Children’s Story for October 10th, 2004

By Barrette Plett, Bethel Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, MB

Bible Passages

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c
Luke 17:11-19

Theme/Scripture Connections

The Psalms passages for this week praise God's good works and express fear of the Lord. The message of these passages encourages the reader to be faithful through hardship, and listen and trust God's power. Both the Old Testament and New Testament stories are of people who are healed of leprosy because they ask God and then follow God's instructions. These healings provide examples of the great works of which God is capable.

Supplies Needed

balloon with a candy inside of it
several more candies to give to each of the children if you wish

Object Lesson

Ask one child if he/she would like a present (you may wish to prearrange this). Give the child the balloon. Now. Ask tell the child that you want him or her to break the balloon. When the child breaks the balloon, he or she will find the candy inside. Talk to the children about how it seemed weird for you to give the present and then tell the recipient to break it, but that the real present—the better present—was inside, and that the recipient had to listen to your instructions to get it. Explain that in the stories, people have to listen to God's instructions.

Story: God can help us if we listen and trust

A long time ago, there was a King called Naaman. He got very, very sick and he didn't know what to do. Some of his friends told him to a different country and talk to a man named Elisha, who was a prophet for God. Naaman didn't want to at first, but he got sicker and sicker. Finally he went to Elisha. Elisha told Naaman that God could make him better. He said that Naaman would need to go and wash himself in the river. Naaman didn't want to do this. He wanted God to make a big loud miracle and fix him in a flash. He thought that he was too important to wash himself in the river. But, Elisha said that God wanted Naaman to go into the river. Then, Naaman argued with Elisha. He said he wanted to go to a different river in his country. He said that the river in Elisha's country was too dirty to make him better. But Elisha explained very patiently to Naaman that he had to use the river that God told him to and he had to go in the river 7 times. By this time, Naaman was very sick, so he was willing to try anything. He went and washed himself in the river 7 times and when he came out, God had made him better! When he came out of the river, he said to Elisha, “Wow! God is the real God after all!”

Many years later, Jesus was walking with some of his friends. Ten sick people came to Jesus and asked him if he could heal them. He said that he could heal them. All they had to do was go the church. On their way to church, they were healed! When they discovered this, all of them kept walking except one of them. That one came running back to say thank you to Jesus. Jesus told that person that he (or she) was really healed.

Questions

Did the people in these stories listen to God?
How did God help them?
Why do you think God didn't just heal Naaman without making him go in the river?
Do you think Jesus was sad that the other people didn't come back to thank him?
What do you think Jesus meant when he told the person who came back that he/she was really healed?
How can we listen to God

Teaching

In both of these stories, God heals people from a bad sickness. The people don't have to do anything very hard. They just have to trust God and do what God asks them to do. Jesus also wants people to love him and trust him, just like the person who came back when he/she realized that Jesus had healed him/her.

Prayer

Dear God. Please help us to trust you and to do what you ask us to do. Help us to remember to listen and do what you ask us to do.