Year C - Proper 26, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, 24th Sunday after Pentecost (November 3, 2013)

There are choices to be made by worship planners this weekend.

Halloween was on Thursday night, but will probably be celebrated in many communities on Friday and on into the weekend.  The Habakkuk reading and the format of Psalm 119 provide great opportunities for meditating on our fears.

All Saints Day was on Friday, but will be celebrated in many churches on Sunday.  If you are one of those, go to All Saints Day - Year C.  But also check out these texts since there are some interesting connections.  Another possibility to consider is the gospel text about life after death found in Proper 27.  It could be moved here saving Zaccheus for next week.  Go to Proper 27 (Year C) to see the details.

And, if you live in the USA it is time change Sunday.  So no matter what texts you select, remember to set your clock back an hour to claim that wonderful extra hour of sleep.

The Texts

Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4

F  Habakkuk complains about the violence and injustice that are causing so much pain in the world.  He speaks in generalities about what everyone fears and then delivers God’s promise that the violence and evil will not be the final word.  On Halloween we practice facing up to our fears.  We tell scary stories, walk through haunted houses, and dress up as monsters.  Children’s Halloween picture books range from tales in which heroes rise above their fears and in the process prove the scary thing or place is not so scary after all to tales in which monsters are shown to be just like us.  (There is even a take-off on Good Night Moon called Good Night Goon in which a young monster says goodnight to all the scary-to-us stuff that is part of his everyday life and a similar take off on Runaway Bunny called Runaway Mummy.) 

F  Display a not-too-scary mask (remember it doesn’t take much to scare the youngest).  Handle it, describe how it might frighten you but then point out that it is just a mask and not all that scary.  Use this as an entry to identifying the things we really fear – that bullies at school will go after us, that something bad will happen to someone we love, that we will get lost, that there will be a war where we live, that we will never be able to do what we want most to do….   If the children’s fears lead to talking about adult fears about jobs, the economy, world conflicts, etc., the children learn that fear is part of life.  They will then be ready to hear God’s promise to Habakkuk and us in Habakkuk 2:2-4. 

GOD SAYS

“Those who are evil will not survive,

but those who are righteous will live

because they are faithful to God.”

F  The TEV provides the translation of verse 4 that makes most sense to children: “Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.”  Write it in large letters on a big poster.  Have fun seeing if someone running up the aisle can read it while running.  Then, note that God’s goal in asking Habakkuk to write the message so big was that God wanted everyone to read it and know that God was on the side of the faithful and against the evil.

F  Suggest that everyone in the congregation hold hands because you are going to talk about scary things.  Then start with Halloween-y things and progress to the violent scary parts of everyday life for people of all ages.  Read Habakkuk 2:2-4 again, explaining some of its meaning related to the fears you have named.  Shake hands loose or clap hands to celebrate not having to be afraid because God is with us and will not all the bad things have the last word.
 

F  Some Things Are Scary, by Florence Parry Heide, is a random collection of things that scare children.  Turn to some of them to be sure the things that scare children as well as the things that scare adults get attention today.  

 

F  Display a large poster or some other item with an Alpha and Omega on it (maybe a stole or parament).  Explain its meaning and connect it with Habakkuk’s message.  Just as God was in charge at the beginning, God will be in charge at the end, so we don’t have to worry.  We can trust God.

F  Sing “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” after Halloween and in response to Habakkuk’s list of all the things that are going wrong.  It was written by Martin Luther while he was hiding in castle from people who wanted to kill him.  Tell this brief story of its writing before singing it and encourage worshipers to watch for fear and trust words. 

Psalm 119:137-14

F  Psalm 119 is an acrostic, that is an alphabet poem.  Each line in each section starts with a word beginning with the same letter.  The lines in this section start with the Hebrew letter zade/tsade (צַ).  If possible show a Hebrew Bible opened to this psalm or print this passage in Hebrew in your worship bulletin and help people recognize the repeated letter. 

When reading the psalm, have the congregation say the Hebrew letter zade before each line is read.

