Today’s texts explore
complicated adult concerns. Children
will be lost in many of them. But, we
can explore with the children some of the literal basics that underlie these
adult conversations and in the process enrich the thinking of the adults too.
“Jesus Loves Me” may be the summary song for the week. Like the young man in Mark we all depend on
Jesus who it turns out does love us and stand with us (see Hebrews). We know that because of the Word we find in
the Bible (also Hebrews).
The Texts
for Today
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
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| This book comes in serveral covers. |
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The RCL skips over the
“consolations” of Jobs friends and goes straight to Job’s complaints
today. The Children’s Bible in 365
Stories, by Mary Batchelor, offers a summary of the arguments of the
friends and Job’s insistence of his innocence and complaint to God in “Cheering Job Up?” It can be read in 3 minutes by one person or
as reader’s theater by a Narrator, 3 friends, and Job. I might read it before reading the biblical
text.
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This story is important to
children for two reasons:
1.
It insists that Job did not suffer because he
had done something bad. Children,
even more than adults, tend to blame themselves for doing something bad that
caused pain in their family – a death, parental divorce, illness of a family
member or themselves, a devastating accident, etc. This is an opportunity to tell them directly
that God does not do that to Job or to us.
They will not hear it in the story, but will depend on us to tell them
directly.
2.
It is OK to
feel lost and lonely and angry with God. Since the vast majority of the
stories and talk they hear about God describe God as loving us and with us all
the time, children assume that everyone but them feels God’s loving presence
all the time. This is an opportunity to
tell them directly that that is not so.
Everyone has times when we feel God is far away from us. There are also times when we want to yell at
God. Lots of the time we pray “thank
you, God” or “you are great, God” or “help me, God.” But it is also OK to pray “that is not fair,
God” and “I don’t like this, God” and “why did you let this happen, God.” Just as we can tell our best friends and
people in our families the things that hurt us and make us angry, we can tell
them to God.
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| One way to do this it invited people write or draw their complaints in spaces in loops drawn on gray paper. This one is about fears rather than copmlaints, but you get the idea. |
One way to conclude this discussion is to collect and pray complaining prayers. An informal congregation might do this
together. More formal ones will have to
depend on the worship leaders to make the list.
Complaints children might offer include illness, the death of pets,
fights that they cannot control, scary storms,….
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WARNING: The RCL
saves God’s answer to Job’s complaints for next Sunday and the resolution of
the story for the following Sunday.
Young attention spans are not that long.
At the very least let them know that God answered Job, that Job thought
it was a good answer, and that you will hear about the answer next week.
Psalm 22:1-15
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Introduce this as a prayer
Jesus prayed while he was dying on the cross and that Job might have prayed
when everything was going so wrong for him.
Encourage children to listen for “how bad it is phrases.”
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Most children have felt like
the psalmist, but the poetic images make it hard for them to understand the
psalmist’s prayer. Help them by putting it into
language children use in such situations today.
God, where are
you? Why don’t you help me?
I pray to you for help
but you do nothing.
The Bible is full of
stories of people who prayed to you
for help.
You answered them and saved them from
their trouble.
What am I, a
worm? Why don’t you help ME?
Everyone is against
me.
They laugh at me and
make fun of me.
Still I know that you
made me.
You have watched over
me since before I was born.
Do not be far from me
now when there is trouble
all around me and there is no one to help me.
I feel like I am
surrounded by big fierce bulls snorting
at me.
God, I am scared and
hopeless.
Help!
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
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This prophecy that Israel will
be punished for their unjust treatment of the poor is probably included among
today’s readings to expand on the gospel message about wealth. Because the text is filled with poetic images
and references to justice in that day, it is very hard to unpack with
children. There are better texts with which to
explore wealth with children (James offered some in the RCL readings
recently.) If I did read it, I’d read
from the TEV which makes more immediate sense.
Psalm 90:12-17
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Since this a psalm that speaks
to God who is Lord of all generations, have it read
by readers of at least two generations.
A white haired reader could be paired
with an older elementary school reader with each reading alternate verses. The older reader goes first and reads verses 5
and 6 as one reading.
> Or, to involve more readers of a
variety of ages and sexes, use the five reader script below. Include an
older child, a teenager, a young adult, a middle aged adult, and an older
adult. It doesn’t matter in what order they stand and read, but I would
mix them up rather than go youngest to oldest or the reverse. They could
stand around a central microphone each stepping to the mike to read from a
script they hold or each could wear a lapel mike. A rehearsal before the
service is essential for all to feel comfortable and thus project the faith of
all generations that underlies the psalm.
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Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17
Reader 1: Lord,
you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Reader 2:
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed
the earth and the world,
from everlasting to
everlasting you are God.
