Guardians Of Ancora Bible Plan: Jesus And The Roman OfficerSample

UNWORTHY? DEFINITELY NOT!

Very few people get to meet members of the British Royal family face to face. Even people who receive an honor such as a knighthood from her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II only exchange a few words with her during the ceremony. Why? Because she is who she is. She is royal, she is the queen and, to a large extent, she is separate from her people.

The Roman officer recognized that Jesus was someone very special. As a result, he felt that he was unworthy and that Jesus might be too important to give him much time or attention. How wrong he was! And yet, as the story unfolds, we read how Jesus graciously played it the way the soldier wanted, and responded to his great faith by healing his servant from a distance.

Let’s remember that it is Jesus who said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary … and I will give you rest’. Let’s appreciate what a privilege it is to come into Jesus’ presence whenever we want to and ask him for whatever we need. Awesome stuff!

TALKABOUT

When the Jewish friends first asked Jesus to help a Roman, how did Jesus respond? What does that tell you about Jesus?

TALKING WITH GOD TOGETHER

Choose a phrase related to today’s Bible reading: maybe, ‘Help me to trust you, Lord.’ Try the ancient method of ‘breath prayers’, quietly together. Close your eyes and be calm, as you start to feel the rhythm of your breathing. Repeat the phrase silently, over and over, for about a minute (or longer, if you’re all at ease with the stillness).

PLAYING GUARDIANS OF ANCORA

Switch on your game device, go to the Spire and select the Bible Quest ‘Jesus and the Roman Officer’ (tap the ‘game-controller’ icon). If you have several devices, play the game at the same time. Or watch each other play, in turn.

Have you completed the first chapter of ‘Jesus and the Roman Officer’? See how you get on with Chapter 2 today.

Find the Roman officer who’s in charge. His servant is ill. He’s got Jewish friends, and they’re offering to help him! Some go to find Jesus so that he can heal the servant.

See what happens in the game. You’ll find many opportunities to chat about this story. What is your favorite part? Why do you like it?