F  Each line says something about the value of God’s Word.  Hebrew poets rhyme ideas rather than sounds.  So, they say the same thing over and over again in slightly different ways.  For example,

It is a beautiful day.

The sun is bright and there is not a cloud in the sky.

It is wonderfully warm and there is a pleasant breeze.

I wish every day were just like this one.

Then, read one or two of the lines about God’s Word to show their similarity. 

F  Challenge children (and others) to write an alphabet psalm praising God on Halloween weekend or on other days when we are afraid.  Below is an activity sheet for doing this using words that begin with the letter H in honor of Halloween. 

N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N

Try some of             Write a psalm prayer about fear. 

these words            Make each line begin with H in honor of Halloween.

 

Help

H_______________________________

Have

 

Hope

H_______________________________

Heal

 

Hallelujah

H_______________________________

Hear

 

Hide

H_______________________________

Happy

 

Hold

H_______________________________

How

 

Horrible

H_______________________________

 

 

N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N

Isaiah 1:10-18

To understand Isaiah’s message one needs detailed information about worship in Old Testament times and then be able to connect that message to our different form of worship today.  That is a tough task for children.  So I would tend to use the other Old Testament texts.  If you do work with this one, go straight to verses 17 and 18 with the children.  They are more direct and use more familiar words. 

F  If your congregation regularly uses the language about sins as scarlet being made white as snow, this is a good chance to explain what we are saying when we say that and then to use it in the usual way.  Bring something rough and deep red (even a wadded up ball of red Christmas foil) and something soft and white (maybe a white sweater or piece of white cotton).  As you discuss the colors, remember that most children would prefer red over white.  For them the stark difference between red (think red ribbons, Christmas, valentines..) and white (think white paper, white shirt, OK, maybe also snow, but… white is generally boring) is more important than the colors themselves.  Tie the difference in the colors to the different feelings we have when we are hiding sins and when we admit them in Psalm 32. 

Psalm 32:1-7   SIN  TRANSGRESSION  INIQUITY  DECEIT  GUILT

F  Psalm 32 in the New Revised Standard Version is a collection of words about sin used often in worship but nowhere else.  So, before reading it, list the words and encourage listeners to watch for them in the psalm and in other parts of worship today.  If this will be the focus of worship, give children red pencils with which to underline all the sin words they find in their printed order of worship.

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

Because there is so much for children in the other texts and themes for this day and because a preacher is likely to go many different ways using this text, I am going to leave it with you.  If you find a great connection for children, please share it with the rest of us in the Comments.

Luke 19:1-10

F  This is another text that can take worship leaders many different directions.  Themes that speak especially clearly to children include:

• People CAN change.  Zacchaeus changed.  You can change.  People around you can change. 
• The best way to deal with a troublesome person or enemy is to become a friend.  We can follow Jesus’ example by eating with the lonely ones or inviting them to eat with us in the school lunch room.
• Giving away money or stuff can save you (or bring happiness).  Jesus told Zacchaeus that returning the money he stole and giving half of all he had to the poor was going “to save his life.”  Take time to define “save his life” to include bring happiness, peace, and a place among God’s people as well as eternal salvation.

F  Jesus and Zacchaeus get most of the attention in this story.  But the crowd is us and is worthy of our attention.  To explore their responses, enlist the help of a few youth or adults.  Their job is to show the crowd’s response at key points in the story using their faces and their whole bodies.  The script below could be used to prepare a rehearsed pantomime.  Or, it could be the beginning of a more free-wheeling interaction between members of the crowd as the worship leader helps them and the congregation explore the response of the crowd to what happened.

MNLOMNLOMNLOMNLOMNLOMNLOMNLO

Luke 19:1-10

 19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through it.

 

19:2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich

Zacchaeus stands proudly to one side.

 

19:3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.

Jesus stands to the other side.  The crowd steps between the two and they jostle with each other with knowing smiles to keep Zacchaeus at the back of the crowd.

 

19:4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.

Zacchaeus climbs a short step ladder.

 

19:5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today."

Jesus calls Zacchaeus down. 

 

19:6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.

Zacchaeus comes down smiling happily and heads off with Jesus.

