Year A - Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 9, 2014)

Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)

* Fasting is not a spiritual discipline with which children are familiar.  They may not even know the word.  If you work with the text in worship take time to introduce fasting.  Define it as the practice of going without food for a set time in order to remind yourself that food is not the most important thing in life.  If your congregation will practice “giving something up for Lent” in four weeks, lay the groundwork this week explaining why it is done and comparing it to fasting.  Describe the Muslim practice of fasting from sunrise to sunset every day for the month of Ramadan.  Then, describe the problems with fasting that Isaiah was warning against.  Imagine together how one might get crabby while one fasts.  Only then will children and other worshipers be ready to listen to this passage read.

* Several years ago a group of families in a church spent 24 hours in a global village at a nearby church camp.  Our task was to make bricks for the Haiti kitchen.  The adults dug and hauled sand and operated the “lots of muscle required” brickmaking machine.  The children carried water in gallon jugs up a long hill from a well to the work site.  We ate beans and rice cooked over a fire at the site.  One Sunday morning afterward a nine year old who had been on this trip was overheard dragging a friend over to a bulletin board saying, “This is me eating beans and rice.  We ate them at EVERY meal!  They are not bad, but the people in Haiti have to eat them at every meal every day. And, that just is NOT FAIR!”  Eating beans and rice at every meal was not fasting, but it was close to what Isaiah wanted people to do.

Mismatch this with a picture of children
fighting.  Match it with children happy together.

* Children enjoy matching things.  Isaiah insists that what we sing and say in worship should match what we do every day.  So, print a phrase you will say or sing in worship today on a speech bubble.  Display it pointing to where you will all use it in worship today.  Then, provide a picture (either a photos or a word picture) of an everyday activity that definitely does NOT match the phrase.  Identify what does not match.  Finally, display a picture that does match the phrase and identify the connections.  You might do this with only one phrase or might devote time to exploring one in detail, then look briefly at one or two more phrases.

Psalm 112:1-9 (10)

This is one of the alphabet psalms.  Each line begins with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet.  The poet is rhyming ideas rather than sounds.  Every line says something about “the righteous” or “good people.”  To highlight its format and help worshipers of all ages appreciate its message, briefly explain it and then read the psalm “artfully.”  Have a worship leader call out the Hebrew letter before each line is read.  The lines may be read by the entire congregation or by an older children’s class (think choir without music).  If a class reads the lines, they may read in unison or individuals may read the lines in turn.  The practice required for a class to prepare this reading is an opportunity for children to work with worship leaders and for children to become worship leaders.   This script below is free translation written with young readers in mind.  You could create a similar script using any Biblical translation

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Psalm 112

ALL:                Praise the Lord!

Leader:          Aleph
ALL:                Happy are those who honor the Lord,

Leader:          Bet
ALL:                They take pleasure in obeying in God’s

                        commandments!

Leader:          Gimel
ALL:                Their descendants shall be mighty on the earth,

Leader:          Dalet
ALL:                The honest shall be blessed:

Leader:          He
ALL:                Riches and wealth are theirs.;

Leader:          Waw
ALL:                and they will prosper forever.

Leader:          Zain
ALL:                They shine like a lamp in the dark,

Leader:          Het
ALL:                They are generous, kind, and fair.

Leader:          Tet
ALL:                All goes well for those who lend generously,

Leader:          Yod
ALL:                and for those who run their businesses honestly;

Leader:          Kaph
ALL:                Good people will never fail,

Leader:          Lamed
ALL:                They will be remembered forever.

Leader:          Mem
ALL:                God’s people are not afraid of bad news.

Leader:          Nun
ALL:                Their faith is strong and they trust in the Lord.

Leader:          Samek
ALL:                They are not worried or afraid.

Leader:          Ain
ALL:                They are certain to see their enemies defeated.

Leader:          Pe
ALL:                Good people give generously to the poor.

Leader:          Zade
ALL:                They are always, always kind.

