Something from nothing

Here’s an assembly I wrote on this passage from 2 Kings 4 a few years ago…….thought it might make a change.

Introduction
If X Factor auditions were held in ……….(your town) for your age group, how many of you would apply?
If Britain’s Got Talent came to ………….(your town), who would go along to the audition?
If David Beckham wanted to set up a football academy here in ………… (your town), which of you would go for a trial?

Some of you are really good at singing or have a particular talent or are gifted at football.
Most of us are not.
Some of you will be sat there feeling that you are not good at anything. There’s nothing you can do.
You have nothing to offer.

Story

The woman in our story today literally had nothing. (The story is taken from 2 Kings 4: 1-7 NRSV)
Her husband had died and had left her with massive debts. She had nothing left to live on, let alone any spare money to pay off his debts. The men demanding the cash were threatening to take her two sons as slaves if she could not pay up.
What a desperate situation she was in!
There were no benefits available or Citizen’s Advice Service to turn to in those days.
In desperation, the woman went to a man of God called Elisha for help. Interestingly, he did not just give her what she needed and solve the problem for her. He got her to look at what she had and how she could use it –
“Tell me, what do you have in the house?” he asked her.
It’s as if he wanted to help her to help herself.
The woman answered “Your servant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil.”
What use could a jar of oil possibly be? She couldn’t cook anything with it without ingredients. What on earth could she do with it? Surely she would never get the money and save her boys from slavery with just a jar of oil!
But Elisha told her to collect empty jars from all her neighbours and to start pouring oil from her jar into all the empty vessels.
Everyone around her must have thought she was mad. It must have taken a lot of courage to go through with the plan.
However, she did exactly as Elisha had said, and miraculously, all the jars were filled with oil. She could then sell them, pay back the money her husband owed and live off the rest.

She had a little, virtually nothing.
But when she started using it, it became something, the solution to her problem.

Reflection

Sometimes we can feel just like this woman with nothing to give.
But everyone has some ability, however small.
It takes courage to use the little we have, because we are scared of being laughed at.
But as we begin to use and develop our small talent, it can grow into something amazing, just like the jar of oil.
Let us take some time to reflect on the abilities and positive characteristics that we each have. (Pause)
Let us know think about how we can use all that we have for good. (Pause)

Prayer 

God,
Thank you for the talents that you have given me.
Help me to see the value in all that I do.
Help me to use all that I have.
Help me to encourage others to positively use their gifts for good.
Thank you that with your help, we can turn nothing into something.
Amen