You are invited to join us to engage with the lives of characters from the Bible through these explorations for students in Key Stages 3/4. (Though they may be useful for older Primary pupils)
These reflections are easy to use – (They might work best if printed out)
Find a quiet place and time;
Each PDF poses a number of challenging questions – there is no real right answer to them, they are to prompt thinking and discussion.
It will be helpful to read all the material through first, we have included some links to the text in each introduction.
Use this index for quick access to the sketches
Ruth: an Old Testament love story
These four reflections based on the book of Ruth, from the Old Testament, raise many themes that are still current and which the Covid-19 crisis has brought to the fore: poverty and inequality, refugees, female and racial equality, risk and reward, as well as age-old themes of love, marriage and money. These reflections ask students to think about some of the issues that they experience personally and locally and may be aware of nationally and globally. They will prompt them to think about the motives for acts of generosity that have been witnessed and think about the interpretation of rules and laws. They may spot echoes and references that the writers have not; they may ask questions and find creative ways to respond. (Return to Index)
The story of Jonah is quite well known – but mostly because of the whale! Actually there is no whale, just a big fish and there is more to the tale of Jonah than someone who is rescued from drowning. We hope that our character sketch will help you explore the person of Jonah a little more deeply. Read the book of Jonah here. (Return to Index)
King Herod is well known through the story of the Nativity from Matthew’s Gospel. Our character sketch explores Herod’s thoughts and emotions through what was, for him, a difficult and challenging time. (Return to Index)
Goliath, like Herod, is well known from the story of David from the book of 1 Samuel. We explore some of Goliath’s motivations and the ways in which we can learn from his behaviour for ourselves. (Return to Index)
Timothy is one of the more elusive characters in the Bible. He was one of a group of travelling Christians who founded, developed and led some of the first churches in the eastern Mediterranean. Timothy is mentioned in connection with Thessalonica, Philippi, Corinth, Corinth, Colossae and even in Rome – a very well-travelled young man. The letters to Timothy seem to put him in a position of authority in the church in Ephesus. These character sketches explore some of the ways in which Timothy’s development as a leader can help students (and ourselves) think about their own development. You can read the letters to Timothy here: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy (Return to Index)