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The Time Capsule - Week 6
‘Greatest Symbol Ever!’
This week’s theme and material is based on the symbolic meaning of the cross.
There is a set of PowerPoint slides for week 6 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
PART 1
THEME INTRO
SLIDE 2 - Introduce today’s theme of the ‘Greatest Symbol Ever’ to the kids. Use the PowerPoint slide provided.
This week we are looking at the ‘Greatest Symbol Ever’. But what is a symbol?
SLIDE 3 - Here are two symbols that we know really well. What would you say these symbols mean? (Let kids respond)
A cross might mean this is no good, this is the wrong way to do something, a mistake. A tick might mean, do it like this, this is OK, good work, it’s finished. So, a symbol is a shortened way of saying something without using any words.
Our explorers are going to find a very special symbol today, let’s see what it is.
LEAD-IN SESSION DRAMA
Outline for Leaders:
This week Bill and Tom find themselves scrambling to the top of a hill to find the last hidden item, a wooden cross.
Suggested Props:
Small scale cross wooden / cardboard… in two parts
Backpacks and walking gear
A large fake stone and a smaller one
Background picture of a hill (SLIDE 5)
Birds chirping sound effect
A coin
Handkerchief
Scene set: Tom and Bill up front in dialogue looking over the block of soap and island map.
‘The Wooden Cross’
Narrator: Here we are on our final week with Bill and Tom, they now have 5 of the 6 artefacts so there’s only one left to find. Oh, they’re looking at the note in the soap box again.
Tom: Any ideas Bill?
Bill: Nope
Tom: (Taking a coin out of his pocket) I’ll toss a coin, heads we go that way, tails we go the other way.
Bill: (Looks at Tom in amazement) Tom, don’t be crazy, get serious will you. This isn’t a lucky dip!
Tom:
SLIDE 4 - (Looking at the note with Bill) I’ve got it Bill, it says here that the final artefact will be found under something that is smooth and round and on the top of a hill. A stone is smooth and sometimes round and there’s a place on the map called Stones Hill.
Bill: Tom, you’ve cracked it!
(The two explorers jump and dance around together until…)
Tom: STOP! We haven’t got it yet, let’s go.
(Tom races off round the hall as Bill shouts)
Bill: Wait for me!
Narrator: (SLIDE 5)
Bill and Tom have arrived at Stones Hill and are clambering up.
(You can make as much or as little as you like here as Bill and Tom clamber up the hill. The two explorers arrive at the top and find a large fake stone.)
Bill: This is it (Bill lifts the stone)
(Disappointed, saddened faces)
Tom: There’s nothing there!
(The two sit down on the floor very despondent)
Bill: All this way, no more clues, and it looks like someone’s taken the last artefact.
Tom: (Gets out his handkerchief and with a teary expression says) I can’t believe it, all this way.
Tom: (Suddenly jumping up with a spring.) No! We’ve been here before let’s have another look at that stone Bill.
Bill: (Looking somewhat puzzled lifts the stone again)
Tom: (Sees that there’s something stuck underneath that they’d missed) There’s a piece of wood buried in the back.
Narrator: The two look very puzzled as to what the piece of wood is all about. But wait, Tom has now seen another smaller stone.
Tom: (Picking the stone up turning it over and removing a second piece of wood) here’s a second piece of wood Bill but what does it mean?
Bill: (Strolls over to Tom and holding the two pieces of wood up so that the audience can clearly see that they slot together to form a wooden cross)
Tom: We did it Bill, we did it! The final artefact is a cross.
(The two punch the air in celebration…)
Bill: We sure did Tom, we sure did. The final artefact is a cross.
(Bill and Tom with smiling faces bow to the audience and exit the stage)
Narrator: (Moving onto stage) And so after the end of their adventure on Secret Island, Bill and Tom have recovered all 6 artefacts and are returning to the desert to bury the time capsule for someone else to find in many years to come.
BIBLE CHAT - (LISTEN-UP TIME SLIDE 6)
SLIDE 7 - Remind the children of this evening’s theme.
'Greatest Symbol Ever'
SLIDE 8 - We’ve already said that we use symbols as a kind of shortcut way of saying something without words. Here are a few more symbols, what do they say to us?
A - A red heart, means love
B - A dove is a sign of peace
C - The poppy is a sign of remembrance
D - A red cross is a sign of the organisation who helps refugees who are in trouble and also first aid or nurse.
E - A white flag is a sign of surrender
F - Thumbs up can mean - cool, OK, yes, I agree…
(*Hold up the cross from the drama earlier.)
The greatest symbol the world has ever known is the cross.
SLIDE 9 - All over the world, in cities, towns and villages and in people’s homes, the cross symbolises Jesus and what He means to Christians. We find the cross on millions of churches, on the fronts of Bibles and other books. People even wear a cross around their neck.
The cross is the greatest symbol ever because it is a symbol of Jesus. the Son of God who did more for the world than any other person. For hundreds and hundreds of years people have been drawing, painting, making crosses to say we believe in Jesus and want to follow Him. There is a cross outside this church.
When Jesus died on the cross it was like He was paying the bill, taking the punishment for all of the wrong that everyone has ever done. When people break the law, they sometimes have to pay a fine, an amount of money, as a way of punishment for the wrong they have done. Just imagine if one person was able to pay all the fines for everyone in the country who has done something wrong, so that they were let off. Well Jesus has done something like that for all of us.
Everyone who ever lived has done wrong things and all of us too. The Good News is that Jesus died on the cross so that we might all be forgiven. In this way Jesus shows just how much He loves us.
SLIDE 10 - So the cross is a symbol of love, forgiveness and Jesus. And although the cross reminds us that Jesus died for every one of us, the good news is that He then came back to life again and He is alive today.
Jesus wants us to receive His love and forgiveness. He calls everyone to do this. All we need to do is pray, and say sorry for the bad things we have done, asking Him to lead us and guide us throughout our lives, and He will!
Week 6 Time Capsule Activity.
This is where you can hide away your capsule!
Downloads
Drama script, Bible chat & response time leaders’ notes.
Week 6 PowerPoint slides