Read together most of today’s
texts focus on the theme of hospitality – a word children seldom know (they
hear “hospital” and jump to medical thoughts) but a concept they
understand. Help them keep up with what
is said by introducing the word early in worship, laughing at its hospital
root, and briefly defining it as welcoming and taking care of other
people. Each text when read alone also
presents different themes. Some speak to
children differently than to adults but in ways that will also enrich the
thinking of the adults.
The Texts
for the Day
Amos
8:1-12
> Consequences
are important here and in the gospel story about Mary and Martha. It is hard for children and even teenagers to
learn to identify, before they act, the probable consequences of their actions. Even when they can identify a possible
problem that will result from their action, it is easy for them to hope that it
really won’t happen that way to me this time, i.e. “I’ll get away with
it.” Here Amos insists that people are
doing terrible things, that God knows what they are doing and that there will
be consequences. Children will not
recognize the bad things people are doing as the passage is read. But with a little help they will find them
quite familiar. People were cheating
each other. The big and powerful were
not being fair to the less powerful people.
(Think the older kid saying to the younger one, “Look we have two
cookies. Here is one for you – the littler one – and one for me –the bigger one.”) The message to children is that God DOES care
about what we do and that there will be consequences when we break God’s
rules. Though we may think we will get
away with what we do, we will not.
> To
help children grasp Amos’ talk about cheating using false measures
prepare two bags of produce or flour.
Mark each one with the same weight, but put a little less than that
amount in one bag. After presenting the
two bags claiming they are the same weight, weigh each bag on a scale. With questions such as “how would you feel if
you bought this (the smaller) bag?” help worshipers identify the unfairness
involved. Then read Amos 8:5b making
clear Amos’ message that people were sitting in church thinking of ways to
cheat each other – and that God knew and was not pleased.
 |
| Sorry, bananas don't last long enough to get over ripe at my house. |
> To
explore Amos’ image of summer fruit, display one green, one yellow and one
really over ripe banana. Talk about
which you want to eat and what is done with over ripe fruit. Then, make Amos’ point that all the people
were like overripe fruit. They were
greedy, selfish, and generally no good.
So God was going to throw them out.
Note that actually what God did was sent them away as prisoners of
war. During their time living in the
foreign country, they had time to think about how God wanted them to live. It was like a really big time out.
> Replace
the usual flower arrangements with bowls of seasonal fruits and vegetables. These can be beautiful as a contrasts to the
over ripe fruit you display and explore.
Psalm
52
> This
psalm is an angry rant. It is included
here as a partner to Amos’ warnings. Because
it takes a good bit of experienced maturity to make sense of this, I’d downplay
it or use Psalm 15. If you do read it, together
brainstorm a list of people who use their power to get what they want even
when it hurts others - bully, big shot, tycoon, villain, etc. Identify childhood activities that parallel
those of the villain of this psalm – telling secrets that will get others in
trouble, cheating at games, going along with a bully, tattling, using being the
biggest or oldest to get what you want. Then
read the psalmist’s prayer about people like that.
> When
this psalm is paired with Psalm 15 you have a stark comparison between “the
evil” with “the righteous.” Have the two
psalms read by two readers with one reading each psalm as they stand side by
side. Emphasize their difference by
having the evil one wearing black clothes or hat and the righteous one wearing white. For an equally stark but shorter reading,
have the two readers read about the good and evil in Psalm 1.
Genesis
18:1-10a
> Children
are fascinated by God’s appearing not as a single thing or person, but a group of
people. God visited Abraham and Sarah as
a group of travelers. Take time to list
some of the ways God appeared - fire in the burning bush or in the contest on
Mt Carmel, the sheer silence in the cave, a wrestler with Jacob, a dove at
Jesus’ baptism, etc. Though it would be
off the intent of the story, this could be the beginning of a sermon about
where we meet/see God.
> The
story is included in the lectionary to echo the gospel hospitality theme. As Mary and Martha welcomed Jesus, Abraham
and Sarah welcomed three travelers.
During the summer many people have opportunities to both extend and
receive hospitality.
> When
Abraham and Sarah saw three travelers coming, they welcomed them and fed
them. Especially during the summer, many
poor people are on the road. Some end up
begging at intersections. Some
congregations put together welcome kits that members can put into
the hands of these people. The kits
include a gift card to a fast food place, bus tokens/passes, lists of places
where they can get services they might need, and a greeting maybe a child drawn
card, all in a zip-able plastic bag.
Describe these kits during worship and invite families to gather the
pieces for a few after worship to distribute as they encounter visitors during
the week.
IF
YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE
IF YOU GIVE A MOOSE A MUFFIN
IF YOU
GIVE 3 TRAVELERS SOME WATER….
