Year A - Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 16, 2014)

Deuteronomy 30: 15-20

Two ways to read this passage in worship:

* Tell the back story.  Imagine Moses with all the people on the edge of the Promised Land.  Recall the escape from Egypt, the 10 Commands, the 40 years in the wilderness.  Point out that Moses is old and has appointed a new leader to take the people into the Land God promised them.  This is Moses’ goodbye speech.  Then read the text, or ask an elderly man who is well known in the congregation to read it.

* Invite children forward and meet them on the steps with the big Bible.  Ask how many of them have been told to make good choices.  After briefly talking about what people mean when they give you “the good choices lecture,” point out that the first good choices lecture is in the Bible.  Briefly tell the story of Moses leading the people out of Egypt and through the wilderness.  Recall God’s opening the sea for their escape, providing food and water when it was needed, and giving them the 10 Commandments to show them how to live.  Explain that the people are now right on the border of the Promised Land.  Before he hands leadership over to Joshua Moses gives the people some advice about living in their new homes.  Then read the Deuteronomy text using your voice and facial expressions to emphasize the choices Moses is offering the people.  This is best as the “real” reading of the text for the entire congregation.

The hard part about “choosing life” is that instead of making one big choice that you make once and then go about your business, you have to choose life in lots of little choices that you make every day.  For example, if given the choice between getting and A or an F on your report card, most people would choose the A.  But to get that A requires lots of choices every day, like, should I do my homework or play a computer game.  The only way to get the A is to choose to study every day.  In the same way, if we want to live in a happy family, we have to choose to help out sometimes rather than do we want to do all the time.  Likewise, if we want to choose God’s ways, we have to make that choice over and over again every day.

 

Psalm 119:1-8

* This is the first of two readings from Psalm 119, a long alphabet poem made up of sections of lines beginning with the same letter.  All the lines in this week’s section begin with the Hebrew letter aleph.  It can be read by a group of children or by the congregation following the plan for Psalm 112 for last week.  Find the Psalm 112 model at Epiphany 5 (Yr A).

* Psalm 119 is a poem praising God’s Law.  It is filled with lots of big words that mean the same thing as Law.  Since these words show up other places in the Bible and in worship, use this as an opportunity to introduce the words.  Try one or more of the following:

Make a poster of the words.  Introduce each word simply as another word for God’s rules for living well.  Invite the congregation to say them with you.  Leave them on display for the rest of the service. (This poster is based on NRSV.  Be sure your poster matches your translation.)

Precepts

Law

Statutes

Ordinances

Decrees

Commandments

If the text is printed in the bulletin, after presenting the word poster, suggest that worshipers underline each word they see in the text.  Then read the text aloud with worshipers following along in their bulletins.

* To join the psalmist in pondering the value of good rules, explore the importance of rules to games.  Good rules are what makes the game fun to play.  Consider the mess that results when soccer or checkers players don’t play by the rules of the game.  Don’t expect children to make the jump from game rules to the rules for life.  Only hope that as they understand how rules work in games, they will one day jump to the way rules work in life.

CHILDREN GROW IN HOW THEY SEE RULES

* Children first see rules as indisputable givens ordained by the adults.  The youngest follow them to avoid punishment from the enforcing adults.  By kindergarten they are using the rules to get rewards and win approval from the adults.  During early elementary school children begin to understand that rules can be negotiated.  We can decide the rules we live by.  At this time, children will often spend more time vigorously debating the rules of a game than they do playing the game.  They also insist that once agreed on the rules must be enforced strictly and apply to all.  “That isn’t fair!” is the outraged cry of this stage.  As adolescence comes, young people begin to see the difference between literally enforcing a rule and following the spirit behind the rule.  And, that is a big jump that many never make, or make with some rules but not others.

 

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

* Paul is addressing a complex adult situation in a church long ago.  It would take a lot of explaining to get children to understand what was going on then; and once they understood they wouldn’t much care.  Two points do speak to children without understanding the rest of what is going on.

