Year C – Proper 28, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 26th Sunday after Pentecost (November 17, 2013)

In many ways this is the last Sunday of the Lectionary Year.  Next Sunday (Christ the King or Reign of Christ Sunday) is rather a hinge or bridge between the two years.  At some point during the service, point out the green paraments and other signs of this season, recall their meaning, and alert worshipers to coming changes in colors and other worship props.

HOPE  HOPE  HOPE  HOPE aaa    

a  Hope is the theme that underlies all today’s texts.  The Old Testament texts proclaim that God has a wonderful plan and that in the end that plan will be realized.  The New Testament texts take the darker side of the theme warning that though God’s good plan will one day be realized there will be some tough times before that happens.  It is in such times that we need to live on hope.

a  One way to introduce the theme is to remind worshipers what it is like to see a movie for the first time and the fifth time.  Recall your frightened, worried feelings the first time you watched the scary parts of The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast.  You wanted to warn the characters of the dangers.  Then describe watching the same scenes for the second, third, even fifth time when you knew the ending.  Note that once you knew the ending you sometimes wanted to tell the hero not to worry during the scary parts and sometimes you want to warn the heroine to be careful when everything is going well.  The Old Testament texts tell us the ending.  The New Testaments texts advise us on how to live until the ending comes.

Isaiah 65:17 -25 

a  Peace or Shalom are the words that are not in this reading but are what the reading is all about.  Isaiah insists that God’s plan is working toward peace or shalom for everyone.   Point out the pictures of Shalom/Peace that Isaiah paints with words, e.g. in God’s new world there will be no crying (not because people will demand that you not be a cry baby but because there will be nothing to cry about), no one will get sick and die young, and the wolf and the lamb will feed together.  Then challenge the children to draw pictures of what they think shalom/peace looks like.  They might draw pictures of Isaiah’s words or draw pictures from their own experiences with peace or from their imaginations.  When the congregation is gathering prayer concerns, invite children to place their pictures on a large map of the world or tape them on a globe.

a  If you speak about knowing the end of the movie, introduce this text as the ending of the story of God’s world.  Since there is a lot of poetic imagery that will be hard for children to grasp, pick one to unpack especially for them.  One of the easiest is verse 21 and the first half of 22.  Give worshipers apple slices to eat.  Talk about how good they are and describe the work of the migrant laborers who tend and pick them.  Note that those people often do not have enough money to buy good food for their families.  Read the two verses.  Point out that when God completes creation, this situation will change.  Tell about one way your congregation is working with God to help bring this change, e.g. food pantry, migrant ministries, etc.

This could be presented as a time for children.  It would be even more effective if included in the sermon with ushers passing bowls/baskets of apple slices to the whole congregation. 

a  This can also be seen as God’s Easter dream/wish for the world.  Before reading it, give worshipers one clue and a set of questions with which to listen to God’s dream/wish.  The clue is that Jerusalem is a code word for the whole world.  That means this is God’s wish for the whole world.  The questions are:

• How long will people live?
• What does God wish for people and their houses?
• What does God promise people with gardens and orchards?
• How often will people talk to and hear from God?
• What does God say about the wolf and the lamb? 

It would be possible to repeat and answer the questions together after the reading or simply to let the questions help worshipers of all ages pay fuller attention to the reading.  In the latter case, you might want to refer to one of the questions and discuss it early in the sermon.

Isaiah 12

a  The second verse of this poem about trusting God is key for children.

I will trust in the Lord and not be afraid

For God is my strength and power.

What it needs is a story that illustrates its abstract truth.  David facing Goliath is one good choice.  Rather than tell the whole story, focus on David’s conversation with Saul (1 Samuel 17: 32-37) and his response to Goliath’s taunt (1 Samuel 17: 45 and 47).  Because David trusted God’s power, he was able to do something about Goliath while others cowered in fear.

a  Being able to do something scary because you trust in a power greater than yourself is like a child jumping into a parent’s arms in the swimming pool or attempting a dive off the diving board with that parent watching from the side. 

a  Older children will be interested in the trust expressed in the hymn “Eternal Father Strong to Save.”  Before singing it, introduce it as a hymn loved by sailors and as the Navy Hymn (if appropriate).  Point out the repeated last line and note that the first verse remembers that sailors can trust God because God made the sea.  Other verses recall that Jesus calmed the storm at sea and once slept through a storm that scared his disciples badly.

