Year A - Proper 13, 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 31, 2011)

Genesis 32:22-31

F Most children, especially most boys, are delighted by this story in which God appears as a wrestler.  The idea that God is willing to get down and tussle with Jacob is appealing.  The fact that the fight was a friendly one rather than a vicious one leads them to think God was on Jacob’s side (and our side) all along.  They are also pleased that God is strong enough and gentle enough to leave Jacob lame (with a reminder of God’s strength), but not horribly damaged.  They however will not tumble to all this simply hearing the text read, it will have to be pointed out to them and savored with them.  (If you have a teenage wrestler in the congregation, ask him to read this story after noting the that this text is appropriately read by a wrestler.)

F In the aftermath of all the Harry Potter mania, point young worshipers to The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis by comparing Aslan the Lion who represents Jesus in these books to God wrestling with Jacob.  In The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe  (the first book in the series) Susan and Lucy ask Mr. and Mrs. Beaver to describe Aslan. They ask if Aslan is a man. Mr. Beaver replies.

"Aslan a man?  Certainly not.  I tell you he is the King of the Wood and the son of the great Emperor Beyond the Sea.  Don't you know who is the King of the Beasts?  Aslan is a lion - the Lion, the great Lion."

"Ooh!" said Susan.  "I thought he was a man.  Is he -- quite safe?  I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."

"That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."

  

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver.  "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you?  Who said anything about being safe?  'Course he isn't safe.  But he's good.  He's the King, I tell you."

F Celebrate God’s power by singing “I Sing the Mighty Power of God.”  Before singing point out a few of the examples of God’s power and encourage worshipers to listen for others as they sing.

Psalm 17:1-7

The images in this psalm will go right past children.  Let them.  The psalm will mean more to them later in life.

Isaiah 55:1-5

F Bring a piece of “how could I ever have gone out in public in this” clothing and if possible a picture of yourself wearing it, back when it was high style.  (If you were in college in the 60’s as I was, there are probably several excellent candidates for this deep in your closet.  I wore the one in the picture with bright yellow tights!  It is now part of a clown costume.)  Recall how important it was to you to have that item then and how ridiculous it seems now.  Then reread verse   2. 

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy? “

Put it into your own words discussing our tendency to go after things we think we have to have, things that we think will make us happy, things that years , or even days, later look so very foolish.

F Create a responsive prayer about the things we want that “do not satisfy” using “Give us this day our daily bread” as the congregation’s response.

Leader: God help us recognize the difference between what we want

              and what we really need.

All:         Give us this day our daily bread.

Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21

Use the adapted version of this psalm (from TEV) as a responsive reading with the congregation reading THE LORD in each verse and the liturgist or choir reading the remainder of each verse.  (And, yes, there are lots of male pronouns referring to God in this psalm.  I tried to make it more inclusive, but failed.  If someone else creates or knows of a better one, please share.)

⁸     The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

⁹     The Lord is good to all,

and God’s compassion is over all he has made.

¹⁴     The Lord upholds all who are falling,

and raises up all who are bowed down.

¹⁵     The eyes of all look to The Lord,

and The Lord gives them their food in due season.

¹⁶     The Lord opens his hand,

satisfying the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷     The Lord is just in all his ways,

and kind in all his doings.

¹⁸     The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

¹⁹     The Lord He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;

he also hears their cry, and saves them.

²⁰     The Lord watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹     My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.

Romans 9:1-5 

F Paul’s concern for the Jews is better taken up with children in other places and in other ways than these verses.  

F The Roman Catholic lectionary suggests Romans 8: 35,37-39 - last week’s list of all the things that cannot come between us and God’s powerful love for this week.  It could be an interesting match with God the wrestler in the Genesis story.

Matthew 14:13-21



JESUS MAFA. Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48287 [retrieved June 21, 2011].

JESUS MAFA. Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish,
from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of
the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.
http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48287
[retrieved June 21, 2011].

F The story of the loaves and fishes meal appears in all four gospels.  In only John’s is the food offered by a child.  Still, most people will add the child as they hear the other three accounts read.  So, ask an older child to read this text in worship.

