February 2021
February 2021
- 1 February
- Ash Wednesday
- 8 February
- Lent 22 Feb - 22 Mar
Judges & Kings - David & Samuel
Gather
Set up your worship table or centre of the class circle with the normal time (green) cloth and take out the Bible, cross and light candle.
Opening responses
If you have school responses or opening words for collective worship say them together or say the following:
We take out the Bible
– and think about God the Father
We take out the cross
– and think about God’s son, Jesus
We light the candle
– and think about God , the Holy Spirit
If you are using this for class worship – take out the items in the box (see notes for the teacher) and place them in the centre
Big question
looking at the clues in the box, I wonder what our story might be about today?
Make connections

Engage
Read 1 Samuel 16
The Lion Storyteller Bible – Samuel the kingmaker
You can use the items in the box to help tell the story
A brief overview for the teacher
Despite his good start Saul was not a Godly king and even while he still reigned Samuel was sent to search for his replacement. The prophet travelled to the hill settlement of Bethlehem to visit Jesse and offer a sacrifice, but God had sent him there to identify the next king. Jesse’s sons were all introduced, fine men, just the sort to be a warrior king, but God made it clear to Samuel that none of them were his choice. Eventually the youngest of the family was brought in from his sheep minding to be presented to the prophet and Samuel knew that he had found the one. There in the domestic setting David was secretly anointed king, heir to Saul’s throne. It was many years later, and after a lot of heartbreak that David did become king, meanwhile it was back to the sheep.
Wondering questions
I wonder what part of the story you liked best?
I wonder what part of the story was the most important?
I wonder why God chose David?
I wonder what sort of leader David will be?
I wonder how we can look at people and know what they’re really like on the inside?
I wonder what sorts of things tell you about the inside of a person?
Read 1 Samuel 16v18 and ask pupils to listen out for the qualities David had. Ask pupils to tell you what they spotted
I wonder how these attributes might help David as he got older?
I wonder what this story helps us to think about being a good leader?
Respond
Reflection activity :
Choose a selection of the character traits cards on the attached template suitable for your class or create your own.
Instructions for pupils
Read the words on the crowns. Find a friend. Take three words that you think best describe each other. Talk about why you have chosen those words for each other. -What words would you most like people to use to describe you?
Suggested follow up discussion questions:
‘What words do you most like people to use when they describe you?’ ‘Why did you choose this card?’ ‘When have you seen them behaving this way? ’‘Have you ever told them they are like this? ’‘How much does this description match what you think of yourself? ’‘How does it feel knowing that someone else sees this as true of you?’
(Adapted from the character traits activity from Prayer Spaces in Schools)
Send
You could use this time to ask pupils who would like to say thank you prayers for the qualities they see in each other.
Notes for the Teacher
In the collective worship box each week
- Cloth using the seasonal colour of the Church’s year (this week is white or gold)
- Bible
- Cross
- Candle
For this week – a crown, a bottle of oil, 8 figures (you could use lego figures, it is to represent Jesse’s sons)
Making links
This connects with the concept of the People of God and panel 3 of the Understanding Christianity frieze you could include the people of God concept symbol in your box.
Further resources
Here is a video version of the story you could use ( it goes beyond our story today) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnNXbj6udy4
Digging deeper and learning more
We do well to remember that the Biblical narrative is endlessly driven by the purposes of God, presenting a theological perspective that may well be at odds with our current thinking. Saul was king, but Samuel was sent off on a secret mission to not only locate a replacement monarch, but to anoint him for the task, marking him out as the divine choice. The prophet duly presented himself at Jesse’s estate in the village called Bethlehem. Here, unknown to anybody but himself, Samuel inspected each of the sons, seeking the new king. None came up to the requirements of God, but on enquiry Samuel discovered that the youngest was missing, a sheep keeper poet, very unlike his brothers. This, the prophet knew, was God’s choice; secretly he anointed David king. Although he later took up a position of court musician and became a great warrior it was many years before David became king. David had his faults, but he constantly acknowledged his ultimate dependence on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Ash Wednesday
Gather
Set up your worship table or centre of the class circle with the Lent (purple) cloth and take out the Bible, cross and light candle.
Opening responses
If you have school responses or opening words for collective worship say them together or say the following:
We take out the Bible
– and think about God the Father
We take out the cross
– and think about God’s son, Jesus
We light the candle
– and think about God , the Holy Spirit
Explain that today we are thinking about a special day in the church year Ash Wednesday. The beginning of Lent (see Digging Deeper)

Wondering questions
I wonder what part of the story you liked best?
