The Ascension of the Lord is
always on a Thursday which means most people never worship around that
story. Thus, The Revised Common
Lectionary suggests that worship planners might want to use the texts for that
day on the Seventh Sunday of Easter at least occasionally. This is an especially good option for
children for two reasons:
1. The Ascension story answers the child’s question, “where is Jesus now?” His life walking around on the earth is over, but he lives with God and continues to love the whole world from there. As he left, he clearly passed the baton to his disciples – and to us.
2. As you complete the cycle of liturgical seasons about Jesus’ life and passion (Advent, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter), Ascension Day is a chance for worship review (How did we follow and celebrate Jesus in each season?) and a peek ahead to the rest of the liturgical year.
The texts for the day are the same all years of the lectionary cycle. I have gathered ideas from other years in this blog and even added one possible suggestion for those in the United States for whom it is also Mother’s Day this year. So, there is no need to search for other posts on this blog. What I have to offer is here.
Acts
1:1-11 and Luke 24:44-53
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| Copley, John Singleton, 1738-1815. The Ascension, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=50177 [retrieved March 31, 2013]. Original source: http://www.mfa.org/. |
U The Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s great on-line art
collection includes a variety of artist’s depictions of the Ascension –
with directions on using them without fee for non-commercial purposes if you
print their attribution. The art ranges from a classic painting of Jesus rising into the air to a very abstract twirling
tower of metal bars. Before reading the
ascension story, briefly display a variety of these noting with amazement that
each one is one person’s idea about the same event. Read the story. Then, revisit the pictures pondering the
similarities and differences. Enjoy the
mysteriousness of the event. No one
today can know exactly what it looked like.
Then, provide children (all worshipers?) with paper and colored pens or
crayons with which to create their own picture of what happened. Invite them to post their pictures in a
prepared space or tape them to the altar rail at the close of the service.
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| Tonkin, Mike and Liu, Anna. Singing, Ringing Tree (Panopticons), from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54919 [retrieved March 31, 2013]. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperpariah/4271795395/. |
U Display pictures of Jesus’ birth, healing,
teaching, Palm Sunday, Crucifixion, Empty Tomb, and Ascension. With the children review Jesus’ life, death
and resurrection. Then tell the story of
the Ascension in your own words. Stress
that during his life on earth, his disciples knew Jesus as a very special
person, after Easter Jesus was different.
He appeared and disappeared sometimes in locked rooms but still ate fish and
bread. Thomas could touch him. Since the Ascension, people have seen Jesus
only in visions and dreams. Jesus is
still alive and is not just with God, but part of God.
U Instead
of using pictures, bring out seasonal paraments from Advent through Easter. If you have seasonal banners, hang them all
in sequence and walk your way through them.
Or, lay out your stoles in order and match them to their seasons. Recall things you did during each season to
remember that part of Jesus’ life. Even
add them (or let a different child add each one) to your robe as you talk about
their seasons and then wear all of them for the rest of the service.
U
Sing the review of Jesus’ life
with “O Sing a Song of Bethlehem” or “I Danced in the Morning.” The first is easier for children to
follow. But before singing either, walk
worshipers through it in their hymnals.
U
Both accounts of the Ascension make it
clear that Jesus passes his ministry to his disciples. Near the end of school many elementary
schools have field days featuring, among other events, relay races. Describe or ask some children to help you
demonstrate the passing of a baton in a relay race. Children could run the perimeter of the
sanctuary, carrying a baton which they pass to the next child at the front of
the sanctuary. Then explain that though
Jesus did not actually pass a baton to his disciples, he did tell them very
clearly that they were to take up his ministry on earth. His earthly part of the race was complete,
but theirs was just starting.
If you have a
wood worker in the congregation, ask him or her to prepare a baton for each
child or each worshiper. Dowels can be
cut into 8 inch lengths and the ends sanded.
Wood burn or draw with a marker a cross on each baton. As you give one to each child say, “NAME,
Jesus needs you to be his disciple.” At
the benediction raise a baton in one hand offering it to the whole congregation
with words of challenge. With the other
hand bless them, reminding them that God will be with them as they carry their
baton.
U Tell the story
with movements which you invite the children to do
with you. Begin with hands and faces
looking up (as Jesus ascends). Drop your hands to your sides (as you ponder what the angels said). Then, go into marching pose pumping your
arms (as the disciples take up the
task). Repeat these motions and the
angels words during the benediction.
U
The Mothers’ Day connection: As we studied
together a member of my lectionary group noted that the word blessing appears
repeatedly in it. Jesus blesses the
disciples and they in turn bless God creating a circle of blessing. She connected it to God’s promise to Abraham
that his family would be blessed and would be a blessing to all the world (Genesis
12:1-3). Jesus was the fulfillment of
that promised blessing and calls us to follow him in blessing others. On Mothers’ Day this could lead to exploring
how families can be both blessed and a blessing. Mothers may or may not be a blessing to their
children. Children likewise may or may
not be a blessing to their mothers. We
can be grateful for those who bless us and we can choose to be a blessing to
others.