 

19:7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner."

At this point a worship leader steps in and works with the crowd actors to show with their faces and bodies how they might be feeling.  Feelings might range from  disbelief (Zacchaeus couldn’t change!) to disgust with Jesus for reaching out to such a sinner or maybe amazed acceptance of what happened.

 

19:8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."

Zacchaeus stops, turns to Jesus as this is said.

 

19:9 Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.

Jesus reaches out to Zacchaeus.  Putting an arm around Zacchaeus’ shoulder, walks off the stage with him.

 

19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."

                                                                                    NRSV

MNLOMNLOMNLOMNLOMNLOMNLOMNLO

F  It’s another opportunity to point out the invitation to the Lord’s Table and stress that it is open.  People who look hopeless like Zacchaeus (and sometimes us) are welcome. 

 

F  If it’s still Stewardship Season in your congregation, take a look at Miss Fannie’s Hat, by Jan Karon.  Elderly Miss Fannie gives the best of her grand collection of hats to raise money to fix up the church.  When she goes to church hatless on Easter morning, she finds the church surrounded by blooming rose bushes purchased with funds from the sale of her hat.  She and those all around her find great happiness in her gift.  One hopes that Zacchaeus and some of the folks he refunded will share similar happiness.

Year C - Proper 24, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 22nd Sunday after Pentecost (October 20, 2013)

Today’s texts cluster around two major themes that are very important to children.  So, I have organized this post around the themes.  The texts are all there but not in the usual order.

 

The Importance of God’s Word, the Bible

 
Jeremiah 31: 27-34, Psalm 119:97-104, and 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

The key verse of the Jeremiah text for children is verse 33.  The day will come when God’s word will not be on stone tablets or in books, but written into our very hearts.   A few children will have experience with learning something by heart, i.e. memorizing it.  Timothy is instructed to be a faithful student and teacher of the Word.  Under that is the belief that to be a strong, true church a congregation must be made up of people who know their Bible well.  Psalm 119 celebrates the Law (the Bible).  Explore the importance of Scripture using some of the following: 

& Show a Bible that you have all but used to death.  Tell how you got it into this state and note that most of what has made this book so ragged is now so much a part of you that if the book fell apart completely, you’d still have most of it inside you.  Encourage others to use a Bible to pieces.

& If there is a large Bible displayed and read from in the sanctuary that has a history, tell that story and bring it to where worshipers of all ages can see it during or after the service.

& Identify all the places the Bible is used in worship.  Print a clip art Bible beside each Bible based item in the order of worship.  Or, give children Bible stickers to place beside those elements as you come to them.

& Encourage family Bible story reading.  Ask how many families read a story each night at bedtime.  Suggest that they start reading two stories, one of the usual ones and one Bible story.  Tell parents that they can usually trust their instincts selecting a Bible storybook.  Those with sweet cartoony illustrations will likely tell sweet stories.  Those with violent action in most pictures will lean that way in story selection.  More damage is done by waiting to find the right Bible storybook than by starting in with one that you later abandon.  Getting started is what is important.  Two Bible story books that I often suggest to families are:

The Family Story Bible, by Ralph Melton

The Children’s Bible in 365 Stories,

                               by Mary Batchelor

& Pray for all the study groups and church school classes for students of all ages in your congregation.  Do so in a way that obviously includes children’s and youth classes.

& Before singing “Be Thou My Vision” invite worshipers to look at the verse “Be thou my wisdom…”  Put it into your own words.  Then sing the entire hymn.  (Below is a set of more inclusive words than appear in older hymnals.)

Be thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word,

I ever in the and thou in me, Lord

Thou loving parent, Thy child may I be,

Thou in me dwelling and I one with thee.

& Offer a charge and benediction something like this:

• 
  

          Raise a Bible above your head saying,

          Go home, find your copy of God’s word. 
  

          If you don’t have one, buy one.

   

          Open it in front of you

          Read it.  Think about it.  Talk about it.

   

          Hug it to your chest.

          Let it be written on your heart. 
  

          Let the story in it become your story. 

