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The Time Capsule - Week 5
’Jesus our Example’
This week’s theme and material is based on the account of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. John 13 vs 4 & 5 and vs 12 - 17.
There is a set of PowerPoint slides for week 5 to accompany this session’s intro, lead-in drama and teaching material.
PowerPoint, Leaders’ notes and other items downloadable from the bottom of this webpage.
SLIDE 1 - ‘The Time Capsule’ series slide
THEME INTRO
SLIDE 2 - Introduce today’s theme of ‘Jesus our Example’ to the children. You may like to ask the kids what it means to be an example to someone else. Later, we are going to see exactly what kind of example Jesus is to us. First let’s see what our explorers discover this week.
PART 1
LEAD-IN SESSION DRAMA
Outline for Leaders:
This week Bill and Tom find the item they are looking for among their own belongings. They don’t know how it got there but they are again excited at the find.
Suggested Props:
Block of soap in some kind of unusual box with a big tick on it.
Camp kit, backpacks.
Thinking caps (A party hat or similar with the words ‘Thinking Cap’ marked on) them.
Anything to give base camp feel, fake camp fire…
Scene set: Tom and Bill at base camp, sitting around their camp fire.
‘Soap’
SLIDE 3 – Tropical background for drama
Narrator: Wow, Tom and Bill have now found four relics from history all telling them something really special about Jesus. I wonder what they will find today? Oh, they are looking over the piece of cloth they found last week to see if it holds any clues as to where on the island they, should look for the next clue. They’ve got the map out now too; they seem to be struggling as to know what to do next. Do they have any clues? Surely, they haven't come all this way to not finish the job.
Bill: Well Tom, not a clue. I just don’t know where we should look next. Better put our thinking caps on.
Tom: Good idea
(The two explorers reach into their bags for their thinking caps and then pace around the camp in a circle with exaggerated thoughtful expressions and actions.)
Bill: (Stamps his foot on the ground) Right!
Tom: What?
Bill: Let’s take another look at that piece of material. Aha! I knew it. There’s something else here. It says that we ourselves already have the 5th relic!
Tom: (Bewildered) Oh, Uh?. Oh, I see, you mean it’s somewhere right here?
Bill: Yes, you’ve got it Tom. Let’s search our bags.
(The two explorers pull all sorts of things out of their sacks that make for funny drama. A cuddly toy, Christmas decoration, and other stuff… In the humorous drama, they get up and move around, comment about each other’s stuff and put on a bit of a show each pulling out an item in turn, some serious some funny. Finally, they move to a serious tone as Bill pulls out a box he doesn’t recognise as being his.)
(Tom and Bill look at one another surprised and bemused.)
Bill: Now that’s really strange, I didn’t pack this box! (Looking at Tom)
Tom: Well don’t look at me, I didn’t pack it either. Where did it come from?
Bill: I don’t know, I wonder what’s in it. Mmm, be interesting to find out. It’s not a very big box. However did it get here, who put it in my bag? Whatever could it be?
Tom: For goodness sake Bill. Open it!
SLIDE 4 - (Secret Island Map with big tick at base camp.)
Bill: There’s a big tick on the box. And there’s a big tick by our base on the map. This is the 5th item.
Tom: Well don’t just stand there, open it!
Bill: (Opens the box) Wow, it’s a bloc of soap. And a little note with a Bible reference.
Narrator: Bill and Tom are again excited to have found another relic and agree to study the note after tea.
Narrator: (As Bill and Tom disappear off stage) Well there we have it. Another successful day for our archaeological explorers. And, they’ve only one relic left to find. I wonder where that will be?
Bible chat - (LISTEN-UP TIME SLIDE 5)
’Jesus is Our Example’
Jesus washing His disciples’ feet John 13 vs 1- 11
Props: You may like to a use a bowl, water, jug, towel and soap in telling this story. It may be told or acted out. If you intend to act the story you may like to be wearing sandals and even have a little sand to sprinkle over your feet. A dirty pair of socks may also come in handy.
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SLIDE 6 - (Remind the kids of tonight’s theme.)
Kids, do your feet ever get dirty? Mine do! Sometimes I don’t know how it happens but when I’m in the garden or outside doing a job somehow dirt or soil seems to get into my shoes and my feet get dirty. It even stains my socks. And, even when I’m not doing a job my feet still get smelly and dirty.
In hot countries where people wear open sandals all of the time, feet can quickly get dirty. Many years ago in the middle east, water would be provided for visitors to wash their feet after walking the dusty, sandy roads. If you’ve walked along a sandy beach, you’ll know how it gets between your toes.
Just imagine if you turned up at someone’s house and there was a bowl of water there for you to wash your feet in, but this did happen and it was important that people were able to keep their feet clean and healthy after walking the dusty roads.
One day when Jesus and His disciples were together Jesus decided to wash His disciples’ feet. They must have been quite shocked that Jesus, their leader and teacher should wash their feet but that’s just what He did. Jesus got a bowl, a towel and water and went round the disciples one by one, washing their feet. Wow!
But when Jesus got to the disciple named Peter, Peter said to Him. “No! you will never wash my feet.” Peter didn’t think that Jesus, his leader and teacher should wash his feet. Jesus told Peter that He must. Eventually Peter did allow Jesus to wash His feet.
Jesus was setting His disciples an example. Washing your friend’s feet wasn’t the coolest thing to do but Jesus was showing them by example that if He, their leader could care for them by washing their feet then they too should look after one another, even washing one another’s feet if needs be. Jesus was their teacher and leader but He was willing to look after them by washing their feet.
Well, we’ll not be needing to wash one another’s feet today, we don’t have to walk dusty roads in sandals but we can learn this important lesson from Jesus. Sometimes there may be ways we can help or encourage others but we think someone else should do it and not us. Sometimes we may be too proud to help others, we may even think that we are better than other people or too good to be helping them out. Jesus shows us that we should always be loving towards one another and whenever we can, we should be willing to help.
OTHER THOUGHTS
Optional content. You may like to add these in or even make them an alternative focus for your talk.
It’s not only our feet and bodies that get dirty. Our heart, our inner selves, gets dirty too but not from dust and dirt. We get dirty inside from things we say and do that are bad. But Jesus wants to wash us clean. He came to wash us clean, forgive all of the rubbish that builds up in our lives, he wants to put us on the right road His path. Jesus knows all about us, the lies we sometimes tell, the language we use, the way in which we can be selfish and even unkind to others. Jesus wants to wash all of that stuff away and give us a clean new start. Jesus wants to wash us all over with His wonderful love and forgiveness. How good is that! Jesus can give us a new start. And His washing over us doesn’t stop there, it goes on and on and on and on! As we journey through life with Jesus, we still get things wrong, still mess up, but He is there all of the time and offers to wash us over and over again.
Time Capsule Activity
Ask the children to write down what their perfect day looks like.
Response Time Questions
Who is an example to you in your life?
How do you think Jesus is an example to you?
Would you like to be an example to others? If yes, in what way?
Downloads
Drama script, Bible chat & response time leaders’ notes.
Week 5 PowerPoint slides