Lent 1

Bible Reading

Genesis chapter 9 verses 8-17 

Theme: The Rainbow People of God

Preparation

This act of worship is only loosely linked with the Scripture reading, which is actually the last part of the story of Noah’s Ark where God gives the world the rainbow – a sign of his promise that he will never again destroy the world by flooding.  The rainbow is, however, a potent symbol of promise, peace and harmony – and it is used this way in a traditional South African legend beloved by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who often referred to the people of South Africa as “the rainbow people of God”.

Have some photographs of rainbows to show and some coloured ribbons or similar in as many of the colours of the rainbow as possible

Introduction

Ask children about their favourite colours.  Invite those who express a strong preference to come up to the front and hold a ribbon in the colour they have chosen.

The Message

Introduce the story as an African legend.

God loved his people whom he had made very much.  His people enjoyed meeting each other, talking with each other, and caring for each other.  The world was a happy place. Then one day the people found some coloured ribbons lying on the ground.  They thought they looked very pretty and they began to collect them up.  Some chose blue ribbons because they thought these were the best (get the blue group ton wave their ribbons enthusiastically)  some chose ….( repeat the roll call of colours for all the different ribbons you have collected).

Suddenly the wind blew hard and cold.  The people shivered and began to look at each other suspiciously.  They began to gather together in little groups – the blues got together in one corner and glared at the others (send the blues to one corner – then repeat with the other colours).  They forgot that they cared for each other.  They forgot they used to like each other.  They began to build walls around their little areas to keep each other out. 

But then they found that things were difficult for them : the blues had food but no water.  The reds had water but no food.  The yellows had warm shelter, but nothing to eat or drink (etc).  

They were miserable for a long time.  Them somebody older and wiser, who remembered what it was like at the beginning in God’s beautiful creation, decided to be brave:  “Come on out everybody” he called.  “What are we all afraid of each other for?  Let’s talk to each other and start sharing things again.”

Gradually the people came out from behind their walls.  They began to talk to each other again.  They remembered that they used to care for each other.  They remembered that they used to share things with each other.  They decided to knock the walls down and to become friends again.

When they realised that it was a silly argument about the best colour that had divided them, they wanted to throw their coloured ribbons away.  But they knew that they would miss all those beautiful colours.  So instead they mixed all the colours together (show your rainbow image and perhaps ask some children to plait some of the ribbons)  and the rainbow became their symbol of love and peace.

If appropriate you may like to unpack this story further in discussion with your children about the rainbow colours of the people of the world today, and living in harmony now.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Help us to become rainbow people, to work for justice and peace, to bring people together, and to share all that we have.

Amen

Also this week you could continue the rainbow theme with Sunday's reading - the story of Noah with the rainbow as a symbol of the covenant betwen God and mankind and a sign of hope - remember this is the meaning of the story - not the animals!