My goodness this IS an
overload Sunday. It is the Sunday before
Thanksgiving in Canada and Children’s Sabbath in the USA. The 2 Kings story of the healing of Naaman
and the gospel story of the healing of the 10 lepers appear several times in
the lectionary. The Naaman story
appeared on July 7, 2013. The gospel
story is a Thanksgiving Day text for Year A.
(Canadians, After I post this material I will go to work on and post the
Thanksgiving
Day ideas for Year C so you can have them in time. We Americans will catch up with you in
November.) As I said, there are lots of
choices to be made.
Go
to Children's Defense Fund
for all sorts of resources for celebrating Children’s Sabbath.
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
- If your congregation publicly collects prayer concerns before a prayer that focuses on intercession, take time to explain what you are doing and why.
- Introduce the practice of praying on the run, i.e. offering very short silent prayers for a person while you are with them, e.g. “She looks really unhappy, God. Please take care of her.”
- Many children’s bedtime prayers include a long list of “God blesses.” Encouraging children to pray this list thoughtfully adding people they have encountered during the day who they want to name to God, encourages them to see other people and develop a sense of relationship with them. For younger children simply naming people, “God bless my teacher,” is enough. Older children can be more specific, “God thank you for my teacher. I really like him.” Or “God, help my teacher. She was really crabby today. Help her feel happier tomorrow.” (A children’s time about this subtly encourages parents to work on this practice at home. Including it in The Sermon invites children to listen to sermons and encourages adults to practice bedtime reflection on their day and intercessory prayer based on the day. Bedtime prayers are NOT just a kid thing.)
Please, God, try to forgive those people.
Because even if they say those bad things,
They don't know what they're doing.
So You could forgive them,
Just like You did those folks a long time ago.
c Praying
for others is only half the task. We
are also to work on the behalf of those for whom we pray. As children pay attention to people around
them and pray for them, they can say kind words to people who don’t get many
kind words. They can make friends with
those who don’t have many friends. They
can comfort a person who is sad. They
can congratulate and celebrate with someone who done something really
cool. They become God’s partners in
making what they prayed for happen.
Psalm 66:1-12
This is a hard psalm for
children to follow. This year I would
save it for the adults.
2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c
c This
story appears 3 times in the lectionary, but remains unfamiliar to most
children and adults. Though it is not
long, it is filled with complex action.
That makes it a good candidate for pantomiming as read. An older children’s or youth class could do the
pantomiming. It would also be
interesting to use players of the appropriate age for each character. Players might wear jeans and dark
shirts. Most characters have one
defining prop.
This could simply be the scripture reading for
the day. Or, you could ask the characters to stay in place on stage and move into the
sermon by moving among the character, commenting on their actions. With prepared players, you could even have
conversation with the characters about what they did and how it felt. Whichever you do, some rehearsal is required.
Players
and Props/costumes:
Naaman
(military
headgear – a costume helmet or a modern military/police officer hat)
Naaman’s wife
(hand held mirror)
Naaman’s wife’s
servant girl (hairbrush)
Naaman’s servant (no
prop – he will carry the scroll between the kings)
King of Syria
(crown and a rolled paper scroll)
King of Israel
(crown)
Elisha (no prop)
Elisha’s servant
(no prop)
Jordan River
(a
2-3 yard long piece of muddy colored fabric held by a
person at each end)
person at each end)
I I I I I I I I I I
I
I I
Reader/Stage Manager: Our story today is only fifteen verses long but involves eight characters, two kingdoms, and one river. First, of course, the kings: There is the king of Syria.
Reader/Stage Manager: Our story today is only fifteen verses long but involves eight characters, two kingdoms, and one river. First, of course, the kings: There is the king of Syria.
Beckon
deferentially for the King of Syria in his crown to take his place.
And there is the King of Israel – a much smaller country and so a less important king, but still a king.
Beckon
deferentially for the King of Israel in his crown to take his place, possibly
on a lower step from the king of Syria.
And there is Naaman the general of the army of
the King of Syria – another very important man.
Grandly
direct Naaman to a spot near the King of Syria.
Naaman has a wife - I forget her name. And the wife has a young servant girl - who
cares what her name was.
Point
dismissively to their spots.