Leader:          Qoph
ALL:                Other people will respect them.

Leader:          Resh
ALL:                The wicked see this and are angry.

Leader:          Shin
ALL:                They glare in hate and disappear.

Leader:          Taw
ALL:                The wicked will not get what they scheme to get.

                                 - My paraphrase based on several translations

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1 Corinthians 2:1-12

* This is in many ways a continuation of last week’s reading from Paul’s letter.  The subject is the difference between God’s wisdom and the world’s wisdom.  Click on Fourth Sunday after Epiphany (Year A) for ideas. 

Matthew 5:13-20

* Since Matthew 5:17-20 is really the introduction to the next section of sayings, consider omitting it from today’s readings.  This keeps the focus on the light and salt images.  Furthermore, in his comments about fulfilling the Law in these verses, Jesus was speaking to adults who were concerned that he was challenging the Torah (their Bible).  He tells these folks to relax, that he doesn’t want to set aside any of it, he simply wants to take it to its intended depths.  This whole debate is of little interest to children at this point in their lives.  So, explore it with the adults and expect that the children will get to it later in their lives or omit this section in order to focus on the salt and light images.

 

 

* If you are doing a Sermon on the Mount series, the poster quotes for today are obvious.  You may want to produce just one of the chief images or several of them.

* To help children follow this three part text, have each part read by a separate reader.  Before each reader reads, the symbol from that section is placed on a central table.  For salt use a salt shaker or a bag of rock salt for the sidewalk (depending on what use of salt you plan to highlight).  For light add a candle or lantern.  For the Law (if you read those verses) add a large copy of the Bible.  The symbol may be put in place by the reader who then goes to the lectern to read.  Or, another person could carry the item up the central aisle and place it on the table while the reader reads. 

* Jesus says, “you are the salt of the earth” and “you are the light of the world.”  These may be the best known object lessons in the New Testament.  Listeners are asked to draw spiritual truths from descriptions of physical realities.  We know that children’s brains are not able to do this.  (For fuller description of this click on The Problem with Object Lessons).  Still, we can begin teaching them what is involved in these metaphors that are used frequently in the church’s life and worship.  We can delineate the qualities of salt and light and describe how we act as salt and light in the world.  At some point during their teen years they will be able to connect those lists more fully.

* Salt of the earth

Salt seasons or adds taste to food.  Imagine French fries or pretzels without salt.

God’s people act like salt when they make life better for people around them.  Kindness and friendly words are good seasoning for life.

Salt can be used to clean things.  Salt can be used to scour burned food out of a frying pan.  Bath salts are gentle cleaners poured into bathwater.

God’s people can help clean things up too.  Many churches pack hygiene kits or disaster clean up kits to send to people who need them.

Salt melts ice.  In North America in February most children have experience with using salt on sidewalks and roads to melt ice.

God’s people can melt hard hatred, by adding our loving care.  We can refuse to be part of anything that is hurting other people whether it is teasing and name-calling or prejudices that cut groups of people out.

* Light of the world

Some lights are bright and help us see what needs to be seen, e.g. lighthouse, search light.

God’s people often pay attention to people who are ignored and need help, e.g. churches often provide overnight shelter for homeless people.  Also, God’s people often point out unfair situations and work to get them changed. 

Some lights are soft and make us see the beauty of the world, e.g. candles.

God’s people do whatever they can to make the world more loving for everyone. 

Select from these possibilities one characteristic of either salt or light to explore with children.  Illustrate it with light and/or salt activities of your congregation, being sure to include some in which children participate.

* Natalie Sims in Melbourne Australia, on her wonderful blog  Singing the Lectionary suggests several songs for today’s texts.  Keep scrolling down her page to find:

“You are salt for the Earth O people.  Bring forth the kingdom of God” complete with sound sample

“Come Live in the Light// We Are Called” with song sample

“This Little Light of Mine” with a You Tube video from a Bruce Springsteen concert and a music sample for a children’s choir

* “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light” which appears in many hymnals is another good choice.  I would not try to explain all the light images here, simply invite worshipers to listen for all the light as they sing.

