Year C - Fourth Sunday in Lent (March 10, 2013)

 

U The texts for today are filled with and will lead worship leaders to use lots of words about forgiving – grace, reconciliation, forgives, mercy, and more.  Many of these words are unfamiliar or generally used in other ways by children.  So watch your vocabulary.  

“Forgive” is the basic word for children.  It means “You hurt me but I love you anyway.”  The father in the parable makes it clear that he loves his son no matter what the son does.  Paul reminds the people at Corinth that God forgives them.  He also challenges them to forgive each other.

“Grace” is a forgiveness word that children hear often in church, but which means different things at church than it does elsewhere.  In most places grace is the ability to move beautifully, a girl’s name or the prayer said at mealtime.  At church grace is God’s never ending love.  It includes more than forgiveness, but today keep the focus on never-ending love that forgives us, or keeps loving us, even when we mess up.

“Reconciliation” or some form of the word appears repeatedly in the epistle.  Before reading it, introduce the word to children saying all the forms of it they will hear.  Define reconciliation as “putting something broken back together.”  Compare dropping a jigsaw puzzle on the floor and putting the pieces together again, dropping a toy breaking off a piece of it that can be glued back on so the toy can still be used, and a group of children who are all mad each other forgiving each other then playing happily together.

Use “mercy” only if you use it in a regular Kyrie.  Translate the Kyrie from Latin or English, “God, please love us anyway even when we mess up.”  Practice saying or singing your version of the Kyrie together and explain how it fits into the liturgy of confession. 

Take it to another level by listening to Kyries from around the world and imagining all God’s people praying this prayer together and then forgiving each other as God forgives us.

U If you are using hearts during Lent, write the forgiveness words on a big red heart poster to introduce at the beginning of worship and display throughout worship.  You might even give children small heart stickers to add to their bulletins every time they hear, sing or pray one of the words on the heart.

AMAZING GRACE

U If this theme leads to singing “Amazing Grace” be aware that it is filled with words and images children do not understand.  They do, however, hear the passion with which this song is sung by the congregation and early recognize it as a very important song.  Many sing it without understanding its words for years.  Rather than try to translate the entire song, pick one phrase to explore before singing it.  If you have already defined grace as God’s never ending love even when we mess up, point to the word wretch.  It is fun to say, but few children know what it means.  So, practice saying it, then define a wretch as a person who does awful things all the time.  Emphasize the difference in little sins that do not matter and those that do.  Talk about the difference between calling a friend a bad name and being punished by an adult who overhears you, but forgiven easily by the friend and calling a friend a bad name, seeing the hurt in her eyes and maybe even seeing her crying alone in a corner later.  When you know you have hurt your friend deeply, you feel very bad about it.  You feel like a wretch.  Then read the first line in the song again. Point out that when we sing it we are telling God that we know we do awful things and are thanking God for loving us anyway.  Now children are ready to sing the first line of the hymn with understanding.

 

Joshua 5:9-12

U To follow this story listeners need to know about manna, Passover and the trip to the Promised Land.  Since most children do not, there is more background work than can be done in most worship services.  This would be an interesting story to use with older children in a classroom setting to explore the fact that God cares for us in different ways in different situations as needed. 
 

Psalm 32

U Particularly if you read from the NRSV, this psalm is filled with sin vocabulary that is unfamiliar to children – transgressions, iniquity, etc.  So, I’d use TEV when exploring it with children.

U Single out verses 3 and 5 to explore the important truth that as long as we insist that "I did nothing wrong", "it wasn’t my fault", and so forth we are trapped.  Nothing gets resolved and we feel terrible.  Only when we admit what we did, apologize and work on fixing things does life get better.  This is as hard a lesson for children to learn and act on today as it was for the prodigal son to learn and act on. 

When I did not confess my sins,

I was worn out from crying all day long.

Then I confessed my sins to you;

I did not conceal my wrongdoings.

I decided to confess them to you,

and you forgave all my sins.