Naaman also has a servant, sort of his right
hand man.
Point
to a spot by Naaman for his servant.
That is the cast in Syria. Over here in Israel, there is also a prophet
named Elisha. The prophet also has a
servant.
Point
to spots for Elisha and his servant.
There are several large, beautiful rivers in
Syria, but for our story the important river is the muddy little Jordan River
in Israel.
Spread
out the muddy river and show the river shakers where to stand or describe the
muddy Jordan River pointing to where it is to be imagined.
Oh, our story involves a disease, a dreaded
disease, called leprosy. It was and is a
horrible disease. Its symptoms are sores
that do not heal and spread. Eventually
toes, fingers and even whole limbs fall off.
In the time at which our story takes place, people were so frightened of
the disease that victims were sent away from their homes and communities. They lived together in caves. Some of their families or kind folk from town
left food and clothes for them near the caves, but they never got very
close. When no food appeared the lepers
had to call out to travelers begging for what they needed. Today we have drugs to treat leprosy. But, in the days of our story there were no
cures.
Shiver
and shake your head as you conclude this description.
Now, we are ready for our story. It begins with Naaman at home in Syria.
Point
to Naaman.
Reader:
Naaman, the
commander of the Syrian army, was highly respected and esteemed by the king of
Syria, because through Naaman the Lord
had given victory to the Syrian forces.
Naaman stands
tall and folds his arms across his chest.
He was a great
soldier, but he suffered from a dreaded skin disease.
Naaman inspects
the back of his hand and hides it behind himself.
In one of their raids
against Israel, the Syrians had carried off a little Israelite girl, who became
a servant of Naaman’s wife.
Servant girl
pretends to brush mistress’s hair.
One day she said
to her mistress, “I wish that my master could go to the prophet who lives in
Samaria! He would cure him of his disease.”
Servant girl
pantomimes speaking. Mistress turns to
listen, then turns toward Naaman and reaches out to him.
When Naaman heard
of this, he went to the king and told him what the girl had said. The king said, “Go to the king of Israel and
take this letter to him.”
Naaman turns
toward the king of Syria. The king gives
him a letter (rolled up piece of paper).
When the king of
Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and exclaimed, “How can
the king of Syria expect me to cure this man? Does he think that I am God, with
the power of life and death? It’s plain that he is trying to start a quarrel
with me!”
Naaman bows
before the king of Israel and hands him the letter. The king opens it, reads it, and puts his
hands over his face or makes other signs of despair.
When the prophet
Elisha heard what had happened, he sent word to the king: “Why are you so
upset? Send the man to me, and I’ll show him that there is a prophet in
Israel!”
Elisha puts his
hand to his ear as if listening, then sends his servant to the king. The servant bows to the king who sits/stands
up and looks relieved. As the servant
backs up to take his place beside Elisha, the king looks at Naaman and points
toward Elisha.
So Naaman went
with his horses and chariot, and stopped at the entrance to Elisha’s
house.
Naaman and his
servant go to Elisha. The servant pretends to knock on the door.
Elisha sent a
servant out to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the River Jordan,
and he would be completely cured of his disease.
Elisha’s servant
standing in front of Elisha, pretends to open the door and points toward the
river, then closes the door.
But Naaman left
in a rage, saying, “I thought that he would at least come out to me, pray to
the Lord his God, wave his hand
over the diseased spot, and cure me!
Besides, aren’t the rivers Abana and Pharpar, back in Damascus, better
than any river in Israel? I could have washed in them and been cured!”
Naaman stamps his
feet, scowls, and puts his hands on his hips.
His servant went
up to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something
difficult, you would have done it. Now why can’t you just wash yourself, as he
said, and be cured?”
Naaman’s servant,
cautiously taps Naaman on the shoulder, pretends to speak reasoning with his
master using his hands to suggest the possibility of trying the river. Naaman listens, shrugs his shoulders, and
turns toward the river.
So Naaman went
down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed,
and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy, like that of a
child.
Naaman squats
sever times pretending to pour water over his head each time. His servant keeps count on his fingers for
both Naaman and the congregation. (Or,
have muddy brown cloth fabric laying on the floor as a river. People standing at the ends pick it and wave
it in front of Naaman seven times as the servant keeps count.) After the seventh dip Naaman looks at his
hand in amazement, shows it to his servant.
