National Youth Sunday 2014
Children’s Story
Written By: Rhonda Pittman Gingrich
Working Together
As the children come forward, invite them to stand in a circle. Then ask each child to reach into the circle with their right hand and grab the hand of another person. Then ask each child to reach into the circle with their left hand and grab the hand of another person. This should create a knot. Then ask the children to work together to untangle the knot without dropping hands. (However, if an arm begins to get twisted, they can reclasp hands without changing the position of their hands in the larger circle.) As they work, make sure everyone gets a chance to offer suggestions and solutions. Note: Sometimes this moves very quickly. And on rare occasions the knot is hopelessly tangled. Either way, you may want to have them try again.
Talk about the experience. Ask: How well did we work together? Did everyone contribute? Did anyone get frustrated or angry with someone else? Why? What was the key to working well together?
Read Ephesians 4:1-6 (The Contemporary English Version uses language very accessible to children.) When we played the knot game, we were all connected and had to work together. This passage reminds us that the same holds true for all of life. As God’s people, we are part of one body. God is in each one of us and works through each of us. But God also calls us to live together in peace. To do that we need to be humble (Who knows what that means? What are some ways we can show humility), gentle (Who knows what that means? What are some ways we can be gentle with each other?), and patient (Who knows what that means? What are some ways we can be patient with each other?) and loving (Who knows what that means? What are some ways we can share our love with each other?).
Prayer: God, you live in each one of us and work through each one of us. But you also live and work in us as one body, when we live together in peace. Help us to be humble, gentle, patient and loving with each other. Amen.