Malachi 4:1-2a

a  The expectation that God will take vengeance on all the evildoers (easily heard as take vengeance on all MY enemies) here and all the detail in Isaiah’s vision of God’s new creation make the Isaiah text a better Old Testament reading for the children. 

a  The fact that this comes from the last chapter of the last book in the Old Testament is of interest to some children.  Show them it’s location in the Bible.  Read the 2 verses.  Reread the last phrase about God bringing healing and briefly list all the different kinds of healing God promises.  Then, note that people had to wait a long time for God to act.  Point out that between that page and the first page of the New Testament when Jesus is born there were 400 long years.  Then, tell them the secret we know that the people living during those 400 years did not.  Jesus was coming.  If you wish, connect it to Christ the King/ Reign of Christ Sunday next week and Advent that follows.  This could be done as a Time for Children.  Or, invite the children to gather around you and the Bible for the reading of this text for the day.

Psalm 98

a  This psalm of praise and thanksgiving was suggested for last week and seems to fit better there than here.   I’d use the Isaiah psalm today.

a  Go to last week’s post at Year C Proper 27 - Psalm 98 for a reading with rhythm instruments, a coloring sheet with which children illustrate this psalm, and a script for a responsive congregational reading of this.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

a  The writer of this letter has two bits of advice for people waiting for God’s new creation to be realized.

a  The first is that we are to work while we wait.  Work is described as a blessing and a good way to be God’s partners in creating the new creation. 

a  If you develop this theme extensively, remember that school is children’s work.  Cite illustrations from children at work at school among others about adults at work in a variety of jobs.

a  People often ask children “what do you want to be when you grow up?”  Use this as an opportunity to urge children to choose work that makes the world a better place.  Point out that they are called not to do something just because they like to do it, but to do something that will make life better for everyone around them.  Describe ways a variety of jobs do that. 

a  “Earth and All Stars” describes ways people work and praise God together to make God’s dream come true.  Before singing it point out some of the ways we work today listed in verses 2 and 3.  Also point out the repeated chorus, practice it once, and challenge even non-readers to sing along.  (And, yes, the chorus comes straight from Psalm 98 which was suggested for last week as well as this week.)

a  The second is don’t be weary of doing what is right.  When God’s new creation is complete, it will be easy to do what is right.  Everyone will do it every day.  But, now it is often not so easy.  Doing the right thing is not always wildly fun or exciting or cool.  Sometimes people look at you funny or laugh at you.  (Choose keeping one or two of the Ten Commandments or keeping Jesus’ two great commandments as illustrations.)  Reread verse 13 and identify it as something to remember when we get tired of doing what is right.

We are not always forthright with children about this fact.  They appreciate our honesty when we are.  It also encourages them when they are choosing to do something they know is right, but that they definitely would prefer not to do. 

a  The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza, retold by Philemon Sturges, tells of a hen who decided to bake a pizza, called repeatedly on neighbors to help her, kept on working when the neighbors declined to help, then shared the pizza with the neighbors.  Stop before the neighbors do the dishes to ponder why the hen shared her pizza with the neighbors who refused to help make it.  In a way this goes against Paul’s “anyone unwilling to work should not eat,” but it is also an example of keeping on working for God's peace no matter what is going on around you and setting an example like Paul did.  It would be possible to end the discussion there or to follow it by reading the last two pages on which the neighbors do the dishes.  If you do the latter, ponder the effect of the hen’s sharing example on those around her – even when it might look a little crazy.