          Let it become your guide for living every day.

  
  

          Raising your other hand in blessing

          And as you read, may God be with you and speak to

          you and call you.  May God’s Spirit work through 

          these words to direct you, empower you, even

          comfort you. And, may the peace of God be with
          you always.

  
  

Jeremiah 31:27-34 

& Verse 33’s “God’s word written on our hearts” will need to be explained to literal thinking children.  Laugh at the misunderstanding of God digging your heart out of your chest and writing on it with a pen.  Then work toward Jeremiah’s message by reminding them of what it means to put your hand over your heart when you say the Pledge of Allegiance, recalling the oath “cross my heart” that says “I really do mean this,” and exploring what you are saying when you give friends paper hearts on Valentine’s Day.  Children working through this quickly understand that having a Bible isn’t worth much.  It is only when you read it and use it that it becomes yours.

& This text appears again on the Fifth Sunday in Lent (Year B).  Go to Fifth Sunday in Lent (Year B) for more ideas.

Psalm 119

& Psalm 119:103 compares scripture to the sweetness of honey.  So, before reading it give everyone a honey flavored hard candy to enjoy and as a reminder of the sweetness of what they are hearing read.

& Psalm 119 might be titled “The Law (or the Bible) and Me.”  It is an alphabet poem with all the verses in each section starting with the same Hebrew letter.  Each verse says something about the Bible and why it is important.  To explore this poem …

• Prepare a children’s class to read the psalm with one child reading each verse.  The children stand in verse order across the front of the sanctuary and read from paper scripts laying across Bibles which are open in their hands.
  

   
• After reading what the biblical poet said about the Bible, make up verses of your own.  Start each verse with “The Bible…”  Ask children questions such as “Why is the Bible important?”  “What do you like about the Bible?”  “When do you hear the Bible read?” to help them create verses.  (This could be a children’s time or an expanded reading of the psalm that includes all worshipers.)

God’s Wrestlers

Genesis 32:22-31, Luke 18:1-8, and 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5

a Wrestling with God is an intriguing idea to most children, especially most boys.  The story of Jacob wrestling with God all night not only gives them permission, it invites them to ask their toughest questions, argue with God about what seems “not right,” even fight back.  The idea that we can expect to wrestle with God and God’s direction all through our lives is probably new to most children.  Details in the story that are important to children are:

• Jacob was strong enough and determined enough to wrestle all night long.  It would be great to be that strong.
• At the end of the night God gave Jacob a name that praised him for struggling with God and being able to keep up the fight until dawn.  That means wrestling with God is OK.
• Jacob is left with a limp for the rest of his life.  That demonstrates that struggling with God can be hard on you – but it is worth it.



Delacroix, Eugène, 1798-1863. Jacob Wrestling with the Angel,
from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the
Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.
http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48070
[retrieved September 19, 2013]. Original source: www.yorckproject.de.
 

a Before reading this story display or project this or some other picture of Jacob wrestling the angel.  Children will be so surprised to see someone fighting an angel that they will not believe what they think they are seeing.  It is important to look at the details with them so they understand what is going on. 

Point out Jacob and ask children to describe him.

            Ask who Jacob is fighting with.

How hard is Jacob fighting?

How hard is the angel fighting?

Then read the story and ask “was it OK for Jacob to wrestle with the angel?”  (The answer is yes – and amazes children.)  Point out to older children that even though few of us physically wrestle with an angel, we often struggle with God.  Things happen that we don’t understand or like.  We get angry with God.  We think God owes us an explanation.  That is OK.  God understands that. 

a Jacob wrestled with God all night.  The widow struggled with the unjust judge until he gave her justice.  Both had to stick with it in a long struggle.  Every kid who has asked repeatedly for something and been told “That is enough!” is drawn to Jesus using the woman who pestered the judge until he did what he did not want to do just to get rid of her.  Jesus’ message is that there are times when being a pest is exactly what is needed.  This is an opportunity to tell stories about the church being a pest working in the community on behalf of those whose needs are being overlooked by people in power. 

