All Saints Day is one great
holy day for children! Since it falls on
the Saturday after Halloween is on Friday this year, I’d keep the festive
weekend going using All Saints texts on Sunday.
The usual texts for November 2 also have All Saints Day
connections. So check out that post
too. There are three basic themes to
explore:
-
What and who is a
saint?
-
Remembering the
saints who went before us
-
Trusting God in
the face of Halloween fears
All SAINTS Day
With children we tend to turn
All Saints Day into a celebration of
Christian heroes and heroines.
There is value in doing that.
Children need role models and it is wise to offer them some specifically
Christian ones.
+ To
do this (and keep the Halloween costume interest alive for another day) invite
children (or worshipers of all ages) to wear costumes or
carry a prop related to one of their Christian hero/ines. Stage a processional in which worshipers stop
at a microphone to tell in one sentence the name of their hero/ine and why that
person is important to them. Help
parents get their children into this with advanced publicity that defines saint
as a person who shows us about God, lists several well-known saints, e.g. St.
Patrick, St. Paul, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, at least one local saint
and notes that saints may be living or may have already died. In an oral announcement, identify one of your
saints and tell what you would wear or carry to represent that person. If there are churches named after saints in
your community, encourage people to learn about one of those saints. A light touch throughout will make this a fun
and celebratory worship event for everyone.
+ Instead
of wearing costumes, challenge church school classes and households to make a paper banner or poster about one of their saints. Stage a processional of these art works and
display them during worship.
+ The downside of celebrating saintly hero/ines is that
it leaves most of us feeling less than saintly.
To avoid this, emphasize that all God’s people
are saints. Saints are
people through whom God shines. Each
saint shows us a different part of God.
Illustrate this by naming what of God you see in some of the saints in
your congregation – maybe the music minister or the guy who heads up the CROP Walk
every year. Challenge worshipers to
identify what they see of God in people around them. Remind them that the more people we know and
pay attention to, the more we know the grace of God through those people. To
celebrate some of these saints (both living and dead) who are dear to members
of the congregation create posters, banners, or table cloths decorated with
their names.
+ Prepare several blank banners (possibly
cloud shaped to refer to the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12). Invite worshipers to arrive early enough to
add names of their saints in fabric marking pens to one of the banners. Just before worship slide the banners on to
poles, process in with them, and display them prominently during worship.
+ Instead of creating banners create a table cloth for the central worship table. Worshipers can write the names of their
saints on a white sheet which is then draped over the worship table at the
beginning of worship. Candles, crosses, even
communion elements can be added during a Call to Worship which summons all the
saints, both the living and the dead.
Two children’s picture books about quilts
provide good back stories for these creations.
+ In The Keeping Quilt, by
Patricia Polacco, a woman immigrating to America creates a quilt that connects
to memories of family in the old country.
The quilt is used as bedcover, a Sabbath tablecloth, and a wedding
canopy, and a baby blanket to wrap a new generation. The book is too long to read in worship, but
can be easily told turning to a few key pictures for illustration.
+ In The Name Quilt, by Phyllis
Root, a little girl goes to sleep each night with stories about the people
represented in her family quilt. The
quilt is destroyed in a storm, but the little girl and her Grandmother still
have the memories, and start a new quilt that includes the little girl’s name
in the middle. (This book may be harder
to locate than the other.)
+ To
introduce the idea of saints to the children display one of the following
pieces of art.
“Gathering of the Spirits” (http://paintedprayerbook.com/2011/10/29/inspired-on-the-feast-of-all-saints/#.VDV2W890wyU
) is non-literal art and will challenge children. Some “I wonder” questions will help them
understand the picture:
I wonder what
that round thing is?
the sun? the moon?
the light of God?
I wonder who the
gold things are?
Can anyone guess
what the square things are?
(You may have to talk briefly about halos here.)
(You may have to talk briefly about halos here.)
This should get
to a discussion about all the people/saints who we are always aware of, who
show us about God by just being there, and who help us live well.
“Of Supper and Saints” depicts many different kinds of “saints”
gather around the Table. Identify what
makes each figure unique. Then, ponder
what holds them together. What do they
share and what do they gain from being together “at the Table. (This is especially effective if communion
will be celebrated during this service.) http://paintedprayerbook.com/2009/09/29/of-supper-and-saints/#.VDcuic90wyU
"(I believe in) the
communion of saints..."
+ If you regularly recite the Apostles’ Creed in
worship, point to the phrase “(I believe in) the
communion of saints.”