Both show signs of joy (maybe a high five?)
He returned to
Elisha with all his men and said, “Now I know that there is no god but the God
of Israel…”.
Naaman and his
servant return to Elisha’s door. The
servant knocks again. Elisha pretends to
open the door this time. Naaman and his
servant bow before Elisha.
(Biblical
story is from Today’s English Version)
I I I I I I I I I I
I
I I c God works through the powerless is the key idea of this story for children. Children, who often feel powerless and sense their ideas are ignored, are delighted that a little girl is the heroine. She speaks up and is listened to. Naaman actually takes her idea to the king, who produces a letter of introduction to a second king, then travels to find the prophet she mentions. Naaman’s powerless servant is the other hero who speaks up to convince his master that he ought to try following the prophet’s instructions. All the “powerful” people in the story (General Naaman and the two kings) save the day by submitting to the advice of the “powerless.” That preaches on many levels. It assures children that God works through them now (not when they grow up) and encourages them to speak up and act boldly based on what they know about what God wants and does. On Children’s Sabbath it calls the adults to pay attention to and take seriously what children say.
Psalm 111
c This
psalm is one of the alphabet psalms. It
might be titled “The ABCs of Praising God.”
A group of children (a class or choir?) might read the psalm to the
congregation with each child reading one lettered line and the minister or
other worship leader saying the letter of the Hebrew alphabet before each
lines. Or, the congregation might read
the lines after a worship leaders says each Hebrew letter.
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Psalm 111
The ABCs of
Praising God
All Praise the Lord!
Aleph With
all my heart I will thank the Lord.
Bet In the assembly of God’s people I will praise the Lord.
Gimel How
wonderful are the things the Lord does!
Dalet All who are delighted with them want to understand them.
He All God does is full of honor and majesty!
Waw God’s righteousness is eternal.
Zain The Lord does not let us forget these wonderful actions.
Het The Lord is kind and merciful.
Tet God provides food for those who honor him.
Yod The Lord never forgets his covenant.
Kaph God has shown his power to his people
Lamed The
Lord gave them the lands of foreigners.
Mem Everything God does is faithful and just.
Nun All the Lord’s commands are dependable.
Samek They
last for all time.
Ain They were given in truth and righteousness.
Pe God set his people free
Zade The Lord made an eternal covenant with them.
Qoph Holy and mighty is God’s name!
Resh The way to become wise is to honor the Lord;
Shin The Lord gives sound judgment to all who obey his commands.
Taw God is to be praised for ever.
Based
on the TEV
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c When
the story of Namaan appears on The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany (Year B) the
lectionary pairs it with Psalm 30. Go to
Year B - Sixth Sunday After Epiphany for suggestions for using this psalm as a psalm Naaman
and the leper might have prayed after they were healed.
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Persevere
c Paul is
still giving Timothy advice. Today he is
urging him to be persistent in his ministry.
Children will not hear what he is saying as his words are read. One way to share his advice with children is
to introduce the word “persevere.” Print it in large letters on a large sheet of
paper. Practice saying it together. Then tell them that it means “stick with it”
or “don’t give up.” Explore the meaning
of perseverance with one of the stories below. Conclude by noting that Paul
wanted Timothy to persevere in his work as a minister. He was to keep at it even on the days when it
wasn’t very interesting or exciting and on the days when it felt hard, even
dangerous.
c Tales about
perseverance: In Lord of the Rings Frodo and Sam
must overcome many obstacles to get their ring back to where it belongs. The same is true of Peter, Susan, Edmund and
Lucy on their adventures in The Chronicles of Narnia. While it sounds more exciting to persevere in
the kinds of daring tasks they did, we are called on to do the same in refusing
to give up on learning hard subjects at school, conquering our fears, etc.
c A few real
life stories about perseverance:
When Alexander Graham Bell invented
the telephone in 1876. After making a
demonstration call, President Rutherford Hayes said, "That's an amazing
invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?"
When Thomas Edison invented the light
bulb, he tried over 2000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter
asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, "I never failed
once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2000-step
process."