Luke 21:5-19

a  The basic message of this passage is that there will be tough times and that the only thing to do during tough times is to endure them trusting that in the end God will win.  The other readings for the day offer more specific help for sharing this message with children.

a  Luke’s insistence that no matter what awful things happen God is still in control of the whole world is an opportunity to highlight “thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory” at the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer.  Use it as a congregational response to prayers about scary, bad things that happen and make us wonder if the bad guys are winning.  Describe these things with “When…., it seems that evil is in charge.  Help us remember that….”

a  Late Addition from November 2010 that is still worth remembering:  Yesterday, it seemed like “the world is going to end” talk is not currently floating through the world of children.  But, this morning the fifth and sixth graders brought up something they are hearing about “we’re all going to die and the world will end with natural disasters in 2012.”  I did not get all the details, but apparently there is such talk around – at least in this area.  The easiest way to address this with children is simply to read them Jesus’ statement that no one knows this date, then to restate to them “anyone who tells you when the world will end is wrong PERIOD.”  Be emphatic.  Put yourself on the line, telling them that if anyone tells them that the world is going to end on a certain date they can tell them that their pastor/teacher says Jesus says that is not true.  A blatant conversation like that will linger in the back of minds until it is needed.  (Since posting this we have passed the dreaded 2012 end of the world date.  Again I know of no widely discussed end of the world dates in the immediate future, but they are always around.  So, it remains important to prepare children for encounters with such predictions.)

Year A - Second Sunday of Advent (December 8, 2013)

Peace and Hope are the key themes that run through all of these texts.  For children (and most worshipers) the key to both themes is found in the Isaiah reading and echoed in the others.

Music of Peace and Hope

'' “Canto de Esperanza/ Song of Hope” which is short and upbeat chorus celebrating hope and peace is easy for children to learn and repeat with the congregation.  Sing it as you light the Advent Wreath for Hope or as the Benediction at the close of the service.  Take time to practice it once before singing it several times.  Rhythm instruments are a great addition – especially in the hands of rehearsed players.

'' If you are devoting time each week of Advent to exploring as well as singing one Christmas carol, “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” is a good choice for today.  Many of the words and phrases are hard for young readers, but if you walk through the carol putting the words of each verse into your own words, the children (and older worshipers) will begin to get it and sing it with more understanding.

1. One quiet night there really were angels singing.
2. Those angels could be heard over all the unhappiness and evil on earth.
3. People who are having really hard times are called to listen to the angels and remember that God is working for a time when all will be peace, i.e. keep hope.
4. A reminder that Isaiah had it right.  God is working toward a time of peace.

Chrismon for Today

'' The star Chrismon ornaments today become signs of hope.  Connect them to Wendell Berry’s poem “The Peace of Wild Things” (find a copy at Gratefulness).  He speaks of hope in terms of “feeling day-blind stars above him.”  Like Isaiah he knows the stars are there even when he cannot see them during the daylight and trusts that God is there even when it feels like God is nowhere around.

The Texts



Hicks, Edward, 1780-1849. Peaceable Kingdom, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=53085 [retrieved August 30, 2013]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Edward_Hicks_-_Peaceable_Kingdom.jpg.

Hicks, Edward, 1780-1849. Peaceable Kingdom, from Art in the Christian Tradition,

a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=53085

[retrieved August 30, 2013]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Edward_Hicks_-_Peaceable_Kingdom.jpg.

Isaiah 11:1-10

'' Though the hope comes first in the text, the peace that begins in verse 6 with all the animals is the part that speaks most clearly to children.  Advent liturgy is filled with references to Isaiah’s lion and the lamb image.  Isaiah’s promise that God intends peace for both animals and people is as powerful for children as it is for adults.  Children, especially those who live caught in the crossfire at home, at school, and in their neighborhood, find deep comfort and hope in this promise.  But they need to explore its physical details before they can grasp its message.  

'' Download Edward Hicks painting of the Peaceable Kingdom from the Vanderbilt Divinity School library at This LINK .  The site offers the painting in three sizes for free download and use in non-commercial ways as long as the attribution is printed with it.  Today you might print it as large as possible to share with a small group of children who gather for a children’s time and/or print it as a bulletin cover or smaller illustration within the order of service.  (BTW this wonderful site provides a selection of free art to download for each Sunday of the lectionary year.) 

'' Show the painting to the children.  Help them identify the animals they see in it.  Talk about the problems some of those animals have getting along, e.g. lions tend to eat lambs for dinner.  If no child notices them, point to the people in the background.  Note that when Mr. Hicks painted this picture Indians and white settlers were at war, but that the people in the picture seem to be talking peaceably.  Finally read Isaiah’s promise that one day all animals and all people will get along (vv.6-9 only).

