Year A - Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 2, 2014)

Micah 6:1-8

* To understand verses 1-5, one must know some Old Testament stories that are unfamiliar to many children.  To grasp verse 6-7, one needs to know about the sacrificial system of Micah’s day – and get past the possibility of human sacrifice.  So, for children the key text is verse 8.  It says simply, what God wants is that you be fair, be kind and walk everyday with God.  Be fair and be kind are easy to understand.  The entry point to explaining the last instruction is to omit the word “humbly” and focus on the importance living every day aware of God and trying to be Jesus’ follower. 

* To honor Micah’s format, have one reader read the question in verse 6a and another read the answer in verse 8.  This could be done as a call to worship with a worship leader posing the question and the congregation answering.

* If you do read verses 1-8 (my lectionary study group was insistent on this last time it came up J):  Set up the courtroom scene with a Judge, God and God’s people.  The whole congregation reads God’s people.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Micah 6:1-8

The Judge:

        Hear what the Lord says:

Rise, plead your case before the mountains,

and let the hills hear your voice.

            Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord,

and you enduring foundations of the earth;

for the Lord has a controversy with his people,

and he will contend with Israel.

God:

         “O my people, what have I done to you?

     In what have I wearied you? Answer me!

         For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,

     and redeemed you from the house of slavery;

     and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

         O my people,
              remember now what King Balak of Moab devised,

     what Balaam son of Beor answered him,

        and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,

     that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”

The People:

      With what shall I come before the Lord,

and bow myself before God on high.
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

         Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

 with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

  Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,

    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

The Judge:

         He has told you, O mortal, what is good;

    and what does the Lord require of you

  but to do justice, and to love kindness,

    and to walk humbly with your God? 

                                                     NRSV

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

* If you are going to explore the problem of the idolatrous disconnect between worship and life, talk about matching what we read, say and pray in worship with what we do and say every day.  Holding the worship activity in one hand and the everyday activity in the other hand, lay out specific examples such as

Singing songs of love (quote a song you have sung today),

then teasing and pestering our brother in the car on the way home from church. 

Talking about being fair,

then tricking your little sister to get most of her gummy bears. 

Telling God in church that we are Jesus’ follower,

then letting a friend talk us into doing something we know is wrong.

Point out that it is easier to sing and talk about being fair and kind and following Jesus than it is to actually be fair and kind and follow Jesus.  Sometimes though just singing and hearing and praying together makes doing it a little easier.

“What Does the Lord Require?” - The Song

* The hymn “What Does the Lord Require?” which appears in many hymnals is hard for children to understand.  The Strathdees set the words of the verse to a simple tune with the same title.  It is a refrain that can be sung repeatedly or that can be turned into a round.  If you click on http://www.strathdeemusic.com/copying.htm, the Strathdees will grant one time rights to any of their music for $10.  (How wonderful is that!)



Frith, William Powell, 1819-1909. Crossing Sweeper,
from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.
http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55350
[retrieved January 5, 2014]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Powell_Frith_The_crossing_sweeper_1893.jpg. 

* If justice is the focus of worship today, use this picture to launch a conversation about injustice in the world.  Show it to the children asking them what they think is going on here.  Point out the difference in the clothes of the central figures.  Challenge the children to figure out what the boy with his broom might do for the woman.  The reality is that the streets at that time were filled with garbage and horse droppings.  Poor boys would offer to sweep the street in front of ladies so that their long skirts did not get dirty.  For this they were given one small coin.  After noting that this is not something we see today, we do see other signs of people who have plenty of everything while others must beg for the smallest bits.  Together name some of those things, e.g. people standing by the road with signs begging.  Insist that God is working for the day when none of that happens.  Pray for people who are caught in injustice and those who are working for change.

Psalm 15

This psalm is almost a parallel of Micah 6:6-8.  Instead of Micah’s three terse phrases about what God wants, the psalmist provides a list of the characteristics God wants to develop and to avoid.  Usually concrete examples are easier for children than abstract concepts.  This is an exception.  Micah’s be fair, be kind, and walk with God every day make much quicker sense and is more memorable.

* If you do read it, go to Proper 17 (Yr B) for a simple script based on the CEV translation that makes it more accessible for children.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

* The Corinthians wanted to be "wise" by the standards of their world.  We, even the children, want to look "wise" or "smart" to those around us.  Paul tells the Corinthians and us to forget that.  Instead we are to remember that what looks "wise" to most people in the world is not what looks "wise" to God.  Paul's use of the cross as the ultimate example of the difference in worldly wisdom and God's wisdom is beyond children.  This text serves them best as commentary on the Micah and Matthew readings.  "Being fair, being kind, and walking with God" and some of Jesus beatitudes look very foolish in the eyes of most people, but are wise in God’s eyes.  Even children can see that.  So they appreciate hearing the difference in the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God admitted.  Verse 25 is the key verse for them.

