WAYS TO BEGIN: Talk together informally about the events of the past week. Plan now, if your church or diocese is doing anything to celebrate the Children's Sabbath which is in October, to attend the event as a class. Share some light refreshments and then move to a circle to hear the story.
THE THEME: Sometimes the least-likely people turn out to be God's most faithful people.
THE STORY: Luke 17:11-19 Have someone read the story aloud.
SOME THINGS TO TALK ABOUT:
1. Begin by looking up on a map the area between Samaria and Galilee. (Note: The Samaritans were scorned by pious Jews for not worshiping in Jerusalem as the main holy site and for marrying outside their faith. You may wish to look up other references to Samaritans in the Gospels...particularly the story of the good Samaritan and the Samaritan woman at the well.)
2. What do you know about lepers? How were they treated in Jesus' time?
3. Why do you think the Samaritan leper was the one who came back to say "thank you"? Why do you think the others continued on their way?
4. What do you think is the point of this story?
5. What groups of people might be the "lepers" of our society? the Samaritans?
6. What new understandings or actions might this Gospel be calling us to?
AN ACTIVITY TO DO: Decide as a class an example in our society of someone we treat as a "leper" or consider to be a "Samaritan". Then rewrite one of the Biblical stories about Samaritans and/or lepers substituting your example. Write it as a short play and act it out. You may wish to share it with another class or with the congregation. What questions for discussion would you want the viewers of your skit to talk about? What point do you wish to get across?
End with the Collect for the day.