                                                        TEV

 

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

U Go to Mustard Seeds for a script for three readers that clarifies this text.




Harron, Maurice. Hands Across the Divide, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project  of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.  http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55420 [retrieved February 14, 2013].

Harron, Maurice. Hands Across the Divide,
from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project  of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. 
http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55420
[retrieved February 14, 2013]. 

U Saint Patrick’s Day is March 17 (next Sunday!).  On that day all things Irish get special attention.  So show the picture of the statue “Hands Across the Divide” that stands on a bridge between Protestant and Catholic areas of one Irish town.  Without going into a lot of detail note that Protestant and Catholic Christians in Ireland have been fighting for hundreds of years.  Both sides know that it does no good to keep the fight going, but it is hard to stop it.  Lots of people have to do lots of little things every day to reach out in peace.  Protestant and Catholic children sometimes go to camp or on trips together during the summer so that they get to know each other and make friends with their “enemies.”  It is a brave thing to do because lots of people really do hate the people on the other side and anyone who tries to make friends with them.  With this as background, reread verses 17-20 from the TEV challenging children to imagine what Irish Protestant and Catholic Christians think when they hear this AND what it says about how we treat people we think of as our enemies.   

At the Vanderbilt site there is a second closer-up photo of this statue. 

UK readers, remember this is written by an American and so probably grossly over simplifies and plain gets things wrong.  I trust you to fix the story and use the statue as it was meant.  All readers, go to Grannymar for the details about the story behind this statue.)

U The Quarreling Book, by Charlotte Zolotow, describes in the briefest of detail how unhappiness spreads as one hurt results in another and then is resolved when first one then another person repays their hurt with kindness until the day ends happily.   The book is available in most public libraries and reads in about 3 minutes.

U Especially if you sing it several times, “Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin with Me” is a great song for children to sing with the congregation on this day.

 

U This text connects directly to “forgive us our trespasses/debts/sins as we forgive” those who wrong us in the Lord’s Prayer.  To explore the phrase today in the light of the gospel story as well as these verses, try some of the following:

U Unless you use “sins” in the prayer, introduce the word you do use (trespasses or debts) defining it as sin or as all the things we do to hurt God and each other.

 

U Create a responsive prayer of confession in which a leader describes a variety of ways we sin with the congregation responding to each one with the line from the Lord’s Prayer.  For example,

One:  God, we are quick to hurt others with our tongues.  We call names.  We tell lies about other people.  We say mean and cruel words.

All:  Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

U As you talk about this phrase, use simple hand motions.  Turn one arm out to one side with hand turned up while discussing “forgive us our….”  Turn the other arm out with that hand up while discussing “as we forgive our.…”  Then bring the two hands together in prayer to note that when we pray this prayer we are telling God we are going to work on getting along.
 

 

U Find or make a string of intertwined hearts.  Display it enjoying its beauty.  Then, link arms with each other to make a human chain remarking on its beauty.  Wonder aloud what happens if someone in the chain calls the person next to her a name.  Tell how hurt that person feels.  Unlink the arms of two people in the chain.  Point out that the whole chain rather than just the two people is messed up.  Express sadness over the lost unity of the chain, then suggest that the chain can be put back together.  Together think of ways to undo the damage of name calling, e.g. apologizing, doing something especially kind to the hurt person to show you meant the apology, doing something together so you will trust each other again, etc.  With older children use this demonstration to introduce the word RECONCILIATION. 
 

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

U This is a long and fairly complex story.  It is familiar to most adults, but is new to many children.  To help them follow the story, prepare an older children’s class to pantomime it as it is read in worship.  The three main characters can be supplemented by household servants and friends in the far country.  If needed, the three main characters could be a mother or father and daughters.  The children watching will be helped by the pantomime to follow the story.  The children in the pantomime will learn the details of the story thoroughly during rehearsal and will take pride in their worship leadership.

