Here is the devotion page for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 25, 2014
Note – Clicking on the picture will download the insert to your computer or device in PDF format.
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
All posts by gb
Weekly Devotion Page for May 18, 2014
Here is the devotion page for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 18, 2014
Note – Clicking on the picture will download the insert to your computer or device in PDF format.
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Weekly Devotion page for May 11, 2014
Here is the devotion page for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 11, 2014
Note – Clicking on the picture will download the insert to your computer or device in PDF format.
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Children’s Sermon Fourth Sunday of Easter, 1 Peter 2:19-25 (and John 10:1-10), May 11, 2014
Prepare: Find a picture of someone who fought (or is fighting for) human rights – like Martin Luther King Jr., or Nelson Mandela. I will use Martin Luther King as my example here, but it really doesn’t matter too much who you choose.
Have your picture out as the children gather, and ask if any of them know who is in the picture. If they know who it is, ask them why this person is important.
That’s right, this is Martin Luther King. He wanted equal rights for African Americans. He tried very hard to be peaceful and kind, but he was also sure that he was doing the right thing. There were people who were very angry with him for the things that he was saying and for the changes that he wanted people to make in their lives. He knew that we should treat all people the as beloved children of God. No one is less of a person than anyone else because they are a boy or a girl, or because their skin is light or dark, or their hair is straight of curly. We all belong to God.
The sad part of this story is that Martin Luther King was treated badly. He was arrested, he was beat up, he was yelled at and eventually he was even killed because he knew what was the right thing to do, and he kept doing it.
I thought of Martin Luther King when I reading from 1 Peter. In that letter, Peter (or maybe Peter’s followers) write that even if it is scary we should keep doing what we know is right, even if we get in trouble for doing it.
Now wait a minute . . . you really have to think about this! If you’re hungry, is it right to go take all the cookies out of the cookie jar, or steal someone’s lunch? Is it pushing someone out the way because you are late? No, doing the right thing is acting with love! So, instead of taking someone else’s food when you are hungry, it is sharing or giving your food to someone else who is hungry, too. Instead of pushing someone out of your way, it is stopping to help someone who needs it even if you are going to be later because you stop.
Sometimes acting with love can be the hardest thing to do, too. Acting with love might mean getting on the bad side of a bully because you help someone who is being bullied, or tell a teacher or adult about the bully. Acting with love means giving food or help to someone who is homeless even if other people what to ignore them.
At the end of this little passage from 1 Peter, we hear that even if we mess up, Jesus always welcomes us back. Even when we don’t always act with Love, there is a place for us with Jesus.
Loving God, help us to love one another the way that you love us. Help us to see the ways to act with love and kindness in everything that we do, and forgive us when we mess up and forget to be loving. Amen.
Send them out with a traditional Easter greeting! You say, “Christ is risen!” They respond, “Christ is risen indeed!”
~GB
Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.
Weekly Devotions for May 4, 2014
Here is the devotion page for the Third Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2014
Note – Clicking on the picture will download the insert to your computer or device in PDF format.
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Children’s Sermon Third Sunday of Easter, Luke 24:13-35, May 4, 2014
Prepare: Find a very simple puzzle, like a preschool puzzle, you really only want about 6 or 7 pieces for this. Bonus points if it is an Easter puzzle! Also bring along some cardboard scraps that are a similar size to the puzzle pieces, but just squares or rectangles so that the puzzle piece is still pretty obvious.
As the children gather, get all the puzzle pieces facing up except for one. Let one piece sit surrounded by the cardboard so that it is obviously a puzzle piece, but so that the picture cannot be seen on it. Start getting the puzzle put together, let the children help if you want, but keep them away from the upside down piece. Once the puzzle is together be really sad and confused about the missing piece.
Oh no! I’m missing a piece! I thought they were all here! I even asked the person who gave me the puzzle and they said all the pieces were here. (At this point it is good if you let them see the missing piece.) Well, I guess I’ll just throw it away, if I can’t find the piece. What? You say it’s over here? No, this is all just cardboard, no puzzle piece there. Oh, wait! You’re right, there is the missing piece! I don’t know why I didn’t see it, but there it is! Now the puzzle is complete. Thanks.
This reminds me of the Gospel story that we hear today. The story happens on the day we call Easter. Jesus’ friends are walking away from Jerusalem when they meet a stranger on the road. They start talking and they find out that the stranger has no idea about what just happened in Jerusalem. He doesn’t know about Jesus, he doesn’t know about Jesus being killed, or buried, he doesn’t know any of it, so they tell the stranger all about it.
Here’s the fun part of the story, the stranger was Jesus! He was walking with his friends and they didn’t even know that it was him. They were so sad and worried that they couldn’t see Jesus walking with them. Just like me with that puzzle piece, I was so upset that it was missing that I didn’t even want to look for it. They didn’t know that they were with Jesus until they sat down to eat and Jesus broke bread and poured wine, then they suddenly recognized him. Just like I didn’t see the piece until someone turned it over.
A missing puzzle piece is not really a big deal, is it? No, not really. But forgetting to look for Jesus? We do know something that those disciples didn’t know, we know that Jesus is alive and among us, so we know that we should always be looking for Jesus, we should always be finding people who need our love and care.
