Godly Play - The Good Samaritan Before the Biblezone session. Learn the script off by heart. Practise telling the story. The text in the left column is the actions. The text in the right column is the words to say. Sometimes actions and words are to be done at the same time, and this is indicated by an arrow. If the text is in italics, then these words are suggestions, possible responses to children s comments. The Godly Play Foundation has produced some videos which are a helpful guide in setting the tone and style of the storytelling. www.youtube.com/user/godlyplayfndn/videos Setting the scene. You may wish to set up a focal table behind you. This is a Godly Play resource featuring the Holy Family, the risen Christ and a large candle. During the Biblezone session Take your time, don t rush. Let the children engage with the story. Do not worry if there is silence or if there is chat. Every group is different. Remember to focus everything on the story no eye contact unless directed by the script! Always hold objects and characters in the flat of your hand. After the Biblezone session Do not worry if the children appear to have a different understanding of the story than is traditionally taught. The important thing is that they have experienced it in a way that is meaningful to them; they are on a personal journey. Pictures are from the storyteller s perspective. Creating the scene and asking questions Actions Settle the group into a circle. Place the gold box in the middle of the circle. Speak gently, looking at the box. Look. The box is the colour of gold. Gold is very precious and valuable. Perhaps there is something valuable inside. There could be a parable inside. Parables are very valuable. They are worth even more than gold. The box looks like a present. You know, there may be a parable inside, because you were given parables as a present, even before you were born. Even if you don t know what a parable is, it is still yours. page 1 0f 8
Open the box. Put the lid on its side, at the front of the box, creating a wall and blocking the children s view of the contents. Place the box to your side. The box looks old. Parables are also old. They are older than you, and they are older than me. They are even older than your grandmother or grandfather; they are almost two thousand years old. I wonder if there is a parable inside. I have an idea. Let s look and see. Take out the large brown fabric and place in a crumpled mess in the middle of the circle. Feel free to touch the fabric and examine it. Have eye contact with the children, to encourage them to respond. Give a little time for the children to suggest ideas before giving some suggestions. Fold or twist or wear the fabric depending on the children s suggestions. Gently smooth the cloth into a rectangle, in the middle of the circle. Have the longer side facing the storyteller. Hmm. I wonder what this could be. I wonder what this could really be. There is so much brown. There is no green at all. Look, there is no blue. There is nothing but brown. I wonder what it could be. A giant cookie to nibble on? A mountain to climb? A choc ice to eat? A blanket to keep you warm? It is hard to know what this could really be if there is only brown. Let s see if there is anything else in the box to help us. Take out the long black strip. Lay it diagonally across the underlay, starting from the left corner, closest to the storyteller. page 2 0f 8 Now, I wonder what this could be. What could it really be?
Give a little time for the children to suggest ideas. Touch the fabric in a way to emphasise their ideas, fingers jumping over a wall or swimming through a river. It could be a crack. Perhaps the whole thing is going to break into two pieces? Is it a fence? Road? River? Let s see if there is anything else to help us. Take out the city of Jerusalem the larger city. Place it flat in your hand keeping your hand open and flat, and show it to each child. Place it at one end of the road, the left corner nearest the storyteller, facing towards the children. Repeat with the second city, Jericho, and place it at the other end of the road, on the far right. Look back at the scene. Run your fingers from Jerusalem to Jericho. Oh, look. It is a road. It is going from this place to this place. But there is more. Take out the two black shapes. Look at this. Hold the shapes up to the light then hold them over your eyes. Place the shapes on either side of the road at the mid-point. Take out the two robbers. Hold flat in both hands, show to the children, and then place each one underneath the black shapes. Sit back, eyes cast down. When you and the children are ready, begin. I wonder what these could be. There is no light in them at all. They are like shadows. Let s see what else there is to help us make the parable. Now I think we have everything we need. We re ready to begin. page 3 0f 8
Telling the Story There was once someone who did such amazing things and said such wonderful things that people followed him. As they followed him they heard him speaking of many things. Sometimes people asked him questions. One day a person asked him a question: What is the most important thing in life? The person he asked said: You already know. That is true, I do, the person replied. It is to love God and love your neighbour. The person paused a while and then asked, But who is my neighbour? Take out the traveller, place in your open hand and show to the children. The person he asked then told this parable. Keep the traveller flat in your open hand and place him at the Jerusalem end of the road. Move him slowly along the road as you speak. There was once a man who was going from Jerusalem down to Jericho. As he went along his way he was attacked by robbers. Stop at the mid-point of the road, between the two black shapes. Firmly place a robber diagonally on top of the traveller. Firmly place the second robber on top, making a cross shape over the traveller. Remove the robbers, to the box or to the side. Place the traveller lying down, at the side of the road, near a black shape. page 4 0f 8 They hurt him, took everything that he had, and left him by the side of the road half dead.