> If
You Give A Mouse a Cookie, If
You Give a Moose a Muffin, or any of the other books in the If You
Give A… Series are favorite stories about hospitality. Read one and talk about how one thing leads
to another when you extend hospitality, but that in the process you usually
have fun. Or, read one then turn the
Abraham and Sarah story into another one.
When three travelers walked by
Abraham knew they would be hot and thirsty, so he gave invited to sit in the
shade with him and gave them water to drink.
The water was wonderful and cool, but it reminded them that they have
not had anything to eat all day. So
Abraham called to Sarah. Sarah baked
them a fine loaf of bread with her best flour.
But what is bread without meat?
So, Sarah had her servants roast a fat lamb. It was a perfect meal. The travelers sat back in the shade with
their full tummies and sighed. Then they
said to Abraham, “You and Sarah are wonderful hosts. By this time next year you will have a baby
boy who will keep you as busy as we have.”
Sarah laughed and Abraham laughed and the travelers laughed. In a year when Sarah gave birth to a baby
boy, she named him Isaac which means Laughter.
And Abraham laughed. And Sarah
laughed and the travelers in some far away land walked down the road and
laughed too.
> Celebrate the hospitality of
Abraham and Sarah with Always Room for One More, by Sorche Nic Leodhas,
which tells the story of a family that invites in every traveler who passes
their small highlands house. When their
house exploded because it was filled with so many singing, dancing people taken
in on a stormy night, all their guests simply helped them build a bigger house
so there would be more room for more guests.
The book is written with lots of Scots words and in rhyme. If you or someone in the congregation is
comfortable reading in this dialect, the story will be a special celebration of
hospitality.
> Continue
reading through verse 15 and add Genesis 21:1-7 to complete the story of the announcement
of Isaac’s coming birth and his birth.
The only other place this story appears in the RCL is Proper 6 of Year A
which is bypassed many years due to the date of Easter. So consider worshiping around the whole story
of the announcement of Isaac’s birth and the birth.
> Focus on the laughter. Demonstrate and ponder many different ways
Sarah might have laughed, e.g. a disbelieving “HA, HA” or a that is so weird
“tee, hee, hee” titter and the happy surprised laughter when Isaac is born. Talk about when and how we laugh today. Create a prayer or reading about things that
would make us laugh like Sarah did at Isaac’s birth. Or, get worshipers to help make that list. Starter ideas:
Some
days it feels like nobody likes us. Then
one person smiles and says, “glad to see you.”
And
we laugh inside.
When
it seems like we cannot do anything right and someone likes us anyway,
And
we laugh inside.
Some
days we feel dark and stormy and hopeless inside. Then, we see a beautiful sunset or a rainbow
or a perfect flower
And
we laugh inside.
When
we feel, like Sarah, that the thing we want most will never happen and it
finally does.
And
we laugh inside.
> Focus
on the surprise. List lots of
surprises God brought people, e.g. the Red Sea opening up before the fleeing
slaves, Jesus’ healing, Saul’s change from persecutor to leader of the early
church, etc. Even children find hope for
today’s situations that really could use God surprises in these old stories of
God’s surprising actions.
Psalm
15
> Of
the two psalms for today, I’d definitely choose this one. It speaks of the “good people” rather than
rant at the “bad people.” Or follow the
Psalm 52 suggestions above to read both psalms together as a stark comparison
of the good and the evil. When Psalm 15 is
read
from the TEV or CEV it can be understood by worshipers of all ages.
> This
is an entrance psalm, a prayer for coming into the Temple. Its message is that we must live in God’s
ways every day not just come to church.
To emphasize this, use it as both a call to worship and a confession of sin. A worship leader reads verses 1 and 5c with
the congregation reading the middle verses for the call to worship. The middle verses are then turned into the
confession when a worship leader reads one phrase at a time and the
congregation responds to each, “Forgive us God.
We often fail.” The assurance
focuses on God’s welcoming us to worship even when we mess up.
Colossians
1:15-28
> This
is a very complicated old hymn that Paul was both quoting and editing as he
went to make a point. The cosmology is
intricate and beyond the understanding of children and many adults. But, it does offer a chance for the brave
preacher/ children’s time leader to have a discussion with the children about
who Jesus is. One could begin by asking
“Who
is Jesus?” Collect answers from
worshipers. Note that Jesus is all of
this and more. Then introduce four
things that Paul knew about Jesus.
> Who
is Jesus according to Paul? In language that makes sense to children Paul
says
Ø Jesus
is God in human skin – that is what we mean when we call Jesus God’s Son. If you want to know what God is like and what
God does, look at Jesus and what Jesus does.
“He who has seen me, has seen the Father.”
Ø Jesus
is part of God. Jesus was there at
creation of the universe and will be there after the universe is over.
