The story of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10 is one of my
favorite stories that Jesus told while He was here on earth. For the record, my ultimate favorite
Jesus story is that of Jesus washing His students feet, but that’s more an
action/deed that Jesus demonstrated, not a story that He told to illustrate a
point. In the big adult world, we
call those stories of Jesus “parables”.
In a child’s world, however, they provide the best food for thought….and
drama.
We first used the story of the Good Sam (my abbreviated form
for Samaritan) in our kids’ clubs in the refugee camps in Belgium. Steve contextualized the script so that
the refugee children were acting out the story as it was set in Antwerp. The boy (who gets beat up) is riding
into Antwerp to see his grandmother (dual instruction going on here: introducing the importance of riding
your bike in Belgium, also that Belgians go and visit grandparents regularly). In order to role play the boy on the
bike, we had 3 volunteers: the boy
who gets beat up and two boys who are spinning hoola hoops to make it look like
a bike. When the boy gets beat up,
all 3 boys end up falling into a heap of humanity on the floor. Interestingly enough: the “Good Sam” who comes to offer help
picks up all 3 kids, and gives them a hug and helps them on their way. STOP MY HEART, O GOD!!! This was the role play of 3 children
who had just traveled across Turkey, took a boat across the Mediterranean Sea,
then walked across Europe to get to Belgium. These kids had seen moments when people were beat up, when
people who should help didn’t help.
These kids, though, saw beyond the “role playing” and understood that
everyone lying there on the ground needed help, to be picked up, given a hug
and encouraged on their journey.
That’s how refugee kids play out the role of the Good Sam.
Fast forward to a suburban church of Minneapolis, where this
past week we had the AWANA kids act out the story. With 80+ kids in the room, we had 6 volunteers of various
shapes and sizes. The boys who
were the bandits kept playing with their bandit masks, asking me if they looked
more scarey if they put their hoodies up in addition to their
masks…..KIDS! But the crowning
moment in the drama came when, as Steve was narrating the story, he said “the
Good Samaritan, after wrapping up the boy’s wounds, picked him up and took him
to the doctor and paid for his medical care”. At that moment, our Good Sam asked “do I have to pick him
up?”, to which Steve replied “yes, help him up, put your arm around him to help
him get up”. Then we watched the
most amazing thing happen: she
literally picked him up and carried him across the front of the stage! As in, she carried him in her arms all
the way across the front of the stage!
STOP MY HEART, O GOD!!
These kids are amazing!
Most 4th-6th grade kiddos don’t want anything to
do with boys or girls, but these kids were demonstrating an understanding of
true service in the name of Jesus.
You’re hurt.
You need help. I will carry
you, literally, to the place where someone can help you. Oh, may that spirit continue to
take root in their hearts.
I love how God’s Holy Word still speaks to us today, and to
our children as well.
I think I’ll call her the Good Samantha!
