Jesus’ Encounters
This year, we use Echo as our storytelling to help us relate to God’s story to discover meaning and develop fresh insights. It is our prayer that you can engage with your family using creative writing, drawing, and conversation.
Each week, students will use an Echo Journal to complete the weekly activities. If you like an Echo Journal at home, please contact Heather.
Invocation
Find a Candle that you can light, and keep it with your Club 56 gear
Invocation: the act of inviting or welcoming or acknowledging that God is present in our space.
As you light your candle, say this invocation out loud: “I light this candle in the name of God, our Creator; Jesus, our Savior; and the Holy Spirit, our Inspirer. The three in one!”
Opening Question
Who do you think is most judged in our culture? Why do you think that is?
Review
The material we are using is called Echo, so let us echo the last section 🙂 Review the previous sections with your student (Jesus’ birth, baptism, his followers, the Hope and Healing Jesus can give us, the Miracles of Jesus, Kingdom Ways and Kindom Treasures). Is there any new insight or questions that you have reflected on?
Prepare
Each story has its own symbol, it will help us remember the story. This week, we are talking about a few of Jesus’ Encounters (Nicodemus, The Woman at the Well, and, Defending a Woman). Grab some paper and use your imagination to stretch your own symbol of what an Encounter with Jesus might look like.
A central scene in today’s story is Jesus traveling through and teaching in Samaria. During the time Jewish and Samarian leaders told people to avoid contact with the opposite group and neither was to enter each other’s territories
The Samaritans and Jews had a long intense history. Both their descendants of ancient Israelites. Samaritans come from the northern Kingdom of Israel and the Jews are descendants from the southern Kingdom of Judea. Both groups claimed that they were the true descendants of Israel and worshipped God in the “right way”. Both built temples for God in their capital city. Each group claimed that the other was no longer among God’s chosen people because there had been too much intermarrying with other cultures and beliefs.
You can see how centuries of this deep ethnic hostility cause these two groups to avoid each other during the time of Jesus
What groups of people are judged in our world because of their cultural background? What groups do you avoid?
Read and Imagine
Students, pull out your pens or markers and doodle or sketch what comes to your mind as you listen. Once you have completed sketching the images, share what you’ve done with a parent.
Parents, this week you will read to your student, Jesus Encounters as you are reading they will be sketching.
Capture what you noticed
What stood out to you? What did you see or sense? What questions do you have about this story? ANYTHING (we mean anything) is okay to ask. A few that I have: We are told that we are all God’s children, what did Jesus mean when he said that he is God’s only son? I would like to know the full story of the woman at the well… Why did the Pharisees think they had the right to be so judge-y?
Keep these questions handy, every so often, we’re inviting a Pastor to discuss with us! Send your questions to Heather and she’ll get them on our list.
Remix
Now that you are familiar with the stories, let’s REMIX! Choose one (or both) of these activities to help you retell part of the story from your own unique point of view:
Drawing: Selfie with Jesus
- Draw a picture of each character (Nicodemus, Woman at the well, and the woman caught in adultery) taking a selfie with Jesus right after their encounter with him.
- How can their pose, expression and background convey the encounter they just had?
- Don’t forget to add your caption and/or hashtags!
Creative Writing: Stories of Encounter
Write a short story of how each of the three characters would have retold others about their encounter with Jesus. To help jog your memory, scripture is provided.
- Nicodemus (John 3:3-5)
- The woman at the well (John 4:28-29)
- The woman caught in adultery (John 8:10-11)
When you pray…
Maybe you’re inspired to write or speak your own, if so, please do so! If you’d rather, you can just read together with the following:
Creator God, thank you for these words that have been passed down to us. Show us how to love judgment free everyday. Help us explore, ask, and wonder about your creation, your story, and help us find our story too. AMEN
Thank you for joining us today! If you have a student in Grade 5 or 6, sign them up for Club 56 today! If you have questions about this resource or would like additional information, please contact Heather or Pastor Ben.