Ø Jesus
is the head of the church. At beginning
of communion in my church the host reminds everyone, “This is not my table or
your table. It is not the Westminster
Church’s table. It is Jesus’ table and
all who….are welcome.”
Ø Jesus’
big job is to bring people closer to God and to each other.
JESUS CHRIST
> Children
often think Jesus is a first name and Christ is a second name. To straighten them out, present Jesus as an
everyday earthly name, the name Mary used when she called Jesus to supper, the
name his friends called him all his life.
Present Christ as a special title that says that Jesus is a lot more
than just another good person. Use
Paul’s four points about who Jesus is to explore what it means to be “the
Christ”. Use the name Jesus
Christ throughout worship today.
Even introduce the term at the beginning of worship and challenge
worshipers to count the number of times you sing, say or pray the name Jesus
Christ. Fill your pockets with hard
candies to give to all who come out of the sanctuary with a reasonably good
guess at the number.
> To
help young listeners keep up with this long reading, replace all the male pronouns (he,
him) with “Jesus” and invite the congregation to say “Jesus” each time
you point to them as you read.
> Devote
the whole service to praising Christ and exploring who Christ is.
 |
| This is a postcard from a 1974 trip. |
 |
| Zurbarán, Francisco, 1598-1664. Crucifixion, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=47447 [retrieved July 3, 2013]. Original source: www.yorckproject.de. |
> During songs
and/or readings of scriptures, project a variety of pictures of Christ. At some point, talk your way through the
pictures briefly explaining what each says about who Jesus is. This could be done with the children just
before singing a hymn during which they will all be projected. Or, it could be the outline for the whole
sermon.
> Turn the section
of the Apostles’
Creed (or another creed) into a responsive reading by adding the
congregational response “We praise you, O Christ!” in response to each line.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary,
and born of the virgin Mary,
suffered
on Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified,
died
and
was buried.
He
descended to the dead.
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
he
sits at the right hand of the Father,
And,
he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Ecumenical
Version
> Sing child
friendly hymns that praise Christ:
“When Morning
Gilds the Skies” with its repeated refrain, “May Jesus Christ be praised!”
“Alleluia,
Alleluia! Give Thanks” with lots of alleluias and easy verses about Jesus
Christ
“Jesus Christ Is
Risen Today!” which tells Christ’s Easter story with lots of alleluias.
“Lord of the
Dance” which tells the story of Jesus’ life in simple language
Luke
10:38-42
> This story is the ultimate short story – only four
verses tell the whole event. It is so
short that it can be read before listeners start paying attention. So, it is worth giving careful attention
to its presentation. At the very
least have it read by a woman. Or,
better, ask 3 adults (2 women and 1 man) to pantomime the story as a fourth
reads it. Rehearse with them to get them
to communicate what their character is saying and thinking with their faces and
bodies. Their body language and facial
expressions as the conversation unfolds will communicate more of the story to
the children than the words will.
> This sibling fuss appeals to children who participate in such
fusses. It is reassuring to children to
know that such stories make it into the Bible.
It is also satisfying that the aggressive sister is called off –
especially to those deal with more aggressive siblings at home. None of this has any particular gospel
message in it for children, but does make it a Jesus story they enjoy hearing
and knowing.
> This is also a story about choices and consequences,
about which children hear a lot. With
them identify the choices Martha and Mary made about what to do when Jesus
showed up at their house. Maybe list
some other things they might have chosen to do like hide, sing for Jesus, or
play a game with him. Emphasize the fact
that each made a free choice. Then
identify the consequences of each of their choices. Pay special attention to Martha on this. This is not Luke’s point in telling this
story, but it is a message that children can appreciate. When we make choices, we have to take the
consequences. Martha chose to fix a
dinner, so she missed out on sitting to talk with Jesus and Mary. That was her choice and its consequence. Jesus is also clear that some choices are
better than others. Mary made the better
choice. It would also be a little
moralistic, but possible, to explore the choices we make when Sunday morning
comes around and we have to decide whether we will go to church and how we will
participate in activities there.
> After rereading the stream of comments about sharing
M&M candies with this story in the 2013 post, I’d stick with passing out
the candies in honor of the two sisters whose names both started with M and who
loved each other, but like most sisters did not always get along. Then read the story. Comparing differences inside and out of
candies and sisters gets too complicated and actually works better to explore
other situations. Go to HERE to check out the other possibilities that came up in
the Comments.
> Storypath suggests using Chloe Instead, by Micha Player, to
focus with younger children on the simple fact that siblings – like Mary and
Martha - can be very different and that is OK.
The book very simply outlines the older sister’s frustrations with a younger
sister who she had hoped would be just like her, but is not. In the end the younger one crawls into bed
with the older one who is happy to have her.
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