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Workshops include: Arts * Kitchen * Music * Computer * Beatbox
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OVERVIEW
TOPIC/STORY:
The story of how a regular guy can work a miracle.
WORKSHOPS & ACTIVITIES:
• ARTS – design and apply a tattoo using tattoo gel pen
• BEATBOX – create a rhythm routine based on key elements of the story
• KITCHEN – Green salad with chicken
* Music - teach and adapt song, Down by the riverside.
• COMPUTER – Flip book style slide show in Kid Pix 3
SOURCE TEXT
Acts 3 .1 - 10
READ THIS.
KEY VERSES:
Acts 10. 6 - 7 :
Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received
strength.
After story time in church, all will meet in central Sunday school area for gathering time, brief review, then to scheduled
workshops.
Background notes and other neat info
1. This is Peter’s first healing miracle after the ascension of Christ.
2. The restoration of health of the man lame from birth was accomplished by Peter as one of Jesus’s disciples.
3. This is the same Peter whom Jesus re-named the Rock, and the same who swore he would never deny knowing Jesus, then back
slid three times. In other words, a celebratedly ordinary and fallible human being.
4. The writer of Acts really lays it on about how able bodied the previous lame man currently is. Lots of leaping going on.
5. Take a look at the text in a modern translation, as well as the King James Version. Think about the difference in tone
set by each translation.
6. Note that the beggar is clearly begging for some material thing, and even though Peter and John say they have nothing,
they give him something better – the ability to walk.
7. There are two disciples here, which creates a feeling of power in numbers, or of creative community.
Points to ponder
A stained glass window dedicated to this story is the only story window in my Presbyterian church in a small Ontario town.
There’s not a lot of current commentary on this story. It’s not one of the bigs in the lectionary reading cycle.
Yet it had powerful resonance for the business man’s family that donated this window in 1888.
Something about this story appealed to the post-pioneer mentality.
In many ways, the story still speaks to people at formative moments in their lives.
I think it was this quality in our story window that prompted me to make it the cornerstone of an article on youth. To read
the essay/article, click here.
Questions for Discussion
1. What is the beggar’s problem in this story?
2. What does he ask for?
3. Does Peter give him what he asks for?
4. Is the beggar disappointed?
5. What else do we remember about Peter. Is he a particularly perfect person?
6. What enables Peter to work this miracle. Or in other words, whose name makes this miracle possible?
7. Have you ever had a miracle happen in your life? What made this miracle possible?
8. Have you ever played a role in making a miracle happen? Please describe.
WORKSHOPS
Please find below suggested workshops for this unit. For each one, when you are in real time with the children:
1. Quickly review or recap the story with them before starting activity. Each week, see how much more detail each group of
kids can supply on the story they've been studying.
2. Link or explain your activity to the current story.
Arts – design a tattoo
The lame man was so ecstatic to be cured, that he was leaping and walking and praising God. Just the occasion for a tattoo.
If you were this man, what kind of tattoo would you want, presumably on your leg. Design it. Using special tattoo gel pens,
have a friend, teacher or class mate draw the tattoo on your leg or ankle.
Kitchen – green salad with grilled chicken
Our lame man is going to need a healthy diet to keep up his strength. The healing power of Peter and John was like a nourishing
meal. Wash and chop up some healthy vegetables and top with grilled chicken chunks for hearty sustenance. Make an event of
it, toss in a few bags of rolls and some butter, and invite your congregation to share this ‘Lame man’s meal’
with your class to remember the story.
Music – teach and revise the song, Down by the riverside.’
I keep thinking of the line, Gonna lay down my burden, down by the riverside, down by the riverside…. And that’s
just what our lame man did. Except it happened beside a gate, not a river.
No matter, just make up some new words to this classic old spiritual.
Find lyrics and mp3 file on Roger McGuinn’s Folkden. Roger highlights the make peace not war variation on this song. We can highlight the peace and healing.
Suggested changes –
1. Gonna lay down my burden
2. Down by the temple gate
3. Don’t need this crutch no more…
4. Gonna walk with the Prince of Peace (let’s keep that one)
5. Gonna praise my Saviour every day…
6. [back to the top…Everybody now..] Lay down your burden, down by the temple gate…
Beat Box
Why: use sound effects and action to reinforce key plot points of this bible story.
How it works.
**This concept is borrowed from the Beat Team segment in the children’s show 4 Square on Treehouse TV. If you have a
PC, you can view a clip online. Go to Treehousetv.com and follow the links. We Mac users would appear to be out of luck on this one!
Divide class into 4 groups or parts.
Brainstorm 4 different parts to produce together like a round.
Have groups practice separately. Then try each other's parts. Then come in in sequence like a round.
Take your Beat Box to another, perhaps younger class. Or share during worship at children's story time.
Suggestions for 4 parts. Since this story has so much jumping, etc., let’s use that.
1. Please help a lame man, please help a lame man (act out beggar sitting or on knees, reaching out for help)
2. In christ’s name, rise up and walk (act out Peter taking hands, pulling him up)
3. Standing, walking, leaping…standing, walking leaping (act out. These three action could form 3 separate parts)
4. Praise God, the Lord Almighty (take few steps and do jumping jack or flying heel click)
Computer – flip book slide show in Kid Pix3
Have the kids create separate slides of the lame man in action, first sitting then stand, walk, leap, then perhaps the silly
stuff, like jumping jacks, head stands. Run together in a loop the slide drawings will have the look of a jerky flip book.
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