F Consider creating the whole sermon around imaging yourselves as different people in this story.  Ponder what they might have been thinking, feeling, and learning as the meal came together. Children may lose you when you explore a more adult possibility for a character, but will be drawn back in when you move to the next character/s.  For starters…

Jesus
* Wanting a little quiet to mourn John the Baptist’s death, he is confronted by a large crowd who want his attention.  What was he thinking and feeling as he responded to their needs instead of his own. 
* Some see this as a turning point.  Jesus has been letting the disciples witness him in action.  Learning of John’s murder makes him realize more fully what is ahead for him and leads him to begin preparing his disciples for leadership.  How does that influence his relationships with his disciples?

The disciples
* How did they feel when Jesus told them to feed the crowd?
* What did they think when they realized that there was going to be enough? 
* What do you think they did with the leftover food? 
* How did this event change them?

The crowd
* How did it feel to be offered free food with no questions asked in a remote place in a time when food was not abundant?
* In that day who you ate with was important.  Jesus often got in trouble over the people with whom he ate.  How did it feel to sit down with huge numbers of strangers to share food?

Us
* What do we in OUR TOWN at OUR CHURCH like about this story?
* With which character/s do we most identify?
* What does this story suggest we need to work on a bit more?

     

F This story will lead many to speak about scarcity thinking in today’s world.  Children engage in scarcity thinking when they ask,

Ø  Will I get my fair share of the fries, the goldfish, the candies….?

Ø  When is MY turn?  And, will my turn be as long as theirs?

Ø  Do they (especially parents, but also other loved adults and peers) love me as much as they love them?  (If there is a finite amount of love, I want to be sure to get some of it.)

F Tie this story to a summer food drive.  Most emergency food banks need food during the summer months when there are fewer food drives, but people still need to eat.  So, after reading and exploring the story, give worshipers a shopping list (most food banks provide one) or a paper plate to remind them to bring food the following Sunday or during the week.  Encourage families to shop for the list together.    This could be launched during the sermon.  Or, the lists or plates could be handed out just before the benediction with Jesus' charge to the disciples “YOU give them something to eat” and followed with a benediction sending them out to do this in God’s presence.

F Do a little worship education about the phrases “Give us this day our daily bread” from the Lord’s prayer.  Point out that the pronouns are plural.  We can’t pray just for our own needs.  Identify things in addition to food that are physical needs for all people.  Then, pray a responsive prayer of intercession for the hungry of the world.  The congregation’s response to each petition is “Give us this day our daily bread.” 

This could be addressed to the whole congregation just before the prayer or it could be the a children’s time just before and during this prayer of intercession.

F Discuss the practice of saying a blessing or grace before meals.  Offer samples.  If you sense that many in the congregation have let this practice go, challenge individuals and households to try it at least one meal each day this week.  Suggest that they agree on a meal and the prayer they will say in the car on the way home from church.  Call it worship homework.

 

Year A - Proper 12, 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 24, 2011)

Genesis 29:15-28

This is an outrageous story about outrageous people doing outrageous things to each other.  It has much in common with tall tales of folklore.  So, tell it in your best storyteller style or invite a good storyteller in the congregation to tell it.  It’s message for children (and adults too) is that God gave us free will and lets us use it as we will.  Even when we are using that free will in outrageous ways, God doesn’t give up on us. 

Psalm 105:1-11, 46b

In the middle of a summer when the news, the economy and the weather are all bad, Psalm 105:1-6 calls us to celebrate God’s glory, i.e. all about God that is so cool, so absolutely awesome.  There are several ways to revel in God’s glory.

>        Introduce the word GLORY that can be either a noun or a verb.  Either during worship or before, print it in big letters on a large poster – maybe using gold glitter pen.  Then add the other key glory words (thanks, sing, rejoice, seek, remember, tell) from these verses.  Take time to comment on each one as you add it.  Then read the verses in unison. 

>        The above could be done as the scripture reading for the day or it could done as the call to worship with the worship leader leading the conversation about the Glory words before reading verses 1-6 and the congregation replying with either verse 45b or “Let us worship God.”
 

>         Make the poster with the children as a children’s time asking different children to write each of the words, taking time to spell the words, and to talk about how they keep us in touch with God’s glory.  Display the poster for the rest of worship and encourage children to listen for the words in your songs and prayers today. 

>        Give children a worship worksheet with the Glory words already printed on it and invite them to illustrate God’s glory as they have seen, heard, tasted, even smelled it this summer.