Children are as surprised as adults are by the story of the Prodigal Son.  “It is not fair!” is heard from children every day.  They want life to be fair and are offended when it is not.  This story says that it is better to be “loving” than to be ”fair.”  With children come up with a list of “fair” ways the father could have treated the brother when he came home.  Then point out that the father did not treat the son fairly but with love when the son came home.  Decide whether the son would rather be treated fairly or lovingly.  Then ask whether the older brother wanted the younger brother to be treated fairly or lovingly.  Note that it is easy to want love for ourselves and fairness for other people.  Jesus tells us this story to insist that God treats all of us with love rather than fairness.  (This is something that children will have to think over in the coming days.  It really stretches them.)

U Remember that younger children especially have trouble seeing themselves “in the shoes of” a character.  So, instead of asking them to think like one or another of the characters in the story.  Simply ask them what that character did or said or what they might say or do if ….   This is a subtle but important difference.

 

U Retell the story using three hearts from a chain of intertwined hearts.  Start with the three together.  When the younger brother leaves, cut the central “father” heart and move the son heart off to the side or give it to a child to hold for you.  Briefly describe how the father and older brother stuck together.  Then describe how the younger son finally realized how wrong he had been cutting his heart to show his heart broken sorrow.  Next, send the father heart running away from the older brother to link up with son heart and bring him home.  Tape each of those hearts relinked.  Finally, point to the fact that the chain is now missing the older brother.  Together discuss what is needed to get the whole chain back together.  Insist that the older brother would need to break his heart open to his brother and father.  It is tempting to reconnect the chain, but be faithful to the biblical story leaving the older brother unconnected and only guessing whether he was able to forgive his father and brother.
 

U The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown, follows a conversation between a young bunny and its mother.  The little bunny describes a series of ways he will run away from his mother.  In reply the mother tells how she will come after him in each case.  Finally, the little bunny decides he might just as well stay home with her.  I once heard this classic read at the end of an erudite sermon about grace.  The preacher concluded, “THAT is grace.”

U Compare the journey of the younger son to Dorothy’s journey in The Wizard of Oz. When the tornado blows her away, Dorothy is mad at almost everyone.  By the time she returns she has new understanding and greets people around her with love.  (I found this connection in “The Text This Week” and pass it on though I am not quite sure exactly how to use it.   If you have an idea, please share it with the rest of us.) 

U Sing the verse below of “Jesus Loves Me” for the younger brother and for us.

Jesus loves me when I’m good,

when I do the things I should.

Jesus loves me when I’m bad,

even though it makes him sad.

 

Year B - The Second Sunday in Lent (March 4, 2012)

Today’s featured cross may be metal crosses on communion ware or the verbal ones in the communion liturgy.  Or, it may be cross stickers reminding wearers to take up their crosses to follow Jesus.  Look for them all below.

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Have this text read by the oldest member or by the oldest man (vss 1-7) and oldest woman (vss 15-16) in the congregation.  If needed take a Bible and microphone to him/her/them in the pews so that they can read from there.  If you had a boy read the story of Samuel a few weeks ago, ask that boy to come forward.  Recall God’s call to Samuel while he was a young boy.  Then call the elder/s forward or send the boy to hold the microphone for them as they read about God’s call to some very old people.  Thank all three of them and send them back to their seats.  This sets you up to explore God’s call to us at all ages of our lives.

Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, by Mo Willems, tells of a loving dinosaur who bakes cookies for everyone and is generally happy and loved.  Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie, however, insists to everyone that she is extinct.  No one will listen to him – except gentle kind Edwina, who hears him out and says he is right, but simply doesn’t care.  The two leave together to bake more cookies.  This might be the beginning of a sermon about faith.  Abraham and Sarah should have known they couldn’t have a baby at 100.  And, we should know that God can’t change this world into a kingdom of peace and love.  Some people say the church is extinct – but…. Abraham, Sarah, and we move on in faith.  From this light hearted start, a preacher could delve into more complicated concerns.  But it is one good starting place.  (Reading time: a minimum of 4 minutes, but probably a bit longer because some of the pictures have no words but do tell part of the story.)

