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Supernatural God

Week 3 - Provider

For Leaders:

PowerPoint slides accompanying this week’s material are downloadable from the bottom of this page.

This week in our fun drama lead-in session, Ivor the whacky inventor showcases his third invention, the dog umbrella. Alexander Bell is transported onto stage and tells us about his invention, the telephone. And, in the Bible chat, we look at God’s power as the Provider.

PT 1 - LEAD-IN SESSION

SLIDE 1 - ‘Supernatural God’ series theme slide (this is animated). Use this to introduce the series
Use SLIDE 2 - ‘Supernatural God - Provider’ to introduce this week’s theme

DRAMA

IVOR’S Dog umbrella AND alexander graham bell’s telephone

Characters: Narrator, Ivor the Inventor, Urika the Inventor’s assistant, Alexander Bell
Props:
* Time machine - Whatever you can come up with to use as a time machine. Use your imagination with regard to your time machine. It may be something proprietary or something you make. As with all props it must be suitable and safe for purpose and not create a hazard for its users or anyone else.
* Workshop - Again, whatever you can use to improvise a workshop setting. [See SLIDE 3 workshop background PowerPoint slide]
* Something to represent Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. (Possibly an old looking replica telephone or a picture an old phone)
* Overalls / white coat for Ivor and Urika.
* Sheet to unveil Ivor’s invention.
* Props for Alexander Bell - possibly beard, old style top hat / bowler…
* Duster for Urika

Drama

invention - The Dog Umbrella

Narrator - Here we are again at Ivor’s workshop. I wonder what invention he is working on now. It seems that his inventions are not going to change the world, like he had hoped they would.

Ivor – well Urika I decided last week that I wouldn’t invent anything else that’s inflatable. I’ve been working on something that will change the world for, wait for it, pets! What do you think about this? (Takes a sheet off a life sized stuffed toy dog).

Urika – it’s a toy dog, that’s not an invention!

Ivor – I know that but this is (proceeds to take out of his bag a pet umbrella) ta da... (he then puts up the umbrella and attaches it to the collar of the toy dog). This invention keeps your pet dry! Do you think it will catch on?

Urika – I can see some problems with this, while the pet owner holds the umbrella for the dog won’t they get wet? Ivor, I think it needs a little more work on it. I’m sorry but I don’t think it will change the world of pets (Ivor looks sad).

Ivor – well I suppose it’s back to the drawing board. I’m going to my study to think hard and I’m not to be disturbed (mumbles I thought this was going to work).

(Time machine sound effect starts.)

Urika – oh no here we go again!

Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone. He was given a patent for his telephone in 1876.

(Alexander Bell comes through the doors)

Alexander – hello where am I? What just happened?

Urika – you’re in Ivor’s workshop. He’s an inventor and who might I ask are you?

Alexander – My name is Alexander Graham Bell. But what am I doing here?

Urika – it’s a long story but I don’t suppose you invented something?

Alexander - well yes, I did. I invented the telephone.

Urika – wow the telephone really did change communication around the world. I don’t know what we would do without it. In fact, let me show you what we have in our time today (produces a mobile phone out of her pocket). Practically everyone has one of these and there are no wires attached. (Alexander takes hold of it and looks amazed.)

Alexander – I can’t believe what I am seeing! It’s so small, I wish I could stay and find out how it works but I’ve got to be getting back to my own time I’m busy on another invention - the first ever metal detector! Now how do I get back?

Urika – Just go back inside the time machine it will do the rest. I hope you succeed!

(Time machine music starts up and Alexander goes back through the doors.)

Urika – I can’t believe that Ivor is never around when this happens. Wait until I tell him about Alexander coming to his workshop! (She moves off the stage to go and tell Ivor.)

PART 2  

BIBLE CHAT - LISTEN UP TIME (SLIDE 4)

supernatural God - provider

Use SLIDE 5 to remind the kids of this week’s theme ‘Supernatural God - Provider’

More than 5,000 fed - Gospel of John chapter 6 verses 6 - 13 and Luke chapter 9 verses 10 - 17

One of the ways to give this talk is by using a suitcase. The props are drawn from a small suitcase at the appropriate time during the story.

Props
* Bible
*Small suitcase
* 5 rolls and two fishes
* Child’s lunchbox 
* Money bag
* Imitation grass
* Basket
* Crowd prop - cut-out of people. (Paper or cardboard - may be stuck onto a Velcro board or similar.)

Chat - supernatural god Provider

Pull the Bible from the suitcase, holding it up, open the chat by telling the children that this is a true story from the New Testament.

Kids, I want to tell you a story about a totally amazing supernatural way in which Jesus provided food for a huge crowd of people.

One day, Jesus was talking to the crowds of people that had come to hear Him, His disciples realised that it was getting late and that no one had eaten for hours. They came to Jesus and suggested that the people would be hungry so He should send them into the surrounding villages so that they could get something to eat. But Jesus gave His disciples a big shock, instead of sending the people away to find food for themselves, He said to His disciples “You give them something to eat.” Now this was a problem, the crowd gathered was huge - over 5000 people and the disciples didn’t have food for themselves let alone food to feed over 5000 people.

One of his disciples named Philip said, it would take a whole year’s wages for everyone in the crowd to just have one bite each. Another disciple Andrew said, “there is a boy here who has 5 small loaves of bread and two small fish, but what good is that among this huge crowd of people?”

Do you know what? Jesus took the boy’s lunch, asked God to bless it and told the people to sit on the grass, He then told the disciples to give out the food to the people. What happened next is amazing, in fact it was supernatural. Those 5 loaves and 2 fish fed more than 5,000 men, women and children.

What’s even more fantastic about this supernatural miracle is how much was left over. When everyone had had enough and finished eating, Jesus told his disciples to gather up the leftovers so that nothing was wasted. Do you know there were 12 baskets of food left over! 12 baskets, that’s amazing! There was far more food left over than they started with. How supernatural is that. What Philip thought was impossible Jesus made possible. Jesus loved the people and He provided for their needs. God made everything and He is supernatural – all things are possible with God.

Even today food is multiplied like this! We have heard first hand true stories of food being multiplied in Hong Kong.

(Use slide 5 again) Kids, God has provided everything we need in the world for everyone to eat. Land, soil, water, sunshine, seed, everything! No one should ever go hungry because there is enough to go round if we share it properly. Sometimes the greed and selfishness of some causes others to go hungry. As we grow up let’s pray that Jesus will help us to share what we have so that others can have food to eat. And remember, we can thank God for our food when we eat and pray that everyone will have enough.

Response Time

Jesus provided for the hungry crowd with just a boy’s packed lunch because he loved and cared about them. Jesus cares about our needs too.

Have a piece of paper on the table with dashes for letters corresponding to the Bible verse, ‘Give all your worries to Him, because He cares for you.’ 1 Peter 5 v 7. Ask the children for letters and fill in the words. If they choose a letter that is not there, start to draw part of a fish for example the tail, then if they think of another letter that is not in the verse draw the fins. If they find all the letters in the verse before you have finished drawing the fish, they win, if you have completed the fish first, you win. 

Faded fish outline - downloadable from below

Fish bits may be filled in on faded fish image something like this.

Blank ‘dashes’ version with no letters on, downloadable from below