Monday, June 9, 2014

Safe in a Shipwreck

Based on Acts 26 & 27


Paul was on trial before King Agrippa.  When it came time for him to tell his story, he talked about Jesus instead.  He told King Aprippa about Jesus and about why he believed Jesus was the Son of God.  When he was done, the king asked Paul, “Are you trying to turn me into a Christian too?”  Agrippa decided that Paul must go to Rome to speak with Caesar.  He would sail on a big ship with other prisoners.

The prisoners were put on a boat and they sailed across the open sea.  They sailed along slowly for many days.  After a lot of time had passed, the sailing had become dangerous.

So Paul gave them a warning.  “Men,” he said, “I see that our trip is going to be dangerous.  The ship and everything in it will be lost.  Our own lives will be in danger also.”  But they didn’t listen to what Paul said.  Instead, they followed the advice of the captain and the ship’s owner.  The harbor wasn’t a good place for ships to stay during winter.  So most of the people decided they should sail on. 

Shortly after they had set out, a strong wind blew.  It had the force of a hurricane.  The ship was caught by the storm and tossed to and fro.  The ship took a very hard beating from the storm.  Some gave up all hope of being saved.  Paul said, “Men, continue to be brave.  I have faith in God.  It will happen just as God told me.”

When daylight came, they saw a bay with a sandy beach.  They didn’t recognize the place, but they decided to run the ship onto the beach if they could.  They headed for the beach, but the ship hit a sandbar and got stuck fast.  The back of the ship was broken to pieces by the pounding of the waves.

The soldiers were afraid the prisoners would escape and thought about killing them.  But the kind commander wanted to save Paul’s life.  So he kept the soldiers from carrying out their plan and ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and swim to land.  The rest had to get to shore by hanging onto boards or other pieces of the ship.  Everyone reached land safely. 

Discussion Questions


  • When Paul was on trial what did he talk about?  Jesus
  • He had to go on a ship ride.  Was the ride smooth?  No it was very windy and dangerous
  • Did Paul remain brave when the ship was in the bad storm? Yes.  He told the others to be brave God would protect them.
  • Did they make it to the beach safely?  Yes



Prayer


Dear God,
Thank you for reminding us to be brave even in the storms of life.  We know we can always trust you in all situations.  Thank you for that blessing. Amen.


Bible Verse for May



“Love your neighbor.”   Matthew 22:39


Activity:  See, Feel, Hear

Supplies:         
  • Large sheet of plain white paper
  • Markers
  • Watch
  • Tape


Prepare:

Tape the sheets of plain paper on three walls.  Then write the word “See” on one sheet,
“Feel” on another sheet, and “Hear” on the third sheet.

Guide Your Child To:

Say:  Imagine that you are on a ship that is wrecking.  What kind of thing might you see? (waves, sharks, people swimming)  What kinds of things might you feel? (wet, afraid, cold,
seasick)  What kinds of thing might you hear? (water rushing, people yelling, people praying)

You can write the answers down or the children can write the answers or draw pictures of how they
 might see, feel, or hear. 

Ask:  What are some good feelings, sights, and sounds that you wrote or drew?  Our Bible story
tells us about a shipwreck.  The people of the ship with Paul may have had some of the
experiences we have described here today.  God kept Paul and his friends safe as they escaped a
very frightening situation. 

Remind the children we do not need to fear when God is with us.  Now talk about how God made them feel safe in a very scary situation.