Please post your ideas for Ananias and Sapphira below.
Acts 5:1-11
What was their sin? They lied about their resources. When called upon to contribute, they withheld their gift.
While today we might not expect people to drop dead on the spot when they lie and withhold offerings,
How does our faith die?
How does our respect for God die?
How does our self-esteem die when we cheat others?
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30 New Testament Quck Skits for Kids, Standard Publishing, by Steven James.
on page 81 is "Liar, Liar...Die-er, Die-er" a skit on this story, very humorous, but to the point. Written by Steven James one of my favourite authors. Requires 5-6 children. Gives background notes and tips on telling this tragic story. It's the only skit I could find for this story. Below is a quick link to drama resources that will give you information like ISBN, publisher, etc.
Drama Resources Link
For art, a collage. Cut out things from a magazine that make a "good life." Have children divide them into two groups -- things they'd be willing to give up for God and things that they'd really rather keep. Use it to discuss how all of us really have a little Ananias and Sapphira in us.
What about a simple game like "button button who's got the button" but adapted to the story. (the children have some sort of "property" they hide in their hands.) Take turns being Peter to see if you can discover who is lying and who is telling the truth. In the story, I believe Ananias and Sapphira are dragged out of the church at the end, symbolizing their separation from the community. Fill some boxes with moderately heavy things, tape them up and label them with words like "greed", "lies," etc. Try and have equal sizes and weights for two teams. Then have a relay race to see which team can push, drag, and otherwise remove the greed and lies from their "church" to an "outside" area. Lead to a discussion of how we can try to remove greed and lies from our own church community.
How about making some meringue cookies? Divide the eggs with the egg white group being the people who are filled with the Spirit of God and the egg yolk people the ones concerned with worldly things. Make according to directions, except that one group will be beating and folding in egg yolks, creating -- I'm assuming -- a disaster that will provide a metaphor for death.
What about a situation lesson? Tell the children that some of the computers are out of order and that everyone is going to have to work on one or two. (Try and have at least four children per computer.) You can give them a task to do, and that anyone who gets their task done correctly gets a prize. Have some activity sheets to the side for those who must wait their turns. Then let them figure it out. Do they share and take turns? Do a few people monopolize computer time? Who really should get the prize?
For movies. If you want to go the direction of lies there is Veggie Tales "Larry Boy and the Fib from Outer Space." or McGee & Me "The Big Lie." We have also had good luck with the series "Adventures from the Book of Virtues" which is available through Vision Video. I think they gave both generosity and truth.
Another movie idea would be to tape an hour or so of television, and then edit it down so you get only the commercials. (Especially useful right now in this pre-Christmas commercialism). Discuss greed, commercials, consumerism, and have the children make a life-plan for how to stay uninfluenced by advertising.
Hope this helps!
Peace,
Lisa
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