Show the priest to the children, flat on your hand, and then slowly start his journey from Jerusalem, down the middle of the road. There was also a great priest of the Temple who went on the road from Jerusalem down to Jericho. As he went along his way, he came to the place where the person was who had been hurt, had everything taken from him, and had been left by the side of the road half dead. When the priest arrives where the traveller is, move him to the other side of the road to the traveller. Finish the journey to Jericho then remove the priest from the scene. Show the Levite to the children, flat on your hand, and then slowly start his journey from Jerusalem, down the middle of the road. When the priest came to him, the priest went to the other side and went along his way. There was also someone else who worked at the Temple who went from Jerusalem down to Jericho. He was one of the people who helped the priests. He took care of the Temple and helped with the music. He was called a Levite. When the Levite arrives where the traveller is, move him to the other side of the road to the traveller. Finish the journey to Jericho, then remove the Levite from the scene. Show the Samaritan to the children, flat on your hand, and then slowly start his journey from Jerusalem, down the middle of the road. When the Levite came to the place where the person was who had been hurt, had everything taken from him, and had been left by the side of the road half dead, he went to the other side, and he went along his way. There was also a person who went on the road who did not live in Jerusalem. He was visiting from a country called Samaria. The people in Samaria did not like the people in Jerusalem, and the people in Jerusalem did not like the people from Samaria. page 5 0f 8
Move the Samaritan to the traveller. When the stranger came to where the person was who had been hurt, had everything taken from him, and had been left by the side of the road half dead, the stranger went to him. Show the image of the Samaritan placing the cloak over the traveller, then place it on top of the Samaritan and the traveller. The stranger put medicine on the places where the person was hurt. He gave him his coat to put on. Show the last image, of the man travelling with the donkey and then place it on top of the pile. He then put him on his donkey Pick up the pile of figures in the flat of your hand and move them slowly down the road, stopping just outside Jericho. and took him to a place to spend the night. The stranger even stayed with him all night, and in the morning he gave the innkeeper enough money for him to stay there until he was well. page 6 0f 8
Sit back and ponder the parable. I wonder When ready, line up all the figures to your left on the fabric. Place the traveller furthest away and separate from the other characters. The covering pieces can be returned to the box. Place the priest next to the traveller. Pause in case any child wishes to answer. Repeat with each character. Be accepting if the pupils give different answers or disagree. Move the traveller to join the other characters and replace with a robber. Now, I wonder, who was the neighbour to the person who was hurt had everything taken from him, and was left by the side of the road half dead? I wonder if it could be this one. I wonder if it could be this one. This one? Could it be this one? I wonder if it could be this one? I wonder who is the neighbour to this one? Ahh. That s not so easy, is it? Place each character next to the robber, and ask if they are the neighbour to the robber. Could it be this one? How about this one? Who is the neighbour to this one? Repeat with different combinations of characters. If is appropriate, extend the wondering. Now I wonder what would happen if the people in the parable were women and not men? I wonder what would happen if the person finding the injured traveller was a child? page 7 0f 8
Tidying up Carefully pick up each piece one at a time, naming them, then place gently back in the box. Fold up the road and the fabric. Here is the traveller. The Samaritan. The priest. The Levite. The two thieves. The rocks. The cities. The road. Close the box. page 8 0f 8