 

Paul says that people who are jealous and who quarrel are acting like babies and need to grow up.   Jealousy means wanting everything someone else has or is that you like.  Jealous people can’t see anything they like without wanting it for themselves.   One description of a two year olds law of possession is “I see it.  I want it.  It’s mine!”   Grownups can see something beautiful that someone else has or something wonderful that they can do without thinking, “That should be mine!  I want it!”  None of us, even when we are 90 years old, are totally grownup, which means all of us have to work on not being jealous of others and what they have.  Similarly, nobody agrees with everyone else all the time.  We want different things.  We understand things differently.  Babies want everyone to agree with them all the time and fuss (or quarrel) with anyone who does not.  “Do it my way!” they insist.  Grown-ups know that people are different and work to get along with people who disagree from them. 

 

Paul says that each person has a contribution to make to the whole church.  God knits all those contributions together.  For children (and adults) today that means that everyone in their church has something to offer.  Some sing in the choir, some work at the soup kitchen, some teach church school, some coach church sports teams, and so forth.  Each one is needed and no one is better than the others.  God uses everyone’s contribution.

 

 

 Matthew 5:21-37

This reading includes Jesus’ sayings about four separate laws. 

* To keep them separate, have each one read by a different reader. 

* Or, If the preacher is going to comment on all four of them, consider reading the sections one at the time with the preacher commenting on each one as it is read.  The back and forth between the reader and the preacher will keep the attention of younger worshipers.

* To keep them separate, bring in a “Jesus said” poster for each section as it is read.  The texts don’t include pithy phrases this week.  Try some of the following paraphrases:

Do something about your anger!

Don’t stay angry, fix things

Mean what you say and do it

Families are worth working on

The sayings about anger may be the most challenging for people of all ages.  Jesus begins by setting aside the belief that it’s OK to be angry as long as you don’t act on it in a way that hurts someone.  Fortunately he also seems to assume that everyone does get angry and then offers a suggestion about coping with anger.  The specifics of his suggestion are foreign to children today, but the idea behind them is still the best advice available to children.  To today’s children Jesus says,

Everyone gets angry.  It just happens.  Good people get angry as often as bad people do.  Adults, teenagers, and children all get angry.  So the question is, “what do you do when you get angry?” 

First (and Jesus doesn’t suggest this in Matthew), take a little break.  Give yourself time out, count to ten, do something physical (shoot baskets, scrub a floor), enjoy your favorite music, whatever works for you.  If you feel like shouting and calling someone names, do it where no one else can hear. 

Next (and Jesus does say not to wait too long to do this), name the problem that makes you angry and figure out something to do about it.  The Bible says, “be reconciled” with the person who made you angry.  That means work it out with It with them.  Figure out how to solve the problem between you.  That is not easy.  Frequently it helps to get advice or help from other people. 

* If you need examples of things that make children angry, try some of the following.

Your little sister just messed up your doll collection…

Your brother borrowed your ball glove and left it outside in the rain…

Your father blamed you for something you did not do…

Your mother insists that you babysit your little brother instead of play with your friend….

* A biblical example of the danger of unaddressed anger that may be familiar to children:  Joseph’s big brothers were angry (Joseph was dad’s favorite, got a special coat, told them his dreams in which they bowed down to him). His brothers let their anger build.  When they got the chance they threw Joseph in a pit and were going to leave him there (murder), except they sold him to traders (definitely a sin).

* Carolyn Gillette has written a hymn summarizing the Sermon on the Mount to the tune of “Be Thou My Vision.”  Go to Upon A Mountain Top  for the words.  Today’s verses are 3 and 4.  If you have sung the first two verses the last two weeks.  Read through verses 3 and 4 today making the connections to what Jesus said then sing verses 1-4.

 

* Walk through a prayer of confession about anger with hand motions.  It might go something like this.  A worship leader invites worshipers to pray with their hands while the leader leads with hands and words.  This is better done with the whole congregation rather than just with children while they are on display at the front.

! * ? # * ! * ? # @ ! * ? #! * ? @ # ! * ? # * !  ? # * @ ! * ? #  * ? # * !