* Examples of the “wise” choices children face today include decisions about whether it is “wise” to give some of your birthday money to the food bank, whether it is “wise” to sit with the outsider kid at lunch or on the bus, or whether it is “wise” to give up an afternoon playing on your own to look after your little brother or sister. 

* The Tawny Scrawny Lion, by Kathryn Jackson, describes a seemingly very foolish way for a fat rabbit to deal with a very hungry lion that turns out to be a wise way to not only avoid getting eaten by the lion, but also make a friend.  For the younger children, the story stands on its own with little or no explanation.  Older children and adults can use the story to identify individuals and groups who threaten them and then to imagine ways they might diffuse the threat by treating the person kindly.  It leads easily to conversations about dealing with bullies.  (Can be read aloud in 6 minutes.)

 

Matthew 5:1-12

* Older children often enjoy and follow rather closely sermon series – IF the series is clearly announced to them and very specific “this is where we are” and “this is where we are going” information is provided repeatedly.  So, consider a series on the Sermon on the Mount.  Even assign homework, i.e. rereading each weekday day what was read in worship on Sunday.  Encourage families to put the sayings into their own words and to match them with things that happen during their days.  Providing printed copies of each week’s texts that can be posted on refrigerators or propped up on breakfast tables gives families both easy access to the text and a visual reminder of their assignment.

* The sermon series could be titled “Jesus said.”  For each week post a banner or sign featuring a speech bubble bearing the key phrase for that week.  The bubbles could accumulate over the weeks reminding people of what has gone before.  Or, each week could feature just the bubble for that week keeping things focused and easy to read.  Give out index card size posters of the bubble for worshipers to take home to display on their refrigerator, table, mirror, wherever they will see it often. 

* One way to introduce the Sermon on the Mount is to compare it to an inaugural speech in which the person who is being sworn in as president or governor talks about what things will be like while he or she is in charge.  Jesus is talking about what things are/will be like in God’s world. 

* Jesus’ sermon might be titled “The Surprise Sermon” because everything Jesus said was very surprising.  The first surprise is a set of sayings about who will benefit from Jesus’ rule.  It is a tough text to unpack for adults and even harder to unpack for children.  Popular attempts to turn it into a list of Be Attitudes, i.e. attitudes that Jesus endorses, both miss the point of the text entirely and don’t make a lot of sense as presented, e.g. does Jesus really want me to mourn?  The first word of each saying further complicates things especially for children.  “Blessed” is not a frequently used term among today’s children.  But the most frequent translation “happy” is also confusing.  Most children associate happy with happy feelings and Happy Birthday.  It takes time to explain that word and then to explain its slightly different application in different sayings, i.e. happy are those who mourn and happy are the peacemakers.  It is easier (but not easy) to go straight to Jesus’ intention. 

* To explore Jesus’ intention compare who gets the attention and benefits in the world today and who gets the attention and benefits in God’s world.   Below is a children’s version of who benefits in the world today and a very rough translation for children of the Jesus’ list.  Read the first list.  Some children or adults may add other sayings to this list.  Then read the second list.  Point out that Jesus is not giving us a list of nine things to be and do in order to fit into his world.  Instead he is giving us nine hints about how life is different in God’s world.  (Possibility to ponder:  If you must do a children’s time, take the time needed to present these two lists and discuss what Jesus was telling us with the children.  The adults will be listening and learning.  The Sermon can then be shorter because it will build on the foundation you have laid during the children’s time.)

In today’s world…

It’s good for the rich, they can buy whatever they want.

It’s good for the strong, they can take whatever they want.  They will also make the team.

It’s good for the winners, they get all the prizes.

It’s good for the smart.  They get straight A’s, get to go to college, and get good jobs.

It’s good for the beautiful.  They will get their pictures in magazines and get to be in movies.

It’s good for the grownups.  They get to make all the plans.

Jesus says that in his kingdom…

It’s good for those who know they do not know everything.  They belong in God’s world.

It’s good for those who are terribly sad.  They will be comforted.

It’s good for those who obey.  They will be in charge.

It’s good for those who don’t get justice now.  They WILL get it.

