Rest and recreation
Finding time for fun and refreshment in the summer holidays
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Finding time for fun and refreshment in the summer holidays
Go to: Introducing Discovering God to find out more about this new series of resources.
If you're printing off the PDF rather than using the full text below you will need the following online resources:
For the Read and Share section you will need ‘Psalm 121 (He watches over you)’ by Music meets heaven, ‘Psalm 121’ by The Corner Room and the equipment to play them.
Preview songs on YouTube, buy online and download.
For Explore... rest and recreation you will need information about spiritual styles or find it in the ‘Worship and learning support’ menu.
For the Umbrella memory verse, you will need umbrella templates
Here’s a way to introduce the theme in the context of our everyday lives.
You will need: photographs of different locations. Include a mixture of local areas, places in the UK as well as more distant holiday destinations.
We are travelling on a journey,
whether near or far; home or away,
excited about the adventure ahead of us.
We ask God to be with us to protect us
and give us rest along the way.
Amen.
Before you end, come together to revisit the theme of rest and recreation and to pray.
You will need: luggage labels, pens and a suitcase.
We thank you, Lord,
that you made the whole world for us to explore;
that you are with us in our comings and our goings,
and that you never rest, so that we can.
Amen.
You could keep the theme and exploration of rest and recreation going, by sending out a follow-up activity each week:
Go for a walk on a sunny day, find some shade to sit in, to rest, reflect and pray.
Find ways in which you can help others on a journey, e.g. giving someone directions or giving up your seat on the bus.
Spend time looking through holiday photographs and thank God for journeys you have been on.
Linking the introductory activities to the theme and Bible passage.
Psalms are sacred poems, written to be sung, contained within a book of the Bible in the Old Testament. Psalms have been part of worship for both Jews and Christians for many years, and to this day are used in sung worship and read for quiet reflection. Across the selection of 150, they express different themes and emotions, and help people to talk to God in varying situations and stages of life.
The imagery in this psalm builds up a picture of a journey and is often referred to as ‘the traveller’s psalm’. The idea that God is with us on the journey and offers protection like shade from the sun can offer comfort to someone away from home. We are reminded that God is our guard as we come home, and as when we are journeying. The importance of rest is also woven throughout the verses.
You will need: two recorded versions of the psalm and the equipment to play them. Preview songs on YouTube, buy online and download.
Whether a holiday for you means time off work, resting at home, an adventure in the sun, being out and about in your local area or exploring the world, this psalm reminds us that God is with us in all our resting and our journeying. It explores the rhythm of our lives and the importance of balancing rest with being on the move. God is with us constantly and offers protection whether we are coming or going, at home or away.
Where do you see yourself in this image?
Are you:
Choose from these activities to help people explore the theme. We don’t include timings or age-differentiation, this is designed for all ages engaging together. Use the spiritual styles indicated by the coloured letters to help you plan, and cater for the different ways in which people connect with God. Spiritual styles (as defined by David Csinos) key: Word, Emotion, Symbol, Action. Find out more.
Display images of local locations and landmarks from around the world. In teams ask the group to guess where these places are. Reveal the answers to discover how many were guessed correctly. Encourage the group to discuss whether they have visited those places or want to, and how they might feel in those locations. Ask everyone to share what feelings they have in a new place or situation, and what helps them if it makes them feel anxious. In what ways might we experience God being with us as we travel? How might that be helpful on the journeys we make?
Ask the group, in teams, to create their own psalm as an acrostic poem, writing the word ‘Holidays’ down the left-hand side of a sheet of paper, and using each letter as part of a phrase. Encourage everyone to think about what they need from a holiday: rest, fun, adventure, travel. Can they include some similar imagery to psalm 121 to illustrate the balance of journeying and resting?
The psalmist tells us that God is our shade from the sun. Invite the group to take it in turns to act out a mime of where they would find themselves on a sunny day, e.g. playing on a beach or sheltered under a tree, relaxing. Encourage the rest of the group to guess what they are doing. Afterwards, discuss what people feel they need protection from, e.g. working too hard, spending too much time alone, screen time.
You will need: umbrella templates, coloured pens/pencils. Give each member of the group an umbrella template. Ask them to think of words and phrases about God being with us and God’s protection, which have resonated with them, and then to add them to the umbrella. Invite everyone to take their umbrella home and stick it to their suitcase, wallet or phone case, to remember this psalm on their next journey.
You will need: a bag, a variety of objects which you could take on holiday and use to relax at home. Gather the group together and ask them to guess what might be inside the bag. Reveal the items and see how many were guessed correctly. Then encourage the group, in pairs, to make up a story about the comings and goings of one of the items. Where has it been, what has it seen? Younger members of the group could spend more time packing and unpacking the bag, pretending that they are packing for a holiday.
Natasia Bullock is director of Christian theatre company The B Tales and children's worker for Liverpool South Methodist Circuit.