We started our session by completing a “Lets be Friends sheet” for our shoe boxes; each one gives a little information about who filled the shoe box.

Our session today was continuing with stories about the life of Jesus and the people he helped and healed.  We also spent some of the session talking about our shoe boxes and the children that might receive them.

Looking at the story of the 10 lepers, written by Luke in 60AD; Luke was a Gentile, not a Jew and a doctor and he writes wanting to show us that Jesus came to the world for everyone, Jew, Gentile, rich, poor; an extraordinary Saviour for ordinary everyday people.

We read about Jesus again and again caring and helping the people on the margins of society, the outcasts; the people no one cared about, the sick, the unclean, the beggars, the sinners. 

Today’s story shows Jesus healing ten men who had been cast out by society due to their illness. They all had a skin disease called leprosy.

You can read the story in Luke 17 verses 11-19. Jesus heals 10 lepers and only one returns to say thank you, he was a Samaritan, a foreigner.

We watched the story again in Lego form

You can watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVBZHz8oRp0

We retold the story in a modern parable about William, a boy that was super kind and helpful; often his good deeds went unnoticed and generally, William didn’t mind, as he didn’t do kind things to get praise.  However, William went through a period of difficulties and stress and started to feel low and uncared for. Luckily others noticed, realising that they had taken him, and his kind helpful ways, for granted. William needed some encouragement and thanks himself, for once. When this happened, he felt loads better as well as loved and appreciated.

The story tells us that it’s no use feeling thankful and keeping it to ourselves, we need encouragement and appreciation, and so do others, from us.

In our bible story only one man remembered to be thankful and so returned to tell Jesus.   We wondered if there was anyone who we should have thanked, but haven’t yet?

We thought about how we could thank them this week.

We listened to a Song –“Thankful” by juicebox jukebox

We prayed thanking God for all the things we take for granted friends, family, doctors, teachers but also the peace and safety we have in this country and we prayed for war torn countries, children living in fear.

We prayed our shoe boxes would be a real blessing to the children that would receive them.

We presented the children’s Books for 52nd church Anniversary, which were gratefully received. The books had been blessed by Carole in the Anniversary service, the previous Sunday.

And then We watched the short video (WOW!) Mark and Debra Watkins had shown in church.

Finally, we made forest animal toys out of felt, to add to our shoe boxes; Mark and Debra said that including something made with our own hands helped to make each box special and more personal.