Direct worshipers to find it wherever you have it printed. Note that it is a reminder that we are
connected to all the people who have loved God and followed Jesus in all times
and all places. We are a community, a
family. Name some of the saints you will
be thinking of today when you say this and invite others to think about the
saints they will remember. Then,
recite/read the creed together.
A Little Easter
+ All
Saints Day is also known as a Little Easter.
Children are fascinated by celebrating Easter in a different
season. So bring out
all the Easter paraments and robes. If you “buried” an Alleluia banner or poster
during Lent, bring it out and refer to it in worship again.
+ Talk
about the difference in celebrating
resurrection in the springtime when flowers blooming and in the autumn when
everything is turning brown and dying. Celebrate both the joy of knowing there is
new life when you see it all around you and the importance of remembering there
is new life when everything around you is looking dead. Older children enjoy thinking about how
different Easter feels in the different hemispheres.
+ On
this day many congregations remember all the members
of the congregation who have died during the last year. Children are keenly aware of the intensity of
this reading. Indeed, many adults have
childhood memories of the occasion. Ways
to enhance this worship event for children (and all worshipers) include:
-
Toll a handbell
as each name is read.
-
Light a candle as
each name is read and leave the candles lit throughout the service as a
reminder of the continuing presence of the saints who have died.
-
One church in
Maine projects the names on the walls – talk about being surrounded by a great
cloud of witnesses!
-
Speak briefly
about the connection between the living and dead saints. At its best this can be a time when gratitude
takes the center in the grieving process.
+ Selecting hymns for All Saints Day is almost a no-brainer. But there are ways to make them more
sing-able for the children.
“For
All the Saints” is 6 verses long! Rather
than sing all of them at once, spread them throughout the service. Everyone will pay better attention to the
words. At the beginning of the service
point out the Alleluias and practice them so non-readers can join in.
“I
Sing A Song of the Saints of God” uses simpler language, names very specific
recognizable saints, and asks the singer to commit to sainthood. Singing it in the congregation suggests to
all that children are also saints.
“For
All the Saint’s Who’ve Shown Your Love” by John Bell uses simpler language than
some All Saints hymns but is not as “cute” as “I Sing a Song of the Saints of
God” http://www.giamusic.com/searchPDFS/G4540.pdf
“We
Are the Church Together” makes the point that the church is not a building, a
steeple, or a resting place, but a community of people. Before singing this song, recite this phrase
and remind worshipers that they and all saints together are the church.
The
second verse of “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” is especially appropriate
for All Saints and Communion. Walk
through it pointing out the connections.
Ask a class of children in advance to make banner illustrating it. Process the banner in and display it during
the singing of the hymn. Sing the second
verse again at communion even in response to the phrase “with the faithful of
all times and all places.”
Highlight
the phrase “Praise Him above you heavenly host” in the Doxology. Note that all the saints you have been
talking about praised God and we praise God.
That connects us.
Singing
“When the Saints Go Marchi’ In” in worship delights children and helps them
understand the song in a new way. I even
heard of one congregation that sang “When the Saints Go Marchin’ Out” at the
end of service.
+ If you will celebrate communion and use the reference
in the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving to “joining with all
the saints of all times and places,” point it out and talk about
what it means before the sacrament.
The All Saints Texts
Revelation 7:9-17 (Ep: 7:2-4, 9-17)
+ On Halloween children are confronted with scary images of death – ghosts, cemeteries,
open graves with decaying corpses and skeletons. The writer of Revelation offers a very
different picture. All the saints gather
around the throne, singing and celebrating.
Though the worship images are a pleasanter vision of life after death,
most children do not respond, “I want to be in that group worshiping
constantly.” They do however want to be
part of those receiving the care of the Lamb described in verses 16-17. So, after letting them in on the secret code
(the Lamb is Jesus) read these verses as a description of what happens after we
die. Older children are interested in
identifying all the common pictures of harps and halos as just human
guesses. They are open to hearing that
we do not know many of the details about what happens after we die. God has kept that as a surprise. What we do know is that God and Jesus will be
in charge and we will be safe and happy.
+ Revelation was written in code during a time when a
person could be killed for having a Christian book. Children enjoy learning pieces of the code as
they are read and in the process learn not be afraid of the book. At Halloween the most interesting piece of
the code is the image of saints wearing robes made white by
being washed in the blood of the Lamb.” Laugh over the fact that if you wash anything
in blood it comes out red, not white.