It’s good for those who forgive and care about others.  God forgives and cares about them.

It’s good for those who are pure in heart.  They will see God. 

It’s good for the peacemakers.  They will be praised as God’s own children.

It’s good for those who are hurt because they stand up for God’s ways. They will be called heroes and heroines.

It’s even good for you when people come after you because you follow me.  You will be rewarded. 

* The Beatitudes are effectively read in worship by a group of readers.  The worship leader reads verses 1 and 2 to set the scene.  Then, nine readers read one of the beatitudes each. 

If the readers are all from an older children’s class, they have the benefit of preparing together and thinking about what they are reading.

If the readers are individuals of many different ages, their presence suggests that this list is meant for people of all ages.

* Use the Beatitudes as the base for the congregation’s prayers of intercession.   One prayer leader reads one beatitude to which a second responds with prayers for the marginalized ones described in that Beatitude.  This prayer could be turned into a printed litany with a worship leader reading the sayings and the congregation replying with the prayers.

50th Anniversary of the Birmingham, Alabama Church Bombing (September 15, 2013)

On September 15, 1963 four men threw a bomb into the basement of Birmingham, Alabama’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church during the Church School Hour.  Four young girls who were getting ready for their parts in Youth Sunday worship were killed.  17 others were seriously injured.  Later that day 2 black teenage boys were killed in the aftermath.  One of them was shot by a white teenager who was an eagle scout.  The theme of the service for that day was “Love That Forgives.”  The text was to be Luke 23:34.  Many congregations in Birmingham plan to worship around that theme on September 15, 2013, the 50^th anniversary of that sad day.  They also invite congregations around the country and even the world to join them.  Go to On the Chancel Steps for more information, links, and resources.  "On the Chancel Steps" is the children's sermon blog of Frances Woodruff  who serves a Birmingham congregation and is on a planning team for this important anniversary.  Look below for my ideas about how to include children in these services.

 

Children are understandably frightened by this story because violence comes to children in a place they assume is safe.  They need to hear the story with minimum details and be reassured as far as possible that this was one terrible event and that they are generally safe – how far that is true unfortunately depends on your children and situation.  

This event was 50 years ago and takes place during a time of extreme discrimination and legalized segregation.  Today’s children, thought they still struggle with racism, have not experienced that.  They need to hear from those who did experience it the details of what it was like and a confession of how very wrong it was.  Hearing about separate schools, restaurants and businesses that did allow black people to enter at all, movie theaters with seating areas for each race, separate marked drinking fountains, and black people forced to sit at the back of a bus or give up their seat if a white person needed one amazes today’s children.  They need to be told it was the way things were and that even though most white people knew it was wrong, they did not stop it.  It took lots of brave people (mainly black people but also white people) standing up together in demonstrations to insist that changes be made.

_ Displaying and discussing photographs from that time helps children realize that what you are saying is true.

_ Actually exploring this unjust situation may have greater impact on children than detailing the bombing.  They learn why the church in 1963 needed to think about forgiveness and why that forgiveness may still be needed today.

_ The Story of Ruby Bridges, by Robert Coles, may be the best story to read or tell on this day.  It does not deal with the bombing in Birmingham but with first grader Ruby Bridges who integrated an elementary school in New Orleans.  Each day as she walked through the screaming mobs she prayed the same prayer,

Please God, try to forgive those people.

Even if they say those bad things,

They don’t know what they’re doing.

So You could forgive them,

Just like You did those folks a long time ago

When they said terrible things about You.

Though it takes almost ten minutes to read the whole book, it would be worth the time.  If you must shorten it, briefly introduce the situation and begin reading with “Then one morning, something happened.  Miss Hurley stood by the window….”  This book is probably available in your public library.

_ This story could be read and discussed before a responsive prayer of confession listing current situations of injustice with the congregation responding, “Father, forgive them and forgive us.”  (Even non-readers can catch and repeat such a short prayer.)
 

_  To give children a way to be part of the ongoing undoing of racism, give each one a paper bracelet printed with the name of one of the girls.  Instruct them to wear the bracelet in her honor until they have done one thing to reach out to a person of the other race.  They may sit with a person of another race in the lunchroom at school or on the bus, have a conversation with a person of another race, even just share a smile.  Brainstorm possibilities as the bracelets are distributed and put in place.  (Maybe give bracelets to worshipers of all ages with comments about how this task may be different for people of different ages).

