Year A - Second Sunday after Epiphany, Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (January 19, 2014)

Isaiah 49:1-7

> Reading this text in which the speaker is telling a story and within the story quoting God extensively requires practice.  The reader needs to imagine himself (or herself, but in this case probably himself) speaking dramatically before a large crowd. 

>  In verse 6 the task of the servant Israel is to be a light to the nations.  Explaining to literal thinking children what it means for either God or people to be light is not easy.  Describing the difference lanterns, flashlights, even candles make in a dark room or at night is easy enough.  But, connecting that difference with the difference kind words and deeds of love and mercy make is quite a stretch.  Children’s brains simply have not developed the necessary transference ability to do this. 

>  Instead use this as an opportunity for some worship education about the use of candles in worship.  If you did not do so on Epiphany Sunday, describe how your congregation uses candles in worship and the significance of what you do.  If you involve acolytes in lighting the candles describe their leadership role.  If you do this before the call to worship, have a special candle lighting liturgy for today, maybe –

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Leader:  Isaiah said “the people who lived in darkness have seen a great light.”  Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” 

Congregation:  We light this candle /these candles to remind us of God’s love and presence with us. 

All:  Let us worship God.

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>  Without getting tangled up in the “light to the nations” image, explore Isaiah’s insistence that God doesn’t want us just to look out for ourselves, our church, and our community, but to be concerned for everyone in the whole world.  Reread just verse 6, putting some of the ideas into your own words.  Then,

Describe at least one way your congregation reaches out to people far away.  If possible select an activity in which children are involved, such as packing disaster relief kits.

Think together of a prayer to offer for the people who live on each continent.  (Trace your prayer journey on a globe or world map.)  Then offer those prayers.

 

Psalm 40:1-11

>  Children quickly get lost in this long song.  The important thing for them is that the psalmist promises to sing God’s praises and to talk about what God has done.  Readers are invited to join in.

Like the psalmist children can sing God’s praises.  Singing songs praising God with others at church and singing songs praising God on their own are important disciplines to cultivate.  Today children are more likely to listen to music than to sing it.  Encourage them to sing by telling stories in which singing is important and by doing a lot of congregational singing during worship today.  Assign worshipers a familiar hymn (maybe the Doxology) you have sung and discussed in worship today to sing in the car on their way home.  (Encourage them to do this whether they are singing a solo or with a “choir”.)

Children can also speak up on God’s behalf every day.  Tell the children “a secret you think the psalmist knew.”  Saying something out loud to other people makes it more real than just thinking it.  As examples describe telling someone you love them rather than just thinking it, saying “this is a really great dinner!” rather than just thinking it, or talking with others you are with about how beautiful a spot (maybe the Grand Canyon or a cozy fire in your own fireplace or a clear starry night) is rather than just thinking it to yourself.  Then, talk about what happens when you tell friends something you know about God or Jesus or when you insist that you know something the group is thinking of doing is either wrong or very right. 

>  This weekend the psalmist reminds us of Martin Luther King who spoke to the American nation on God’s behalf of the injustices being endured by African Americans.   He said, “I have a dream…” but he meant “God has a dream and will make it come true.”   His words about this dream inspired people to make difficult changes to right the injustices.  King and his followers also sang songs, spirituals that echoed his words.  Together the speaking and singing of God is powerful.  King spoke to and sang with millions of people.  Few of us do that.  But, we can sing songs for God and we can speak up among our friends.  We can stand up for God’s ways and point out when people are starting to do things that are wrong.  Martin Luther King had to be brave to speak up for God and so do we. 

Sing one or more of the spirituals that were sung during the civil rights movement such as “We Shall Overcome,” “Go Tell it On The Mountain,” “This Little Light of Mine,” and “We Shall not be Moved.”

 

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

>  For the next seven weeks we will be reading from 1 Corinthians.  This may be the first generation of children who need to learn what a letter is.  Strange, but true!  They are increasingly used to communicating in short emails, tweets, or IMs that are sent quickly, read and generally deleted.  They have little experience with a several page letter that was carefully composed, read and reread, and then kept to be read repeatedly in the future.  So before reading from this letter, take time to explore what the letter was and meant to the early Christians.