This is the second covenant for Lent.  (Recall what a covenant is bringing out the word poster from last week.)  In today’s covenant God promises Abraham and Sarah that they will be parents of a great family that will actually grow into many nations.  For children the promise is that we will always be part of a family or community.  We will not be on our own.  Point out some of the ways the church is a family welcoming babies, telling and celebrating the stories, taking care of each other when life gets hard (casseroles, visits, driving help, and other specifics make this real), being with us and our families when we die.  God promises this big family is always there for us.  The only way we can end up totally alone is to choose not to participate. 

Abraham and Sarah are featured the second week of Lent each year.  Go to Year A - The Second Sunday in Lent for additional ideas about their faith.

Psalm 22:23-31

Verses 27-31 provide a worship education opportunity.  Read the verses stopping as you go to put into your own words who will praise the Lord (all the families of all the nations living on the earth today, those who have died, generations yet to be born).  Then, point out that during the prayers before communion we re-enact praising God with all those people.  If you follow a prayer book, point out

“We praise you, joining our voices with the heavenly choirs and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name:”  Then practice the song or spoken chorus your congregation will use this morning.  Urge worshipers to listen for the phrase and to imagine themselves singing with all people who have ever praised God, praise God today, and will praise God in the future.  (This could be done as a children’s moment just before the sacrament or be embedded in the sermon – even the practicing!)

Romans 4:13-25 or 8:31-39

There are two big words GRACE and FAITH that preachers tend to use in combination in single sentences while unpacking this text.  Both are complex, abstract theological concepts and are hard for children to understand.  Help them by picking one to define and use today.  (You’ll have opportunities to use the other later.)   

If you choose grace, remember that to children grace is first a girl’s name, the prayer said before eating, or the ability to move beautifully.  You will have to introduce the biblical definition of grace as God’s love as a free gift with no strings attached.

If you choose faith, remember Edwina the dinosaur described under the Genesis text.  She lived on faith.

The Episcopalian and Roman Catholic lectionaries set Romans 8:31-39 with its insistence “that nothing can separate us from the love of God, neither……”  It is a good balance to Mark’s call to carry our crosses. 

Mark 8:31-38 or 9:2-9

Talk about the crosses
worn in worship with robes
AND those worn everyday

Because children think literally, they need help with Jesus’ call to take up our cross and follow him.  Cross jewelry and cross tattoos are good discussion starters.  Wearing them is one way of saying that I am a Christian.  But, simply wearing them, doesn’t make me a Christian.  I have to live like Jesus.  I have to love God every day and love the people around me even when it gets hard.

Go to Let The Children Come - Second Sunday in Lent Year B for a children’s sermon that uses riddles as a set up for exploring what it means to lose life in order to find it.  Children may not fully understand what the preacher says, but they will get glimpses of it and they will hear her admit to not fully understanding Jesus’ instructions either.

For older children Harry Potter and Voldemort are the most familiar examples of giving up your life.  Voldemort kills others in an attempt to gain everlasting life and power for himself.  He ultimately fails and is killed by his own killer curse.  Harry Potter on the other hand, willingly dies in order to save the lives of his friends.  His love saves him and he lives.  Go to Harry potter and the July Worship Planner for more details and/or read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the series in which the final confrontation between the two takes place.

This text and the celebration of communion on this day provide several crosses to feature:

U After recalling that it was Valentine’s Day last month and that we celebrated love with cards, candy, and flowers, offer each worshiper a cross sticker pointing out that love is not always sweet and easy.  God loved us so much that Jesus was whipped and killed on a cross.  God calls us to love each other even when it is not easy.  It is one thing to give our brother a valentine card and another to give up playing your video game to play his stupid little kid board game.  This could be done during the offering time with some ushers passing plates to collect our money love gifts and others (maybe a children’s class) passing out the cross stickers reminding us to love God and others even when it hurts. 