a Timothy is to be as persistent as Jacob and the widow.  He is to stand up for what he knows is important and right even when it is hard.  Children need to hear this message too.  They, like Timothy, often face hard choices and situations in which it is tempting to say, “I can’t do anything, I am just too young.”  Paul tells them that they can be disciples right now – even when it is hard.

a Persistent is a big word.  Introduce it at the beginning of worship with a poster or banner displaying the word.  Define it and alert worshipers to listen in worship for people who were persistent and people who needed to be more persistent.  Challenge them to think of situations in which they need to be persistent.

a Outline all the wrestling that goes on in the process of a church mission project – maybe a Hunger Walk, a Habitat House Build, or a mission trip.  Point out the decisions that have to be wrestled with to get started, the problems that have to be resolved in planning, the strength required to carry it out, and the wrestling with what it might lead to next.  Note the many kinds of strength that are needed.  (It would be possible to link to today's Bible theme here by exploring the importance of knowing our Bibles in these struggles.) 

a If it is Stewardship season, explore the way many of us wrestle with our money by reading all or part of Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, by Judith Viorst.  (Yes, this is the same Alexander of the Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.)  The book describes all the foolish ways Alexander spent the dollar his grandparents brought him until he was left again with no money, only two bus tokens.  He struggles over every purchase.  Reading the whole book takes about seven minutes.  Since it gets repetitive, reading the first several pages is all that is needed to get everyone “into” the subject.  Reading it as part of the sermon teaches children that money is one of the things people struggle with at all ages.

Psalm 121

a This psalm about God’s persistent dependability is recognized for what it is by children only if you take time to look at some of the word pictures in detail with them.  How dependable is God?  As dependable as the hills which stand in place for centuries.  Actually God is more dependable than the hills because God MADE the hills.  Also, God never sleeps and is always “on.”  God protects us from bad things and pays attention to all our coming and going today and every day for the rest of our lives.  After walking through it this way, read it or sing it.  (If you will sing it, have worshipers follow you in their hymnals and use the words there.)

Year B - Proper 27, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 24th Sunday after Pentecost (November 11, 2012)

Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17

 

I This is the second of two readings about Ruth.  If you used the All Saints readings on November 4, you will need to tell the whole story of Ruth today.  For a concise telling of the story try ”Two Brave Women” in The Family Story Bible, by Ralph Milton.  It covers the main movements in the story, but summarizes the harvest festival with “Soon Boaz and Ruth got to know each other and to love each other.  They got married ...” and (like the RCL) omits the sandal transaction entirely.  It can be read aloud in 5 minutes.

I If you are devoting two Sundays to Ruth or if you want to explore in more detail the harvest festival and the sandal transaction, review the story from last week then read “Ruth Finds “Work” and “Happy Endings” in The Children’s Bible in 365 Stories, by Mary Batchelor.  (They can be read in a total of 5 minutes.)

 

My drawing: feel free to use

I If you focused on family love last week, expand that love to the love of the stranger or outsider this week.  If you did not do so last week, begin with a display of a map of the Old Testament lands.  Point to Bethlehem identifying it as the place Naomi started out and the place to which she returned with Ruth.  Then point to Moab and note that people who lived in Bethlehem thought the people who lived in Moab were dirty, dumb, and “not as good as we are.”  They ignored people from Moab when they came around and treated them poorly.  Imagine aloud how people in Bethlehem might have treated Ruth when she appeared with Naomi.  Then, read what actually happened.  Repeat and revel in the last verses' claim that the great King David’s great grandmother was a woman from Moab. 

 

Identify and ask worshipers to identify who gets treated like Moabites today.   DIfferent groups are the "Moabites" in elementary school, high school, college, and at work or in the larger community.  Ask what the Bible is telling us about all those people.  Pray both for those people and for those who mistreat them.

Identify groups of foreigners that tend to get treated like Moabites today.   (In my area that includes migrant farm workers.)  Insist that these people are God’s children and pray for them.

Introduce the word hospitality defining it as welcoming strangers.  Describe some of your congregation’s ministries of hospitality to strangers or outsiders.

