Rotation.org Writing Team

JESUS HEALS TEN LEPERS

BANNER/TEXTILE WORKSHOP

PASSAGE

Story: Luke 17:11-19

Key/Memory Verses: Luke 17:15; Psalm 136:1

PURPOSE

Objectives for Rotation:

See Bible Background.

Objectives for Banner/Textile Workshop:

Children will explore the response of the ten lepers to Jesus.

Children will discuss specific things for which they are grateful in their own lives.

Children will examine what a wholehearted response of gratitude, worship, and praise might be.

Children will create a Praise and Gratitude Banner.

PREPARATION

Read Bible Background.

Materials List

• Bibles
  
• Chalk
  
• Chalkboard
  
• Cotton or muslin, white – 1 ½ yards long
  
• Dowel rod, 2” diameter/4’ long
  
• Fabric for background, heavy drapery or felt – 15” x 48”
  
• Fabric for letters, contrasting color to background material
  
• Fabric paint, metallic [Optional]
  
• Fabric trims or other embellishments such as fake jewels [Optional]
  
• Fray check
  
• Fusible web
  
• Glue
  
• Iron
  
• Ironing board
  
• Jingle bells or pony beads, small [Optional]
  
• Markers, fabric or permanent
  
• Paper
  
• Patterns for alphabet letters [Optional]
  
• Pencils
  
• Ribbon, various colors – ¼” – 1” wide
  
• Safety pins
  
• Scissors
  
• Sewing machine
  
• Thread
  

Advance Preparation

Cut heavy drapery fabric or felt into a fifteen inch by forty-eight inch piece for the banner background. Hem the two long and one short edges of the center panel of the banner, if not using felt. Make a rod pocket in the remaining end of the panel by turning under a three-inch hem and stitching closed.

Fuse the fusible web to the fabric chosen for the letters.

Cut out letters for the word “PRAISE” from paper to use as a pattern for children.

Cut ribbon into two yard lengths.

Tear white cotton or muslin fabric into three inch by one-and-one-half yard lengths. One strip is needed for each child. Place a safety pin in the middle of each strip about eight to ten inches from one end.

Before children arrive, wrap a strip of white cloth, bandage-like around your leg or arm.

PRESENTATION

Open -- Introduction

Welcome the children and open with prayer.

Children may ask about the white “bandage” you are wearing. Mention that you have a sore that you are covering. Ask if they have ever fallen and scraped a knee or elbow and needed a bandaid. Explain that the white bandage has to do with today’s story.

Say: In Bible times, people fell and scraped their legs or arms, too. Sometimes they got skin diseases. In the Bible any skin disease that could be spread to another person was called “leprosy.” A person who had a skin disease like this was called a “leper.” Spell this out on a chalkboard so the children do not confuse leper with leopard! Continue by saying that because they didn’t want others to catch the disease, lepers were kept apart from the people in their community. They were told to wear torn clothes, cover their faces, and shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” whenever anyone came near. Because lepers were forced to live apart from uninfected people, they often lived outside the towns with other lepers.

Today’s story is about a time Jesus met ten lepers and what happened.

Where would we find a story about Jesus in the Bible? [New Testament]

Today’s story is found in the Gospel of Luke. Distribute Bibles and ask the children to find it in their Bibles now.

Dig -- Main Content

Help the children locate Luke 17:11-19 in their Bibles. Read the verses as the children follow along.

Ask:

Where did Jesus meet the ten lepers? [Outside the village.]

Why were they so far from Jesus? [Lepers were required to stay away from others.]

What did Jesus tell them to do? Why? [Visiting the priest for ritual purification after being healed was a requirement of Jewish law.]

Who came back? (The Samaritan. Samaritans were also considered outcasts, so he had a double dose of exclusion – first being a Samaritan and then having leprosy!]

How did he show praise to God? [Fell at his feet, thanked him]

How did Jesus act when the leper returned to thank him? [Pleased with him, wondered where the other nine were]

What kinds of things are you thankful for?

In what ways do you praise and thank God?

How does being thankful bring you closer to God?

Praise And Gratitude Banner

Note: For large groups of children, make one banner for each class. For smaller groups, make just one banner, allowing each age group to add to the banner each week.
The banner consists of three sections: the center panel with PRAISE lettering, the white cotton strips tied to the pole on either side, and the embellishing ribbons interspersed between the cotton strips.

Remove the white “bandage” from your arm/leg.

Say: These strips remind me of the bandages the lepers used. I’m sure all the lepers were thankful they were cured and didn’t need bandages anymore. But only one took the time to come back and thank Jesus. What are some things for which you are thankful?

Use a fabric marker to write on the cotton strip the things they mentioned. Add your own thoughts, also.

Say: We’re going to use strips like this one to make a “Gratitude and Praise Banner.” It will show the things for which we are thankful and remind us to praise and thank God for them!

Give each child a strip of white fabric. Place the safety pin end at the top.

Offer markers and have the children use the markers to write, or draw, things for which they are thankful. Encourage them to think of multiple things and to fill up the strip, except for the section above the safety pin.

Have older children use pencils to trace around the letter patterns for the word “PRAISE” onto the fused fabric piece. Offer scissors and have them cut out the letters. Then place the letters so that they spell “PRAISE” vertically on the prepared fabric panel.
Using an iron, fuse the letters to the prepared panel according to package directions. Note that an adult should do this! Allow the center panel to cool.

Children may wish to embellish the letters by adding jewels, fabric trims, or metallic paint around the edges of the letters. Set aside to dry.

Assemble the Banner.

Once the paint or glue is dry, thread the PRAISE panel onto the banner pole, centering it.

Remove the safety pins from the cotton strips. Using the undecorated ends of the strips, tie each piece to the pole. Place half the strips on one side of the center panel and half on the other side.
Loop the ribbons over the pole in between the cotton strips and secure them by tying a knot next to the pole, letting the ends dangle freely.

Add bells or beads to the ends of the ribbons, if desired.

Dab the ends of the ribbon with Fray Check.

Reflect – Closing

Gather the children together to enjoy the banner’s progress or completion. Using the Psalm 136 Memory Verse, create a litany to use for a closing prayer. Have each child recite one of the items written on his or her cotton strip. The class should respond, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His steadfast love endures forever.”

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

Consider displaying the banner in worship during a telling of the story.

Adaptations -- Younger Children

Have younger children draw on their cotton strips.

Shorten the verse for the closing litany, especially early in the rotation.

Use a Bible storybook or simple flannel figures to tell the story.

Adaptations -- Older Children

Have older children prepare the center panel for the banner.

CONTRIBUTOR: Jaymie Derden