>        If you regularly sing the “Gloria Patri” interrupt after it is sung to ask people what they just sang.  Walk through the words putting the song’s meaning as it is sung in your service into your own words.  Then, invite everyone to sing it again.  (Do alert the musicians of your plan in advance.)

 

>          To encourage the discipline of praise, send worshipers home with verse 3b printed on a bulletin insert.  Urge them to post it on the refrigerator door, bathroom mirror, or some other prominent spot and to read it aloud (as a household if possible) at least once each day this week.  As they do they are to remember how they have sensed God’s glory and to tell each other about those times.  Doing this often leads to thanking God for the glorious things they see, hear, touch, and feel that day. 

I Kings 3.5-12

*   Before reading this story, remind worshipers of all the stories of a genie coming out of a bottle offering three wishes.  Challenge them or work together to create lists of things one might ask for, e.g. the talent and height to play in the NBA, to be extremely smart, to be really rich, or maybe a cure for a seriously ill family member or friend, etc.  In the Harry Potter books Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort) wanted more than anything to live forever.  He used all his magical powers trying to get that.  Then, read what Solomon asked for when God offered him one wish.

*   Solomon did not ask to be different than he was.  He asked to be very good at who he was and what he had to do.  He was the king.  We don’t know whether he particularly wanted to be king, but he was the king.  He asked God to help him be the best king he could.  That may be a sign that he was already wise.  In any case, it is worth exploring with children (and probably a number of adults) the possibility that they, like Solomon, are called to be their very best self in the place they are rather than to dream about being someone totally different in a different situation. 

*   Before the congregation sings “God of Grace and God of Glory,” direct worshipers to the repeated chorus in their hymnals.  Point out that “Grant us wisdom, grant us courage” sounds a lot like Solomon’s prayer.  Then note the sentences that are sung twice at the end of each chorus.  Read each sentence twice and briefly comment on what it means to sing that to God.  Encourage even young readers to try to sing the chorus.  Point out that if they miss the final sentence the first time, they can get it the second time.  Then sing the whole song together.

*   Solomon’s story is the alternate reading for Jacob’s story.  But, it might be fun to pair the stories to explore the truth that God worked through both conniving Jacob and wise King Solomon.  If God loved and worked through two such different people, maybe there is hope for us.

Psalm 119:129-136




Hebrew Letter PE

 

      This section of Psalm 119 is not the easiest to share with children.  There is neither clear focus nor a key verse.  If you do use it, enjoy its alphabet poetry.  Each line of this section of the psalm begins with the Hebrew letter PE.  Show it to the congregation.  If you have not shown the children the psalm in a Hebrew Bible before, do so today noting that this is the language Solomon read.  Then have eight readers (either one  children’s class or readers of all ages – maybe one or two families) read one verse each. 

Today’s English Version offers easier vocabulary for child readers.

Your teachings are wonderful;

I obey them with all my heart.

¹³⁰     The explanation of your teachings gives light

and brings wisdom to the ignorant.

¹³¹     In my desire for your commands

I pant with open mouth.

¹³²     Turn to me and have mercy on me

as you do on all those who love you.

¹³³     As you have promised, keep me from falling;

don’t let me be overcome by evil.

¹³⁴     Save me from those who oppress me,

so that I may obey your commands.

¹³⁵     Bless me with your presence

and teach me your laws.

¹³⁶     My tears pour down like a river,

because people do not obey your law.

Romans 8:26-39

For children the heart of this passage is verses 38-39.

Read Paul’s list of all the things he worried could get between him and God’s loving care.  Then, make your own list of the things we worry about. 

Shel Silverstein provides a wonderful list of things that might be too much for God’s love.  

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Whatif by Shel Silverstein

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!

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Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

      Point out that some questions have only one right answer, e.g. one plus one is always two.  Parables don’t have just one right answer or meaning.  When we pay attention and think about them they often have many different things to tell us.  Show a single mustard seed (found in spice section of grocery stores) and a photo of a mustard tree.  Be amazed that such a small hard lump can produce a big shrub.   Ponder what that says about every small gift making a big difference in the world.  Then inform worshipers that one little mustard seed doesn’t just produce one mustard bush.  Mustard bushes are weeds.  One quickly becomes several and several soon take over the whole field.  That tells us something else about God’s Kingdom – it is unstoppable.  It is going to fill the whole world.  Stress that parables are for thinkers and suggest that they will always be learning new things from the parables.

