It was really good to see the children back after the Christmas break.
We started our session by making Matzo bread (unleavened bread)
they made 2 flatbreads each and put them on baking trays to be
cooked ready for their snack.
In news time we heard from everyone about their Christmas presents
and wonderful celebrations with families together.
We broke the very sad and upsetting news to the children about the
recent loss of our friend Carl. Some of the children remembered
him for the wonderful session they spent with him making bug boxes
and later selling them for charity. A lovely man who will be sorely
missed.
We then spent time remembering back to Operation Isaiah, last year’s
Christmas play, and listened again to the prophesies about Jesus and
his birth from Isaiah and Micah. We thought about what a special baby
Jesus was and went over some of the events after he was born, up to
him becoming a boy, around the same age as some of our JAM
children.
Just to check the ages of the children we played a few games..
Without talking they had to get into age order, then shoe size, height
and then birthday month order.
After this, we listened to the story of Jesus at the age of 12 travelling to
the Passover festival in Jerusalem with his family, to celebrate this
annual event. They celebrated and remembered how God had rescued
them out of slavery from the Egyptians years ago. Because they had
had to leave in such a hurry, they made flat bread (bread without
yeast) to eat on the journey.
We heard how after the celebration, Mary and Joseph left for Galilee
with other relatives and friends but, after travelling for a day, realised
that they hadn’t seen Jesus and that he had been left behind in
Jerusalem.
They swiftly returned to Jerusalem where, after a 3-day search, they
found him in the temple listening and talking with the teachers of the
law. These religious leaders were astonished at his understanding of
God and the scriptures. God was certainly preparing Jesus for his
mission ahead.
Mary and Joseph asked Jesus “Why had he done this to them?” they
were worried and had been franticly looking everywhere.
Jesus reply was “Didn’t you guess that I would be here in the temple,
in my Father’s house?”.
We watched Superbook and Saddleback videos to reinforce the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ig5yHuk0wQ (Superbook:
showing second part of the story)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_3gvIWzbw (Saddleback: play
from 1 minute 43 secs onwards)
We talked about how they, our JAM children, just like Jesus at that age,
are learning and growing in knowledge and wisdom too and how we all
grow in faith as we learn and share together, no matter what age we
are, we are all equal in God’s eyes. Even as children, they are
important members of our Church here in Wroxham.
We read out to the children the feedback we had received from church
members who had attended Operation Isaiah and the pleasure this
had given to them.
The children were visibly touched by the positive comments, many
grinning from ear to ear.
We wondered, as a group, what God has in store for us in the year
ahead, and for us here at JAM too; how is God preparing us to serve
him this year?
In our prayer time we gave thanks for 2024, said sorry for when we
messed up and thought ahead to 2025 praying for others who needed
God’s love and strength. We asked for God’s help in 2025 in all we do,
especially in particular where we are needing God’s help and guidance
We then practiced a new song suggested by Rev Ian Fosten (which they
loved) so that we are ready to sing it at Family service, in 2 weeks’
time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx8jkyxraAM
We ate the flat bread with cheese & Jam (strawberry) cooked perfectly
by Felicity.
We ended the session with some members playing a ‘find Jesus game’
(another made- up board game!) and others chose to make glow-inthe-
dark posters of Jesus (light of the world).
Daylight In the dark
Many thanks to Felicity for her help this session.