All-age activitiesCELEBRATING THE PEOPLE’S BIBLE

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW

BIBLE SUNDAY 2011 : ALL-AGE ACTIVITIESThe following all-age activities are intended to give you some ideas for involving the whole congregation in your Bible Sunday service. The four activities suggested here reflect the four key points in the sermon on Nehemiah 8.1–12 and are intended to be accessible to all age groups. Although not aimed exclusively at children, you may find them particularly useful if younger members of the congregation stay in church for the entire service. These pages are not intended to be strict guidelines and could be a ‘starter for ten’ to inspire your own ideas. Be creative!

1. GET READYThe first point our sermon makes is that, in Nehemiah 8.1, the people of Israel recognise that the scripture is central to their lifeline and their identity. In fact, it is inseparable from their story. The New Testament shows us that this is true for all of us, Jew or Gentile, who choose to live in relationship with God.

ActivitiesThe first two activities (given below) underline the importance of self-recognition – understanding that we are all made in God’s image and that the Bible is central to our lives as Christians. When we grasp this fully, we can better understand the message of God’s love written in Scripture. Either of these activities would make a fun introduction to the Bible Sunday theme and a good ice-breaker for your service.

Mirror, mirror Invite one or more people from the congregation to come up and draw a self-portrait on a flip chart –

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without looking into a mirror. You could make this more challenging (and amusing) by insisting that the chosen artist is not allowed to take the pen off the paper: their self-portrait must be drawn with a single continuous pen-stroke. To ensure that you involve everyone, the portrait needs to be sufficiently large for all to see.

Alternatively, provide everyone in the congregation with a piece of paper and a pencil and invite them all to draw a self-portrait simultaneously. Again, you could insist they do so in a single stroke of the pen. Then invite people to show off their artistry to others sitting around them.

The bigger pictureThis activity underlines the fact that we can fail to recognise the most familiar and important things in our lives if we see but do not understand. At the end of this activity, make the point that all too often we fail to recognise or understand God’s love for us and engage with the Bible. But when we do start to understand and engage, we start to see the bigger picture for our lives.

Project on to a screen ten photographic images which show only part of familiar objects, or familiar objects seen from odd angles. Ask the congregation to call out what they think the pictures show. Alternatively, make this activity a team challenge, dividing the congregation into groups and totting up their scores. You could organise a similar activity around a set of sound recordings from daily life, e.g. a boiling kettle, the slam of a car door, etc.

2. LISTEN UPThe second point made in our sermon is that the people of Israel who heard Ezra reading the book of the Law in the public square ‘listened attentively’ (Nehemiah 8.3). In fact, the Levites explained the readings so that the people could fully understand them. It is not enough to hear Scripture and absorb it passively, as if by osmosis. We have to listen hard and actively engage with it.

ActivityThis activity makes the point that it is possible to hear Scripture without really listening to it and to read it without really understanding it. It underlines the fact that we have to choose to engage with the Bible and recognise that just being familiar with Scripture does not necessarily mean we truly understand it. It will involve the whole congregation, so include it early in the service, before the children leave for Sunday school.

At the end of this activity, underline the importance of helping others understand Scripture. We may have friends and relatives who are familiar with certain passages of Scripture but do not see the Bible’s resonance or relevance in their lives. For others the Bible is confusing, contradictory, or worse. We should look out for opportunities to help people engage with the Bible in fresh ways.

Crack the codeThe object of this activity is to crack the code and discover the mystery verse, Nehemiah 8.10: ‘The joy that the LORD gives you will make you strong’ (GNB). (Or perhaps use the more familiar ‘The joy of the LORD is your strength’, NIV.) The individual words making up the verse are written on pieces of paper hidden around the church, and the congregation has to work through cryptic clues to hunt down each piece of paper along the paper trail. As the words are found, display them prominently,

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allowing the congregation to see the verse as it ‘grows’. The collected words could be stuck on a board or hung on a makeshift washing line strung across the meeting leader’s platform or the choir stalls.

