We can listen to Jesus
Mark 9:2-6 - The Transfiguration
If you are meeting early in the day, ask everyone to look in their bag and find today’s activity.
Ask
- What kind of crown do you think you will make? What kind of people wear crowns?
If you are meeting later in the day, ask:
- How they got on making their crowns. Do they fit?
- What do you think James meant when he said, “Blessed is the person who keeps on going when times are hard. After they have come through hard times, this person will receive a crown”?
Explain that while we are all together online today, we are going to think about a story from the Bible where Peter, James and John (three of Jesus’ disciples) see Jesus looking like someone who wears a crown! We are going to play a game first.
Note that today the activity should be done before the story.
Share an image of the top of a high mountain on the screen. See the link in the Downloads Box for an image option.
Ask everyone to draw the shape of a cloud on a piece of paper. Tell them that, in this story, there is a voice that will speak out of cloud. You are going to read them a story. They are to listen out for the words in the story that come out of cloud. They should write down those words in the cloud they drawn on their piece of paper.
Read the story from Mark 9:2-6:
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him. He led them up a high mountain. They were all alone. There in front of them his appearance was changed. His clothes became so white they shone. They were whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. Elijah and Moses appeared in front of Jesus and his disciples. The two of them were talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters. One will be for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Peter didn’t really know what to say, because they were so afraid. (NIrV)
At the end of the story ask everyone to hold up their cloud shape, with the words that they heard written in it.
This activity works best when you use the Breakout Room feature in Zoom for larger groups. If you are not using Zoom, or if you are using a different online platform, you can remain as one group.
Ask everyone to think of a famous person that everyone at your online event will know. Once everyone has thought of someone, take turns in trying to guess each other’s famous person. The whole group can only ask 10 questions, and the person who is responding can only answer “yes” or “no”. Put someone in charge of counting the number of questions that are being asked.
After you have had fun with the game, ask if anyone knows who might have been considered a famous people when Jesus was on earth. Say that two of them were Moses and Elijah. They were famous because they were very close to God and had been great leaders. They had both lived a long time ago so it would be very surprising if they appeared!
Jesus is God’s son. He is amazing and powerful and that is why he shone on top of the mountain! The voice from the cloud, which was God, said that we were to listen to Jesus. That means that as well as being powerful and amazing, Jesus is really close to all of us and we can be his friends.
Ask if anyone has any ideas how we can listen to Jesus. Invite everyone to write or draw how they think we can listen to Jesus. Once everyone has shared something chat about what has been drawn and written. Add in ways of listening to Jesus that might have been missed out.
Pray this prayer together
Father God
Help us to listen to your son Jesus.
AMEN
Say goodbye to everyone and that you look forward to seeing them tomorrow.