U If you serve communion to people in their pews, there is often a cross on the lid of each stack of cup trays.  Point to that cross or lift one of the lids to display it to the whole congregation.  (This could be the cross of the day.)  Briefly recite what is said about what is in those cups – the blood of Christ – and what is actually in those cups – wine or grape juice.  Briefly explain that there is nothing magic about what is in the cups.  We drink it to remember that God loved us enough to get beat up and killed on a cross for us. 

Barbara Brown Taylor tells of a polite six year old at the altar rail who responded to her priest’s words about the body and blood of Christ by saying, “I don’t want any, thank you.”  This is your chance to avoid any such misgivings among the children in your congregation.

U Another worship education opportunity would be to point to the cross on the communion trays and then to introduce the congregation’s chorus “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.”  Practice it together.  Briefly recount the whole crucifixion-resurrection story and encourage worshipers to sing/say the words when they come up in Eucharist.

Transfiguration,
from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library,
 Nashville, TN.
 http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=49145
[retrieved February 15, 2012].Add caption

If you read Mark 9:2-9 (the transfiguration story) today, go to Year B - Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday for ideas about sharing it with children.

Year A - Proper 20, 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (September 18, 2011)

Exodus 16:2-15

X To make this story easier for children to follow I would omit verses 6-8.  They are basically repeated in a slightly different form in verses 9-12.

OK, it is not bread but rice.  For some
 reason in looked more like manna than
 the plastic slice of loaf bread did.

X Before reading the story show worshipers the piece of plastic fried chicken and slice of plastic bread   (To secure these, formally borrow them from the children in a kindergarten class telling them how you will use them.  If the church does not have plastic food, many preschoolers have it at home.  Ask around to get a loan for worship.  The involved preschoolers will feel instantly more connected to worship.)  Tell worshipers that this is a story about food and encourage them to listen for what the people ate.  After the reading or after a sermon exploring the story, place the chicken and bread where they belong in the Moses display.

X If you are going to explore the lack of trust of the people and their whining, set the stage for the story by recalling in detail God’s deliverance and nurture something like…

When the people were made slaves by Pharaoh and cried out to God to save them, God sent them Moses to lead them out of slavery.

When Pharaoh refused to let them go, God sent plagues to help him change his mind.

When Pharaoh did not let the people go in response to the frogs, the gnats, the darkness, the cattle diseases, or the itchy sores, God staged the Passover and Moses led the people out of slavery.

When Pharaoh came after them with his whole army, God opened the sea for them to cross safely to the other side, away from Pharaoh forever.

You’d think after all this they would understand, but after they had been walking across the desert for a while, listen to what happened.

All this detail helps the children remember the stories you have been telling and prepares them to hear today’s story in context.

MY GOODNESS!  We have a series going and I didn’t realize it until now.  Almost every Sunday in September and early October has a Lord’s Prayer connection.  So, I have doubled back to add one connection I had missed on September 4 and highlight the one I had in place on September 11.  The one for August 28 will have to wait until the next trip through the lectionary.  Below is today’s connection.  Watch for more in the weeks ahead.

X Before or just after praying the Lord’s Prayer, direct worshipers to the phrase “Give us this day our daily bread.”  Note that it says give US OUR bread rather than give ME MY bread.  Jesus insists that we pray for everyone.  Using a globe or map point out places where food is a problem.  Recall some of the food ministries in which your congregation participates.  And, pray for all of these.  The prayers may be voiced by one person after exploring all the food spots or the process could become a responsive prayer of petitions like the following.

g g g g g g g g g g g g

God, in East Africa your people feel just like the slaves in the wilderness.  They are walking miles and miles across the wilderness searching for food.  Animals and armed gangs chase them.  Be with your people, God.  Keep them safe and guide them to food.

Give us this day our daily bread.

