God is... polite and helpful.2. BE POLITE AND HELPFUL
How to use these suggestions
These are not ready made assemblies - you will need to do some preparatory work, however I hope these suggestions will give you starting points.
The suggestions fall into three groups.
- God is... Connecting human values to Christian beliefs about the nature of God.
- Stories relevant to the rule.
- Words for reflection on the rule.
Comments
The last rule and this one overlap considerably, so you may be able to use suggestions from that section here. Being polite and helpful also involves ideas like generosity, hospitality and unselfishness. These virtues have to do with not making it hard for others to be themselves - respecting them and giving them space. Helpfulness also implies reliability and faithfulness.
1. God is...
Christians believe that we are made in the image of God. Therefore our values reflect our ideas of God.They are not arbitrary, nor do they just apply to children. They are an expression of what we believe is at the heart of God.
Reflecting on this takes us beyond mere " oughtism" and dry morality, and counters the danger that this sort of assembly only touches social and moral dimensions of life and ignores the spiritual.An important Christian belief is that God has given us freedom. He doesn't make us obey him. Like the Father in the story of the Prodigal son, he waits for us to come to him. However we also believe that God is always longing to help us. He is a God who welcomes us and offers hospitality. The image of the great feast occurs throughout the Bible, with God as the welcoming host. 'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.' (Psalm 23) Psalm 65 speaks of God speaks "crowning the year with your bounty" and describes the land overflowing with crops and herds. The Psalmists also talk of God as our help and strength. They describe him as a rock and a fortress, a protector in times of trouble.
2. Stories
- Moses helps the daughters of Jethro. Exodus 2:15 - 21
- Abigail helps David. 1 Samuel 25:1 -42
- A servant girl helps Naaman the leper. 2 Kings 5: 1- 14
- The Good Samaritan. Luke 10 : 25 - 37
- A paralysed man is lowered through the roof by his friends. Luke 5:17 - 26
- Paul is helped by Ananias Acts 9 : 10 - 19
- The great feast. Luke 14 : 15 - 24
- I lift up my eyes to the hills, but where does my help come from? My help comes from God. ( The psalm of a person feeling scared and looking for help Psalm 121
3. Words for reflection
You might need to paraphrase a little. I have only used words from the Bible, but you could use other proverbs or poems in the same way. To avoid making assumptions about the children's own beliefs, it would be wise to explain that these were the words of Jewish or Christian people, expressing the way they understood things, e.g. “someone wrote these words in the Bible a long time ago. I wonder whether you agree with them / what you think about them / how they make you feel/ what you think he might have felt or meant by them."
You could,
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