25
Jesus Calms the Storm
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Scripture
Focus
Jesus is more powerful than storms.
Faith Nurture Goals
- Tell how Jesus saved his helpers from the scary storm.
- Feel assured that Jesus will always take care of us.
- Thank Jesus for always taking care of us.
Session Outline
Leader Reflection
Preparing to Tell God's Story
This is one of Jesus' "nature miracles"---miracles that show his power over the forces of nature in the world. But these miracles are not meant merely to show Jesus' superhuman power; they are meant to tell us something about Jesus and about the kingdom of God Jesus is announcing.
They show that the ordinary human being called Jesus is also the Son of God who can show God's power in the world. They point to the kingdom of God that Jesus will usher in, where sickness and death will be destroyed and the powers of evil completely defeated.
The Bible story for today displays all of these aspects of Jesus' miracles. Here we have an ordinary human being who is tired and falls asleep in a boat. Here we have the Son of God who has power over the wind and the waves. Here we have a picture of how God's kingdom will bring under control all the powers that are against us.
Imagine the scene. Jesus is asleep in the stern of the boat. Maybe there were some cushions there on which he could lay his head. He is truly weary after the day's teaching and healing. Jesus is tired, just like we often feel at the end of a long day. He's human.
Suddenly a violent storm whips up over the lake. This is not uncommon on the Sea of Galilee, and because it's a relatively small body of water the waves can be chaotic. The boats that sail there are also small and easily capsized.
Finally, the disciples, scared out of their wits with the waves crashing over the boat, wake Jesus up. Jesus' strange response startles us: "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" What? Does Jesus mean that we shouldn't be afraid when danger overtakes us? It seems like he's asking a bit much.
But however harsh Jesus' words may seem, they echo the truth always proclaimed when heaven meets earth: "Be not afraid!" If we only knew how fully and completely our lives are in the Lord's hands, our fears would vanish.
Fortunately, Jesus didn't go back to sleep. He got up and shouted into the howling gale and the slashing seas. Matthew says he "rebuked" them, as though they had overstepped their bounds. This rebuke of the powers of nature displays both his power and his authority, and suddenly these elemental forces of nature obey Jesus' command. Immediately, all is calm.
The disciples are filled with fear, awe, and wonder. "What kind of man is this?" they ask. "Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Who is this ordinary person who falls asleep and then wakes up to quiet the forces of nature? That's the question that reverberates through this session. Who is this person who does such great and good deeds?
Over the centuries this story has acquired deep meaning for many believers. The picture of a storm-tossed boat with the cross for a mast became an early Christian symbol for the church (and, in our time, was adopted by the World Council of Churches). This image expresses the great comfort we have as those who are in the boat with Jesus on the stormy sea of life.
Wondering
What did the disciples expect Jesus to do when they woke him up?
Have you ever felt like scolding Jesus for his lack of sensitivity or action? Does he ever seem to fall asleep on you?
“Who is this?” This is the fundamental question about Jesus. In what ways is it being asked and answered today?
Teaching
Take care not to communicate to the children that it was wrong for the disciples to be scared by the storm. That might only encourage little ones to cover up or deny their fears.
Most important, help the children know that Jesus is always with them, in ordinary times and in scary times. They can bring their fears to him.
Steps
Materials
Umbrellas
Song: “Be Still and Know”
Song: “God Is Watching over You”
Welcome the children and gather at a window (in your room or elsewhere in the building) to look outdoors at today’s weather. Is it sunny? Cloudy? Rainy? Maybe even stormy? Talk about storms and invite the children to tell you how storms, especially thunder and lightning, make them feel.
Gather back in your story circle and assure your little ones that Jesus is more powerful than storms—and, best of all, Jesus watches over us and cares for us all the time—and that means during scary storms too.
Retrieve your umbrellas and huddle together under them, making sure that everyone is covered. Repeat your assurance to the children that Jesus is always with you, wherever you are, during happy times and scary times. Listen (and sing along) to “Be Still and Know” and “God Is Watching over You” (CD tracks 6 and 11) as you pretend to take cover in a rainstorm. When your “storm” is over, show the children where today’s story is found in your Bible and tell them it’s about Jesus and his helpers—and a very scary storm.
Re
formed
formedQ. What kind of mediator and deliverer should we look for then?
A. One who is a true and righteous human, yet more powerful than all creatures, that is, one who is also true God (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 15).
Materials
Story visual (leader’s resources)
Have you been using a story call to settle the children in preparation for telling the Bible story? Here’s a new one if you’d like a change. If you’ve not been using a story call, you might want to introduce the following simple rhyme to use as an introduction to the remaining stories about Jesus.
Tell me a story—a story that’s true. (hold hands together, palms up, like a book)
A Jesus story—for me and for you! (point to self, point to each other)
Use the two-sided storytelling visual (leader’s resources) to tell the story of Jesus and the disciples to the children. (The story sections are numbered, beginning and ending with the “calm” side.)