I wonder what part of the story was the most important?
I wonder why churches often make the ashes from burning the palm crosses from the year before?
I wonder why the cross mark is put on the forehead?
I wonder what things I say sorry for that I don’t really mean?
I wonder what things I should say sorry for? ( this last question leads in to the reflection activity)
Engage
Read The story of the temptations of Jesus You can read this in Matthew 4: 1-11, Mark 1: 9-13 and Luke 4: 1-13.
What do these three things have in common? A lemon, a bag of sugar, oil and some ashes Invite responses as appropriate and agree that they are linked with the start of the weeks before Easter that Christians call Lent
Sorry scenarios
Ask pupils to indicate whether they would be sorry or not sorry for a range of instances taken from the list below or your own ideas. If you have the space you can locate ‘very sorry’ at one end of the room and ‘not sorry at all’ at the other end and ask pupils to move from one end of the room to the other to show their ‘sorry rating’. In smaller groups this might naturally lead to some discussion as people try to work out where on the line they might stand
- You were asked to move your bag out of the way, and you forgot, and someone has just tripped over it and hurt themselves
- Someone who has been mean to you has lost their phone
- Your Mum baked 10 cupcakes for her friends and you ate one whilst she wasn’t looking, and now one of her friends has to go without
- You threw your plastic bottle in to a hedge as you were walking past because you couldn’t be bothered to carry it home
- Someone got hit be a car on the zebra crossing down your road
- You repeated the unkind words that somebody else had said about somebody you know and they overhead you saying it
Sometimes we are tempted and we do things that we know are wrong like stealing cakes that don’t belong to us, sometimes things happen that make us sad, but we don’t need to say sorry for them because it was not our fault at all. Sometimes we forget to do what we are supposed to, and sometimes we are just lazy. Often the bad choices that we make have an impact on others, sometimes we get away with it, but that doesn’t mean that we made a good choice in the first place. Christians believe that The Bible talks about how all of these things can add up and get in the way of a friendship with God.
Christians like to remember this more specially and at the beginning of Lent, just after Shrove Tuesday or pancake day many churches hold an Ash Wednesday service. At this service Christians are asked to think about all the things that they might not have said sorry for, and are reminded of God’s forgiveness with a symbol that is painted on their forehead. Many centuries ago covering yourself in cold ashes from a fire was a demonstration that you were really sad and sorry that something had happened. Now the symbol of a cross made from ashes (often of the palm crosses from the year before) which is mixed with some oil, is made on the forehead of each participant in the service as a sign to remind them that they have said sorry and God has forgiven them
Respond
Reflection activity :
You can use one of the following activities from Prayer Spaces in Schools
Sorry Strings
https://www.prayerspacesinschools.com/resources/40
Magnadoodles
https://www.prayerspacesinschools.com/resources/34
Fizzy forgiveness
https://www.prayerspacesinschools.com/resources/38
Send
Prayer
Dear God, please help us when we are tempted to do something we know is wrong. Help us to try our best to do the right thing. Amen
Notes for the Teacher
In the collective worship box each week
- Cloth using the seasonal colour of the Church’s year (this week is white or gold)
- Bible
- Cross
- Candle
Purple is the colour used in church during Lent (26th Feb – 10th April 2020), It will change to gold and white at Eastertide (11th April to 30th May 2020). In some churches, all the colours and hangings are taken down on Maundy Thursday so there is ‘no colour’ on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
For this week – lemon, sugar, oil, ashes, palm cross
Making links
This connects with the concept of the Gospel and panel 5 of the Understanding Christianity frieze you could include the Gospel concept symbol in your box.
Further resources
You could explore the temptations of Jesus through the following resources:
RE:Start Jesus Baptism and Temptation
Digging deeper and learning more
The season of Lent in the church is the forty days beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday. For Christians it is a time of preparation, reflection and repentance leading up to the celebrations of Easter. Many Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give something up or to volunteer and give of themselves for others.
Lent is 40 days long as it reflects the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness before he began his public ministry. I know what you are thinking…..there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday! Sundays are feast days in the church and so during Lent, Sundays are counted as ‘little Easters’ so the 6 Sundays in Lent are excluded from the 40 days.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. It is given its name because of the traditional blessing of the ashes taken after the burning of Palm crosses from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations. In Anglican churches, the ashes are used to draw a cross on the head of people to mark the beginning of their Lent fast.
