Pass the Bible

On your marks

The Bible has been faithfully passed down to us through the generations. In our turn we too are called to pass on what we have received, so that the next generation can hear for themselves the story of God’s love for the world. This icebreaker game picks up on this idea and could be a way into a session on how we can pass the Bible story on in our day.

Get set

All you will need is two different but equal sized Bibles – maybe different versions or colours.

Go!

1. Ask your group to stand in a well-spaced circle.
2. Explain that they will need to use their imaginations as they take part in a Bible relay race. The aim is to think up as many different ways as possible that they can ‘pass the Bible on’ to the next person in the circle.
3. Give an example of what you mean, such as passing the Bible on furtively – hidden under your coat or jumper, while you look around nervously; or passing it on with an enthusiastic flourish and a jump!
4. Give the group a short while to think out different ways that they could pass the Bible ‘baton’ on in this game.
5. Now, as the leader, send the two Bibles off one to your left and one to your right.
6. Keep a friendly eye on each of the handovers. They must be different each time! This will get harder toward the second half of the Bibles’ journeys around the circle and at the crossover point.
7. How did the Bible get passed on? Only as a closed book? Reluctantly or with conviction? Deliberately or by accident? With embarrassment or with passion? With words or in silence? Acrobatically or sheepishly?
8. Can the group manage a second relay round in each direction with some new types of passing on?
9. End this icebreaker with a reading from Psalm 78: 1-8, which talks about how we have a story to pass on to the next generation, so that our children and those not yet born will in their time come to put their trust in God.