'' After presenting Hick’s picture, encourage children to create other pictures of animals that usually don’t get along, being together.  Children can put pictures in offering plate, bring them forward to talk to pastor while the offering is being collected, or work on them during sermon, then come forward before the congregation’s prayers to discuss their work and have their hopes added to congregation’s prayers.

'' Or gather animal figures in surprising pairs to place around the empty manger just for today.  You might add photographs of people who often do not get along to also place in surprising pairs at the manger.  Conclude the discussions by rereading verses 6-9 and praying for peace.  (Borrow animal figures from the nursery toy box or ask children to bring stuffed animals for this.)

'' Light the second candle of the Advent wreath for God’s promised peace.  Reread Isaiah 11:6-9 as you light the wreath.  Pray for peace at home, at school, at work, in the nation, in the world….

'' If you are thinking together about being Advent candles, this week encourage worshipers to be Advent candles for Peace, i.e. to look for situations in which they can be peacemakers.  Challenge them to notice people who are not getting along, to think of one thing they might do that could help them get along better, and to pray for peace between them.

'' The HOPE in the earlier verses also speaks to children.

'' They need help identifying two different kinds of hope.  Start with “I hope I get a bicycle for Christmas” as something I hope will happen but which I can’t be sure of.  The second kind of hope is the hope based on things you can be sure will be true – one day.  Isaiah says that one day God’s kingdom will cover the whole earth with peace and justice.  We can count on that.  Because we can count on it, we don’t get totally hopeless when things are not going well AND we can do our part to make the promise come true.

'' If your congregation uses hopeful blue rather than penitential purple during Advent, point out all the blue in the sanctuary today.  Explain that it is the blue of the sky just before dawn.  Note that Isaiah is telling people that we are living “just before the dawn” of God’s peace and justice.  Even though it feels dark and cold now, we know for a fact what is coming.

'' To further explore the significance of the dark before the dawn, read “the First New Year” in Does God Have a Big Toe? By Marc Gellman.  The story describes Adam experiencing his first sunset and learning about time.  The message is that God is planning for a future.  The sun will keep coming up.  We can trust that.  (The story can be read aloud in 6 minutes with time for laughter.)

'' I can’t quite figure out all the details in my head, but am wondering if a congregation could plan to tie their Christmas gifts with gold ribbon only.  The gold would be a reminder of Isaiah’s promise of God’s coming peace and justice.  If anyone has ideas about how to develop this, I’d love to hear them.

This is my photo.  You may use it

for non-commercial purposes.

'' Pictures help children understand what a Jesse tree is.  Show them a picture.  Challenge worshipers to watch for and bring in pictures of Jesse trees in your community.

'' To understand the significance of this image, worshipers need a brief clear account of the Old Testament situation to which Isaiah wrote.

When the Babylonians conquered God’s people, they burned their city, killed most of the important people, even lined up all the king’s sons to kill in front of him just before they poked out his eyes.  YECH!  That was a terrible thing to do!  They did it because they wanted God’s people to know that they had no hope.  Their old nation was as dead as an old dead tree stump.  Isaiah agreed that it looked that way at the moment, but he reminded people that some old tree stumps send up fresh shoots that grow into new trees.  He insisted that that would happen with God’s people.

'' A Child’s Garden: A Story of Hope , by Michael Foreman, is one of those stories that can be heard on many levels.  Children will simply connect the grape vine that grows over the barbed wire fence with the shoots that grow out of the Jesse tree stump.  Adults will see that connection but also realize the connection to all the refugee camps in the war-torn Middle East at the time.  So the story would be well worth sharing with the entire congregation as a summary of hope.  If you project pictures during worship, scan the pictures to show as you read.  (If you buy a copy of the book and do not give your scanned show to anyone else to use elsewhere, I am told it is not a copyright infringement.)

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

'' To turn this psalm into a prayer for today’s leaders, begin by brainstorming a list of leaders together.  Include political leaders of all persuasions, leaders in your community, coaches, teachers, and other leaders of children.  Then adapt the first few words of each line (mainly the pronouns) to make the psalm into a prayer for those leaders.  Groups 1 and 2 could be the two sides of the congregation or the congregation and the choir.

h h h h h h h h h h h h

A Prayer for Leaders Based on Psalm 72

Group 1:       Give our leaders your justice, O God,

and your righteousness to their children.

