Jeremiah 1:4-10
This is the first of NINE!
weeks of readings from Jeremiah.
That is a long series! The thread
that runs through it is the story of the changing self-understanding of the
Jewish people as they lived through Exile.
That leads to fairly adult discussions about judgment and what it means
to be God’s people – not easy for children to grasp. Furthermore, the readings include few stories
or easy to display objects. So, there is
little to suggest an ongoing banner or display linking the Sundays of the
series. I’d let each reading stand on
its own and explore their fairly unique messages. There is more in those individual messages
for children than in the series of them.
% This reading
is best
read by a teenage boy. It is a good
challenge for a guy with a dramatic flair.
Rehearse with him so he will read it well. He might even thoughtfully touch his lips as
he reads verse 9. Read from the CEV to
avoid the blush-inducing word “womb” and for the clear description of what lies
ahead for God’s people.
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
Jeremiah
1:4-10
4 The Lord said:
5 “Jeremiah, I am your Creator,
and before you were born,
I chose you to speak for me
to
the nations.”
6 I replied,
“I’m not a good speaker, Lord, and
I’m too young.”
7 “Don’t say
you’re too young,” the Lord
answered. “If I tell you to go and speak to someone, then go! And when I tell
you what to say, don’t leave out a word! 8 I promise to be with you
and keep you safe, so don’t be afraid.”
9 The Lord reached out his hand, then he
touched my mouth and said, “I am giving you the words to say, 10 and
I am sending you with authority to speak to the nations for me. You will tell
them of doom and destruction, and of rising and rebuilding again.”
from the
CEV
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
% At the
beginning of the school year, God’s words to Jeremiah speak to children
clearly. Children are not to say “I am
only a kid. I’ll be a disciple
when I grow up. I am in school now, and not yet
ready to do God’s work in the world.”
Instead, we can tell them that God needs them exactly where they will be
– in classrooms, on the bus, at the lunch table, on the playground, etc. They are to be God’s people in those
places. God is depending on them. They are the only people God has to work
there.
% God tells
Jeremiah “Do not be afraid of them” (verse 8). Identify who the THEM might be at the
beginning of the school year, e.g. demanding teachers, kids who are smarter
than you are, kids who are better athletes, bullies, etc. Then read the whole verse including God’s
promise to be with Jeremiah and help him.
Insist that the verse is a great Back to School verse and use it as a
prayer.
% This text
could turn into a Back to School sermon addressed directly to the children knowing
that adults will listen, resonate with it, and apply pieces of it to their
lives at work and in their communities. To
build Christ-based self-esteem in children (and older worshipers) explore
the fact that Jeremiah did not feel ready to do what God wanted. “I’m just a kid! No one will listen to me! And I don’t know what to say.” Insist that God sometimes calls us to do
things we feel we are not ready to do or that we are not feeling brave enough to
try. That happens in classes and just
hanging out at school. When it does, our
challenge is to remember what God told Jeremiah – that God had given him
everything he needed and God would be with him helping him know what to do and
say.
.jpg)
Yes,
we usually preach to the adults hoping the children will catch ideas here and
there. But, it is possible to do the
reverse – and back to school time is a great opportunity. Every adult in the room recalls back to
school experiences and can adapt your message to the students to their adult situations. Most adults enjoy an occasional such
sermon. And, families with children feel
they are a very real part of the church when they hear them.
% Especially if
you have been blessing the backpacks and need a fresh twist on it, this year bless
the child rather than the backpack.
A hand on the head with words such as “NAME, God made you and knew you
before you were even born. God is with
you every day at school. God loves you
and calls you to love people you meet each day.”
% Sing “God of Grace, God of Glory” to pray for the wisdom and
courage to use our gifts to do God’s work.
Point out to the non-readers the repeated chorus “grant us wisdom, grant us
courage” before singing.
Encourage all worshipers to sing it with Jeremiah and Jesus.
% Before singing
“Here
I Am, Lord” teach the chorus to the children. Then have the adults sing the verses and the
children sing the chorus as a prayer for the new school year.
% Turn
Jeremiah’s call into charge and benediction –
Ask all who will be students to stand. Say to them: Hear the word of the Lord. I knew you before I gave you life. I chose you before you were born. I send you now to school. Be my people there. Share my love with everyone you meet there. Stand up for my ways in classrooms, in locker
rooms, on playgrounds, in lunchrooms, and on the bus.
Ask all who will not be students this year to
stand. Say to them: Hear the word of the Lord. I knew you before I gave you life. I chose you before you were born. Do not say “I am only a housewife” or “I am
the least important person where I work.”
Be my people. Stand up for my
ways. Share my love with the people you
meet every day.
Then addressing all worshipers say: All of you,
students, teachers, businessmen and business women, homemakers, remember God’s
promise to Jeremiah and to you. God
says, “Do not be afraid. I will be with
you to protect you. I will put my words
in your mouth.” So go in peace. Amen
Psalm 71:1-6
% These verses are filled with not-quite-everyday words about trusting
God in dangerous situations. To help
children recognize the words and therefore follow the prayer of the psalmist,
instruct the congregation to turn to the psalm in pew Bibles. Point out the key words noting the
change from the “help me” words and phrases at the beginning to “I trust you”
words at the end. Then, invite the whole
congregation to read the psalm aloud together.
NRSV
words: be my refuge, deliver me, rescue me, incline your ear (i.e. listen) to
me, be my rock and fortress, rescue me (again), I hope, I trust, upon you I
have leaned, and I praise
% Introduce this
as a
prayer for all the students who are worried about going back to school. Recall Harry Potter’s friends Hermoine who
was an excellent student and totally excited about going back to school every year
and Ron who was not a great student and rather dreaded the return to
classes. Note that most students are
somewhere between Ron and Hermoine. Read
through the psalm connecting it to scary times at school and savoring the trust
at the end of the prayer. Then invite
the whole congregation to read the psalm aloud together.