I Another way to explore this story with children is to point out after reading it that three people each did more than they had to in order to help others.  Ruth could have stayed in Moab with her family, but she moved to Bethlehem with Naomi and worked in the field to feed them.  Naomi could have sat in a corner and felt sorry for herself, but she carefully thought out a plan for Ruth to find a husband.  Boaz could have said that Ruth and Naomi were not his responsibility, but he went to the man who was responsible for them and offered to take them into his own home.  Children struggle to learn to “do more than they have to do” to make life better for people around them.  These three are models promoting such loving care and pointing out that such care often works out for those who care as well as those being cared for.

This theme also runs through the story of the widow who fed Elijah.

I To present this story with all the rather unfamiliar details, devote the sermon to a dialog between an older Ruth and Boaz recalling it and musing over it together. 

 

Psalm 127

The psalmist here reminds worshipers of something most children assume, that they can trust someone else to provide for them.  Children usually begin by trusting their parents, but trusting parents leads them to trust God like the psalmist does.  This is not something children can articulate, so I’d skip this psalm for the children.

 

1 Kings 17:8-16

I This story is simple and simply presented.  To get the attention of the children before reading it, produce a bottle of cooking oil with only a little bit left in the bottom and a bag of flour rolled down indicating there is not much left in it.  Display them and tell worshipers that today’s story begins with a mother and son who have only that much oil and flour left in their kitchen – nothing else, no eggs, no meat, no peanut butter, nothing – and no hope of getting anything else.  Then read the story.

I Children, like people of all ages, think they will share when they have more than enough for themselves.  AND, they tend to think they never have quite enough.  This story (and the gospel story about the widow dropping her last coins in the offering plate) insists that even when you are down to nothing, you can still share.  Eleven days after Halloween, the candy stashes are beginning to run low.  Talk about when it is easier to share, the day after Halloween when you have LOTS of candy or when you are down to your last two pieces.  The answer is that it is just as easy either time.  All you have do is decide to share.  Do be careful to avoid implying that if they share all their remaining Halloween candy, the stash will miraculously never run out!

 

Psalm 146

This psalm is suggested for both last week and this week.  In the US there is a hotly contested election between the two readings of it.  On November 11 some, including children, will be happy about the outcome.  Others will be despairing.  Verses 3-4 speak to both groups.  For the children add presidents, vice-presidents, senators, etc. to “the princes.”  Note that no matter who won or lost, we still depend most on God’s power and love.  It could be read in unison or responsively using the script below.  The script replaces all the “hes” with “the Lord”

d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d

Psalm 146

 

LEADER:    Praise the Lord!

                        Praise the Lord, my soul!

ALL:           I will praise him as long as I live;

                        I will sing to my God all my life.

LEADER:   Don’t put your trust in human leaders;

                        no human being can save you.
                      When they die, they return to the dust;
                        on that day all their plans come to an end.

ALL or ALTERNATING GROUPS or

ALL READ “THE LORD” WITH LEADER COMPLETING THE SENTENCE

The Lord created heaven, earth, and sea, and all that is in them.

The Lord keeps every promise;

The Lord judges in favor of the oppressed

The Lord gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free

The Lord gives sight to the blind.

The Lord lifts those who have fallen;

The Lord loves righteous people.

The Lord protects the strangers who live in our land;

The Lord helps widows and orphans, but takes the wicked to their ruin.

LEADER: The Lord is king forever.  Your God, O Zion, will reign for all time.

ALL:     Praise the Lord!

                                                   Based on TEV

d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d

 

Hebrews 9:24-28

I The Hebrews readings are getting quite repetitive to me.  I also am finding as I get toward the end of the series that the Christ words poster/banner that I envisioned at the beginning is proving hard to keep fresh.  Actually as I dug into some of the texts and connected them to other texts for the day, I changed the words – without checking as carefully as I should have to see how the change impacted future words.  The good news is that next week’s word is clear, “Lord!” – as in “Jesus is Lord!”  That is our response to all the other words.  This week is a bit murkier.  Depending on what you have done to date, there are a few possibilities:

ETERNAL or FORVER - as in Christ is present with us always. This word was used in Proper 25, so check there for ideas related to alpha and omega symbols in the sanctuary and singing “the time hymn” – Our God Our Help in Ages Past.  Or, practice and explain what it means to sing “as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be” in the Gloria Patri.