UUU Order bracelets with cross patterned edges and space for writing a message at $5.25 for 96 bracelets.  They come with self-adhesive tabs.  Find them at Oriental Trading Company

_ Create a prayer of confession or intercession using photographs of unjust situations that need our attention today.  Newspapers or National Geographic magazines are good sources.  Photographs may be displayed or scanned and projected. (If you do the latter, purchase a copy of the book and refuse to share your scanned version for any purpose no matter how worthy.)  With the children identify the injustice in each photo, then show each one offering a prayer using their words.  To each prayer, worshipers respond with a one line prayer such as “God, forgive us and them.” Or “God, give us the courage to make some changes.”

 

_ Children are particularly interested in the stained glass window that was put in the renovated church.  John Petts, a sculptor in the country of Wales, was so upset by what happened that he contacted his local newspaper and together with the editor launched a campaign to buy a new window for the church.  They accepted contributions no larger than a half crown.  Many of the contributions came from children.  Within two years they had paid for and delivered a stained glass window that featured a large African Jesus.  That window is the center of the sanctuary today.

Simply show a picture of the window and tell the story.  Or, point out the fact that Jesus in this window is black.  Imagine together how black people who were members of the church in 1963 might feel about that picture.  Also ponder what it means to people of all races today to see this window and know its story.

Luke 23:34

_ To set this verse in context and give it full impact, read it first, challenge worshipers to listen for when Jesus said these words, and read verses 32-38.  The point for children is that Jesus forgave the people who killed him and made fun of him while he was dying.  From that fact you can explore both Jesus' amazing power to forgive us  no matter what and our call to forgive others in much usually less demanding situations.

_ God’s Dream, by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams, speaks in generalities which are hard for children to grasp.  But it contains another strong statement about forgiveness especially of racial hatred from one with important credentials.  So, before reading the story, briefly tell about the end of apartheid in South Africa with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  To sharpen your focus read and discuss only the part of the book about forgiveness.

Year C - Proper 15, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 13th Sunday after Pentecost (August 18, 2013)

Most of today’s texts are very mature discussions of God’s judgment and the difficult divisions that arise as we try to live as God’s people.  They are a stretch for children.  Mainly the message for children is that God cares about what we do.  Yes, God loves us always, no matter what we do.  But, anything we do is not OK with God.  Beyond that worship planners do well to focus on exploring pieces of the texts with children.  Doing this gives them building blocks with which to build their understanding and enriches the understanding of adult worshipers at the same time.

The difficulty of the other texts and the connection to going back to school, makes the Hebrews reading an attractive choice for this week.

Isaiah 5:1-7 

 

Eastern Orthodox icon of Jesus Christ as the True Vine, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55553 [retrieved July 16, 2013]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_the_True_Vine_icon_(Athens,_16th_century).jpg.

 

 

I Show this icon.  Point to Jesus first and then to the figures at the edge.  Guess together who some of these people might be.  (There are no right or wrong answers here.  They are mainly friends of Jesus.)  Then point to the vine behind them.  Point out that Jesus is the trunk of the vine and all the people are branches.  Briefly explain that a vine with branches is a very old symbol for the church or God’s people.  Finally, challenge children to listen for the vine in this passage.  Point out that in this passage, the vine is a grape vine which grows in a vineyard.

Rather than use this icon, find a family tree with a tree drawn in the background.  Search “family tree images” on the internet for LOTS of these.



I This text and Psalm 80 deal with vineyards.  So take time to provide detailed information about vineyards.  For the children it will be new information.  For the adults it will be a review that will lead them to pay closer attention to the details of the passages.  Show a large picture of a vineyard.  Then briefly note that all the vines must be planted, wired to the trellises as they grow, pruned, weeded, watered, protected from hungry animals and human thieves, then harvested.  Mention the need for the fence and the watchtower.  Then urge worshipers to listen for vineyards in today’s readings.  Do not expect this explanation to enable children to grasp all of the rather complicated messages about vineyards in today’s readings.  Know that you are laying a foundation for understanding as they grow.

For greater impact give children small clusters of grapes to eat while you talk about the vines on which the grapes grow and read the text.

Psalm 80: 1-2, 8-19

I If you have introduced vineyards and maybe eaten some grapes, a few older children will begin to get the psalmist’s prayer.  But, all the imagery and biblical history references make this a really hard psalm for children.

I This psalm appears frequently among Advent readings as a way of exploring how very lost we are as a people.  Go to Advent 1 (Year B) for a few ideas that may be adaptable for today should you be following a similar theme.

