's what God is for us, a place of rest and calmness in the middle of any storm. Give the children a few ideas of how they can ask for God's help in times of fearfulness (pray quietly, ask for someone to pray with them, even shout to God for help). For a craft idea, we're going to help the children built a tornado in a bottle. Provide each child with a small jar with a lid (tall baby food jars will do or craft jars available in craft stores) Fill each jar about 2/3 full with water and add a few drops of any food coloring. (You might let the children pick their favorite color.) Add a half teaspoon of liquid dish soap and a half teaspoon of vinegar and put the lid on tight. (Experiment with this beforehand to see if you need to increase or decrease these amounts or adjust to your jar size.) Give the jars a hard shake and then a twist. A vortex will appear. Ask the children if they can see the calm in the middle of the storm. Encourage them to keep their mini-tornadoes somewhere in their home as a reminder of that calm in the storm and to help them look for God in times of trouble. Close with prayer.