Bring a stamped envelope containing a several page handwritten letter, a smart phone displaying an email or text message, and the pulpit Bible opened to the beginning of 1 Corinthians.  You might even mention the way Harry Potter and other wizards communicated with messages carried by owls.  Talk about the similarities and differences in each one.  Some take more time to write.  Some are harder to deliver and take longer to reach the receiver.  Some are considered more worth saving to reread and to share with others.  Explain that Corinthians is a letter sent from Paul to the Christians in Corinth and that they thought it was so important that they saved it, copied it, and shared it with others.  

 

From Wikimedia Commons

Display pictures of Corinthian ruins and modern day Corinth and have a map on hand to point out where Corinth is.  Ask if anyone in the congregation has been to Corinth.  The point is simply to realize that Corinth is a real place with real people. 

Briefly introduce Paul telling how he knew the people in Corinth.  Point out some of his other letters to other churches in the Bible.

Read verse 2 that tells to whom the letter is sent.  Stop as you get to the parts that describe the saints beyond Corinth.  “Hey, wait!  That is us.  We are….  You and you are…   We have mail!”

Then invite worshipers to listen to what Paul says as the letter begins.

>  If you are going to explore the gifts Paul recognized in the members of the church in Corinth and in us, offer children a worksheet printed with a large gift box.  Invite them to write about or draw into the boxes some of the gifts/abilities/talents God has given them.  Point out that God wants them to use those gifts to love other people in the world.  Invite them to drop their drawings into the offering plates as a way of thanking God for those gifts or to share them with you as they leave the sanctuary.  Suggest that in one part of the box they draw a cross or a heart for the gift of God’s love.

Feel free to use this or create your own on this pattern

 

John 1:29-42

>  Next Sunday’s gospel is Matthew’s account of the call of the fishing disciples.  Attentive children will be surprised by these apparently contradictory accounts and ask questions about which is true.  Rather than dig into that in the sanctuary, it might be better to read only one of these versions of the story this year.

LAMB OF GOD   SON OF GOD   MESSIAH   RABBI

> Names are important to children.  In this story John gives Jesus 3 names – Lamb of God, Son of God and Messiah.  Andrew gives him another one – Rabbi (or Teacher).  At the end Jesus gives Simon a new name – Cephas or Peter.  With their new names both Jesus and Simon Peter start out on something very new.  It is almost like Harry Potter being told he is not a stupid kid who lives under the stairs, but is a wizard and being invited to learn the skills that will make him a great wizard.

> Lamb of God is a nickname or a symbol for Jesus.  But, it is a hard one for children to understand.  To understand the Passover connection it will be necessary to retell that story.  To make the connection to the thank offerings, it will be necessary to explain the thinking behind that practice to children to whom it tends to sound cruel and weird.   Instead, simply introduce Lamb of God as a nickname or mascot for Jesus.

If your sanctuary includes Lamb of God images, point them out and simply say that they remind us of Jesus. 

Point out in the worship bulletin the places you will pray, say or sing “Lamb of God” today.  Maybe suggest that children underline the name every time they find it in the bulletin.  Then instruct them to think “Jesus” as they use the term.
 

> Eyes are important.  Using them well to really see is even more important!  John the Baptist saw and knew who Jesus was when he came to be baptized.  When Andrew and another of John the Baptist’s disciples asked to join Jesus, Jesus replied “Come and see.”  And they saw a lot in the years that followed!  Use this story to urge children to really see or pay attention to people and to what is happening around them.  Point out that many people saw Jesus.  At first only John the Baptist saw who Jesus really was.  Several people heard John point Jesus out and tell who he was, but only 2 of them went after Jesus.  Likewise, hundreds of people saw Jesus heal people and feed the crowd, but only a few stayed around to live the way Jesus wanted them to live. 

At the end of this discussion touch the eyes of each child saying “God, bless NAME’s eyes.  Help him/her really see you.”  Or, have the entire congregation bless each other’s eyes in the pews.

> This is a story about people who told others what they knew and introduced their friends to important people.  John pointed out Jesus to his disciples.  Andrew brought his brother to meet Jesus.  They each about Jesus in everyday situations to people they knew.  Challenge children to be like them and to speak up to their friends and siblings at home or school or wherever they are.

