Church from Scratch in the United Kingdom made and used these videos last year and they helped bring the Christmas story into fresh focus for lots of people.
You can stream or download them, use/adapt the script, post the video files as part of your own social media output, home group discussion starters, you choose.
Imagine if Jesus was born in 2021. Mary is an ordinary teenager. Joseph a normal guy. This is a modern-day adaption of the Nativity story, released as ten episodes. The Christmas story, stripped of tinsel and myth.
Use this secular YouTube video to hold a creative discussion with the children about the Bible story of the crucifixion of Jesus
In this film, a teacher asks her class to draw an animal from your imagination. One little boy starts by colouring a page completely black and doesn't stop at that. He colours page after page completely black. Nobody understands what is going on. The boy is examined and even admitted to a psychiatric institution. In the meantime he carries on colouring pages black. At some stage someone comes up with the idea of a puzzle. They put all the black pages together and the little boy turns out to have drawn a life-size whale. He was just doing what the teacher had asked him, but his imagination was much bigger!
This idea is part of a complete Sunday School lesson on the Bible story of the crucifixion of Jesus ( Matthew 27: 39 - 66 )
How does this film apply to today's Bible story?
Just like the little boy, Jesus is busy with an assignment that goes much further than anyone can think of at that moment. The priests, law teachers and leaders of the people don't understand a thing. They don't see the bigger picture. They only see a man who cried out and is now dying on a cross. Even Jesus seems to lose the big picture at the darkest moment when he feels that God has abandoned him. But luckily God always sees the big picture...
Important questions:
It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself: - do I want to show this to the children? - does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with? If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:
Use this secular YouTube video to hold a creative discussion with the children about the Bible story.
A robot falls in love with a doll. They even get married, but one day the doll can’t do anything anymore. Her batteries are empty. As the doll comes back to life, we see the robot sitting lifelessly next to her. He has given her his batteries so that she can come back to life.
This idea is part of a complete Sunday school lesson on the Easter Bible story in Luke 23:26-56.
This video will help the children in your Sunday school lesson, youth ministry, Bible lesson, VBS, kidmin, children’s church or children’s ministry to reflect on this powerful Bible passage.
Why is this film applicable to the story of the crucifixion of Jesus?
In our story today Jesus gives his life for us. He died so that we can live again.
Important questions:
It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself: - do I want to show this to the children? - does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?
If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following three steps:
Step 1: Test the battery
What do you need:
- a battery tester - new and old batteries.
What do you do:
Do: Give each of the children a battery
Ask: How do you know if the battery has any energy?
Tell: You could put the battery into a clock to see if it will work, or you could test the battery with a battery tester.
Do: The children can take it in turns to test their battery. Is it empty, half empty or completely full?
Tell: You can’t tell just by looking if a battery is empty. Today we’re going to watch a video in which empty batteries play an important part, and are also part of the Easter story. Shall we watch?
Step 2: Watch Toy love story:
Step 3: The Easter battery
What do you need:
- two torches
What do you do:
Ask: What does this video have to do with Easter, do you think?
Tell: Just as the robot gave his life to the doll he was married to, Jesus gave his life for us. The example of the batteries is a lovely one.
Do: Show the children a torch that works because its batteries are full, and a torch whose batteries are empty. Take the batteries out of the working torch and put them in the torch that was empty.
Tell: This is just like Jesus. He knows that our batteries are empty and gives his own life giving energy to us, so that we can shine again.
Ask: - What are the empty batteries in our lives? - How come our batteries are empty? - What sort of light to Jesus’s batteries give?
Use this secular YouTube video to hold a creative discussion with the children about the Bible story.
A father made of wood has a son made of iron. The fire in his son’s heart needs feeding with wood to keep it burning. The son eats everything that is made of wood – even their house collapses. The iron son sees what this is doing to his wooden father and runs away. Because he has no more wood to feed the fire, it goes out and he nearly dies. His father then puts a windmill in his heart, which also gives him energy, and the son comes back to life.