 

Jeremiah 23:23-29

This warning about listening carefully to and evaluating the messages of prophets demands way more mental maturity and life experience than children possess.

Psalm 82

I Bring this psalm to life with two readers.  One, maybe the usual reader, reads the first and last verses from the lectern.  This person also sets the stage describing the heavenly courtroom where God is seated in front of all the gathered people.  The other reader reads God’s part standing in the middle of the chancel and reading with great drama. 

I If you are challenging worshipers to celebrate people who have witnessed to them and encouraging them to witness to others, use this psalm to explore God’s concern that all people be treated fairly and that those who are least likely to get what they need will get it.  Children will not hear that as the psalm is read, but they are all for it when it is presented to them in simpler language.  So, imagine with them the scene in verse 1 with God as the judge, then read verses 2 - 4 counting off on your fingers God’s instructions.  Close by reading God’s address to people in verse 6 insisting that they can do what is asked.  After all they are “children of the Most High.”

Hebrews 11:29-12:2

I Witness is a tricky word.  In today’s world it is most often someone who can say, “I was there and this is what happened.”  Witnesses are usually identified as witnesses in court rooms and occasionally on news broadcasts.  The people described here are more than that.  For children these witnesses might be more recognizable as faith heroes and heroines.

I Few children will recognize any of the biblical witnesses named in this text.  Telling the story of one of them helps children get the message and adds a new witness to their cloud.  I’d choose Daniel.  I’d start with the story of Daniel’s brave stand about following religious food laws while a captive in a king’s court, then tell the story of the lion’s den.  I’d note that Daniel reminds us that it IS possible to choose to do hard things when we face choices about following God’s rules when it is really, really tempting not to do so. 

This leads to the challenge to not only pay attention to those who witness to you, but also be a witness to others – especially as you meet new kids in your new school classes and fall teams and clubs. 

I Display a baseball (or other sports) card explaining that this is a picture of a baseball hero.  Describe how people use the cards to remember what that sports hero did and to feel close to that person.  Then show a homemade card about one of your faith heroes.  On the front draw a picture of the person with some identifying props or action.  On the back list important facts (“stats”) about that person.  Share both sides with the children telling why that person is important to you.  Finally, give children index cards and markers which to create their own faith hero cards.  Together brainstorm some possibilities before sending children to their seats to work during the sermon.  Tell them you will be interested in seeing their cards as they leave the sanctuary.

 

 I For stories of faith heroes try one of the following books:

Faith the Cow, by Susan Bame Hoover, tells the story of one person with a vision founding the Heifer Project.

Follow the Drinking Gourd, by Jeanette Winter, is a story of the Underground Railroad.  Challenge listeners to identify all the people acting heroically (or as witnesses) to together do a great deed none could do on their own.  It took a “cloud of witnesses” to free the slaves!

I Before worship prepare a large white “cloud” (maybe a bed sheet?) to be displayed as a banner or a cloth on the central Table.  Spread it on the Table or floor and invite worshipers of all ages to come forward to write on the banner the name of one of their faith hero/ines using colored marking pens.  Do this after having thought together about such heroes.  It could be done after the sermon as an affirmation of faith or before the gathering of prayer concerns.  When the cloud is complete, lift into place if it is a banner or stand back from the Table if it is a tablecloth so all can see it.  Reread Hebrews 12:1-2 and perhaps pray for those who are our hero/ines and for the courage to be hero/ines to those around us.

I “For All the Saints” is the hymn most closely tied to this scripture.  Verse 2 is most easily understood by children.  Walk through this verse with them putting it into your own words as you go and identifying saint and another word for either witness or faith hero/ine.   Then, encourage them to think about their saints/witnesses and sing the Alleluias to thank God for them.

I “I Sing A Song of the Saints of God” has a similar theme but is even easier for early readers.   Ask a children’s choir to sing it.  Or, sing it as a congregation.  If projected pictures are part of your worship life, illustrate this hymn with pictures of people of all ages in your congregation doing the work of the church. 

Before singing either of these hymns introduce the word saints which appears in both of them.  Saints is another word for witnesses or hero/ines.

PERSEVERANCE

I Display a poster featuring the word “Perseverance.”  Introduce perseverance as a big word.  Practice saying it together.  Define it as sticking with something when it gets hard or boring or when you get tired or when it seems it won’t make a difference or that nobody else cares about it.  Read verse 12:1 emphasizing the word perseverance.  Put the verse into your own words noting that at the beginning of the school year everything is new and maybe exciting.  Before long it usually gets harder.  That is when we need perseverance.  (Remember as you talk that some children go back to school unwillingly and with deep dread.  They need perseverance from the very beginning of the year.) 