Follow the story by sitting quietly and wondering about what it might have been like to be there in the boat with Jesus. (Invite the children to respond with their faces as well as their words!) Here are some questions you might use—feel free to develop your own too.
- I wonder if you would have been frightened if you had been in that boat with Jesus and his helpers.
- I wonder what the faces of Jesus’ helpers looked like when the boat tipped and waves crashed in their faces.
- I wonder what their faces looked like when Jesus made the water calm again.
- I wonder what Jesus’ disciples learned about Jesus that night.
- I wonder if you know that Jesus is with you always, taking care of you when you’re scared.
Materials
Masking tape
Ask the children if they’re ready to pretend (emphasis on pretend!) they really were there with Jesus in that scary storm. As they watch, make a big boat outline on the floor with masking tape and invite everyone to climb aboard. Ask everyone to help you reenact the story of the scary storm, following the cues you give them:
Jesus was tired! He soon fell fast asleep on the boat. (Close eyes and pretend to sleep.)
Suddenly a fierce wind began to blow. (Make loud wind sounds.)
Jesus’ helpers were frightened! (Scream “Help!” and look scared.)
Then it began to rain. (Make rain sounds by tapping fingers on the floor.)
The waves got bigger and bigger! (Slap legs on the floor.)
Thunder crashed. (Pound fists on the floor.)
Lightning flashed. (Make hissing sounds.)
Jesus’ helpers were VERY scared! (Scream “Help!” again and look scared.)
“We’re going to drown!” they cried. (Repeat together a few times.)
Then Jesus woke up. (Rub eyes, pretend to wake up.)
Jesus talked to the wind and the lightning and the thunder. “Be still!” he said. (Repeat Jesus’ words a few times.)
Just like that, the wind stopped. Shhhh! (Say “Shhhh!”)
The rain stopped. Shhhh. (Say “Shhhh!”)
The thunder stopped. Shhhh. (Say “Shhhh!”)
The lightning stopped. Shhhh. (Say “Shhhh!”)
And the waves disappeared! (Say “Shhhh!”)
Jesus’ helpers were amazed. They said to each other, “Jesus has power over storms!” (Do high fives and repeat the words “Jesus has power over storms!”)
Faith Modeling
Share with the children a fear of your own (one that’s not too scary for preschoolers).
Materials
Show and Share cards, session 25
Conclude your time together by reminding the children that Jesus is always with us—no matter where we are or what we are doing. Invite the children to mention other things, besides storms, that frighten them. With each scary situation a child mentions, say “Remember that Jesus is always with you!”
Then close with this simple prayer, asking the children to echo each line after you say it:
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for your loving care,
You are with me everywhere!
I’m glad that you will always stay
right beside me, night and day.
Amen.
Send the children home with their Show and Share cards and a reminder to tell their families the story of Jesus and the scary storm.
Easy Extras
Time
10 minutes
Materials
construction paper, boat cutouts, cloud cutouts, glue sticks, chalk
At your art table, set out materials for making pictures of the storm: blue construction paper, boats (printable page) cut from brown construction paper, clouds (printable page) cut from gray construction paper, glue sticks, and chalk. Help your little ones glue a boat and some clouds to the blue backgrounds. Then show them how to use chalk to scribble “rain” over their pictures. Talk about the amazing thing Jesus did to make the storm go away—and remind them that Jesus takes care of them during scary storms.
Time
10 minutes
Materials
child-sized umbrella or raincoat
Play a simple relay game with the children (playing it outdoors would be fun!). Help the children form a line, and give the child at the front of the line a small umbrella or a childsized raincoat to hold or wear. Ask the child to run to the opposite side of the room (or to a designated tree), touch it, run back to the line, and hand the umbrella or raincoat to the next child in line. Make sure all the children who wish to participate get a chance to do so. Run for fun, not competition.
Time
10-15 minutes
Materials
God Loves Me books, beanbag (optional)
You’ve already told your little ones a number of Jesus stories. If you have access to a set of God Loves Me storybooks (available from Faith Alive Christian Resources), use them to revisit the stories with the children. Here are the books that cover the stories in sessions 19-25:
Book 24: Jesus Is Born! The Story of Christmas
Book 25: Good News! The Story of the Shepherds
Book 26: An Amazing Star! The Story of the Wise Men
Book 27: Waiting, Waiting, Waiting! The Story of Simeon and Anna
Book 29: Follow Me! The Story of Jesus and His Twelve Helpers
Book 31: A Father’s Wish The Story of Jesus and a Little Boy
Book 33: Get Up and Walk! The Story of Jesus and a Man Who Couldn’t Walk
Book 35: A Scary Storm The Story of Jesus and a Stormy Sea
Give each child (or pair of children) one of the books, and encourage them to page through it, showing the pictures to the group and recalling the story.
Or, to use the books in a review game, stand up and ask the children to form a circle. Spread the books face up in the center of your circle, and give the children each a chance to throw a beanbag, attempting to land it on a storybook. With each successful attempt, ask the thrower to retrieve the book and show it (and tell its story) to the group.