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Here are 15 surprisingly usable Bible stories for school RE. The age group of the children really matters here, so I’m going for stories for five year-olds first, then all the way up to 16-19 year-olds. Of course, choosing the right story is step one: how you tell it, and what you ask pupils to do next really matters.
1 The creation story
Tell the story to five year-olds dramatically and ask the children to choose ‘natural world’ pictures that show what happens on each of the ‘days of creation’. This is also good for thinking about why the world is a special place that needs to be cared for.
2 The visit of the Magi
This story is good for enabling thinking about gifts and giving, what gifts mean and their value. Talk about gold as the gift for the King, frankincense as the gift for someone who is close to God and myrrh as the sad gift.
3 Jesus and Zacchaeus
This story is good for thinking about how people can change if they are challenged. I’ve always either read this one from a children’s Bible or told it from memory. Try using the Sticky Kids’ song ‘Zacchaeus’ to create a mime and movement sequence (stickykids.co.uk).
4 Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
Tell the story of the God who uses clay to model humanity, and the humans who had only one rule in their perfect garden, but still broke it. This resonates through every human heart as well: Luther says, ‘We are each Adam to our own souls.’
5 Moses hears the divine voice through a burning bush
In this story, God’s voice is mysterious, but also powerful and liberating.
6 Ruth is rescued from famine
Women’s stories are few in scriptures, so make sure you include what there is. Ruth, an emigrant and an asylum seeker, becomes safe and secure. She also becomes the grandmother of King David!
7 The Beatitudes
Start by asking everyone in the class to complete a few strips of paper that say ‘You will be happy if...’ Collect and share these, and tell pupils that Jesus taught eight sentences to change the world, his way of being happy or ‘blessed’.
8 Nathan and King David
This is for 12 year-olds and over. King David had stolen Uriah’s wife and had arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle. Nathan came to rebuke David telling a parable of stolen sheep. This narrative raises questions: how was power misused?
9 Job
The problem of evil is essential thinking for 11-14s. Job is poetic and philosophical, but based on a narrative. Most of the book is about his mates trying to persuade him he must have messed up. Ask 20 questions about undeserved suffering. What kind of God emerges from this story?
10 Stephen gets stoned - the first Christian martyr : Acts 7
This is gruesome enough for boys who love blood. I love the fact that Jesus is seen standing at the right hand of God, where he usually sits. It’s as if Stephen’s faithfulness is earning a heavenly ovation.
11 The mark of the beast: Revelation 13
I wonder why we avoid the parts of the Bible that students find fascinating? More like The Hunger Games than Sunday school, this chapter is worth a look to ask: will the world end with a bang, or a whimper, and whose fault will it be?
12 Solomon’s decision: 1 Kings 3:16-27
Solomon demonstrated his wisdom (discernment) by threatening to chop a baby in two. Set this up as a hot seat dilemma. Get the students to examine the actions of the characters.
13 Jairus’ daughter and the woman with haemorrhage s: Mark 5:21-43
Two intertwined miracle stories of Jesus. Questions to raise here: what is the link between faith and healing? Why do miracles happen to some and not to others? Did Jesus only cure people with faith?
14 Resurrection: Mark 16:1-8
The women went to the tomb of Jesus on Sunday morning. Sent to tell Peter, the women ran away terrified. Questions to explore: who stole the body, if the resurrection is disputed? Is the ending satisfactory?
15 Peter’s vision: Acts 10:9-16
While visiting Cornelius’ house Peter had a vision of a cloth coming down from heaven with animals thought to be unclean to Jews. Peter was told to kill and eat and when he protested God told him that they were not unclean. From this vision the church moved into the wider world away from the synagogue. Do Christians have to accept all? Which groups are rejected today – what are believers doing about them?
If a pupil studied these 15 narratives, would they be Biblically literate? And how does this compare with what actually happens when you use the Bible in school? When Christian visitors to schools just retell the familiar parts of the Bible, do they short-change the audience and miss the opportunity for a richer and fuller encounter with our scriptures?