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 - Second Sunday of Easter (April 7, 2013)

Happy Easter – even if attendance is not what it was on the first Sunday of Easter, it is still very much Easter today!

U Especially if you did a Lenten series, an Easter season series may not be attractive.  But, the texts for this season are filled with stories of people acting on their Easter faith.  So “Easter People” could become an announced series or simply a frequently used term as you tell these stories and call worshipers to become Easter people today.  

Easter 2       Peter and John are witnesses to what they saw

Easter 3       Paul changes sides and/or Peter accepts
                       Jesus’ forgiveness

Easter 4       Dorcas uses her sewing skills to care for others

Easter 5       Peter accepts people he wouldn’t even eat with as brothers and sisters in Christ

Easter 6       Lydia extends hospitality

Easter 7       Paul does not escape from prison to save the jailor’s life

U Many congregations are celebrating “Holy Humor Sunday” on the Second Sunday of Easter.  It is an opportunity to laugh at the failure of evil to defeat God in Christ and to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with jokes, skits, and other humorous forms of worship.  This year laugh with Peter and John at the authorities who thought they could shut them up and with the disciples as they realize Jesus really is alive again.  Go to Year B - Second Sunday of Easter for historical background, resources and links to official “Holy Humor” web sites.

 

Acts 5:27-32

U Especially if you are celebrating Holy Humor Sunday, expand this reading to include the interactions with the religious authorities that lead up to today’s verses (Acts 4.1-4, 13-21 and 5.17-32).  Because the authorities really do come off as a key stone cops group, the text could be easily turned into a clown skit without changing a word.  A youth class would have fun developing and presenting this.

U To read only verses 27 -32 one reader takes two roles turning and adopting different voices for the authorities and the disciples.

U If witness is a key word in worship today, begin worship by presenting it printed on a big poster cut like a speech bubble possibly mounted on a banner pole.  Briefly define it as saying what we know about God and Jesus.  Invite worshipers to join you in praying, singing, hearing and telling stories about Jesus in worship.  Display the poster throughout worship.  Refer to it if you discuss the difficulties of witnessing.  Then at the benediction turn it around displaying the words “speak up” printed on the back.  Charge worshipers to speak up during the week witnessing for Jesus at school, home, and word.  Carry the poster out as part of the recessional.  

Psalm 118:14-29

U This is the psalm for all three Passion-Palm Sundays in the lectionary cycle.  As a whole it really fits there better than here.  Today pick one or two images such as the cornerstone to explore with children.  Point out the cornerstone in your church, demonstrate how a cornerstone works using children’s blocks and insist that Jesus is the real cornerstone of the church.  Or focus on “this is the day the Lord has made” in music and responsive readings.

Psalm 150

U This is the alternate psalm, and may be the first choice psalm for children, today.  It is a grand way to bring Easter joy into another week.  At the beginning of worship invite worshipers to read it together with instrumentalists playing the first line of the opening hymn after the verse mentioning their instrument.  Children with rhythm instruments respond to verse 6.  The whole congregation then sings the hymn together.
 

Revelation 1:4-8

U Today begins an Easter series of readings from Revelation.  It is the major appearance of Revelation in the lectionary.  Children as well as adults encounter all sorts of interpretations and misinterpretations of this book.  There is even a Left Behind series for pre-teens!  That means we need to talk to children as well as adults about this book.

U To introduce Revelation make a big deal about turning to it at the very back of the Bible.  Read verses 1 and 2 adding details to explain what kind of book this is and to provide context.

 

U Older children are fascinated by Revelation and like the fact that it is in the Bible WHEN they know that it is a book that was written in code during a time when being a Christian could get you thrown to the lions.  As they learn to decode the word pictures in the book, they enjoy imagining what a soldier might have thought when he found the scroll and read it while searching the home of a suspected Christian.  They also enjoy realizing what the coded messages meant to the early Christians and what they mean to us today.  Some of the code pictures in this season’s texts are more meaningful to children than others.  So rather than promising a new code to crack each week, I’d present only chosen ones.  The whole list includes:

Easter 2         alpha and omega

Easter 3         the Lamb

Easter 4         white robes washed in blood

Easter 5         a new heaven and new earth

Easter 6         the new Jerusalem

Easter 7         Lord, Jesus come!