Group 2:       May they judge your people with righteousness,

and your poor with justice.

Group 1:       May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
                           and the hills, in righteousness.

Group 2:       May they defend the cause of the poor
                              of the people,

give deliverance to the needy,

and crush the oppressor.

Group 1:       May they live while the sun endures,

and as long as the moon,

throughout all generations.

Group 2:       May they be like rain that falls on the mown grass,

like showers that water the earth.

Group 1:       In their days may righteousness flourish and
                           peace abound,

until the moon is no more.

Group 2:       Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,

who alone does wondrous things.

Group 1:       Blessed be their glorious names forever;

Group 2:       May their glory fill the whole earth.

All:                  Amen and Amen.

                                                                        Based on NRSV

h h h h h h h h h h h h

Romans 15:4-13

'' Verse 7 is the summary of this message and the easiest part for children to understand.  (The remainder of the text gets involved with circumcision and Gentiles and Jesse stumps which need explaining.)  Verse 7 makes sense on its own.  “Get along with each other!”

'' Present pictures of a variety of very different people (old National Geographics are a good source).  Offer some odd pairs. Include some international photos and some pictures of people who could be local, e.g. an elegantly dressed person and a roughly dressed person displaying a tattoo.  Ask what would be hard for these people to get along.  Close by reading verse 7 from a Bible (perhaps bringing the big pulpit Bible down and reading from it) and pointing out that we are to be friends with all people. 

If your congregation uses projected pictures, project pictures of unusual looking people during the singing about getting along.

Or, place the paired pictures around the empty manger as you pray for them.

'' Light the second candle of the Advent wreath not just for Peace, but for “Peace Among All People.”  Pray for people who often do not get along.

''  “Help Us Accept Each Other” is a sing-able new hymn that offers prayers for people working to get along with each other.

'' Turn verse 13 into a benediction with arm movements.  Either invite the children to join you at the front to help you send the congregation out into the week.  They do the movements while you say the words.  Or, have all worshipers do the movements standing at their pews while you speak.

May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy

     (sweep hands from toes to face)

and peace through your faith in him.

     (do it again)

Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

     (sweep hands from toes up over your head then spread

      outward to hug the whole world)

                                           From God’s Word Translation

 Matthew 3:1-12

'' This year John the Baptist appears on two Sundays in Advent (this week and next).  Today’s text focuses on the most difficult of John’s teachings for children to understand.  So, during children’s time tell John’s story in terms children will understand using your favorite Bible story book.  The Family Story Bible, by Ralph Milton, has a good story about John the Baptist.  I’d use only the first half of the story, saving the last half for Baptism of the Lord Sunday in January.  This story can either be read directly from the book or used as background for telling the story in your own words. 

'' Another way to retell the story of John the Baptist is to pick up a shepherd from the crèche.  Present it to the children noting that there is one person who is never in Nativity sets, but really ought to be.  He probably looked most like the shepherds.  Describe what he wore and ate.  Then tell what he did.  He called people to admit what they were doing that they knew was wrong and did anyway.  He baptized them to show them that God forgave them and would give them another chance.  He also told them God was sending someone very special indeed.  With that, put the figure near the empty manger just for today.

Year C – Proper 21, 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, 19th Sunday after Pentecost (September 29, 2013)

Hope is a common theme in today’s texts.  So fill the sanctuary with symbols of hope such as paraments featuring alpha and omega (God was in charge at the beginning and will still be in charge at the end), rainbow banners (God will not destroy the world again), Easter banners featuring bulbs and butterflies, maybe even an Easter lily.  Also point to the baptismal font (hope for God loving each one of us) and the Table (hope of God’s forgiveness and the coming feast).   Use them as sermon illustrations and introductions to parts of worship that deal with hope.  Or, point them out at the beginning of worship, note when they generally appear in the sanctuary, and encourage worshipers to listen and watch for signs of hope in worship today. 