Then, explain the code. Jesus is
the Lamb and the blood of the Lamb reminds us that Jesus died to forgive
us. Finally, restate the decoded message
something like, “the saints were completely forgiven by Jesus.”
Ecclesiasticus 44:1-10, 13-14 (Episcopalian
Lectionary)
+ No matter which translation of this text you use, please make the language more inclusive, “let
us now praise famous people.” Consider
Today’s English Version which has an especially clear to children rendering of
verses 4 and 5.
There
were statesmen (politicians?) whose policies governed the people,
rulers
who issued decrees,
scholars
who spoke wise words,
and
those who used pointed proverbs,
poets,
and composers of music,
rich
and powerful men (people) living peacefully at home.
+ After reading this list of saints, challenge worshipers to list others who could be saints. (This would be a great lead in to singing “I
Sing A Song of the Saints of God.”)
+ Using the pictures in Peter
Spier’s book People or a big book of photographs of people
from many cultures, consider the possibility that any of these people could be
saints. Saints come in many shapes and
sizes, live and eat in many different ways, and enjoy many different
activities. They are all God’s
saints. Peter Spier's book is too long to read and enjoy in its entirety
during worship. Choose several pages. I would choose the pages of noses, ears
and hair and the page of all the languages. (The
only complaint about Spier’s wonderful book is that it depicts some people
living as they did years ago, e.g. native Americans living in teepees. On All Saints Day this can be an opportunity
to note that people from all times in history can be saints.)
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
+ David was afraid that the King Achish/Abimelech would
put him in prison or kill him, so he did crazy things like doodling on the city
gates and drooling. The king was
disgusted and told his servants to send David away. David went.
This alphabet psalm celebrates his escape, his sanity, and mostly God’s
care for him in a tight situation.
To
imagine him creating it with his men, briefly tell the story then have one person call out each letter to which David responds with
the appropriate verse.
The alphabet readers could sit with a microphone on the first row or be
gathered on the floor around David. In
the latter case, rehearse yelling the letters loudly enough to be heard.
+ “The fear of the Lord” is an interesting phrase to explore at
Halloween. For children Halloween is
about facing fears (ghosts, gory stuff in haunted houses, even being out after
dark for the youngest). They fear the
things that they think are too powerful for them. The psalmist claims that the one to fear is
God. God is definitely more powerful
that any of us. Fortunately God loves
us, cares for us, and is with us when we are in scary situations. The underlying message is to fear (to
acknowledge as more powerful than we are) the right things and people. So we do not have to fear ghosts, the dark,
walking past the cemetery at night, or anything else. Instead we, like David, fear/trust God’s
loving power.
1 John 3:1-3
+ In an All Saints Day service focused on everyday
rather than heroic saints, this short reading paraphrases for children.
God
must really love us. God calls us God’s
children, saints.
We
know we are God’s saints now. We don’t
know what we will grow into or become.
But, we do know that saints are like Jesus.
So,
we try to be like Jesus every day.
+ Address each other as saints. Give everyone
name tags to wear that say “Saint NAME.”
Matthew 5:1-12
+ On All Saints Day, The Beatitudes are a description of the saints.
+ Though “happy” is more familiar to children than “blessed,” I’d go with “blessed” here. If you go with “happy” you have to help the
children see the difference between shallow and deeper happiness – not
easy. “Blessed” can be presented simply
as deeply happy about the most important things in life. Illustrate the difference by comparing two
happy situations. One is sitting on your
bed dumping out all your Halloween treats with delight. The other is settling into your bed to sleep
with hugs and kisses, knowing that you are safe and loved and OK. The first is simply happy. The second is blessed. The trick is to acknowledge the happiness of
the Halloween treats and yet insist that the snug tuck-in at night is a more
important.
+ Many of the beatitudes require fairly detailed
explanations to make sense to children.
Below is my stab at children’s versions
of a few of them.
Blessed
are the saints who trust God’s power and loving care,
for
they are part of the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed
are the saints when they are sad because the world is so unfair,
They
have God’s promise that justice will come.
Blessed
are the nobodies who know they are nobodies and still do God’s work.
In
God’s world they are the leaders.
Blessed
are the saints whose greatest wish is to do what God desires.
God
will give them what they want.
Blessed
are the saints who treat other people gently,
God
will treat them gently.
Blessed
are the saints who get in trouble when they do what God requires,
For
they are surely among God’s saints.
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