Body of Christ

Drama Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will create a “Church Machine” with their bodies, acting out the work of the church.

Objectives for this workshop:

Children will...

• Understand that the Church, as the Body of Christ, is for doing Christ’s work
• Compare body parts with machine parts working together
• Explore how the church works together to do Christ’s work

Workshop Preparation:

• Be familiar with the lesson plan, the Bible story and the wondering statements.

Supplies:

• Children’s Bible
• Chart paper or poster board

References: Ritz, Randy L. Act it Out! 20 Terrific Techniques for Teaching Any Bible Story. Standard Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio. 1999

Lesson Plan

Opening:

Greet the children and introduce yourself. (Remember, you are interacting with a different group of students each week who may not know you.)

Explain the purpose of this workshop: Today we are going to create a “Church Machine” with our bodies.

9:47 Memory verse

Our memory verse is from 1 Corinthians 12:27: All of you together are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of that body.

Dig:

9:50 Scripture Story 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, 27

Prepare the children for the story they will hear:
After Jesus went up to heaven, sometimes people in the first churches got jealous of each other and had arguments about who was greater. The Apostle Paul wrote letters to churches that were fighting among themselves and reminded them that they were supposed to be like Jesus new body, working together to do Jesus’ work. This story comes from a letter from Paul in the Bible, called the first letter to the Corinthians. Listen to the word of God:

Older Children: Read from the Children’s Bible.
Younger Children: Read the following, edited for simplicity or underline in light pencil what to read in a children’s Bible

quote:

A person’s body is only one thing, but it has many parts. Yes, there are many parts to a body, but all those parts make only one body. Christ is like that too. [We are all different] But we were all baptized into one body through one Spirit [the Holy Spirit]. And we were all made to share in the one Spirit.
And a person’s body has more than one part. It has many parts. The foot might say, “I am not a hand. So I am not part of the body.” But saying this would not stop the foot from being a part of the body. The ear might say, “I am not an eye. So I am not part of the body.” But saying this would not make the ear stop being a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, the body would not be able to hear. If the whole body were an ear, the body would not be able to smell anything. If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But truly God put the parts in the body as he wanted them. He made a place for each one of them. And so there are many parts, but only one body.
…
27All of you together are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of that body.

I wonder…

• Remember that you do not have to use all the “I wonder” statements—gauge your use of these discussion starters according to your students’ needs.
• Remember that silence is an appropriate response to an “I wonder” statement and to allow silent time for children to wonder with you before answering.
• Feel free to wonder out loud with the children, but resist the impulse to give the “right” answers. We are all in conversation with scripture. Sometimes the answer is the conversation.

I wonder what is the body of Christ…
I wonder what it feels like to be a part of the body of Christ…
I wonder how I am a part of the body of Christ…
I wonder how it feels to be a foot or an eye or a kneecap…
I wonder what part of the body you are…
I wonder how our church is like a body…
I wonder how people in our church work together…
I wonder if any parts are missing or need help…

Lesson Activity: "The Church Machine"
(Note: When I observed this workshop, the leader missed the point that the kids were supposed to work in concert as one machine with different parts. She had them acting as individual machines.)

• Ask the children to name some machines and what the machines do.
• Tell the children that they will make a “machine” that does the work of the church.
• If it hasn’t come up in discussion already, guide the children to think of the church as Christ’s body because the church does Christ’s work. Christ is the head, telling the church, his body, what to do.
• Ask the children to name some of the things that Christ has told the church to do. (Examples: feed the poor, visit the sick, love your neighbor, pray, tell others about Jesus)
• Get the children to give specific examples (e.g.: hand out food, give money, rake leaves, kneel in prayer, invite someone to church) and list them on the chart paper.
• Each child will need to pick an action (with or without sound effects) to repeat in the church machine.
• Form one large circle. Chose a child to come to the center of the circle and begin his or her action.
• When the first child has established a rhythm (after a few seconds), have another child join the machine, getting “in rhythm” with the first child. Continue adding parts until all the children (and workshop leader and shepherd, if necessary) are a part of the machine.
• Let the machine run 1-2 minutes.
• Talk about the machine—How well did it work? Did the parts work together? Did anything “break down?” How could the machine be “fixed?” I wonder how the Church is like our machine…
• If time and interest permit, create another machine with new actions & discuss it, or go on to the journaling activity.

Reflection:

Pass out journals pages. Before giving the children their markers or crayons talk about the journal activity. What does your family do to help with the work of the Church? How do you help?

Closing Prayer–led by the SHEPHERD:
“Dear Jesus, thank you for giving each of us jobs to do in the church. ...Amen

A lesson from First Presbyterian Church
Nevada, MO

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