FORGIVING - as in the reason Christ died was to forgive us.   Unpack this by exploring the petitions about forgivenes in the Lord's Prayer.  Jesus forgives us.  Jesus also asks us to forgive each other.   

ONCE AND FOR ALL  - as in Christ died to forgive every one of us.  We are safe in Christ’s loving forgiveness.  (See Proper 26.)

Do remember all the previous cautions about children being offended by all the Hebrews talk about killing animals in order to get God to forgive them.

 

Mark 12:38-44

I To grab the attention of children and to emphasize the comparison of the teachers of the Law and the widow, read verses 38-40 in proud tones and with arrogant gestures from the lectern.  Then, taking your Bible with you, move to the offering plates to read verses  41-44 about the widow’s gift in simpler more straight-forward tones.

I Why the Chimes Rang, by Raymond MacDonald Alden, is usually read at Christmas time, but it fits this story well.  Two young brothers who are poor set out to go to the cathedral on Christmas Eve to see the great service and all the rich people bring their grand gifts in hopes of hearing the chimes that are said to ring when great gifts are given.  On the way they come upon a woman dying in the snow on the side of the road.  The older brother sends the younger to the cathedral with a single coin to put in the offering while he stays behind to help the dying woman.  The younger brother is in awe of what he sees.  Before he leaves he slips near the altar to leave their coin and the chimes ring.  The story can be read in about 10 minutes.

I Many commentators insist that this more about the church’s tendency to recognize the rich and powerful while ignoring those on the margins than it is about the significance of the widow’s small gift.  They connect it with God responding to Ruth and Naomi on the margins in their day.  Build on their theme by describing one or two of your congregation’s ministries to people (especially women) on the margins of your town. 

I Challenge children to put at least some of their very own money in the offering plate.  Suggest they think about their birthday money, money they have earned or money they have been given to spend as they wish.  Be clear you are not talking about the money parents give them to put in the offering or about money they are given for other specific purposes – just money that is theirs to spend however they wish.  Point out that it may not be much, but that by giving some of their very own money now they are being real givers.  Insist that it is no easier to give money when you have lots of it than it is when you have little.  Use the widow as an example.

Alexander Who Used to be Rich Last Week, by Judith Viorst, describes one little boy (yes, the same Alexander who stars in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad, No Good Day) spends money given him by his grandparents in a series of very silly ways.  In the end he is left with nothing of value.  Read it today to explore using money on things that are important rather than just spending it on anything we think we want at the moment.

A Shared Theme Possibility

I The heroes and heroines of today’s stories put love into action.  They do not just feel love, they do love.  Illustrate and explore the fact that loving involves using our bodies by helping the children form the letters for the word LOVE with their bodies.  You might have each child take the shape of each letter in order.  If you do this after shaping and discussing each letter cahllenge the children to spell out the whole word with their bodies as you spell it for them.  Or, shape different children into each letter until you have the whole word. 

L          Each person sits up straight on the floor with legs out straight and

             arms above the head

Look where we are sitting – on the floor.  Love means being willing to get down wherever needed with people.  Ruth sat with Naomi in Moab. We can get down on teh floor to play with our little brother. 

O       Form big Os with arms in front of you like a big hug

Loving begins with caring about/ hugging people.

V        In pairs put feet toe to toe and lean back to form the letter V holding
             hands or arms as support

Point out that people have to trust each other to love each other, Ruth trusted Naomi’s plan, the widow in Zarephath trusted Elijah’s promise…

E        Each person sits on floor with legs straight out, one arm bent

            at the elbow then straight out at the waist and the other arm

            straight out at shoulder height.

This is harder to get into position than the hugging O.  Loving is hard work.  We have to be willing to glean in the hot sun, share our last meal, maybe even drop all we have in the offering plate.