I “Looking toward Jesus…”  The beginning of the school year can seem like the beginning of a race.  So, lift up that image in 12:1-2.  Make goal line posters such as “straight As,” “most popular in the class,” “best athlete” even “best dressed” then “be like Jesus.”  Flip through the posters noting some good things about each one, then conclude with the “Jesus” poster setting the others aside saying that while the others are OK, this is the best.  Restate Paul’s race image encouraging the children to run toward the right goal this year. 

I Good disciple songs for the race (and the beginning of the school year) are:

”Guide My Feet While I Run This Race”

“I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”

“Thuma Mina” (South African tune and language)

– UMC hymnal has 3 verses: send me Jesus, lead me Jesus, and fill me Jesus

Luke 12:49-56

I Children who depend so completely on their parents are even more worried by Jesus’ words here than adults are.  They need to hear that the adults have trouble with these words too.  Then, with support, they can explore what Jesus is saying.  Especially older children are well aware that when you try to live like a follower of Jesus, there can be trouble.  Other kids are not happy when you stand up for kids they have excluded or hurt.  Friends get mad at you when you refuse to go along with something you know is wrong.  Children actually appreciate hearing Jesus and the church acknowledge that this is true.  Once they hear that acceptance of how hard it can be, they are ready to hear Jesus insist that they stick with him even when things get tough.

I The Roman Catholic lectionary deletes the last three verses, the ones about knowing how to read the weather.  This leaves a much more focused reading which is easier for children to catch.

% % % % % % % % % % % % % %

The Hebrews “cloud of witnesses” provides several themes to explore with children as they go back to school.  Look for ideas about them above.  For more general ideas for worshiping on the Sunday before the children go back to school go to Back to School - 2013.

Year C - Proper 14, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 12th Sunday after Pentecost (August 11, 2013)

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

_ Before reading Isaiah’s message make two lists.  First list for worshipers all the worship terms in the text briefly noting how they were part of worship in that day: sacrifices, burnt offerings of rams, blood of bulls, Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and incense.  Next list things that are part of your usual worship: banners, music, choirs, beautiful prayers, scripture readings, offerings, even sermons.  Only then challenge worshipers to listen for what Isaiah was saying to people worshiping at the Temple in his day AND to us worshiping here today. 

To be more dramatic have someone interrupt after the reading from the Bible walking down the center aisle to deliver the same message replacing Isaiah’s list of what happens in worship with one reflective of worship today.

_ Isaiah’s message is that our lives beyond the sanctuary should match what we pray and sing inside it.  In a fairly outrageous description of people whose church going did not match their lives outside of the building, Mark Twain (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 18) tells of the Gangerford and Shepherdson families who brought their guns to church holding them between their knees while listening to a sermon about brotherly love and leaving to carry on their blood feud immediately after worship services ended. 

_ Forbid Them Not (Yr C) includes a prayer of confession in which the choir, ushers, preachers, and the congregation confess ways it is easy for them to fail to do in everyday life the tasks they perform in worship.  For example, the  ushers confess that they are not as polite and welcoming to people they meet during the week as they are to the people they greet at the door to the sanctuary.  Either get permission to use a copy of that prayer or create a similar one that particularly fits your congregation.

_ The Charge and Benediction are the gate between what we do in the sanctuary and the way we live in the world.  Point this out before pronouncing them at the end of the service.  List a few of the themes and events of the service.  Charge worshipers not to forget them when they walk out the door, but to remember them every day this week and to try to live like they believe them.  Then promise worshipers that hard as this is on some days, doing this is possible because God is with them always.  (This could be a children’s time at the end of the service with the children then echoing phrases of the charge and benediction as the worship leader says them.)

“Go Forth for God” would be a good final hymn leading to this charge and benediction.  Children will miss many of the phrases in the middle of each verse.  But if the phrase that is repeated at the beginning and end of the verses are pointed out even young children will sing them and catch any of the other phrases they can.

_ Verses 16-17 offer a series of generalities that make more sense to children when fleshed out with examples from children’s world.

cease to do evil

     learn to do good,

seek justice

     rescue the oppressed

The last two offer most potential for both examining the prophet’s teaching and building children’s familiarity with words they will hear often in worship - “justice” and “the oppressed.” 