U The coded image in today’s passage that is of most interest to children is the alpha and omega in verse 8.  There are several ways to unpack it.

If you have alpha and omega symbols in your sanctuary this is a good opportunity to point them out.  Note that they are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet.  Compare them to the first and last letters in several other alphabets.  Then state what we are saying when we display those letters in a sanctuary.  In the process reread verse 8 and explain how it answers the question, "what was there before the very beginning and what will be left after the very end of the world?"

On a seminary sponsored podcast a group of professors talked about how many times they had to see “The Wizard of Oz” before they could stay in the room for the scary parts.  Only seeing the ending multiple times finally enabled them to face the scary parts on the way to that ending.  Every time we see the alpha and omega we are reminded that God is at the end of the world.  Knowing that makes us braver when life gets scary before the end.  

U On the Second Sunday of Easter read this text to answer the question “who is Jesus really – now that he has risen from the dead?”  Go through verses 5-6 stopping to put in your own words each description of Jesus.  Conclude with “Wow!  Jesus is not just a special person.  Jesus is Lord of and in charge of the whole universe!”  If you made a big deal of burying the Alleluia for Lent, lead the children/congregation in responding with several loud “Alleluias”. 

     Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.  To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

 John 20:19-31

U This is the gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Easter every year.  Rather than list links to other years, I’ve gathered all the resources here and added one or two more.  So there is no need to check out Years A and B.

U This passage is not that long, but a lot of different things go on.  To help children follow it, try the following group reading

? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ?

John 20:19-29

Reader One (probably you) invites the children to come forward to help with the gospel reading.  Imagine with them that they are the disciples on Easter Sunday  night hiding out in a locked upper room, wondering about what the women said about Jesus’ tomb being empty, and still afraid the soldiers would come for them too.

Reader One:  When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 

Thomas joins the group off to one side to read this line.  Then sits with the group as Reader One continues.

Thomas Reader: But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Reader One:  A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him,

Thomas Reader:  “My Lord and my God!”

Reader One:  Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

                                                        New Revised Standard Version

? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ?  

Or

U Invite children forward for back story before hearing the gospel read:

The disciples were behind locked doors because they were afraid, embarrassed and ashamed.  Recall some of their names and what they had done as Jesus died.  Then note that they were afraid of what Jesus would say to them about all their desertions if he really were alive again.  They were afraid the soldiers would come for them like they had for Jesus.  And, if the women were wrong and Jesus was still dead, they were afraid to face people who now knew that they had been wrong about Jesus.  They had been so sure, so loud in proclaiming Jesus and were apparently so wrong.  They did not want to see anyone ever again.  That is why they were hiding in locked room.  Then read the story from the big Bible.  After reading it, point out that Jesus did not say, “What happened?  Where were you?  You screwed up!”  He said, “Peace.”  In other words, “It’s OK.  I understand.  I forgive you.”  Imagine how they felt when they heard that. 

U This passage offers several clues to what Jesus was like after the resurrection – he can appears inside a locked room, he can be touched (he is not ghostly), he still has the wounds, and still loves them and explains what is going on to them.  Next week he will eat fish.  Children are curious about all this.  Take time to ponder with them what they think Jesus was like after the resurrection, being open to new ideas and affirming the mysterious part of it all.

Either include this discussion of reflection in the sermon.  Or, it could be introduced before reading the scripture.  In this case listeners are instructed to listen for clues about Jesus after the resurrection raising a hand each time they hear one.  In an informal setting stop at each one to clarify the clue and ponder it briefly.

Forgiveness and Peace

U In this short passage Jesus gives the disciples (and us) two Easter gifts (the Holy Spirit and peace) and one Easter task (forgiving others as God has forgiven us).

U If your congregation regularly passes the peace in worship, before you do so today connect the ritual with this story.  We are being like Jesus passing peace to other people.  We don’t just say “Hi.”  We say, “The peace of God be with you.”  It is a wish or prayer for the other person.  We can say it because we know God loves and forgives both of us.  Then invite people to pass the peace to their neighbors.

