This term our Schools team wanted to help children face the changes of a new school year by telling them a parable – an everyday story with a heavenly meaning.
We began by thinking about why people don’t like facing change. Is it because it is too scary, fear of getting hurt or that things may not be recognisable after the change has happened? We then thought about what might persuade people to change. We concluded that we can’t grow as people or enjoy new things without change, it is part of our lives, and God is watching over us and looking after us throughout all the changes we face.
We needed to find a creative, but recognisable setting for the theme of change. We landed on the idea of the transformation of caterpillars into butterflies and what it would be like if a caterpillar was either excited, undecided, or scared about becoming a butterfly. During our assembly, we creatively transform ourselves into caterpillars. We look ridiculous as we argue with one another about whether or not to become a butterfly until, finally, even the most anxious caterpillar is persuaded to make the change. We draw out that becoming a butterfly will be okay because the Gardener is always there to take care of us throughout every situation is our lives.
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We hope that by telling a parable it will allow the children to reflect on how the story applies to their own lives. We conclude our assembly with some questions, enabling the children to see the deeper meaning behind the parable, and a prayer or time of reflection. We pray that God will work through our story in the way He works through the parables He told, provoking the children and teachers to think about where they are in the story and how God is involved in their lives.