Images of God Week 3: God as the fountain of living water

Opening Session  Have you ever done something that didn’t end up the way you thought it would?  Have you ever built a sand castle at the beach? What happens after several hours?

Read Together Jeremiah 2:4-13

Focus Groups Minutes Children  ‘Carrying the Water’ Game For this game, every child will need two cups (one with water, one without) and a drinking straw. Have kids stand against one wall, and give each child a straw. Place cups with water on the ground near each child while placing empty cups on the floor about 10 feet away. Demonstrate how to hold water in the straw by dipping it in the cup, plugging the top with a finger, and lifting the straw. On “go,” give kids 60 seconds to see how much water they can transfer to their empty cups using only their straws.  Read aloud John 4:7-10. Talk about a time you were really thirsty and how you quenched your thirst.John 4:7-10  Read aloud John 4: The woman drew water at the well, just like you drew water with your straws. Jesus, though, talked about a different kind of water.John 4:11-14 Adults  Read and Discuss the article: com/filling-broken-cisterns/

Creating for Worship Rehearse a Dramatic Story  Read and role play the Bible story of the Samaritan Woman at the well (see script)  Plan to rehearse and possibly incorporate into the church service for next week ~OR~ Water Activity  Supplies: Small cups, Tap water, Bottled water, Salt water, Fruit flavored water, Vinegar, Food coloring  Prepare cups with the different kinds of water: tap water, bolted, water, salt water, fruit flavored water, tap water with vinegar, tap water with food coloring. Prepare enough cups for each person to taste at least one cup.  Sit around a table and distribute one kind of water at a time. Ask those who have tasted the water to describe it. When all the kinds of water have been tasted and described, ask the group which water they liked the best. Why? Which water would they want to share with their friends?  Sometimes the things we do or say can make the living water God wants us to share look dirty or taste yucky. What can we do or say to share good clean water?