U Jesus’ forgiveness and call to the disciples to forgive in this story provide another opportunity to highlight and explore the Lord’s Prayer petition “forgive our debts/trespasses/sins, as we forgive…”  Write “forgive us our debts/trespasses/sins” on one poster strip and “as we forgive our debtors/those who trespass or sin against us” on a second poster strip.  Present them first in the order they appear in the Lord’s Prayer.  Then connect the first strip to Jesus forgiving the disciples on Easter evening and the second strip to his command that they forgive others.  Flip the order of the phrases and point out that we often have to pray this prayer backwards when we have someone to forgive.  Note how hard it is to forgive people who have treated us badly.  The only way we can do it is by remembering how Jesus forgave the disciples and forgives us.

U Create a responsive prayer in which a worship leader describes situations in the world and in personal lives that need forgiveness and the congregation responds with “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”  Pray this prayer after having explored it’s meaning in light of today’s story.

Thomas

Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi da, 1573-1610.
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas,
from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library,
Nashville, TN. 
http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54170
[retrieved February 24, 2013].

JESUS MAFA. Jesus appears to Thomas,
from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library,
Nashville, TN. 
http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48302
[retrieved February 24, 2013].

U There are two especially interesting paintings of Jesus and Thomas.  Show one or both of them.  Look first at Thomas’s face and imagine what he is thinking and feeling as he touches Christ’s body.  Then, look at the faces of the other disciples and imagine what they are thinking and feeling.  (I suspect they are glad Thomas asked his question because they really wanted to know the same thing but were afraid to ask.  It does take courage to ask some questions and Thomas had it.)  Then, look at Jesus’ face and posture and imagine how Jesus felt about Thomas and his question.  (This could be a conversation with worshipers or could be the ponderings of the preacher in a sermon.) 

 

U The story of Thomas is important to children who already ask lots of questions about everything and to those who will ask deep questions as they get older.  If we want to encourage children to ask their questions, we must not label Thomas a doubter.  No amount of explaining can make doubter into a positive adjective – especially in this story.  So describe Thomas as a curious person who wanted to see for himself what others had already seen.  Recall what it is like when everyone is talking about an exciting event that you were not at.  Insist that Jesus welcomed Thomas’ questions and ours.  There is no honest question God/Jesus cannot handle.

In describing Thomas, remember that he was the disciple who cared enough to interrupt Jesus when he did not understand what Jesus was saying (John 14:5).  He really wanted to understand Jesus.  Thomas was also the one who after telling Jesus he was nuts to go to Jerusalem where his enemies were out to get him, replied to Jesus’ insistence that he was going anyway, “Let us go and die with him” (John 11:7-16).  He was that loyal.  Finally, upon seeing Jesus’ wounds after the resurrection, Thomas replies, “My Lord and my God!”  That was his statement of faith.

Thomas wasn’t the only confused, questioning disciple after Easter.  List the responses of Mary, Peter, John, and the others as they encounter the risen Christ.  Everyone was so confused that they were frightened. 

U To celebrate Thomas’ questions turn this into Questions Sunday.  Collect questions about the Easter stories and God from the whole congregation.  Take them verbally or invite people to write them on pieces of paper to put in the offering plate.  Today read through the questions.  Celebrate them.  Elaborate on them adding related questions.  Even, ask for clarification on questions you do not understand.  Do NOT answer any of them – even if you can.  Instead promise to deal with them during the coming weeks.  If there is high interest in this, you might even print the questions in the newsletter or on the website.  As you work through the Easter season, point to the question/s that you are working with at any given point.

 

U Finally, if you have a little time to sit back and enjoy a somewhat longer story on the Sunday after Easter, read Miss Fannie’s Hat, by Jan Karon.  It is the story of 99 year old Miss Fannie who gives her favorite hat, her Easter hat, to a fund raising auction to repair the church.  On Easter she goes to church hatless for the first time and finds the church surrounded with flowers like those on her hat.  To shorten the story a bit consider omitting pages 6, 7, and 13, then jumping from the first sentence on page 18 to page 21.  Miss Fannie demonstrates that giving a loving gift is more important than having a pretty Easter hat.