Jeremiah 32: 1-3a, 6-15

u Most children know very little about the details of buying and selling of property and even less about the problems of impending conquest by foreigners.  It is hard for them to get from the details to any meaningful-to-them message.  So, for children, simply hearing the story and learning a little of what it meant to people in Jeremiah’s day is enough.  To do that, try one or more of the following:

u Introduce the props before reading the story.  Show two paper deeds (one to file publicly and one to keep for your own records), a check, and a glass jar big enough to hold the deed.  Explain what a deed is and why there are two of them.  Compare today’s buyer writing a check to give the seller of the property with Jeremiah’s weighing out gold coins.  Then, drop one of the deeds into the jar and put the lid on.  Note that Jeremiah used a clay jar because that is what he had.  But that either glass or clay the jar makes sure the deed will last a lot longer than just putting it in a drawer.  Then, read the story encouraging your listeners to listen for the props.  (This could be a discussion addressed to the whole congregation or a children’s time.)  If possible display these props for the remainder of the service. 
  

u Have 3 people act out the story as it is read.  The king (maybe wearing a crown) takes his place off to one side (verse 1).  A big man wearing a fierce expression with his arms folded menacingly across his chest takes his place in the center aisle (verse 2a).  And, Jeremiah stands beside a table (verse 2b).  Hanamel enters on verse 8 and he and Jeremiah act out the sale.  For added impact Jeremiah might speak verses 14-15 from memory.  If a response to scripture is your practice, all actors and the reader then say together, “The Word of the Lord” to which the congregation replies “Thanks be to God.”

u The closest I can come to putting Jeremiah’s message into terms that are meaningful for today’s children goes something like this:  Even when you get an awful teacher who doesn’t like you, even when you feel like you don’t have a single friend, even when you don’t make the team or get the part you wanted in the play, even when you feel ugly and dumb and hopeless, remember that is not the last word.  God is looking further ahead than you are.  God is planning for you.  You’ve got to wait and be patient and trust God.   It isn’t easy.
 

u Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst, describes such hopelessness in a series of things that go wrong for Alexander on a single day.  At the end his mother insists that some days are just like that.  It is possible to read some or all of the book including the ending then insisting that even on those days we know that God is in charge and God is planning good things.  So we wait, we are patient, we trust that better days will come. 

u Another short book is The Quarreling Book, by Charlotte Zolotow.  It is really not about quarreling.  Instead it recounts how a number of unhappy incidents in a family escalates the unhappiness until the dog responds to a shove off the bed with playful tail wagging and starts a reverse series of incidents that lead to peace and happiness.  It is a parallel for Jeremiah’s land purchase and calls us to imitate both Jeremiah and the dog in the book.  (Reads aloud in 4 minutes.  If I were reading it, I’d leave out all the “he thought she was UNPLEASANT ADJECTIVE” phrases which feel a bit heavy and unnecessary to me.)

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

All the unfamiliar words (snare, fowler, pestilence, pinions, buckler, refuge) make this a hard psalm for children.  Several familiar hymns communicate the message better.

u “Our God, Our Help in Ages Past” is based on Psalm 90 instead of 91, but carries the same message.  Before singing it point everyone to verse 3 and note that God takes a much longer view of our lives than we do.  “A thousand ages are like an evening.”

u “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” is also based on another psalm (Psalm 46), but carries the message of this one too.  The words are difficult for young readers, but the music communicates brave confidence and most congregations sing it with that feeling.  Before singing it, tell the story of its writing.  Powerful people wanted Martin Luther dead.  So, his friends were hiding him in a castle.  He and his friends were very scared.  While he was there he wrote this song to help his friends and himself remember that God was with them.

u “God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again” sung at the conclusion of this service is an opportunity for a little worship education about benedictions.  Explain to worshipers that the benediction (the very last words in every worship service) is a reminder that we can trust God to be with us no matter what comes our way.  Put the words of the verses into your own words, something like: 

May God guide you.

Trust God to care for you like a shepherd.

May God protect you.

May God provide you physical and spiritual food.

When life gets tough may God’s arms be wrapped
      around you.

May God’s love be your motto and may God be with
      you at your death.

Encourage children to at least sing the repeated beginnings and endings of each verse.  Even older elementary readers will be able to read the short words of the verses.

 Amos 6:1a, 4-7

This echoes the teachings about the dangers of wealth in the other texts of the day but it a way that is not very accessible to children.

Psalm 146

The script for reading Psalm 146 below calls for 2 readers and the congregation.  It would be possible to use only one reader and the congregation for simplicity.  Point out all the “the Lord”s before reading it and challenge even non-readers to join in on them.