Isaiah 58:9b-14
This is one of those passages
that requires so much explaining that by the time you get to the message behind
all the words, the children have wandered off to more interesting thoughts. So, I’d work with the other texts with them
today.
Psalm 103:1-8
% Hmmm. I grew up saying “bless the Lord O my soul”
and kind of understanding it. But, I
really like the CEV’s translation’s “With all my heart I praise the Lord and
with all that I am I praise his holy name.”
So much easier for children!
Still the rest of that translation is filled with male pronouns for
God. The NRSV is so much better on that
count! It tempts me to read verses 1-2
from the CEV and 3-8 from NRSV. Or,
maybe it is better to simply read the CEV translation of verses 1 and 2 to
clarify what the psalmist and we are doing here.
.jpg)
% Challenge
young worshipers to follow the psalmist’s lead in order to create a psalm praising God for
all the blessings of their summer.
Provide paper and markers.
Children begin by drawing a scribble pattern. They then fill in each space with words and
pictures about one blessing of their summer.
Brainstorm possibilities together – swim team, the vacation, a visit
from friends or families from out of town, etc.
Then send children to their seats to create their prayers of summer
blessings. You could invite them to tape
their prayers to the rail at the front (leave roll of tape handy) during the
offering or simply talk with children individually about their psalms as they
leave the sanctuary.
Go to
Praying in Color, by Sybil MacBeth, for fuller directions for this method
of praying with markers.
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
My Summer Psalm
With all my
heart I praise the Lord!
God, I
praise you for
____________________________
God, I
praise you for
____________________________
God, I
praise you for
____________________________
With all my
heart I praise the Lord!
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Hebrews 12:18-29
% According to
this text, what we do not see in the sanctuary is more important than what we do
see. So, identify all the things
you do see in your sanctuary. Then begin
identifying what you do not see.
Consider everything from God, the love you each have for God and for
each other, the stories you carry in your hearts, etc. In the end imagine all the saints of all
generations gathered with you, singing with you. Insist that it is these things we cannot say
that make worship so special and important.
When we worship we become part of something much bigger than just what
we can see in the room.
% Especially if
you celebrate communion today and your liturgy includes the phrase “with
all the angels, archangels and…,” highlight it. Point it out in the liturgy and in your own
words explain that communion is about more than just us eating a little piece
of bread and sipping from a cup. It is
about being part of God’s big story that started before the world was created
and will last beyond when the universe is over.
What we don’t see is more important than what we do see.
Luke 13:10-17
% Invite
children to stand bent over. Ask
what they can see from there. Imagine
how hard it would be to go to the grocery store or fix dinner this way. Ask one of the bent over children to talk to you
while you are standing up straight to see how it feels. Then have everyone stand up, wiggle, stretch,
and hop a bit. Finally, announce that
today’s gospel is the story of a woman who had been bent over for 18
years.
% Usually at the
beginning of the school year there is a good bit of name calling as groups of
children establish the pecking order for the year. Sometimes the names are not mean to hurt, but
simply to label another person. Still,
most name calling makes people look “less” in the eyes of people around
them. Jesus reverses that process here
giving the woman a name that makes her “more.”
Before she was “old woman” and did not even rate a personal name. After Jesus spoke she was “a daughter of Abraham”
and so worthy of Jesus’ time and healing.
Explore this with children identifying some of the names like wimp,
bully, jock, baby, sissy, cry-baby, bird brain, smarty pants, etc. that are
hurled at others and how differently people look when we say instead “child of
God.”
PEOPLE =
MORE IMPORTANT THAN RULES
% This text explores some fairly adult issues about the
function
of rules. Children will not
understand them. Though children are not
too interested in the rule in question in this story, they are keenly interest
in following rules. Rules are important
to children as they learn how the world works and what is and is not
allowed. They struggle to grow through
several stages of living with rules. Preschoolers
accept whatever rules the biggest person in the room (usually an adult, but
sometimes the oldest child) decrees. Those
rules are not debatable. Younger
elementary school children begin to understand that a group can make its own
rules. Many of their classes and clubs
take time shaping rules they will follow together. Children at this stage frequently spend more
time arguing about the rules of a game than they do playing the game. They relish the details of the rules. Once the rules are set, they demand that they
be obeyed to the letter in all situations.
That way “it is fair!” It is not easy
to accept letting a younger child get more turns or stand closer to the
goal. It is even harder to get from
accepting that “just this once” to realizing that in general everyone having
fun playing together is more important than following the rules exactly. Another source of conflict in families is
different rules for children of different ages or rules for a younger child
that are different than they were for an older child when she was that
age. Jesus challenges all these children
to keep working though how they use rules.
Jesus knew the rule, “don’t do work on the Sabbath.” But he saw a woman who was crippled and he had
the power to heal her. He decided that
it was better to take care of the woman than to follow the rule. Telling the story in this context challenges
the children to grow in their use of rules.
It
is frequently suggested that Deuteronomy 5:12-15 be read instead of the other
Old Testament readings suggested for this passage. That is an especially good idea for children
because it clearly identifies Sabbath keeping as a VERY IMPORTANT RULE, i.e.
one of the Ten Commandments. That makes
Jesus’ breaking it even more surprising and questionable to rule loving
children.
There are several Back to School ideas related to today’s texts described in this post. For more general ideas for recognizing the return to school in the congregation’s worship, go to Back to School - 2013.
