Epiphany 6 B (February 12): Healing/Are We Rocks or Diamonds?

Bible Readings: 2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Mark 1:40-45

About the images:
Left: This is a free image from www.heartlight.org. A really great site - see my links column at left.
Right: This is a photo from my church. It shows the healing found in community. I love looking at their faces. Please feel free to use this photo for worship or related activities.

Listening Song: Never Alone
by Barlow Girl on their CD, Never Alone (pictured at left) or on WOW Hits 2005. As well as fitting in nicely with the Bible readings, this song is also very useful in areas suffering from disasters of any kind. This song is a beauty if accompanied by images of the disaster you may be focussing on.

Kids Story: The Man Who Took Seven Baths
by Joann Schek, Arch Books, 1970 (pictured at right)

Video Clip: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Copyright 1989: Paramount Pictures (pictured at left). Show the first scene straight after Paramount promo and before credits – stop where J’onn rests his head on the rider’s chest.

Discussion: Star Trek V: The Last Frontier
1. How does the caped horseman help J'onn?
2. How can we be helpers for each other?
3. What are the risks?

Drama: Look at Me
in Mega Drama 3,Open Book 2002, ISBN 0859109178 (v.3), pp 54-55 (pictured at right). This drama is based on the gospel reading.

Story: Jimmy and the Genie
Found in More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks by Wayne Rice, Zondervan, 1995 ISBN 0310207681 (pictured at left), page 96-97. The Naaman story is a Jimmy and the Genie story because the rocks turn out to be diamonds and the diamonds turn out to be rocks.

Meditation:
Give each member of the congregation a heart with a bandaid sized tear in it and mention that all of us require the healing touch of God all of the time. Invite each member of the congregation to silently write in tiny writing around the tear on their paper heart, the healing that they are looking for.Play A Day Without Rain by Enya on A Day Without Rain whilst they are doing this. Then read Pethla in He Was in the World: Meditations for Public Worship by John Bell, Wild Goose, 1995, ISBN 094798870X, pp 30-33 (pictured in an earlier blog). Finally, distribute bandaides to everyone, and invite them to place the bandaid over the tear and the words on their torn heart. Let the mended hearts be a reminder both of the healing they have received from God, and the healing that they can bring to others.

Also:

Kids: The Man with Leprosy

This is another brilliant book  by Andrew McDonough, Lost Sheep Resources, 2006. This goes with the Mark reading.  The great thing about these books is that they only around $A5 and for a further $A10 (or instead of) you can buy on line the story in any format you need to project the pictures in church.  There are also free activity sheets and for a cost activity books for both teachers and children.  Visit www.lostsheep.com.au to check out all the excellent resources.

Drama: I Was In The Race Once

Found in Let's Make Another Scene 3 by Verena Johnson, Open Book, 1995, ISBN 0859107620, page 40.  This is based on the ! Corinthians reading. 

Prayer: Christ the Healer

Found in Multi-Sensory Prayer by Sue Wallace, Scripture Union, 2001, ISBN 1859994652, page 14 and based on the 2 Kings reading reading.