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PRAYER / WORSHIP ACTIVITY
OPTION 1
10 mins
Before the service get some photos of common household objects. Using a slideshow, cover each object with nine squares, so that the object is completely covered. Then create a series of slides for each object so you ‘remove’ one square at a time until the whole object is revealed. It works best when the first few squares revealed don’t give you much clue as to what the object is.
In the service split into teams: if you have an aisle, two teams may be easiest, if you’re in more of a café style, more teams might be better. Explain that you are going to show some objects that are covered up and you’re going to reveal more and more of the object. The first team to guess what the object is wins a point. Go through all the objects and see who wins.
Discuss the fact that, as you discover more and more of the picture, it’s easier to see what it really is. There may even have been a moment when it suddenly became clear what the object was, perhaps before you were slightly confused or even had the wrong idea. Talk about how the Gospel writers were trying to build up a picture of Jesus and who he is. The more we discover about Jesus, the more it helps us to see who Jesus really is – the messiah, the son of God.
OPTION 2
10 mins
Read out Mark 1:1. The NIV version is: ‘The beginning of the good news about Jesus the messiah, the son of God.’ Mark is writing about this person called Jesus and right at the start makes some big claims about who Jesus is. Ask who Mark claims Jesus is. Mark claims Jesus is the son of God. That’s a big claim to make. Jesus wasn’t just an ordinary human, he is of God! Mark also says that Jesus is the messiah. Ask if anyone knows what messiah means. It means ‘chosen one’ or literally ‘anointed one’. (You could actually choose or anoint someone with oil to illustrate the point.) Mark is saying that Jesus is the son of God, God’s chosen one who has come to save us. These are big claims and in his book Mark tries to convince us that this is who Jesus is.
STORY
20 mins
The story today is about when John the Baptist became convinced that Jesus was the messiah, the son of God. It’s taken from Mark 1:1-11 and John 1:19-34. Most of the parts can be assigned on the day but it works best when John the Baptist has had a chance to practise.
Narrator: John was a bit unusual in what he wore and what he ate. The Bible says he wore a coat of camel hair and a leather belt (if you can, get suitable props for John to wear). John ate wild honey and locusts (if you can, get both of these, or any insect, it’ll make this bit really memorable). John went around preaching: ‘Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here’. Except John didn’t preach in cities or towns where lots of people were, instead he went to the desert so the people had to go to him. (If you can, get John to preach from an unusual part of the church. The ideal is if people can stand up and go over to John but that may not be possible.)
John: Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.
Narrator: The crowds came to John, from cities, towns and all the surrounding area. They would say sorry for their sins. And then John would… well what do you think John the Baptist did? Yes John baptised them and he baptised them in the river Jordan. Who would like to be baptised? (Have a large blue sheet as the river Jordan. Get people to come up and say, ‘I’m sorry for my sins, I turn back to God’ then John will put them down into the ‘river’ and bring them up again. Get the person to say the line before being baptised.) More and more people came out to John to hear him preach and get baptised by him. People began to wonder, is John the messiah? Is John God’s chosen one? They asked this to John. John said…
John: No! I’m only getting the way ready for the Lord. I baptise you with water but there’s someone coming after me who will baptise with the Holy Spirit. I’m not even good enough to tie his shoes!
Narrator: Who was this person? Well that person is coming now. One day while John was baptising at the River Jordan his cousin Jesus came to him and asked to be baptised. (Choose someone to be Jesus and get them to ask John to be baptised.)
John: No, no, you should be baptising me! Why have you come to me?
Jesus: This is how it should be, we must all do what God wants us to do.
Narrator: So John agreed. He took Jesus and he baptised Jesus in the river Jordan. (Get John to baptise Jesus in the river and then freeze.) As Jesus came up out of the water, the sky opened and the Spirit of God came down on Jesus like a dove. (Have a toy dove fly in and land on Jesus). A voice from Heaven said:
God: This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him.
Narrator: Later when John saw Jesus he shouted…
John: Look the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I meant when I was talking about someone greater than me. I saw the Spirit of God come down on him like a dove and stay on him. The one who sent me to baptise with water had told me: ‘You will see the Spirit come down and stay on someone. Then you will know that he is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’
I tell you, He is the son of God!
Narrator: So John was sure that Jesus was the messiah, the son of God. Jesus’ baptism had convinced him that that is who Jesus was.
REFLECTIVE RESPONSE TO THE STORY
OPTION 1
15 mins
Before the service, print out several drawings of flower heads on pieces of cardboard. The flower head should have a circle in the middle (large enough to write on) and six to eight petals. You can either cut out one for everyone beforehand or get people to do it in the service. Arrange everyone in several groups around a basin of water. In the centre of each flower head, ask people to write one thing that they know about Jesus, eg he heals, he is compassionate, he teaches with authority, he is risen. Fold the petals on the flower over the circle so the text is completely hidden. Then place the flowers in the basin of water, making sure there is enough space around each flower for it to open. As your flower opens pray a short prayer thanking God for revealing that about Jesus, for example, ‘Thank you God for showing me that Jesus is someone who heals’. When all the flowers are open, look at all the things that God has revealed to us about Jesus, this picture we have of who Jesus is and what he has done. Take a moment to think: if we know all this about Jesus, who do we think he is?
OPTION 2
15 mins
If you do this response, it’s worth asking people at the start of the story to look out for what convinced John the Baptist that Jesus was the son of God. Ask now what they think convinced John, hopefully answers will include: a voice from heaven saying Jesus was his son, a voice also saying, ‘I am well pleased’, the Spirit coming down like a dove and John being told in advance by God that this would be a sign.
Read John 1:32-34. God was going to give John a sign who the son of God was - it would be the person God’s spirit would come down on and remain on. Who did that happen to? So who did John think God’s messiah, the son of God was?
That convinced John that Jesus was the messiah, the son of God. Ask a few other members to share what it was that convinced them that Jesus was the son of God, the messiah. (You may want to give them a chance to prepare in advance). Ask what other things people might want to find out about Jesus to convince them that he was the son of God, the messiah.
If people are comfortable you could split into small groups and ask people who they think Jesus is - are they convinced he is the messiah? If so, why?
