The Joseph Story (Kids' Talk)

Kids' Talk for the end of the Joseph cycle, Genesis 45:1-15. Used at Holy Innocents 17/8/08

Ever had a bad thing happen to you, but then, surprise, surprise, something good happens? Like you were meant to be going to the playground, but then it started raining so you couldn't, but then, your best friend came around. If you had gone to the playground you would have missed your best friend.

That's what happened to Joseph in the story we have just heard. His brothers sold him into slavery in a far off land. (Used here a slide of him being sold off) A mean and bad thing to do to your brother. But God was able to bring some good out of it. Because when there was a famine in the land of the brothers, they could go to the far off land and get food off Joseph. And so they and there families were able to survive.

God can do this. Bring good things out of mean and bad things that people do. Cn anyone think of any other story in the Bible where people do mean and bad things, but God is able to bring good from it?

When Jesus was crucified. That was a mean and bad thing for the people to do. But God was able to bring good from it. By being willing to die on the cross he heals us, and then God raised him from the dead to go and forgive his disciples for deserting him.

Healthy Churches Checklist

Sorry I had to delete this, but I couldn't get the table to post correctly. If anyone wants the table - it compares the healthy church checklist from NCLS, a four country survey in 2005, Bob Jackson, Robert Warren and Callahan, I can send it to you. Email me at innocents@adam.com.au.

The lists are helpful because they give us some indicators of healthy churches. It is, of course, a bit of a circular thing, because you have to decide which churches are healthy and then list their characteristics. Interestingly, the surveys are pretty consistent across the western world. Anyway, the lists can give some indication of what we can be thinking of in our situation if we wish to increase the health of the church. It is not a certainty of course, and for some might not be useful. But I reckon the lists are a great resource that I have used successfully at Holy Innocents. But these lists are not the messiah; Jesus still gets the guernsey for that office.