Why is this film applicable to the story of the call of Abram?
Abram and Lot are in a struggle for water and food. As in this film, there is not enough for both of them and their families. What do you do then?
In the Bible story Abram and Lot separate. In the video the father looks for a solution which means that they can stay together. Which is better?
Important questions:
It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself: - do I want to show this to the children? - does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?
If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:
Download the PDF
Due to the length of the text this idea can be downloaded as a PDF.
Use this secular YouTube video to hold a creative discussion with the children about the Bible story.
A mouse wants to go to the moon because he thinks that the moon is made of cheese. He builds a rocket, flies off and lands on a large piece of cheese. He thinks that this is the moon, but he has landed on a large piece of cheese in the cheesemongers.
Why is this film applicable to the story of the call of Abram?
Both Abram and the mouse go on a journey because they have a dream. Abram dreams of the promised land and a large number of descendants. God has promised him this. Do they both reach their destination? Why (not)?
Important questions:
It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself: - do I want to show this to the children? - does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?
If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:
Download the PDF
Due to the length of the text this idea can be downloaded as a PDF.
Using this secular YouTube film you can talk with the children about the Bible story of Joseph reconciling with his brothers in Egypt
A ladybird dreams of being a bee and collecting pollen. But when he does meet a bee, it takes his toy away and stamps on it. Then the bee flies away. As he flies away he loses all his pollen and flies into a plant. The ladybird comes to help him, and they end up becoming good friends. The ladybird rides on the back of the bee, and together they collect lots of pollen. This works so well that all the other bees end up collecting pollen with a ladybird on their backs.
So what makes this film suitable for a discussion on the story of Joseph reconciling his brothers?
Just like the ladybird, Joseph had a dream. He dreamt that everyone would bow down to him one day. His brothers were like the bee – to start with they ignored him and treated him very badly. It seemed that there was no chance that his dream would come true.
Important questions:
It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself: - do I want to show this to the children? - does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?
If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:
Step 1 – This is what I really want to achieve… (5 minutes)
What do you need: - a soft foam ball - basket or rubbish bin
What do you do: One of the leaders holds the basket or bin high above his or her head. The children can then take it in turns to try and throw the ball into the basket while answering the following question – “This is what I really want to achieve…”
Tell the children – it’s good to have dreams, and to try to achieve things – for example winning at football or learning to swim, or playing a lovely piece of music. Sometimes we have to work really hard to reach our goals, and keep on trying until we succeed.
Step 2: Watch the video ‘Buggy’ together (5 minutes)
Step 3: Joseph’s four keys
What do you need: - four large envelopes, each with a picture of a key on them - four sheets of paper with the following words: 1 - ‘giving’ 2 - ‘don’t take revenge’ 3 - ‘show love’ 4 - ‘see God’
What do you do:
Tell the children: "This ladybird is a bit like Joseph. Just like the ladybird, Joseph had a dream. He dreamt that everyone would bow down to him one day. His brothers were like the bee – to start with they ignored him and treated him very badly. It seemed that there was no chance that his dream would come true – was there?"
Joseph discovered four keys to life that really helped him not to become bitter, but to touch his brothers’ hearts. Keys that eventually turned the situation completely around, and resulted in his whole family being reunited.
Let’s look at the four keys:
Show the children the four envelopes – open them one by one and talk with the children about the ‘key’ inside:
‘Generous’ – Joseph has a generous attitude towards his brothers – he gives them clothes, money, wagons, fertile land in Egypt, food. * - Question for the children: how hard or easy do you find it to be generous to others?
‘Don’t take revenge’ – Joseph could have made life very difficult for his brothers because of his position of power. But he doesn’t take revenge. * - Question for the children: have you ever taken revenge on someone?
‘Show love’ – Joseph chooses to love his brothers, not hate them. * - Question for the children: How do you show love in your life?
‘See God’ – Joseph chooses to see God’s hand in all that has happened to him, and to be thankful for what God has done. * - Question for the children: How was Joseph able to see God’s hand in his life, even during the hard times?
