Percy's Presents
Zacchaeus Climbs a Tree
The Good Samaritan
Click the picture to go to read the story on this page or click here to open a flick book.
The Good Samaritan
Zacchaeus Climbs a Tree
The Good Samaritan
Click the picture to go to the story.
Zacchaeus Climbs a Tree
Zacchaeus Climbs a Tree
Zacchaeus Climbs a Tree
Percy's Presents
This is Percy. Some people would call Percy an "Abominable Snowman", but abominable means being mean and horrid. Percy is not like that, he is actually a lot like you and me, so, really, he is a not-quite-so-abominable snowman. We should actually call Percy a yeti, because that is what abominable snowmen are really called.
Today, Percy is sad. It has only been one week since his birthday and already some of his presents are no good.
The wheel on his new toy car is broken and the batteries have gone flat.
He really liked the big tube of sweets his aunty gave him, but he has eaten them all, and now he hasn't got any left.
Worst of all, his new wooly hat; his new, wooly, red hat; his extra special, new, wooly, red hat with a bobble on top for playing in the snow, shrank when it was washed.
Percy asks his mummy if all things that people give break, run out or go wrong.
"Not all things," she says. "Some things do wear out or break, but there is one special present which never breaks, never wears out and never ends which anyone can have."
Percy asks his mummy what it is.
Percy's mummy tells him that a long time ago God, who made the whole world, gave his son, Jesus, to the world. He did this so that everyone would know that God loved them and that they could be his friend.
This is what we remember at Christmas.
The people in Jesus' time didn't want God's gift, so they broke him to get rid of him.
This is what we remember on Good Friday.
But God loved everyone so much (and that means you and me as well) that he mended his special gift by raising Jesus from the dead.
This is what we remember on Easter Day.
Percy's mummy tells him that God did all this so that anyone can have God's special present.
Using this story in Church.
"What is God's special present, Mummy?" Percy asks.
"God's special present is knowing in your heart that God loves you, Percy," she says.
Percy thinks that sounds like the best present ever.
Using this story in Church.
Using this story in Church.
Using this story in Church.
Using this story in Church.
Using this story in Church.
So long as you don't make any money from it, you are free to download the pictures and share this story with the children in your church. I don't want a fee and you don't need permission to use it. It would be nice if you put a credit with my name on though.
The Good Samaritan - a Tangram Story
All the pictures in this story were made using the pieces of a tangram. If you want to know what a tangram is and how to make one, click on the picture on the left.
When you have made your tangram, see if you can make the figures in the story below.
Now scroll down to read the story.
The Good Samaritan
Once, someone asked Jesus what it means to be a neighbour. Jesus answered by telling this story:
A man went for a walk on a winding, dusty road from his town to the next town.
All at once, some thieves leaped out from behind some rocks and started to chase him.
Soon, they caught up with him.
They kicked and beat him.
Then they took all his money and left him lying in the road.
What horrible men!
The poor man was so badly hurt that he couldn't get up.
"I hope someone will come along and help me," he said.
It wasn't very long before someone did come along. It was a very religious man who had been praying as walked. This is what he prayed:
"Oh Lord, I thank you that you made me a good person. Help me to see the needs of people less fortunate than me."
As he was praying, he saw the man beaten and lying by the side of the road.
He took off his hat and said the man, "May God help you in your time of need. Goodbye."
Then he carried on walking, thanking God for showing him someone less fortunate than he was.
The poor man! He thought he was going to be stuck there forever.
"Will nobody come and help me," he thought.
Just then, another person appeared, someone who actually did religious work. She too had been praying as they walked. This was her prayer.
"Oh, Lord, thank you that I work for you. Show me the needs of those less fortunate than me."
She saw the man lying by the side of the road.
"Good day," she said. "May the peace of God be with you in your hour of need." Then she went on her way.
Just as the man thought no-one would ever help him and that he would end his days right there, beside the road, he heard the sound of a clip-clop, clip-clop.
Around the corner came a man riding a donkey. He was from a place called Samaria. The people from there are called Samaritans. The Samaritan had been praying to God, and this was his prayer.
"Lord, I know I am not a very good person, but please will you show me how I can serve you."
The Samaritan on the donkey saw the man in the road, hurt and in need of help. Feeling sorry for him, he got off his donkey, gave him something to drink and bandaged his wounds.
Then the Samaritan gently lifted the man onto his donkey and led the way down the road to a nearby inn.
The Samaritan took the wounded man inside and told the innkeeper, "Look after this man until he is better and I will pay whatever it costs.
When Jesus finished telling the story about the Good Samaritan, he asked those who were listening, "Who do you think acted like a good neighbour to man who was beaten up. The two religious people, or the one who actually helped him?"
Of course, there was no doubt in anyone's minds, it was the Good Samaritan!
Zacchaeus Climbs a Tree
In a town called Jericho, there lived a man called Zacchaeus. (It's spelled funny, but you pronounce it 'Zack-ee-us'). Now Zacchaeus was very rich. But, do you know how he got his money? By cheating! He was supposed to take money that people owed to the Romans and give it to them, but he always kept some for himself.
One day, he heard a crowd outside in the street making a lot of noise. He went outside to see what was happening. Someone told him that Jesus had come to town. Zacchaeus had heard lots of news about Jesus and really wanted to meet him. The problem was, Zacchaeus was quite small and he just couldn't see over the crowd.
Being short wasn't going to stop Zacchaeus seeing Jesus, oh no! He knew exactly what to do.
He ran down the road to where there was a huge sycamore tree which Jesus would have to walk right underneath.
If only Zacchaeus could climb it, he would have a really good view.
I don't know how brave you are at climbing, but Zacchaeus wasn't very brave at all - in fact, he was quite scared. But he wanted to see Jesus so much that he struggled and puffed and climbed his way up the sycamore tree until he found a good branch.
Then he hung on as tight as he could.
Jesus came closer and closer until he was right under the tree. Zacchaeus was so excited to see Jesus that he completely forgot how scared he was being so high up.
But then something happened that made Zacchaeus start to worry.
Jesus had stopped walking past and now stood under the branch that Zacchaeus was sitting on. Even worse, Jesus began to look up.
Zacchaeus was really worried now.
What if Jesus saw him?
What if Jesus knew how mean he had been?
What if Jesus was angry with him?
Jesus did see Zacchaeus hiding up in the tree. What's more he spoke to him, but he didn't sound cross. In fact, he sounded quite friendly.
Jesus called out, "Hey, Zacchaeus! What are you doing up in that tree? Come down, I want to come and stay at your place tonight."
Well, you can imagine how Zacchaeus felt. He nearly fell out of the tree.
When Zacchaeus climbed down out of the tree and met Jesus, suddenly he discovered that he didn't want to be mean or cheat people anymore. He wanted to be kind and generous instead.
"Lord," he said, "I'm going to give back four times the amount of money I took from people unfairly."
"Well done, Zacchaeus," Jesus replied, "Now you know what loving God is really all about."
Story adapted from the Bible and illustrated by Tim Ross, © 2018.
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