The first clue is read out by the meeting leader. Subsequent clues are attached to the words hidden around the church – so the clue to the whereabouts of the second word (JOY) is attached to the back of the first word (THE). Your clues can be as cryptic or clear as you choose, e.g.:

•‘The first word is in danger of getting wet.’ (Hide the first word near the baptismal pool or font.)

•‘Look out for the lady in red to find the second word.’ (Ask a lady wearing red to hold this card on her lap.)

•‘Hearing the third word loud and clear.’ (Attach the third word to the base of the microphone stand.)

At the end of this activity, remind people about this year’s ongoing Biblefresh campaign, in which Bible Society is playing a key role. The key aims of Biblefresh are to give Christians a greater appetite for and a better understanding of Scripture and to help churches offer fresh and creative ways for people to engage with the Bible, perhaps for the first time.

For more information, visit www.biblefresh.com

3. STAND TO ATTENTIONNehemiah 8 recounts a pivotal moment in the history of Israel, when the people chose to elevate the scripture, both symbolically and spiritually, and recognise its authority over their lives. It is a strong illustration of the Bible’s transforming power, both for individuals and for societies. If we live by biblical values, our lives are changed, root and branch.

ActivityThis activity picks up on one very strong symbolic action in Nehemiah 8: the people stood up to hear

the Scripture reading, raised their arms in worship, then bowed down in an act of reverence (8.5–7). Make the point that when we stop, give God our full attention and acknowledge him as Lord, his Word can bring radical change to our lives. Underline again the importance of listening to God for his prompting in this activity. This is intended as a more reflective activity, which could fit well in a time of response after the sermon.

Ups and downsYou will need two sets of postcards or squares of coloured card. Everyone in the congregation will need one card from each set. These cards could be handed out at the start of the activity, or could already be in place on chairs or in pews before the service starts. Invite people to write down on the first postcard something that they want to leave behind. This could be something from their past (e.g. a painful memory) or something they are still struggling with (e.g. self-doubt, fear, temptation). You could give examples, but do not be prescriptive.

In a moment of quiet and private reflection, invite people to lay their postcards on the floor and so symbolically humble themselves before God. The meeting leader could offer a simple prayer of thanks

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to God who heals, restores and forgives.

Next, invite people to write on their second card something they can rejoice in – or a challenge, calling or opportunity for which they need God’s strength and transforming power. Again, this should be a time of personal reflection. This time, however, end by inviting everyone to stand and raise their cards in the air. As they do so, offer a prayer of thanks, expressing confidence in God’s power and enabling.

4. SHARE ITThe passage in Nehemiah 8 on which our sermon is based ends with Ezra urging the people to go home, celebrate and share what they have. It is good to reflect on and celebrate what the Bible means to us as Christians, and to help others grasp its message of God’s love for creation.

ActivityThis activity will help people acknowledge – to themselves and in public – the impact that the Bible has had on their lives. It is also intended to help people start to think about ways in which they might share these thoughts with others who are not familiar with the Bible, e.g. through Bible Society initiatives such as The People’s Bible. This would be a good activity with which to end your service and encourage further reflection on the sermon’s key messages.

Words of lifeThe aim is to create a simple display for the church and its wider community explaining graphically what the Bible means to your congregation. Provide everyone with a Post-it note – the more colours you use, the better your final display. To a backdrop of gentle music, perhaps, invite people to write on their Post-it a word or phrase that expresses either what the Bible means to them, or what the Bible has been saying to them recently. Invite children, whether in the service or in Sunday school, to draw pictures depicting their favourite Bible story or what the Bible means to them.

Then invite people to add their notes or pictures to a display in a specially designated area of the church, e.g. a large display board or prayer wall. Also invite them to add to the display over subsequent weeks as God speaks to them through the Bible. Consider making this display a mini-exhibition to which you might invite the wider community – and even the local media.

These materials are written by Seren Boyd. Seren is a freelance journalist and writer based in West Sussex. She is also heavily involved in children’s ministry at her church in Horsham.