Jesus Meets the Samaritan Woman

[John 4:1-42]

Intro: Who would you never speak to? Or is there someone you’re told you should never speak to? Is it someone in the other class at school or is it someone in a different school? Is it someone who supports [insert name of rival football team]? Well when Jesus was on earth a Jew like Jesus would have never, ever, ever have spoken to a Samaritan. The Jews really hated them but Jesus wasn’t like that. He didn’t mind where people came from, or what race they were, he just wanted them to know how to be friends with God.

Games: To introduce the idea of differences and similarities between people

1. I Have Never - Have one child in the middle of a circle who must think of something they have never done. Everyone else who has also never done this must swap places and the person in the middle will try and sit down. Whoever is left without a seat is the next person to think of what they’ve never done. For older children: have them swap places if they have done what the person in the middle has never done. Some helpful questions to ask kids whose minds have gone blank:
   Have you broken any bones?
   What country haven’t you been to? (With suggestions if necessary)
   Is there something you haven’t eaten?
   Which school do you go to? Now name a different school you’ve never been to?

2. Sheet Surprise - Separate your class into two, roughly even, groups. It can be random, by age or gender whatever works out best. Have two leaders hold up a bedsheet between the two groups (if you can only spare one leader for some reason try securely fixing the other end to something). Get the two teams to muddle up and then quietly send one person to stand next to the sheet. Count to three then drop the sheet. The person who recognises and shouts out the other person’s name first wins that round. Repeat until everyone who wants a turn has had a go. For round a table Try and string the sheet down the middle of the table and then have each team quietly swap chairs then guess who is opposite. If a sheet isn’t an option trust them to close their eyes until you say ‘open’.

Drama:

Create some sketches based on what the Samaritan woman would have said to the men she told about Jesus. What would she say to them? How would they react?
Split them into small groups and give them the job of the man she was talking to as a starting point: Butcher, baker, candlestick-maker, tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, etc.

Ask someone to act as the Samaritan Woman and read this Script, you’ll need a leader to interview her. We had a ‘special guest’ from our church come in each week of the series as the character in modern dress. We called the character Sam as that was easy but you don’t have to mention a name. Our special guest was an Austrailian church member whose accent stood out in a mostly British church any accent (real or fake) could work as could an item of clothing that would act as marker of coming from another culture (wearing a winter coat and scarf in summer or vice versa), if you’re happily in a multi-cultural context you’ll have to work harder or invent one. You could easily have a leader or an older child read it out.

Activity: To recap the lessons learned in the series so far

Write a postcard from one of the people Jesus met. The shepherds, the wise men, Philip, Nathanael, Nicodemus or the Samaritan woman. Ask them to think about what picture they would put on the front and why. What would that character say to a friend of theirs about Jesus?

Songs:
Super Saviour - Colin Buchanan
Living Waters - Keith and Kristyn Getty

Memory Verse:

John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

Play pass the parcel and have inside each layer a few words from the memory verse. Play any of the songs from this series and whoever is holding the parcel when the music pauses gets to unwrap a layer and read the words. You could include a sweet in each layer (please be aware of dietry requirements and how much waste plastic can go into individually wrapping sweets though!) and make sure to have some spare treats in case there are more children then layers. In the middle you could have the memory verse or what ever you need for the next activity (blank postcards/a sheet) or a bottle of water!