Angry Prayer

God we do get angry. 

Standing plant your feet firmly

Sometimes we get so angry that our fists ball up and we want to hit and hurt.  

Make fists

So angry we want to stomp our feet and kick. 

Stomp feet

So angry our arms and face and whole body feels tight. 

Vibrate all over

We want to scream and yell. 

Either mime a silent scream or invite all to do one loud, angry scream together

PAUSE

Be with us when we get that angry. 

Reach out your hand palms up

Gently uncurl our fists, loosen our arms, and relax our faces.

Slowly uncurl your fists, shake your arms loose, roll your head a little to loosen your facial muscles

Help us think of ways to fix what is wrong.

Thoughtfully scratch your head or point to the side of your head with one finger

Be with us as we try to make things better.

Open hands out palms up and look up

We pray in Jesus name.  Amen.

Fold your hands in prayer

 

Assurance of God’s pardon:

God IS with us when we are angry. 

God understands.

Sometimes God is even angry along with us. 

Always God helps us uncurl, loosen up, relax and find new ways to solve hard problems and get along with all people.

We have God’s promise on that.

Thanks be to God.

! * ? # * ! * ? # @ ! * ? #! * ? @ # ! * ? # * !  ? # * @ ! * ? #  * ? # * !

The section on adultery with its unfamiliar vocabulary will fly over the heads of most children and that is just fine.

The sayings about divorce are aimed at the adults, but the children know all about divorce.  All the studies say that parental divorces cause deep pain to children and leave lasting scars.  So in addressing this issue with the adults, do remember the children are listening, some quite intently.  Name some of the pain divorce inflicts on children – two houses with two different sets of rules, upended holidays, loss of image of themselves set in a sturdy family.  (Many therapists say older children and youth actually lose their sense of identity when their parents divorce and must be helped to recreate a new identity that fits the new situation.) 

Build around Jesus’ insistence that divorce is a sin, the grace that he offers all sinners.  But don’t expect children to grasp that general statement and apply it to their parents.  Name a number of common sins such as lying cheating, stealing, jealousy, fighting.  Describe in specifics the damage they do.  And, note that God forgives us for all these things – and forgives people when their marriages become so broken that divorce is the only way out.  Make sure the children know that God still loves parents who get divorced and the children whose parents get divorces.

The verses on swearing oaths address the complicated ways people of that day were trying to avoid telling the whole or real truth.  Children today are familiar with “stretching the truth,” telling white lies, fish tales (how big was that fish?!), and crossing your fingers behind your back while telling a lie.  Jesus says all of these ways of avoiding telling the truth are wrong.  We are to tell the truth always.

* One of the best known stories about the problem with not telling the truth is “The Boy who called Wolf!”

Once there was a boy who spent his days taking care of the sheep near his village.  When he was bored one day, just to see what would happen, he yelled “Wolf!”  All the villagers stopped what they were doing and ran to help him protect the sheep.   “Fooled you,” he laughed.   A few days later, thinking about how funny everyone looked running from the village, he cried “wolf!” again.  And, again the villagers left what they were doing and ran to his aid.  “Fooled you again!” he laughed long and loud.  So, the following week, when a wolf really did appear slowly circling the sheep, and the boy cried, “Wolf!” the villagers stayed where they were and kept on with their work.  Without the help of the villagers the boy could not keep the wolf from killing and dragging off several sheep, sheep the villagers could not afford to lose. 

Year C - Proper 16, 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, 14th Sunday after Pentecost (August 25, 2013)

Of all the Year C August sets of lectionary texts, this is the one most filled with Back to School connections.  If this is not Back to School Sunday in your area, you might want to consider using these texts on the Sunday that is.

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.

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. 

 

%  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. 

%  Or go more verbal and provide a worksheet on which children can complete the phrase, “God I praise you for…” several times to create their own summer psalm.  Offer markers with which they can illustrate their psalm with summer scenes.  Invite them to post their psalm or to discuss it with you at the door.

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.