Reader 3:
You
turn us back to dust,
and say, “Turn back, you
mortals.”
Reader 4:
For
a thousand years in your sight
are like yesterday when
it is past,
or like a watch in the
night.
Reader 5:
You
sweep them away; they are like a dream,
like grass that is
renewed in the morning;
in the morning it
flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades
and withers.
Reader 1:
Turn,
O Lord! How long?
Have compassion on your
servants!
Reader 2:
Satisfy
us in the morning with your
steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice
and be glad all our days.
Reader 3:
Make
us glad as many days as
you have afflicted us,
and as many years as we
have seen evil.
Reader 4:
Let
your work be manifest to your servants,
and your glorious power
to their children.
Reader 5:
Let
the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and prosper for us the
work of our hands—
O prosper the work of
our hands!
NRSV
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If you sing the hymn based on
Psalm 90, “Our God our Help in Ages Past,” give the children a
word sheet. Point out that we sing the
first and last verses to God naming all the ways we depend on God. Read all the bolded “our” phrases in them. Then explain that we in the middle three
verses we think about what God does.
Suggest that the pictures illustrate what we think about in each of
those verses. Then sing the song
together.
Hebrews 4:12-16
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Children do not understand
verse 12 as it is read. However, the
verse can be used as an invitation to explore the
role of the Bible in worship with them. Begin by saying that God’s Word is another
name for the Bible. Then, try some of
the following:
1.
Print WORD
on a poster. Define it at the beginning
of the service and let it sponsor the day’s worship ala Sesame Street.
2. Give each child a
strip of Bible stickers to put in the order of
worship every time they read or sing from the Bible. Older children will match it to lines in the
order of worship. Younger children will
simply use the Bible stickers to decorate their page. Both will have celebrated the connection
between the Bible and worship.
3.
Explain any prayers or rites your congregation follows around the
reading of scripture. In
some churches that would include the response “The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.” Point it out, say what it means, and practice
it. In churches which carry a Bible into
the sanctuary in procession, explain why you do this and re-enact the processional.
4.
If your
congregation uses special Bibles in worship, introduce them. Tell the history of those with interesting
stories. Explain why you display a
special Bible in the worship center. If
this is a children’s time bring the Bible down so the children can see and
touch it.
5.
After explaining
the worship Bibles, point out that the books themselves are not what is
special. What is special is the words in
those books. Encourage the children to
listen carefully to and learn those words.
OMNISCIENCE ALL-KNOWING
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Verses 13-16 are about the
fact that God/Jesus knows everything we do.
The big word is OMNISCIENCE. The
child version is ALL-KNOWING. If you
started a poster of Hebrew’s words describing Jesus last week (scroll through Year B - Proper 22 to Hebrews), add one of these
today. If you are not keeping a running
poster, simply turn one or both of these words into a big
poster or banner. Present
it at the beginning of the service. Take
time to define the word/s and to encourage worshipers of all ages to listen for
it and for ideas about God knowing us completely during worship.
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The idea of God judging us may
be new to children who hear more about God’s unending love. Introduce the idea with two
pictures of Jesus. First,
go to one of Jesus with the children.
Elaborate a little on ways we know God loves us. Then produce a picture of Christ the
Judge. Identify the differences. This Jesus looks very powerful and important. This Jesus looks a little scary. Read Hebrews 4:13 noting that it goes with
this picture. Insist that both pictures
are of Jesus. That the same Jesus who
loves us also judges us. So we are
safe. But, we also try to be our best
for Jesus the Judge.
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There is nothing that can be hidden from God; everything in all
creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we
must all give an account of ourselves.
(TEV)
WARNING: Children can
misunderstand this passage to say that God is the scary Judge and Jesus is the
nice guy who protects us from scary God.
The clearest way to avoid that is to name it and say it is not the way
things are.
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If you use the Apostles’ Creed
in worship regularly, point out the phrase “he will come to
judge the quick/living and the dead.” Put it into your own words. If you use the traditional “quick and the dead,”
be sure to explain that the quick are those who are alive – us! Only then invite all worshipers to stand and
affirm the creed together. (It might be
helpful to direct people to open their hymnals to the Apostles’ Creed for this
discussion and the following reading.)
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Most children have made yarn God’s eyes. Display one and explain its meaning as a
symbol of God watching us all the time.
Take
it to another level by giving children (or all worshipers?) a plastic bag
filled with two craft sticks or straws and several lengths of colored yarn with
which to create their own God’s eyes while they listen to a sermon about God’s
knowing us through and through. Help
them get started by having the craft sticks already tied together and the
central diamond started.