* In a pictures book by the same name E.B. Lewis illustrates “This Little Light of Mine” with everyday scenes from the life of a boy who is lighting up his world in many simple, but important ways.  Flip through the pictures briefly identifying these light producing activities.  (BTW I found this in my public library.)

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

Micah 6:1-8

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

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

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

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Micah 6:1-8

The Judge:

        Hear what the Lord says:

Rise, plead your case before the mountains,

and let the hills hear your voice.

            Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord,

and you enduring foundations of the earth;

for the Lord has a controversy with his people,

and he will contend with Israel.

God:

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

     In what have I wearied you? Answer me!

         For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,

     and redeemed you from the house of slavery;

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

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

     what Balaam son of Beor answered him,

        and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,

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

The People:

      With what shall I come before the Lord,

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

with calves a year old?

         Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

 with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

  Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,

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

The Judge:

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

    and what does the Lord require of you

  but to do justice, and to love kindness,

    and to walk humbly with your God? 

                                                     NRSV

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

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

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

Talking about being fair,

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

Telling God in church that we are Jesus’ follower,

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

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

“What Does the Lord Require?” - The Song

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



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

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

Psalm 15

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

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

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

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

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

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

 

Matthew 5:1-12

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

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

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

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

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

In today’s world…

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus says that in his kingdom…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Helping Parents Bring their Children to the Sanctuary for the First Time

 

“What do you mean there is no nursery for her!?!” the parent gasped with that deer in the headlights look in her eyes.  “What do you mean ‘take her with me to the sanctuary’?  She couldn’t….!  I couldn’t…..!  What ARE we going to do?!” she sputtered holding the hand of a new first grader who had been a regular in the preschool nurseries of their congregation. 

Most parents tumble to this reality before they get in the hall outside the nursery door.  But, many share this mother’s panicky sense of “what am I going to do now.”  Especially with an oldest child, they are facing a new often daunting to them experience.  And, the church often does little to help them.  We can do better.

Many congregations provide a worship readiness class for the children, for the parents, or for the parents and children together.  This is a chance to explore worship and give parents a vision for their new job as worship coach. 

But it also possible to send a one page letter a week or two before the anticipated change to prepare parents and children.  In such letters we can

 

           -  Alert parents to what is coming

 

           -  Give them a positive vision of what lies ahead

 

           -  Insist that their child is welcome and belongs in the

              sanctuary

 

           -  Reassure parents that the church cares more about their

              child’s experience than about his or her behavior

 

           -  Point out worship bags, children’s sermons, book corners,

               etc. that are available for the congregation’s children

               during worship

 

           -  Give one or two practical pointers like

 

                 -  sit where children can see easily

                       – yes, that may be up front

 

                 -  help children learn to use hymnals and other worship

                    tools

 

                 -  whisper quietly during worship to coach your young

                    worshiper

 

                 -  talk about worship as a special activity you are happy

                    to share (not about worship behavior) in the car as

                    you come and go

When the letter is signed by the pastor with words of sincere welcome and an offer to help as the weeks go on, parents are encouraged to rise to the new challenge and privilege before them.

So, if you have children who will be coming to the sanctuary for the first time as school begins this fall, there is still time to write a letter. 

PS If younger children leave the sanctuary for children’s church before the sermon, their parents will need a similar alert and help when the children begin to stay for the sermon. 

 

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

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

cease to do evil

     learn to do good,

seek justice

     rescue the oppressed

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

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

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

Though your sins be as scarlet…

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

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

Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23

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

FAITH

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

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

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

Genesis 15:1-6

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Psalm 33:12-22

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

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

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

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

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

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

 

Luke 12:32-40

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

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

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Luke 12:35-40

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

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

                                                                           NRSV

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

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

 

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

 

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