There are people working hard to get food to your hungry people.  They gather food from all over the world and risk great danger to get it to the people who need it.  Protect them.  Keep them safe and help them get the food to those who need it.

Give us this day our daily bread.

God of the harvest, bring rain and sunshine to crops growing in the fields all around your world.  Give us good harvests so that people may have food to eat.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Loving God, teach us to share.  So often there is enough food for everyone.  We simply need to share it.  Give us generous hearts and hands so that we may all eat.

Give us this day our daily bread.

g g g g g g g g g g g g

Psalm 105:1-6,37-45

Do not use this psalm in worship until the Exodus text has been read and explored.  Before reading it, tell worshipers that this psalm was written remembering how God led them out of Egypt and fed them in the wilderness.  Urge young worshipers to listen for words like Egypt, food and quail.

Jonah 3:10-4:11

X FYI: Jonah shows up in the lectionary only here and on the third Sunday of Epiphany in Year B (January 22, 2012).  The Epiphany reading tells only that God sent Jonah to Nineveh the second time and that Nineveh repented.  Today’s reading adds Jonah’s preaching in Nineveh and the story of the vine.  Neither tells about the whale.  I would be tempted to build worship around the whole story on one of these Sundays. 

Either take time to read the whole book (it is very short) dramatically with worshipers following along in pew Bibles.  The whole congregation could read the psalm in chapter 2 in unison.

Or read the whole story of Jonah with three readers using Jonah and the Whale, by Jean Marzollo.  Secure and rehearse two readers – God and Jonah.  God reads all the yellow statements by God, Jonah reads his lines which are printed around his pictures.  You read the narrator’s text.  For ease, omit the statement by the Ninevites and all the fish in the whale’s belly.  Also omit the last page of the book on which Marzolla goes beyond the biblical story claiming that Jonah did forgive the Ninevites.  If sound allows, have God stand behind the central table, Jonah sit or stand on the steps off to the side, and the narrator read from the lectern.  Each one reads from his/her copy of the book.

from The Family Story Bible,
by Ralph Milton

For a one-reader telling of the whole story try, “The Funny Story of Jonah” on pages 152-154 in The Family Story Bible, by Ralph Milton.  (Reading time: just under 5 minutes)

X Before reading the story in any form point to Nineveh on a map and explain why Jonah hated the Ninevites.

X To respond to the story of Jonah, brainstorm a list of enemies.  Mention Al-Qaeda and other national enemies aloud.  Invite worshipers to silently list their own “least favorite people.”  Then lead in prayer for the welfare of those people.

X If you are exploring the grace theme (see Matthew parable), point out that Jonah was glad when God gave him grace.  He knew he did not deserve to be saved after running away from God and it was OK with him if God made a plant grow over him for shade.  What was not OK with him was God giving grace to people he  Jonah did not like.  He did not want to get what he deserved, but he wanted his enemies to get what they deserved.  Children can see the problem with that – even though they understand Jonah’s angry wish.

Psalm 145:1-8

This psalm praising God begs for dramatic reading that includes the congregation.  It is an acrostic, an alphabet poem.  Each line begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  That means the verses are independent praises.  So,

Arrange the psalm for responsive reading between congregation and leader or choir or between two sides of the congregation.

Or to enjoy the acrostic nature of the psalm invite the children forward.  Teach them the Hebrew letters in today’s psalm then with them say the appropriate letter as the congregation reads each line of the psalm.  To streamline this, work with one class of children in advance then invite them to lead the psalm with you.

& & & & & & & & & & &

PSALM 145:1-8

ALEPH

I will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name forever and ever.

BET

Every day I will bless you,

and praise your name forever and ever.

GIMEL

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

his greatness is unsearchable.

DALET

One generation shall laud your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

HE

On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

WAW

The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,

and I will declare your greatness.

ZAIN

They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

HET

The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

                                                         New Revised Standard Version

& & & & & & & & & & &

Philippians 1:21-30

On a Sunday with three strong stories, it is hard to get excited about unpacking this text for children.  It requires lots of explaining to get to a message that does not have a strong connection to their lives.