Using this secular YouTube film you can talk with the children about losing hope and go deeper into the meaning of the Bible story of Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel
An old man lives a lonely life. Sitting on a park bench he thinks back on his youth and his wife. He ends the day watching television. He wants to tell his wife something but realises she isn’t there any more. Sadly he strokes the arm of her chair.
This idea is part of a complete Sunday school lesson on Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel, as part of our series for advent and Christmas.
Why does this film go with today’s Bible story?
This film is about sadness, loneliness and lost hope. The man in the video has lost his wife. Zachariah is also a very old man who has lost his dream. He’ll never have a son, the son for which he has waited so long and prayed so hard. Or will he? Is there still hope? But surely that’s not possible?
Important questions:
It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself:
- do I want to show this to the children? - does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?
If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:
With the help of a secular YouTube film and a creative activity you can explore Jesus’ sacrificial love.
This YouTube film shows the story of a paper creature that is attacked by a pair of scissors. Rock sees what is happening and he attacks Scissors out of compassion for Paper. Rock wins from Scissors but gets wounded. Rock carries Paper to a safe place, but because in the game Paper always beats Rock, he starts to crumble even as he is carrying her to safety. He therefore demonstrates sacrificial love.
It’s easy to find a link between this story and the incident when Jesus touches the leper and makes him promise not to tell anyone. The leper does tell everyone that Jesus touched and healed him. It has been centuries since anyone healed a leper – back in the time of the prophet Elisha, when general Naaman was healed. If Jesus can heal even a leper, surely he can help anyone! As Jesus had expected, large crowds came to see him – so large that he was no longer able to go into the villages and towns. His compassion for the man with leprosy, and the fact that the man was too excited to keep it to himself meant that Jesus was forced to retreat to more remote places. Jesus experienced a degree of suffering because of his compassion for this man.
Of course you can also use this video to teach on Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection!
Themes:
Jesus healing the leper, sacrificial love, Jesus' death and resurrection
Important question:
It’s important to watch the video yourself first and to decide if you want to show it to the children? Does it fit within your context and the age of the children?
What do you do:
Step 1: Have the children play the game ‘Rock, paper, scissors’. You could play it for a few minutes and have them change partners half way through.
If you don’t know the game, you can watch this link.
Step 2: Watch the video together, and possible one more time after completing step 3.
- rock - scissors - paper - the illness leprosy - Jesus - the ill man
1. Print the six images out and show them to the children 2. Ask the children to make three pairs of the images – which ones belong together? 3. Who represents Jesus in the video? (the rock) – why do you agree or not agree? 4. Who represents the ill man? (the paper) – why do you agree or not agree? 5. Who represents the illness? (the scissors) – why do you agree or not agree?
If you are looking at the story of Bartimaeus, you can show children aged from 8 years old this film.
The film is a good starting point for a conversation! It will challenge children to think about what they can do if they see people living on the streets, or begging, whether it be in their home town, or when they are on holiday. Friendly,words may mean a lot more than just giving money.
How can you introduce the theme of 'the law' to children and teenagers?
When we look at Jesus in the Bible, he seems to have a knack for stretching the law beyond what the lawmakers of his time thought was appropriate. In their eyes Jesus was a lawbreaker.
"One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:23-27
Breaking the rules to bless someone else
When I was watching this Coca Cola commercial, I was reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan. The priest and the Levite thought that serving God in the temple was more important than helping someone on the side of the road, who could have been dead. He was dead, they would have been unclean and wouldn't be allowed to serve God in the temple They were not ready to cross their boundaries to help someone else.
In idea 217 we show you how you can use this video as:
- a short introduction to a Bible story, a Sunday school lesson, a RE lesson - a longer reflection on certain Bible stories and /or Biblical themes
Several Biblical themes in this commercial:
Talking about the law, how far can you go?, the Good Samaritan, Jesus and the law, Jesus the lawbreaker, Jesus and the sabbath, dealing with boundaries
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