Judges & Kings - Solomon
Gather
Set up your worship table or centre of the class circle with the normal time (green) cloth and take out the Bible, cross and light candle.
Opening responses
If you have school responses or opening words for collective worship say them together or say the following:
We take out the Bible
– and think about God the Father
We take out the cross
– and think about God’s son, Jesus
We light the candle
– and think about God , the Holy Spirit
If you are using this for class worship – take out the items in the box (see notes for the teacher) and place them in the centre
Big question – looking at the clues in the box, I wonder what our story might be about today?
If you are using this for class worship – take out the items in the box (see notes for the teacher) and place them in the centre
Can anyone remember what our story last week was all about?
Make connections
last week we learnt about David and how he was chosen by God to be King. David was the second King of Israel (remember last week’s story and king Saul who was the first King?)
Today we are going to move forward another few chapters in God’s big story to the book of 1 Kings. David has died and his son Solomon is now King. The first 11 chapters of 1 Kings tell us all about Solomon. He was known for his wisdom (many of the wise sayings in the book of Proverbs are credited to Solomon) and his wealth. Today’s story is all about the wisdom of King Solomon.
Engage
Read 1 Kings 3:4-15
The Lion Storyteller Bible – The Wise King
You can use the items in the box to help tell the story
A brief overview for the teacher
It was David’s great ambition to build God’s Temple in Jerusalem, but that task fell to his son, Solomon, who inherited a successful and peaceful kingdom. He formed alliances with many kingdoms and created a walled capital city. Like his father he respected and honoured God. While observing a religious festival the voice of God spoke directly to him in a dream. Solomon was offered whatever gift he desired. He chose wisdom, the ability to tell wrong from right so that he could be a good ruler. God granted that wish and was so pleased with such a simple request that Solomon was also given the things that he did not ask for, riches and honour. Up to that time worship had taken place in a special tented enclosure but eventually a magnificent Temple to God was opened for worship.
Wondering questions
I wonder what part of the story you liked best?
I wonder what part of the story was the most important?
I wonder what you think the word wisdom means?
I wonder why Solomon asked God to give him wisdom?
I wonder what helps you make wise choices?
I wonder who you think is a wise person and why?
Respond
Take a look at some examples of wise sayings known as proverbs from the book of proverbs here.
Encourage pupils to take one and spend a minute reflecting about what it might mean. Encourage pupils to talk in pairs or small groups about what they could learn from this proverb and how they could apply it to themselves and in school.
Send
Prayer
Dear God
Thank you for the story of Solomon. Help us to listen to each other and to be wise in our actions and word. Amen
Notes for the Teacher
In the collective worship box each week
- Cloth using the seasonal colour of the Church’s year (this week is white or gold)
- Bible
- Cross
- Candle
For this week
A crown, a book (to represent wisdom)
Making links
This connects with the concept of the People of God and panel 3 of the Understanding Christianity frieze you could include the people of God concept symbol in your box.
Digging deeper and learning more
The Kingdom of David marked a high point in the history of Israel, his son Solomon inherited a peaceful land taking full advantage of this. Towards the start of his reign God appeared to Solomon, offering to grant any request, the king’s choice was wisdom; the ability to exercise sound judgement and rule the nation justly. This request was granted and part of his heritage was the compilation of wise saying found in the Bible book of Proverbs. During this time of peace the nation grew richer, as God had promised, alliances were made with the larger regional powers while many rulers were curious to meet his monarch renowned for his wisdom and riches. King David had always wanted to build a permanent worship centre and had even purchased the land but it was his son who was able to build the Temple church in Jerusalem. By modern standards the building was quite modest less than thirty metres long and nine metres wide, but it was the centre of worship for the Israelite nation.
Lent - Pilgrim Pathways

During Lent this year we are encouraging our schools to use the brand-new free resource for Lent – Pilgrim Pathways
The resource has been written by the Archbishop of York Youth Trust and provides 6 weeks of content, including videos with the Archbishop of York.
Pilgrim Pathways will take pupils on a pilgrimage journey through Lent, looking at 6 different items that are important on a walking pilgrimage.
Each week will focus on a different item beginning with a lamp and followed with a map, first aid kit, walking stick, shelter and finally food & drink.
Pilgrim Pathways will help KS2 and KS3 pupils explore how these items symbolise ideas that can help them when facing challenges in their personal life journey. The resource encourages reflection and practical actions that can support pupils’ wellbeing and happiness. They are suitable for use in the classroom, as part of collective worship, or can be used for pupils learning from home.
The resources can be accessed here Pilgrim Pathways