In the USA depending on where
you are, this last Sunday of August could be a really quiet end of summer
Sunday or a really big Back to School Sunday.
If it is a quiet Sunday today’s texts will probably do the job. But if you are looking for worship that will
draw families with school age children, you might also want to revisit last
Sunday’s texts HERE which have much more to offer and some of the
general Back to School ideas HERE.
Today’s
Texts
Jeremiah 2:4-14
If children are to follow
this prophecy at all they need a very brief history lesson and a dramatic
reading.
> The
history
lesson needs to be no more than “When God’s people were slaves in
Egypt, God rescued them and led them across the desert to a wonderful land that
was rich and green. Unfortunately, they
did not settle into this new home worshiping God and following the rules God
had given them while they were making the trip.
Listen to the Prophet Jeremiah telling them what God thinks of
that.”
> To
bring Jeremiah’s prophecy to life,
the usual liturgist introduces the text and reads verse 4. A second reader takes over reading God’s
complaint with as much drama as possible.
To avoid interrupting God’s message omit verse 9 and 10 and “the Lord
says” in verse 12. The script below does
this based on the TEV.
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Jeremiah 2:4 -8, 11-14
Reader 1: Listen to the Lord’s
message, you descendants of Jacob, you tribes of Israel. The Lord says:
Reader 2: “What accusation did your
ancestors bring against me?
What made them turn away from me?
They worshipped worthless idols
and became worthless themselves.
They did not care about
me,
even though I rescued them from Egypt
and led them through the wilderness:
a land of deserts and sand dunes,
a dry and dangerous land
where no one lives
and no one will even travel.
I brought them into a
fertile land,
to enjoy its harvests and its other good things.
But instead they ruined my land;
they defiled the country I had given them.
The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
My own priests did not know me.
The rulers rebelled against me;
the prophets spoke in the name of Baal
and worshipped useless idols.
No other nation has ever
changed its gods,
even though they were not real.
But my people have exchanged me,
the God who has brought them honour,
for gods that can do nothing for them.
And so I command the sky to
shake with horror,
to be amazed and astonished,
for my people have
committed two sins:
they have turned away from me,
the spring of fresh water,
and they have dug cisterns,
cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all."
TEV
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This
might be a good day to place a bubbling fountain in a prominent place
where it can be heard throughout worship.
If you are displaying Prophet
Quotes here is another one from Jeremiah to add today.
Psalm 81:1, 10-16
This psalm echoes Jeremiah’s
prophecy. It is fine for Bible students
who can get all the references to life in the wilderness. But, children do not get them. They have an easier time with Jeremiah’s form
of the message.
Sirach 10:12-18
These verses add the word pride
to the gospel and epistle discussion about status. For adults it makes sense. But, children generally hear pride used as a
good thing. “We want you to be proud of
yourself.” “We were so proud of the way
you did….” Rather than try to explain this
different use of the word, read from some of the other related texts.
Proverbs 25:6-7
This concise proverb echoes
Jesus parable about taking too high a place at the table. Adults quickly catch the comparison. Children however need help seeing how
standing up in the king’s court is like sitting to high at the table. Since the proverb does not add much new, I’d
skip it and all that explaining.
Psalm 112
> This psalm is a collection of sayings about good
people. To help children hear the
separate sayings, have the psalm read by a minimum of two readers so
that each saying is read by a new voice.
Two readers would alternate reading either odd or even numbered parts. Or, a class of as many as ten older children could
read with each taking one or more parts.
Or, a family could be the readers with each member reading several
times.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Psalm
112
All
Readers: Praise the Lord!
Reader
1: Happy is the person who honours the Lord,
who takes pleasure in obeying his commands.
Reader 2: The good man’s children will be powerful in
the land;
his descendants will be blessed.
Reader 3: His family will be wealthy and rich,
and he will be prosperous forever.
Reader 4: Light shines in the darkness for good people,
for those who are merciful, kind, and just.
Reader 5: Happy is the person who is generous with his
loans,
who runs his business honestly.
Reader 6: A good person will never fail;
he will always be remembered.
Reader 7: He is not afraid of receiving bad news;
his faith is strong, and he trusts in the Lord.
Reader 8: He is not worried or afraid;
he is certain to see his enemies defeated.
Reader 9: He gives generously to the needy,
and his kindness never fails;
he will be powerful and respected.
Reader 10: The wicked see this and are angry;
they glare in hate and disappear;
their hopes are gone forever.
TEV
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
> This is in many ways the preacher’s abstract
presentation of the message Jesus presented in the gospel parables. Children respond more readily to the
parables. It would however be possible
to present this and/or Psalm 112 as pictures of a person who gets Jesus message
and the Jeremiah text as a picture of a nation that did not.
HUMILITY
> The unspoken word here and the briefly mentioned word
in the gospel parables is humility. To
introduce that word begin with its root word humus – or soil. Display a bucket of rich soil. Run your hands through it noting that it is
just dirt, but that it is dark and rich.