If blessing rites
are often part of your worship, create an opportunity for family members to bless each
other by putting hands on each other in turn and saying, “May the Lord
bless you and make you a blessing to others.”
(Yes, you must be sensitive to those without
family members present or whose families are “broken” in some way. This is a seed idea for you to grow into
something that works in your situation.)
Introduce the
practice of parents blessing children each day. Parents may sign a child with the cross
or simply put a hand on their head and say something like, “Remember always
that God loves you and I love you.” (Parents
are often surprised and blessed when their children spontaneously bless them
with the same prayer.) Go to The Blue Room Blog and scroll all the way down to "God is With Me - Practicing Families" for a way
to bless children as they leave for school each day.
U Have children bring pew Bibles with them to
the front before the scripture reading. Help everyone find the Table of Contents,
then the list of New Testament books.
Together read the names of the first four books aloud. Briefly note that these books contain all the
stories about Jesus. Then read aloud
“The Acts of the Apostles” and introduce it as the story of the beginning of
the church. Without reading all the long
complicated names of the letters, point out that all the rest of the books,
except the last, are letters that people wrote to each other during the stories
that are told in Acts. Then, help the
children find Acts 1:1 (give the page number) and read it stopping immediately
after “In the first book, Theophilus.”
Identify Luke as “the first book” and introduce Luke – Acts as a two
book set that was written for a friend named Theophilus (maybe Theo
today). Then read the rest of verses
1-5. Briefly summarize the big change
that is happening here as the disciples move from being with Jesus to becoming
the church. Send them back to their
seats with their fingers holding the place to follow along as you read the
whole text for the day. (This will
obviously work only when most of the children are readers.)
Psalm
47
U Psalm 47 begins with a call for applause. After pointing this out, teach the congregation a simple short
clapping pattern which they then repeat after a worship leader or the
choir says each verse or after verses 1, 4, 7, and 9. You might try clapping the rhythm of the
first line of “Peoples, Clap Your Hands!” (Genevan 47 which is # 194 in The
Presbyterian Hymnal) or enlist the aid of a music leader in selecting
another good pattern.
U Tie Psalm 47 psalm to the Ascension
by reminding people that Jesus was God in human skin. That makes this a fitting praise for Jesus as
he acends.
U Psalm 93 celebrates God who is more powerful
than the flood waters or the sea surf. If you have a sound team, work with them
to
produce a recording of powerful water sounds to play as the congregation reads
the psalm aloud – loudly to be heard over the recording. (Hint, hint: if you produce such a recording,
could you post it, and let the rest of us know where to find it, the less
technically able among us would be oh so grateful J.)
Verses 1,2,5 any water sounds
Verse 3 rushing water sounds (flood or big
waterfall)
Verse4 heavy surf sounds
Go to the
comments on Year A - The Sunday of the Ascension of Christ
for a resource and idea about how to do this.
Ephesians
1:15-23
I think the Contemporary English Version (CEV)
may offer the best translation of this text for children. Today verses 19-23 can be heard as Paul’s
comments to the Christians in Ephesus about the Ascension.
U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U
19 I
want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us
followers. It is the same wonderful power he used 20 when he
raised Christ from death and let him sit at his right side in heaven. 21
There Christ rules over all forces, authorities, powers, and rulers. He
rules over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well. 22
God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the
church he has made him the head of everything. 23 The church is
Christ’s body and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything.
U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U U
Verses 19-21 describe Jesus' Ascension
power. Verse 22-23 then describe the
passing of Jesus’ ministry to the church.
Jesus is the Lord of the church.
The church is Jesus body present to do his ministry in the world.
U Spin out specific examples of today’s “forces,
authorities, powers, and rulers” and celebrate
the fact that Christ is more powerful.
For the children, list all armies (whether ours or theirs); terrorists
who kill people to get their way; all presidents, prime ministers, and kings
(the ones we like as well as the ones we don’t), any bully, etc.
U The church as the body of Christ is a metaphor. To help children explore both sides of the
metaphor identify ways different people and groups in your congregation serve as
different parts of the body. This would
be an easy way to draw children into the “real” sermon. Laugh with everyone about the idea that the
minister might be the mouth of the church.
Then, point out that your mouth will not be around at the swimming pool
or at the office this summer when someone needs to stand up for Jesus’ ways or
say Jesus’ kind, loving words. Insist
that each of them must be Jesus’ mouth where they are. As you imagine people doing the work of each part of the body be sure to include children serving as hands and so
forth. (Hmmm, I wonder how Jesus’ feet
would play soccer?) Offer children a
sermon worksheet with outlines of the body parts you will explore. Invite them to write or draw in each part at
least one way they can be that part of Jesus’ body.
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| Get someone to improve on this and adapt it to feature the parts of Jesus’ body discussed in the sermon or as a last resort copy it with my permission and print as is. |