>  Laurel Dykstra claims the key to these parables is not the objects, but what people do with them.  They don’t just hold on to them.  The mustard seed gets planted.  The yeast is worth nothing until the baker kneads it into the dough.  “Everything I have” is sold to buy the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price.  The contents of the net are carefully evaluated and used.  So one call to preachers is to challenge worshipers to do something or take some risks or decisive action.  If children are to catch this point, you will need to walk through what the person in one of these parable did in some detail.  Then tell them directly that Jesus was telling us that what we do for God makes a difference.  It may seem small and ordinary, but it makes more difference that we will ever know.  It will help to name specific small things children can do - being kind even when you don’t feel like it, befriending those without friends, etc.

>  The Pearl of Great Price and Treasure Hidden in the Field have a Harry Potter connection.  The invitation to become a student at Hogwarts and the knowledge that he was a wizard were so valuable to Harry, that he left behind everything he knew.  True, he wasn’t leaving anything all the great given where he lived and who he lived with, but still it is not easy to leave what you know.  And, he had to walk straight into the brick column at the railroad station to catch the train to Hogwarts.  These parables challenge us to be as ready to step into something new for God as Harry was to step into that column and go to Hogwarts.

>  In democracy we often say that the majority rules, but that is only half true.  The other truth is that one person or a very small group of people can change everything.  Rosa Parks sitting down on the Montgomery bus is an historic adult example.  The fable about the boy who said “the Emperor has no clothes” while the adults watched silently is a fictional example children enjoy. 

Year A - Second Sunday in Epiphany, Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (January 16, 2011)

Isaiah 49:1-7

Reading this text in which the speaker is telling a story and within that story quoting God extensively requires practice.  If worshipers of any age are to follow the passage, the reader needs to imagine himself/herself speaking dramatically before a large crowd.  Think ahead about how you will show with your voice the difference in what the Servant says and what God says.  Plan how to emphasize the words to communicate the ideas in each sentence.

In verse 6 the task of the servant Israel is to be a light to the nations.  Explaining to children who think literally what it means for either God or people to be light is not easy.  Describing the difference lanterns, flashlights, even candles make in the dark is easy.  But, connecting that difference with the difference that kind words and deeds of love and mercy make is quite a stretch.  Children’s brains simply have not developed the necessary transference ability. 

Instead use this as an opportunity for some worship education about the use of candles in worship and even the responsibility of acolytes who light them or carry them in or out.  Many congregations place two candles on the worship table.  One means God/Jesus is the light of the world.  The other means we are called to be light for the world.  Some congregations intentionally carry a taper lit from one of these candles out of the sanctuary at the end of worship in order to remind us to follow God out into the world to serve and worship there.  Describe and even deomonstrate how your congregation uses candles in worship and explain in simple terms the significance of what you do. 

Without getting tangled up in the “light to the nations” image, it is possible to explore Isaiah’s insistence that God doesn’t want us just to look out for ourselves, our church, and our community, but to be concerned for everyone in the whole world.  Reread  just verse 6, putting some of the ideas you’re your own words.  Then,

-     describe at least one way your congregation reaches out to people far away.  If possible select an activity in which children are involved, such as packing disaster relief kits.

-     think together of a prayer to offer for the people who live on each continent.  (Follow you progress using a globe.)  Then offer those prayers.

Psalm 40:1-11

Verses 9 and 10 are the key ones for children.  The psalmist declares that he has spoken about God’s saving action.  Children can be encouraged to speak about God in two ways.

Like the psalmist they can sing God’s praises.  Singing songs praising God with others at church and singing songs praising God on their own are important disciplines to cultivate.  Today children are more likely to listen to music than to sing it.  Encourage them to sing by telling stories in which singing is important and by doing a lot of congregational singing during worship today.  Assign worshipers a familiar hymn you have sung and discussed in worship today to sing in the car on their way home.  (Encourage them to do this whether they are singing a solo or with a “choir”.)

Children can also speak up on God’s behalf every day.  When the group is doing something that is wrong, even young children can say so.