To seek justice for children means to play fair.  Children are quick to cry “that’s not fair!”  That cry can be both affirmed and also directed.  Children can be encouraged to notice when someone other than themselves is being unfairly treated.  They can even be challenged to seek justice for others when it might not benefit them, e.g. when we are invited to sit with friends at lunch, but someone else is told to go away or insisting that everyone gets a turn before we get a second turn – even when we are the biggest and oldest in the group.

“The oppressed” who children meet regularly are the kids who are always chosen last for games, who everyone laughs at, who dress oddly, who bring different food to lunch, who have trouble with English, who are slow students at school, etc. 

Though your sins be as scarlet…

_ If your congregation frequently prays prayers of confession that use language about sins being scarlet, then washed white as snow, it is a good day for some worship education about that phrase.  Begin with talk about the color red.  Cite several other names for red being sure to include scarlet and crimson.  Since most children like red, they don’t understand “though my sins be as scarlet.”  To help them get it, talk about murder as maybe the worst sin you can do. Imagine with the children a murderer with blood dripping from his or her hands.  Then reread the phrase about scarlet going on to the promise “they shall be white as snow.”  Remind worshipers how white, white, white fresh snow is and how different it is from bloody scarlet. Then put the whole phrase into less colorful words, “there is no sin so bad, that I will not forgive you when you say you are sorry.”  If you will pray one of the traditional prayers of confession featuring this phrase, read the prayer and translate it into such words.  Then pray the prayer together.

_ If it is Back to School Sunday, blessing the backpacks is a great way to emphasize the connection between worship and daily living.  Go to Back to School - 2013  for specific suggestions.  One way to include more than just children in this is to invite everyone to bring something they carry every day (backpacks, briefcases, laptops, purses, even diaper bags) to this service to be blessed.  If this week is a little early for students to have book bags ready, consider swapping this week’s texts with those for the Sunday before everyone goes back to school.

Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23

This psalm is very like Isaiah’s message.  The way it is presented makes it harder for children to understand.  The omission of vv. 9-21 may work for those who know all about Temple worship, but it leaves children in the dust.  And, even if you read the entire psalm children may get the idea that God didn’t need the sacrificed animals, but they can hardly get from that idea to what it says about worship today. 

FAITH

FAITH is one of the big words in worship.  It is also abstract and hard for adults to define.  Introducing it well to children actually helps the adults well as the children.  The key is that faith is not something we think but the way we live.  It is more a verb than a noun.  Faith is a lot like trust.  When we trust our parents we jump into their arms in the swimming pool knowing they will catch us and we will be safe.  When we trust God we follow God’s rules faithing that God is in charge and is working things out for good in the world.  To explore this try some of the following.

_Present a big poster or banner featuring FAITH at the beginning of worship.  Before the call to worship give a brief definition of faith and challenge worshipers of all ages to listen carefully for what we sing, say and hear about FAITH in worship today.  Give children markers to write FAITH in their bulletin every time they hear it or strips of small star stickers to use in marking the word as they hear it.  Comment on well-marked or stickered bulletins as children leave the sanctuary.

_Talk about people we trust and don’t trust such as the people who make our cars or bicycles, teachers or coaches, people who make and deliver food we eat, the person who dares us to do something dangerous.  From there talk about trusting that God is in charge of the world and loves us and is working to make the world a better place for everyone.  Because we trust God to do those things we try to follow God’s rules and be part of building the better world.  That is living on FAITH.

Genesis 15:1-6

_ Many children today have little experience with sitting under starry skies.  There is just too much light.  But, they do have a keener sense of our place in a universe of stars than earlier children had.  So before reading this story, have a brief starry night experience.  Project pictures like this one that give a sense of the vastness of the universe and the numbers of the stars.

find this and more at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA16884

 

_ Children (and many adults) need a fuller telling of Abraham’s story than these six verse provide.  Try something like this.

God told Abraham to pack up his family and leave his home for “a land I will show you.”  God also promised Abraham and Sarah that though they were

already really old they would have a son and that son would have children and those children would have children until there was a huge family that “would bless all the earth.”  With these two promises Sarah and Abraham packed up all their stuff, said good-by to their family and friends knowing they’d probably never see them again and started out across the wilderness.  God did give them one thing they could see as a reminder of the promise.  That was all the stars in the sky.  God told them, “Try to count to stars in the sky.  You can’t, can you.  Your family will one day have as many children in it as there are stars in the sky.”  Abraham and Sarah kept moving and waited for the baby.  It was hard to keep believing it was true.  When they were 100 years old and were told that Sarah would have the baby that year, Sarah laughed.  But, she had the baby and she happily named him Isaac which means “Laughter”.  They did love their little Isaac.  And, they still wondered about the children and grandchildren he would have.   Finally, they died.  While they were alive, they never owned the land God promised to their family and never saw more of the family than their one son.  Still, they still believed it would come.  They knew it deep inside themselves.  They counted on it.  They lived like it was true. 