G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G

Psalm 146

Leader:          Praise the LORD!  Praise the LORD, O my soul!

All:                 I will praise the LORD as long as I live;

 I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

 
Reader 1:       Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals,
                                in whom there is no help.

 When their breath departs, they return to the earth;

         on that very day their plans perish.

Reader 2:     Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD their God,

who made heaven and earth, the sea,

         and all that is in them;

who keeps faith forever;

who executes justice for the oppressed;

who gives food to the hungry. 

All:                 The LORD 

Reader 1:      sets the prisoners free;

All:                 the LORD 

Reader 2:      opens the eyes of the blind. 

All:                 The LORD 

Reader 1:      lifts up those who are bowed down; 

All:                 the LORD 

Reader 2:      loves the righteous.

All:                 The LORD 

Reader 1:     watches over the strangers;

he upholds the orphan and the widow,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

All:                 The LORD 

Reader 2:      will reign forever, your God, O Zion,

                               for all generations. 

All:                 Praise the LORD!

                                                            NRSV 

G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G

u Go to Year B - Proper 18  for a shortened version doing Psalm 146:5-10 focused on “the Lord” verses.

1 Timothy 6:6-19

u Before reading this text, tell the back story.  Paul is writing to encourage Timothy, a young minister who is having a hard time.

u Paul’s message to Timothy is that he needs to remember what is important.  He needs to pay attention to what is important and ignore what isn’t that important.  One way to help children identify the difference between the important and the not important is to name some of the things that we feel we gotta have, gotta do, gotta be only to learn after a bit that they were really not that important.   Display an article that you thought you gotta have at some point, but quickly discovered wasn’t worth much (clothes or shoes that once seemed essential, a video game or gadget that I had to have, etc.)  Tell about wanting it, going to great effort to get it, and finding it wasn’t that cool.  Or, tell about some group you thought you had to be part of or some award you thought you had to win, but did not. 

u Check The Quarreling Book and other references for acting hopefully at the beginning of this post.

u If your congregation frequently sings “Be Thou My Vision” and your hymn book includes the verse about riches, walk through that verse before singing the hymn.  Point out and briefly define the wealth words (riches, inheritance, and treasure) and put the phrases into your own simpler words.

I don’t care about money or people thinking I am cool

Your love is all I will ever need.

I care about you more than anything else, God.

You are my real treasure.

Luke 16:19-31

u The rich man’s sin was that he ignored Lazarus and his needs.  Lazarus was right there in front of him, hungry, sick, plagued by dogs and the rich man did nothing to help him.  Psychologists tell us that infants perceive only themselves and their needs.  They see themselves not as the center of the universe, but as the whole universe.  Everything around them exists only in relation to them.  If all goes well, children grow beyond this throughout their childhood until they see themselves as one among many and as people who are called to help other people.  Our culture complicates the process because it allows us, even encourages us, to remain oblivious to certain others.  The challenge in this text is for listeners of all ages to identify some of the people around them who are regularly ignored, even treated as if they are invisible, and then to reach out to them.  For children these ignored ones include the outcast kids at school, at times even members of their own household, people of all ages in their neighborhood who are looked down on, people in certain racial, ethnic, or religious groups, etc.

u To help children (and other worshipers) follow this rather long story, prepare three male readers to read it while moving around the front of the sanctuary to follow the movement in the story.  Place their scripts inside black choir binders for esthetics.  Below is a script.

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Luke 16:19-31

Reader One (from center): There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

Reader Two (below and off to one side):  And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.  The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. (Move to opposite side and up a step or two if possible.)

Reader One:  The rich man also died and was buried.  (Move to side opposite Reader Two and down a step or two if possible.)  In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. (Third Reader stand beside Reader Two.) He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’

Reader Three: Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.  Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’

Reader Two:   ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’

Reader Three: ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’

Reader One: ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

Reader Three:  ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

All:  The Word of the Lord!

                                                       New Revised Standard Version

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u If you featured intercessory prayer last week, fine tune the emphasis this week by brainstorming together a list of “invisible people” at school, in the neighborhood, at work, and in the larger world.  Pray through the list together.  If you did not explore intercessory prayer last week, introduce it this week and do the brainstorming as a part of collecting prayer concerns.