Many famous authors got dozens of
rejection slips before their books get accepted for publication and go on to
become best sellers.
c Pray
for perseverance. Invite worshipers of all ages to name times they
feel like giving up. Either gather
the list, then let a leader voice prayers on behalf of the congregation or turn
the suggestions into prayers as they are offered by asking the congregation to
respond to each one “God, help us to persevere.”
Luke 17:11-19
c Before reading
the scripture gather 10 “lepers” at the front. The lepers might be a collection of folks of
different ages – including at least one child.
Or, they might come from a single class of older children, youth, or
adults. As the lepers come forward pose
each one handing them, even wrapping them in props that describe the life of
lepers. You will need several big cloth
bandages to wrap around limbs.
- Instruct one to wrap up an arm as you describe the open, oozing sores.
- Tie a bandage around the head of another, explaining that the sores could show up anywhere, even on your head.
- Put a sticky bandage across another’s nose and imagine what it would feel like if you had sores right in the middle of your face.
- Wrap a bandage vertically around one’s head covering the ears noting that sometimes the sores on ones ears made the ears fall off completely.
- Have another make a fist and wrapped it up in a bandage as you point out that fingers often got so diseased that they fell off.
- Hand another a crutch or cane and bend one leg up so their toe just balances on the floor, noting that toes also fell off.
- Tell one to put his/her hands out in the stay away gesture telling how contagious leprosy is and noting that people had to live away from town, often in caves.
- Get another down on knees with hands outstretched to beg explaining that the only way they could get food was for people to bring it to them. Note that some families regularly brought food to a family member living with the lepers, but others had to beg from passers-by.
- Throw a larger raggedly piece of cloth around the shoulders of another pointing out that they were also dependent on others to bring them clothes which meant they were often wearing dirty ragged clothes.
- Sit one down on the floor facing away from everyone with head in hands looking down. Imagine how discouraged and sad one would get living this way, often for years, with no hope of getting better.
Either pose the lepers then
read the story, thank the lepers, and send them back to their seats.
OR
Involve the lepers in telling
the rest of the story. (This will
require one brief rehearsal with the lepers.)
Point out that one day all these lepers saw Jesus coming. Knowing that he had cured people with many
diseases they called out to him saying “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Ask several of the lepers or people in the
congregation to say the phrase the way they think the lepers would have said
it. Instruct the lepers to be ready to
say the phrase when it appears in the story.
Then go to the lectern to read the story. Point to the lepers to call out in verse
13. All lepers then all move slowly off
toward the side in verse 14. The tenth
leper who was discouraged slowly turns and comes back to the center facing the
reader, kneels and raises his or her arms in praise. The reader takes the role of Jesus, stepping
toward the leper, reciting verses 17-19 while holding out a hand to the leper,
pulling him to his feet, and turning him to join the others. The leper walks off. The reader turns to the congregation to say
“The Word of the Lord.”
c Because
children are constantly reminded to say “please” and “thank you,” this story
can sound like one more demand for good manners. The trick is to get past good manners to the
gratitude that underlies the spoken “thank you.” One way to do that is to focus on identifying
our blessings rather than on saying thank you.
Define
blessing as something wonderful
that makes your life good and that you did not earn or provide for
yourself. Note that anything can be a
blessing - or not. Food is a good
example. In the movie Shenandoah, the father of a family prays
over a table loaded with good food, “We planted it, tended it, harvested it,
and cooked it. Nothing would be on this
table if we had not put it there, but thanks anyway.” Food was not a blessing to that man. Another prayer over food is describes each
wonderful dish on the table and where the food in it came from thanking God for
creating each fruit and vegetable and meat.
For that person, food is a blessing.
Recite
the first line of The Doxology. Name some
of your blessings. Ask other worshipers
to name some of their blessings. Then,
invite the whole congregation to sing the Doxology.
Print
the words to “For the Beauty of the Earth” in the center of a page leaving
ample margins around the edges. Invite
children to write and draw their blessings around the margins to illustrate the
hymn. The words of the hymn may offer
then suggestions or they may draw things and people not mentioned in the hymn.
Using
hymnbooks or the printed pages above, together walk through the words of “For
the Beauty of the Earth” identifying examples of all the blessings listed. Also count all the different kinds of blessings
you find there. Then sing the hymn.