Risen Christ, we sometimes forget that you are here with us, we forget to look for you in the people around us, and we forget to be loving to everyone we meet. Help us to see the good in the world and to live with your forgiveness and grace in our hearts and on our lips. Amen.
Send them out with a traditional Easter greeting! You say, “Christ is risen!” They respond, “Christ is risen indeed!”
~GB
Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.
Weekly Devotions for April 27, 2014
Here is the devotion page for the Second Sunday of Easter, April 27, 2014
Note – Clicking on the picture will download the insert to your computer or device in PDF format.
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Children’s Sermon Second Sunday of Easter, John 20:19-31, April 27, 2014
Prepare: Bring a digital camera or your phone – something that will let you take a picture of the children and show them the picture (a tablet with camera would be ideal). Also bring a stuffed animal, you will need someone to hold the animal secretly in the background of the picture, so make sure you have that set up in advance, don’t let the children see the animal!
Gather the children together and take a group picture, make sure they are looking at you and that you can get the stuffed elephant in the frame of the picture behind them. Odds are good that at least one of them will want to see the picture, but if no one asks to see it, then start saying how great it is. As soon as one of them asks to see it, gently tell them no, tell them that it is a great shot, they will just have to trust you. Then take it over to another adult in the room and show them, and get them to say that it’s a great picture, but still refuse to show the children. Then put the camera/phone away.
So, do you believe me that it was a good picture? I even have a second opinion! It must be good, right? But you still want to see, don’t you?
That is kind of what happens in the Gospel story today. Jesus shows up and talks to his friends, but one of them, Thomas, isn’t there. We don’t really know where Thomas was, but he was not with the others when Jesus appeared to them. When the other disciples tell Thomas that they saw Jesus he say, “I don’t believe it. And I won’t believe it unless I can see him with my own eyes, unless I can touch the places where he was injured.” This is a little different than you trusting that the picture was a good one, it would be like me saying that there was an elephant in the background of the picture I just took. Would you believe that? No, you would have known if there was an elephant in the room, right? And if there had been an elephant in the room, and you told your friends at school they wouldn’t believe you either, right? They would want to come and see the elephant, just like Thomas wanted to see Jesus!
The good news for Thomas is that Jesus does come back, and Thomas does get to see and touch and experience Jesus. Then Jesus says, “blessed are those who have NOT seen and still believe.” Jesus isn’t really saying that Thomas was wrong for what he wanted. Jesus is saying that Thomas got an amazing gift that almost no one else will ever get – the chance to touch Jesus! We believe without Jesus appearing to us, we believe without touching Jesus hands and feet. Thomas was blessed with the experience of Jesus alive in front of him, we are blessed because we believe in the risen Christ without proof we can see or touch.
So, what about that elephant in the picture? Do you believe that there was an elephant in the picture?
Let’s take a look . . .
Living God, we are blessed with your love for us, we are blessed in our believe and, like Thomas, in our unbelief. Teach us to trust in your love and grace in all things. Amen.
Send them out with a traditional Easter greeting! You say, “Christ is risen!” They respond, “Christ is risen indeed!”
~GB
Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.
Weekly Devotions for April 20, 2014
Here is the devotion page for Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014
Note – Clicking on the picture will download the insert to your computer or device in PDF format.
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Palm Sunday Children’s Sermon 2014
Scripture Focus: Matthew 21:1-11
Faith+Open—Pass out palm branches if you haven’t already. These can be real or the crosses or they can be made from paper. Gather the children in the back and lead them to the front shouting Hosanna together. You can walk all around the sanctuary if you like!
Faith+Share: Read the story of Palm Sunday from the Spark Children’s Bible or other Bible of your choice.
Ask: Have you ever been to a parade or been in a parade? What was that like? If Jesus came to our town how do you think the people would greet him?
We can welcome Jesus in our lives by how we welcome others—especially the stranger. How can you welcome someone who is new to school or Sunday school?
Palm Sunday is also about shouting Hosanna and praising God. Look at your hand, we call the middle part a palm, right? If we look at our five fingers let’s think of 5 praises for God together. Then you can do this at home with your family later today and each think of 5 praises.
Together figure out 5 praises taking answers from kids.
We have this story of Jesus and it is the first story of what we call this week—Holy Week. It is when Jesus rides into Jerusalem and then will later have his last supper with his disciples and on Friday we will have worship to remember the day he died on the cross and then next Sunday we celebrate….what? Easter! You’re right. We spend this week getting ready for Easter by remembering the stories of Jesus’ last days and remembering the love he has for each of us.
Faith+Prayer: Jesus, we praise you for being our God who lived in our world and still loves in our heads and hearts and all around us. Amen
Faith+Blessing: Let’s say together making the sign of the cross: God in my head, God in my heart, God on my left and God on my right.
Extended activities: If you meet with children for a longer period of time outside of the worship space here are some ideas:
1. Make palm branches with construction paper and then parade back to worship.
2. Trace hands “palms” and write one way to praise God in each finger.
3. Get out musical instruments and create a song of praise together
**originally written in 2011