Verse 27 may be effectively used as a charge to the congregation just before the benediction.  Preface it with “As Paul wrote the Christians in Philippi, I charge you….”

Matthew 20:1-16

X Read this parable from a translation that uses current times (noon and three o’clock) rather than the old hours of the day (fifth and ninth hour).  NRSV and TEV are two such translations.

X Dramatize the reading of this parable.  Before worship find and prepare the landowner.  During worship ask for volunteers (maybe all children or worshipers of many ages) to help you show Jesus’ parable to the congregation.  You need a minimum of five volunteers and more is much better.  When they arrive at the front, tell them that they are to be grape pickers in this parable.  Show them how to pick grapes off a vine at shoulder level then stoop to put them in a basket at their feet.  Repeat the motion with them several times.  Tell them that once they are hired to work at the vineyard, they must keep repeating the motion until the end of the work day.  Then, divide them into five groups standing a little apart from each other.  Introduce the landowner and point out where the vineyard is.  Finally, go to the Bible to read the parable.  As the story unfolds the landowner moves more and more workers to picking grapes in a row across the front of the sanctuary in the order in which he hired them.  When the time to pay the workers comes, the landowner hands each worker a large coin (maybe a Mardi Gras coin, a play money coin, or even a cardboard disk painted gold) starting with last to be hired. 

This could be the reading of the gospel for the day.  In that case at the end of the reading call for the usual congregational response to the reading of the gospel, thank the volunteers for their help and send them back to their seats.

Or, you could move into the sermon, stepping into the last scene to ask workers hired at different times how they felt about their day’s work and pay.  Only then send them back to their seats and proceed with your comments.

X “It’s not fair!” is the frequent impassioned cry of 7-9 year olds.  They watch what everyone around them is doing and getting and insist that they get their fair share of the fries, the privileges, and all the other goodies.  They totally understand the complaint of the first hired workers.  One of their other passions – rules – helps them understand Jesus’ point.  Walk them through the agreement each group of workers made when they were hired and what they were paid, then to ask “was that fair.”  Some will suggest that had they known what the others would be paid for less work, the first hired workers would not have agreed.  Simply insist that the first hired did not know that and still made the agreement they did.  Because the landowner followed the rules, the children will grudgingly admit that it was fair.  Having admitted that, they can explore the landowner’s claim that he did not mistreat the first hired.  Instead, he was generous to the last hired. 

X Sometimes it is better to be loving than to be fair.  Giving little kids extra strikes or letting them stand closer to the pitcher in family ball games is not fair to the older players, but it is loving.  Doing a sibling’s chores while they are sick, is not fair, but it is loving.  Giving up what you want to do on a Saturday afternoon to take care of a younger sibling is not fair, but it is loving.  And, paying the workers who only worked one hour the same amount you paid the workers who worked all day, is not fair, but it is loving. 

             GRACIOUS     GRACE     GRACEFUL

X If you use the word GRACE frequently in today’s worship, take time to introduce it.  Display a big poster with GRACE and possibly GRACIOUS printed in large letters on it.  Point out some of the very different meanings of the word –

-         Grace is a girl’s name (ask if there is anyone named Grace in the congregation)

-         When a person can move beautifully (dancing, athletics) we say they have grace or are graceful

-         The prayer we say before eating is called a grace

-         Giving someone something they do not deserve
- a grace period to turn in homework you did not finish

- the landowner paying the last hired workers a whole day’s wage

- God forgiving us even when we don’t deserve us

Present the poster and introduce the word GRACE at the beginning of the service encouraging worshipers to listen for the word in your worship today.  Refer to it when appropriate during the service.

X Before singing “There’s A Wideness in God’s Mercy” read through the words connecting it to God’s love seen in this parable and in the Jonah story.  Worshipers of all ages will then pay more attention to the words as they sing them.