_ After reading this story.  Give the children large metallic star stickers that they can put on the inside cover of their notebook, inside their locker, or on a flap on their backpack as a reminder that they are part of God’s huge family.  Insist that as such they are loved always (even when it doesn’t feel like it at the moment) and that they are called to live like Gods people/stars.

Psalm 33:12-22

This call to praise and trust God is simple and straightforward, but there is nothing in it that particularly grabs the attention of children.   

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

_ Paul assumes that all his readers know the story of Abraham in detail.  Most children (and many adults) do not and will need a condensed version of Abraham’s story maybe just before this passage is read in worship.  Use the one printed above in the Genesis section.

_ The secret that the fox told the boy in The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint Exupery) was “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”  That may be close to the heart of this text for children.  The things we cannot see are more important than the ones we can see.  It’s the invisible things (e.g. love and faith) that shape our lives.  

As an example, describe a sports team that believes it will win the championship this year.  They know they are good and love playing the games together.  Because they want to win that championship so badly, they practice hard.  When they win games, they cheer loudly not only because they just won a game, but because they are that much closer to the championship.  When they lose a game, they think carefully about everything they did wrong and make plans to avoid doing those things in the next game.  After all if they are going to be champions they must play like champions.  Nothing they can see or touch or hear or smell proves that they will be champions, but they hope they will.  They believe they will.  They work hard so that their championship will come true. 

_ Younger children will only grasp that things we cannot see are important and shape our lives.  Older children may be ready to explore the words “faith” and “believe,” something that is not seen, but shapes our lives in the most important ways.  The sports team believed they were champions.  That is faith.  Abraham and Sarah believed that God was going to make their family huge and make them a blessing to all the earth.  That is faith.  We believe that we are God’s children and that God loves us and has work for us to do.  That is faith, too.

 

Luke 12:32-40

_ The Roman Catholic lectionary offers as an alternate reading only verses 35-40 which focuses on watchful waiting, i.e. being ready to respond as Abraham did with faith.  This more focused reading is easier for children to follow.

_ To help children separate the three alert servants, ask three people to come forward with their props and stand facing away from the congregation.  As their turn comes each turns to face the congregation and follow the italicized directions below.

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

Luke 12:35-40

Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; ³⁶ be like those (first person picks up lantern and steps forward watching out toward the congregation) who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. ³⁷ Blessed are those slaves (second person lifts a candle and stands ready with a towel over one arm) whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸ If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

³⁹ “But know this: if the owner of the house (third person picks up big flashlight and shines it just over the heads of the congregation with a serious facial expression and maybe shading his eyes with a  hand) had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You (narrator points to congregation as this is read) also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

                                                                           NRSV

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

_ Most children are in their last days of summer vacation.  Summer no longer looks endless.  The return to school is on the horizon and many are focused on getting in as much freedom and “summer” as they can before it ends.  (This is true whether they are looking forward to or dreading going back to school.)  To them this text says, even at the end of summer, you are on the job as God’s disciples.  Just as God is with us always loving us, taking care of us, forgiving us when we need it, so God expects us to be with God always living like God’s children.  That means that at the swimming pool, in the back seat of the car on that last trip to the beach or mountains, even when there is nothing to do at home, you are still Jesus’ disciple.  You need to be Jesus’ hands and feet taking care of people around you, being kind and loving (even when you don’t feel like it), and even forgiving brothers, sisters and friends when they need it.

In the congregation’s prayers, include prayers for the last days of summer vacation.  Pray for safe and happy trips that draw us closer to each other.  Pray for alertness to the needs of people around us and the wisdom to find ways to take care of those who need our care.

 

_ The Greatest Treasure, by Demi, tells of a man who almost lost his treasure when he was given a hoard that was really not a treasure at all.  It reads aloud in 6-7 minutes and is a great meditation on Luke 12:34.  Go to Proper 13 (Yr C) and scroll down for a summary of the story. 

 

% % % % % % % % % % % % % %

 

There are several suggestions in this post connecting these texts to themes children focus on in the days when they are getting ready to go back to school.  Go to Back to School - 2013 for more general ideas about this important season in the lives of young worshipers.