Things can grow in it. The Bible
says that at creation God made Adam and Eve from the soil. That means every one of us is just dirt. Name some famous, laudable people noting that
they are “just dirt.” Name some
despicable people and insist that they are also “just dirt.” Name a couple of worshipers including
yourself and say each one is “just dirt.”
Suggest that knowing this helps us remember we are just dirt and helps
us treat all other people we meet as just like us. Conclude that this is what it means to be
humble.
This
could be a children’s sermon, part of the real sermon, or the introduction to a
prayer of confession in which worshipers recall ways we delude ourselves about
how special we are.
Luke 14:1, 7-14
> Children will have trouble separating the two parables
in this one reading. To help them,
present it with two readers. The
liturgist introduces the text and reads verses 1, 7 and 12a. Another reader takes Jesus’ place reading the
two parables (vss. 8-11 and 12b-14).
Point out before reading that one of Jesus’ stories is for the guests
and the other is for the host.
> These parables are less about manners and more about
status and pecking orders. At
the beginning of the school year children face serious questions about their
status as groups are assigned, teams formed and friendships circle
up. Even first graders quickly realize
that some of the reading and math groups are for the smart kids and others are
for slower kids. Some children struggle
with the significance of being in Special Ed or Gifted and Talented
classes. Then there is who is picked
first and last for sports teams and who can find a good place to sit in the
lunchroom or on the bus. It is easy for
children to let their position in any of these pecking orders define their
sense of self-worth. Jesus insists that
everyone is worthy of coming to the party in God’s eyes. That is both good news and a challenge to
children. It is not easy to believe that
you are neither as good as nor better than those who are in other groups. Jesus urges children both to remember they
are always welcome at God’s table no matter what and to get to know those
children in other groups and make them feel OK and welcome too.
Another
example of status is the groups children are often tested into at swimming
pools. The beginning swimmers are often
dubbed minnows. The advanced swimmers
are sharks. Discuss this noting how it
feels to be a minnow or a shark. Ask
whether a shark would ever consider playing with a minnow in the shallow end of
the pool. Ponder together what Jesus
would say to sharks and minnows in a swimming pool. (Because the swimming season is coming to an
end in the northern hemisphere, it is easier for children to reflect on what
has been than it would be to challenge them about what lies ahead.)
> The last verse of The Servant Song repeats the first. Before singing them (and the rest of the
song) list the kinds of people we often encounter at school – teachers, people
who are smarter than you or behind you, the bus driver, good friends, new kids,
etc. Encourage children to think of specific
people they will meet this week. Then,
challenge them to sing at least the first and last verses for those people.
You’re
Invited!
> At the beginning of the sermon or just before reading
the gospel, challenge worshipers of all ages to make a list of 5
people they would invite to a special birthday party (if they are
children), to share concert tickets (if they are teenagers), or to go out to a
fine dinner (if they are adults). Later
in the sermon ask them to identify 2 people in their class, office or
neighborhood who never get invited to anything.
Urge them to imagine asking those people to their party. How would it change things at the party? What would it mean to the person
invited?
IF
you do this remember that this message of Jesus is harder for children than it
is for adults because children host so many fewer parties and have much more
strictly limited guest lists.
> Yertle, the Turtle, by Dr. Seuss, tells of King Yertle the Turtle who
grew dissatisfied with his throne and began insisting that he stand atop a
growing tower of turtles. The ones at the bottom beg for relief but are ignored
by Yertle until Max, the turtle at the very bottom, burped in disgust sending
the whole tower into free fall and making Yertle the King of the Mud. Read it to explore the stupidity of trying to
improve your position by standing on and/or hurting others.
> In I am the Best, by Lucy Cousins, Dog
lists one way he is better than each of his friends Mole, Duck, Donkey, and
Ladybug, concluding each statement with “I’m the Best!” The friends then point out that each of them
can do one of those same things better than he can. Dog is sad and sadder until they assure him
that he is still their best friend and has the best fluffy ears. Read the story to insist that being friends
is more important than being better than each other. (I might omit the final page which indicates
that Dog still did not get it.) Thanks
to Storypath for this book.
If you celebrate communion today, there are several ways to connect this table to the
tables in Jesus’ parables:
> Highlight the usual welcome that states who
is welcome at the Table. In
addition to saying the words, list who is “in” including specific groups. If children do not come to the Table until a
set age or come but receive a blessing instead of the elements, note this and
explain why. If any will be coming to
the Table for the first time day, name them and welcome them.
> To explore this most fully, bring a set of photographs of very
different people. As you display
each one of them, ask “Is this person welcome at the Jesus’ Table?” While appreciating hesitations about some
very different looking people, insist that all of them are welcome. (National Geographic is a good source of such
pictures.)
> Before
singing “I Come with Joy” as a communion hymn, point out the first
phrase “I come with joy to meet my Lord, forgiven” noting that we each one come
to the Table as forgiven sinners. Then
read verse 2 “I come with Christians far and near…” and note that all are
welcome at this Table because all are forgiven sinners. No one sits higher or lower at this
Table. We all gather around it together.
Back to School !
There are a few Back to
School ideas here, but not many. For
more general ideas for recognizing the return to school in the congregation’s
worship, go HERE.
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