Epiphany 2 - 17/01 /10

Skills and Talents

BIBLE READING 1

Corinthians chapter 12 verses 1-11

PREPARATION

You need two identical small gifts ( e.g. a packet of sweets) - one wrapped in clear plastic, so it can be seen what is inside, one badly wrapped in something like old newspaper, so that it appears unattractive and cannot be readily identified as a gift.

You may like to have an OHP or sheets of paper and felt pens available in the assembly, to record the children's suggestions of skills.

INTRODUCTION

Show the two gifts and ask one of the youngest children to come forward and choose one of the parcels to share with their class. Ask why they chose whichever parcel they did (almost certainly the one they could identify, unless they worked out this was a trick!) Ask them to open the other gift to show that the contents are actually identical.

THE MESSAGE

Explain how people are like the parcels, because inside we all have many different skills and talents - some people use their skills well and we know all about what they can do, and some people use them badly, or do not use them at all, so that they are hidden away.

Ask the children for ideas of skills or talents which people have, and establish with each one ideas of both how it could be used for good, and how it could be wasted or used for evil. ( E.g. footballers can use their skills to win games or to deliberately kick balls through windows; great writers could write wonderful novels or evil poison pen letters…etc etc) Try to encourage pupils to think about social skills, such as being a supportive listener or a good organiser, not just the obvious talents (you may have to prime an adult to introduce this into the discussion!).

Almost two thousand years ago a great missionary called Paul wrote a letter to a church in Corinth (in Greece) about people and their talents. We still have his letter today in the Bible. It sounds from his letter as if the people in the church were arguing about which talents were most important and who were the most important people in the church. Paul's answer to this problem was that all these different talents were given to people by God, one wasn't any more important than the other. His message was that people should not get upset because someone else was good at something, and they weren't; instead they should discover what their own special gifts and talents are, and use them well.

So. . . which parcel do you think you are like? The one which shows what's inside and which people like? Or the one which hides all its good things inside and spoils them? (You are not expecting public answers to this question!)

PRAYER

Thank you for all the gifts and talents that everyone is born with, and ask that these may be developed effectively.