This weekend the psalmist reminds us of Martin Luther King who spoke to the American nation on God’s behalf of the injustices being endured by African Americans.   He said, “I have a dream…” but he meant “God has a dream and will make it come true.”   His words about this dream inspired people to make difficult changes to right the injustices.  King and his followers also sang songs, spirituals that echoed his words.  Together the speaking and singing of God is powerful.  King spoke to and sang with millions of people.  Few of us do.  But, we can sing songs for God and we can speak up among our friends.  We can stand up for God’s ways and point out when people are starting to do things that are wrong.  Martin Luther King had to be brave to speak up for God and so do we. 

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

For the next seven weeks we will be reading from 1 Corinthians.  This may be the first generation of children who need to learn what a letter is.  Strange, but true!  They are increasingly used to communicating in short emails or even shorter text messages that are sent quickly, read and generally deleted.  They have little experience with a several page letter that was carefully composed, read and reread, and then kept to reread in the future.  So before reading from this letter, take time to explore what it was and meant to the early Christians.

-     Bring a stamped envelope containing a several page handwritten letter, a handheld computer with an email or text message displayed, and the pulpit Bible opened to the beginning of 1 Corinthians.  If Harry Potter mania is still alive, refer to the messages the owls carried.  Talk about the similarities and differences in each one.  Some take more time to write.  Some are harder to deliver and take longer to reach the receiver.  Some are considered more worth saving to reread and to share with others.  Explain that Corinthians is a letter sent from Paul to the Christians in Corinth and that they thought it was so important that they saved it, copied it, shared it with others. 

-     Display pictures of Corinthian ruins and modern day Corinth and have a map on hand to point out where Corinth is.  Ask if anyone in the congregation has been to Corinth.  The point is simply to realize that Corinth is a real place with real people.  (The photos below were found by googling “Corinth pictures.”)

 

-     Briefly introduce Paul telling how he knew the people in Corinth.  Point out some of his other letters to other churches in the Bible.

-     Read verse 2 that tells to whom the letter is sent.  Stop as you get to the parts that describe the saints beyond Corinth.  “Hey, wait!  That is us.  We are….  You and you are…   We have mail!”

Then invite worshipers to listen to what Paul says as the letter begins.

If you are going to explore the gifts Paul recognized in the members of the church in Corinth and in us, offer children a worksheet printed with a large gift box.  Invite them to write about or draw into the boxes some of the gifts/abilities/talents God has given them.  Point out that God wants them to use those gifts to love other people in the world.  Invite them to drop their drawings into the offering plates as a way of thanking God for those gifts or to share them with you as they leave the sanctuary.  Suggest that in one part of the box they draw a cross or a heart for the gift of God’s love.

John 1:29-42

This is really two stories in one.  To help young readers follow it as it is read, plan for two readers and three actors to pantomime with them.  Find actors who are able to communicate with their faces and gestures.  They will probably need to be high school students or older.  The following script is based on NRSV.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Narrator (reading from lectern):  The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared,

John:   “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’  I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.”  And, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.  I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Narrator:   The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”

John points at Jesus and faces two disciples.

The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

Disciples follow Jesus to one side and John retreats off the other side.

When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?”

Jesus turns and give hand gesture for question.

They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

Disciples reach out to ask question of Jesus.

 He said to them, “Come and see.”  

Jesus gestures with hands to come with him.  They all move to other side.

They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed).

One disciple goes to bring Simon who is seated in first row to join him and Jesus.

He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Jesus looks at Simon and places his hands on his shoulders to welcome a friend.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lamb of God is a nickname or a symbol for Jesus.  But, it is a hard one for children to understand.  To understand the Passover connection it will be necessary to retell that story.  To make the connection to the thank offerings, it will be necessary to explain the thinking behind that practice to children to whom it tends to sound cruel and weird.   Instead,

-     If your sanctuary includes Lamb of God images, point them out and simply say that they remind us of Jesus.
 

-     Point out in the worship bulletin the places you will pray, say or sing “Lamb of God” today.  Maybe suggest that children underline the name every time they find it in the bulletin.  Then instruct them to think “Jesus” as they use the term.

This is a story about people who told others what they knew and introduced their friends to important people.  John pointed out Jesus to his disciples.  Andrew brought his brother to meet Jesus.  It can be tied to theme about speaking your testimony in Isaiah and Psalm 40.  In this story the speaking is done in everyday situations among people who know each other.  It may be used to challenge children to speak up to their friends and siblings or to invite their friends to church.