You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at her parents every time around – and why her parents will always wave back.
~William D. Tammeus.
Family Closeness
Game:
...a few of my favourite things
Everyone at the dinner table says five of their favourite things. This could be a favourite colour, number, TV show, movie, animal, friend, toy, food, book. The following night you can test your memory and see if you can remember the 5 favourite things that all the family members told you the previous evening.
Sharing:
- If you could be any animal, what animal would you be? Why?
- What is the bravest thing you have ever done?
- Have you ever wanted to grow up faster? Why? What is good about the age you are now? What would be good about being older?
Story
With your family read Matthew 16.13-20
Questions for Discussion:
[In this reading Jesus asks his disciples who they think he is. This is done against the backdrop of the region of Caesarea Philippi which had numerous temples to different religions including one to Caesar as God. In this passage we hear Jesus refer to himself as ‘Son of Man’, a phrase he often used to refer to himself.]
- What is the first question Jesus asks?
- Why do you think he wants to know what others think of him?
- What is Jesus' second question?
- Why do you think he asks his disciples this?
- How does Jesus respond when Peter gets it ‘right’?
- Why do you think Jesus tells the disciples not to tell anyone who he is?
Prayer and Celebration
Intercessory Prayer
A useful image for intercessory prayer is a stretcher. From Mark 2.3-12, some people lowered their paralytic friend through the roof into the presence of Jesus. This is a good image of the work of intercessory prayer. That is, don’t labour too hard with the words to use, simply do the hard work of placing or ‘lowering’ the person into the presence of Jesus.
Place on the stretcher someone you know who needs help.
Silence
Lower on the stretcher someone who you can love better this week.
Silence
Put onto the stretcher a place that needs peace.
Silence
Put onto the stretcher one who needs healing.
Silence
Put on the stretcher a hope of yours for your life.
Silence
Lord in your mercy, receive our prayer.
Service
At the moment we are confronted in the news with images of people struggling in Syrian refugee camps. Considering the luxury that so many of us live in, I want to encourage you to dig deep to help those who are not in a position to help themselves. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in a situation like that. There is nothing more I can say on this except we who have resources need to use our abundance in whatever way we can to help. There are many charity organisations out there taking donations for this crisis so let's do what we can.
Bonus Family Activity
Family Time Line
To help your family think about the good things God has given you, work together to make a family time line. Draw a line in the centre of a long sheet of paper. Choose a starting date to write at the left end of the line. Your time line may cover a week, a one month period, or the school holidays, or a year. To help family members think of time line events, ask questions such as: "What was something we did that we really enjoyed? How did someone help us in a special way? Who are some new friends our family made?" Display the time line on a wall or door. Allow younger children to enjoy drawing pictures to illustrate the time line. (From Adventures for Growing Families, by Wes & Sheryl Haystead.)
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