Mark 10:17-31
$ In today’s world when many cannot sew, children may need a prop to
understand “the eye of the needle.” Demonstrate threading a needle using either a
tapestry needle or a plastic child’s needle and a piece of yarn. In a smaller room you might also want to
display a real sewing needle and the thread that must go through that tiny
hole. Then with your hands show how big
a camel is. Finally, reread what Jesus
said and put his message into your own words.
$ To recall the “eye of the needle” at the end of the service, prepare children to form arches with their arms (similar
to the bridges in the game “London Bridge Is Falling Down”) at each of the
exits. Worshipers will have to stoop to
go through those arches (or needle eyes) and into a week as disciples. Coach the children to say “Go in peace, God
loves you” to each worshiper who passes through their arch.
$ The basic message of the story of the rich young man for children is
that Jesus wants us to share our money with
others who need it. Because children are
less familiar with the intricacies of money and because they think concretely,
we often involve them in collecting food, books, and other items for people who
need them. But, they need to hear early
that we are also meant to share our money.
Go to Children, Money and the Sanctuary for a collection of ideas
about how to explore the use of money with children in the sanctuary. This might be especially useful if this is
the stewardship season in your congregation.
There are several good storybooks
that parallel this story.
$ The Quiltmaker’s Gift, by Jeff Brumbeau, is a parallel to the story of the
rich young ruler, but with a happy ending.
An old quilter makes the most beautiful quilts in the world, but only
for the poor. A king so greedy that he
decided to have two birthdays every year and demanded gifts from all his
subjects on each birthday heard of her quilts and wanted one. He hoped that it would make him happy, though
none of his other possessions did. She
refused to give him one. He punished her,
but each time she escaped his punishments through kind deeds. Finally he vowed to give away all his gifts
and she promised to add a square to his quilt for each one he gave away. In the process he does indeed find
happiness. It takes at least 15 minutes
to read aloud – and could be a great stewardship season all by itself. Save 5 minutes by omitting the story of bear
and the sparrows who save the woman from the king.
$ The real Saint Nicholas’ rich parents died when he was young leaving him to be
raised by his uncle. The uncle taught
Nicholas the importance and joy of sharing his wealth. Throughout his life Nicholas found ways to
use his money to help people. He is best
known for leaving money to save children from being sold into slavery or to giving
poor girls dowries so they could marry.
Wikipedia has a good basic article about his life. Saint Nicholas, by Ann Tompert, is a
collection of stories about his giving ways.
The book is too long to read in its entirety but one or two stories
could be told or read.
$ Many point out that this story is more about grace
than about what we do with all our stuff.
Real happiness and meaning are not found in stuff. Another Christmas story that makes this point
is How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr.
Seuss. Because it is so familiar, all
you may need is a few lines,
And
the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice-cold
in the snow,
Stood
puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?
“It
came without ribbons! It came without
tags!
“It
came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And
he puzzled three hours,
till his puzzler was sore.
Then
the Grinch thought of something
he hadn’t before!
“Maybe
Christmas,” he thought,
“doesn’t come from a store.
“Maybe
Christmas…perhaps…
means a little bit more!”
Maybe
happiness on any day of the year does not come from a store.
$ The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister, is a well-loved classic and is known
to most children. A fish with beautiful
shiny scales at first refuses to share them with the other fish and becomes
lonely. A wise octopus tells him that if
he shares his beautiful scales with the other fish he will no longer be the
most beautiful fish in the ocean, but he will be happy with his new friends. Rainbow Fish follows the octopus’s advice and
finds it true. Read the story today
because it parallels the gospel story and because children will be delighted to
hear an old favorite read in the sanctuary.
When they say, “I know that story” reply “Yes, it is good story. I think Jesus would like that story too. That is why I wanted to read it in
church.” It can be read aloud in 4
minutes.
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| The key words are in color on this wordsheet. Invite young worshipers to sing from it and to draw pictures of each colored word in the margins. Make copies to use in worship free. |
$ Before singing “Take My Life
and Let it Be,” identify all the parts of us that are mentioned
– life, hands, voice, silver and gold, moments, feet, lips, intellect, will,
heart, love, myself. Give children wordsheets
with these words highlighted in different colors to sing from. Insist that we are called to give all of
ourselves and our lives to God. You
might encourage children to draw pictures in the margins that show ways they
can use some of their body for God.
Highlight
the “take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold” verse by explaining
that silver and gold are not just metals.
They stand for money. A mite is a
little tiny bit of something. Rephrase
the verse “take my money, not a penny would I hold back.” Talk about how hard that is to sing, then
invite worshipers of all ages to sing it together.
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