Theme:
War
Target Group:
Mainly Church Background Age:
Aim:
To show that wars will happen but that wars have a cost for
everyone
Equipment:
two or three packs of playing cards; two dice; DVD The longest Day –
Twentieth Century Fox Cert PG, TV, DVD player; Bibles.
Print-outs:
Print-out 1 (War Grid); Print-out 2 (Group One Questions); Print-out
3 (Group Two Questions)
Bible Base:
Romans 12:14–21; Matt 5:38–48; Luke 10:27; Luke 6:27–28;
Matt 24:6
Title:
Did You Win?
11–14
Opening Activity (3 mins)
Show the last 20 seconds of the film, The Longest Day. If you don’t have a copy you may be
able to hire it. Explain that it is a film about D-Day. Remind them of the last two sentences
of the film, or read them out (if you were unable to get the film):
‘It's funny isn't it, he's dead, I am crippled, you're lost, I suppose it’s always like that, I mean,
war!...
I wonder who won?’
Explain that we are going to be looking at some of the consequences of war.
The Playing Card War (15 mins)
Split the group into four teams. Name them Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades. You are
going to play a game, and in this game the red suits (Hearts and Diamonds) are in a battle
with the black suits (Clubs and Spades). Each suit is a separate army and the pair of armies
are allies (on the same side).
Make four copies of Print-out 1. Give each of the four teams a War Grid (Print-out 1). Each
army has 13 sections labelled Ace, 2, 3, . . . Queen, and King. There are 25 instances ( □ on
Print-out 1) in each section; for example, each army has 25 Marines, 25 Tanks, 25 Navies,
and 25 Hospitals. The aim is to destroy as much as possible of the opponents’ forces.
In the middle of the group place a pile of shuffled cards from two or three packs. Each card
corresponds to one army section. For example, the Five of Hearts corresponds to the
Marines in the Hearts army, on the ‘red’ side. The first team chooses the top card and this
will tell them which of the armies they will be attacking, and which section in that army will
be damaged.
The attacking team then throw two dice to see how much damage they cause. The dice
numbers are added and the sum gives the number of instances ( □ on Print-out 1)
destroyed. For example, if a ‘3’ and a ‘4’ are thrown then seven of the ‘□’ on the War Grid
(Print-out 1) are crossed off.
© 2006 Scripture Union and Paul North
http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/re-source
The next team chooses a card and repeats the process throwing the dice and crossing off
the destroyed ‘□’ s.
If you draw a card from your suit, or your colour, the same rules still apply; in war, friendly
fire is also deadly.
After each team has had a few goes, or after ten minutes, stop the game and add up who
has the most forces left. Move into a time of discussion and ask some of the following
questions:
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Who won?
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What makes someone the winner?
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In what ways could we say that everybody has lost?
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Imagine you had really attacked some innocent children, how would you feel?
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How would you feel if your brother or sister was a soldier, and was injured or
killed?
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Who pays for the cost of war, the governments or the people?
Bible Bit (12 mins)
Split the students into two groups. Give one group Print-out 2 (Group One Questions) and
the other group Print-out 3 (Group Two Questions).
Feed back from what they have said, then lead a brief talk based on the passages above
bringing out some of the following points:
•
War is always costly (link to DVD clip)
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War always leaves someone in pain, in grief or in anguish
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In many ways we have turned war into an entertainment (link to computer
games)
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We have certainly made war seem heroic in films
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We seem to glorify war and take away the painful bits (link to rebooting or
starting games again)
•
War will have its place in history (link to Matt 24:6)
•
War is not about revenge (read Romans 12:14–21)
•
War is not something to be glorified
•
On a personal level we are told to love our neighbour (link to Luke 10:27); to
love our enemies (Link to Luke 6:27-28), and to turn the other cheek (link to
Matt 5:38-48)
Confession (5 mins)
Think about the people in your classes, think about the people you get on with, think about
your enemies, and those who you really have little to do with, how have you responded to
these people since the start of this term?
On a piece of paper draw a stick person, to represent somebody who you need to say sorry
to or to forgive. Hold that piece of paper up to your face, to your left cheek. Then as you
say sorry to God in your heart move the piece of paper to your right cheek as a symbolic act
of turning the other cheek
© 2006 Scripture Union and Paul North
http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/re-source
Minute Silence (2 mins)
If appropriate, spend a few moments explaining that on November 11th there will be a
minute silence to remember the victims of war. Say that we are going to have our own
minute silence now to pray for peace in places of conflict, and to think about our own
attitude to war.
© 2006 Scripture Union and Paul North
http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/re-source
Print-out 1: (War Grid)
Civilian
Hospitals
King
Navy
Qu’n
Air Force
Jack
Military Bases
10
Civilian Homes
9
Para’s
8
Tanks
7
Innocent
Civilians
6
Marines
5
Artillery
(Big Guns)
4
Innocent
Children
3
Cavalry
(In Vehicles)
2
Infantry
(Foot Soldiers)
Ace
1
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© 2006 Scripture Union and Paul North
http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/re-source
Print-out 2 − Group One Questions
Read the following three passages
• What do they tell us about how we should respond to other people,
especially those who upset us?
• What do these verses have to say about war?
Luke 10:27
The man answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your
soul, all your strength, and all your mind." Also, "Love your neighbour as
you love yourself."
Luke 6:27–28
But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies. Do good to those
who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who are cruel to
you.
Matthew 5:38–48
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth.' But I tell you, don't stand up against an evil person. If someone
slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also. If someone
wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let him have your coat
also. If someone forces you to go with him one mile, go with him two
miles. If a person asks you for something, give it to him. Don't refuse to
give to someone who wants to borrow from you.”
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your
enemies.' But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt
you. If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven. He
causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, and he sends
rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only
the people who love you, you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors
do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than
other people. Even those who don't know God are nice to their friends. So
you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
NCV (anglicised edition) text used with permission from Authentic Media
© 2006 Scripture Union and Paul North
http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/re-source
Print-out 3 − Group Two Questions
Read the following verses
• What do they tell us about war?
• What do they suggest about who will deal with our enemies?
• In what way do they challenge common motives for war?
Matthew 24:6
You will hear about wars and stories of wars that are coming, but don't be
afraid. These things must happen before the end comes.
Romans 12:14 –21
Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse
them. Be happy with those who are happy, and be sad with those who are
sad. Live in peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with
those who seem unimportant. Do not think how smart you are. If
someone does wrong to you, do not pay him back by doing wrong to him.
Try to do what everyone thinks is right. Do your best to live in peace with
everyone. My friends, do not try to punish others when they wrong you,
but wait for God to punish them with his anger. It is written: "I will punish
those who do wrong; I will repay them," says the Lord. But you should do
this: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink.
Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head." Do not let evil
defeat you, but defeat evil by doing good.
NCV (anglicised edition) text used with permission from Authentic Media
© 2006 Scripture Union and Paul North
http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/re-source