Here is the devotion page for the Day of Pentecost, Year A (Click on the words!)
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Tag Archives: Prayer
Weekly Household Devotion Page for Lent 2, Year A
Here is the devotion page for the Second Sunday in Lent (Click on the words!)
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Weekly Household Devotions for Christmas Eve/Day, Year A
Here is the devotion page for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day– year A. (Click on the words!)
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
WEEKLY DEVOTION PAGE FOR THE Seventh SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR C
Here is the devotion page for the Seventh Sunday of Easter – Year C.(Click on the words!)
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Children’s Sermon, 6th Sunday after Epiphany (luke 6:17-26)
Prepare: Bring a small simple snack that the kids can eat. Like Goldfish crackers, or rice crackers. Nothing big or fancy!
As the children gather ask a few of them what the best part of last week was (know that this will take some time!). Then ask a few of them what was really hard about last week (again, this will take some time!). If you need it to be shorter you can volunteer your own best and worst for the week, or make something up that leads in that direction.
Most weeks, and even most days have good things and bad things, or highs and lows, or, to use the words from the Gospel today, blessings and woes.
I was thinking about what Jesus was saying and I was a little confused about it. (if you have already read the story you can just remind them, if you haven’t already heard it, read at least the blessings and woes now.)
What does that even mean? If I’m hungry I’m blessed? If I’m full then woe to me? That seems really backwards, doesn’t it? Let’s look at this a different way. OK, I’m going to give about half of you a cracker, so let’s divide the group in half. You guys get a cracker! You can eat it right now! The rest of you don’t get one. But you will get one later, ok?
Alright, now about half of you have had a cracker – woe to you! You don’t get another cracker! But you over here haven’t had one yet, but one is coming! You are blessed! Now does it make more sense what Jesus is saying? Sometimes having everything you think you want doesn’t make things better, but know that good things are still coming can make things better!
Giving and gracious God, we thank you for all the things that we have and all the things that you give. Help us learn to be content and happy with the things that we have. Help us to learn how to share the good things we have with those who need it. Amen.
God loves you and know your needs.
For the worship station invite your congregation to pray for each other! Create a “Blessings” station and a “Woes” station that are facing each other. People who are feeling blessed go to the “blessing” station to pray for the people who are at the woe station. No one has to say anything about what their blessings or woes are, just be present where they need to be!
And they can switch! Go to both stations!
Children’s Sermon & Worship Station – Nov. 13, 2016 – Luke 21:5-19
Prepare: You will need something to distract you at least a couple times. Be creative! It can be someone coming into the room to ask you a question, or an alert on your phone. Or you could just pull a “Dori” and keep losing track of what you were saying! Just make sure you have something set up ahead of time.
This is the part of the children’s message where you need the distractions. Welcome the children as you usually do, but make sure you are interrupted/distracted in the middle. the distraction should be enough that you feel the need to start over. Do this a couple times to get the point across (and because it’s fun to be silly!)
Wait! I’m getting distracted! You know what’s weird about that? Not getting distracted is exactly what the Gospel story is about today!
I would add that the little distractions that just happened to me are nothing like what Jesus is describing, but they did keep me from talking to you, and that’s what I’m here for right now. The disciples waiting for something big from God, and they figured that Jesus – being who he was – would have some inside knowledge about it. And maybe he did, but he basically says, “Don’t worry about it!” All kinds of crazy things are going to happen in your life. People will be mean, people will be nice. Good things will happen and bad things will happen. But none of these things is the end of world.
You just need to do your best to stay focused on the good things that are coming, and be working to help everyone be part of the good that is to come.
Maybe it wasn’t a satisfying answer for the disciples, or for us either, but it is an encouragement to us to keep spreading God’s love to everyone we meet. No matter how distracted we get by what is going on around us.
Good and patient God, We get so caught up in the distractions of life. Forgive us for missing out on things that we should have done, and help us to keep our hearts and minds focused on your love and our love for each other. Amen.
God is focused on you!
You are going to make a distraction cover-up wall!
Find a bunch of stickers that say, “God Loves You,” or that have other Christian images on them. (Look for a Christian Book store or check Hobby Lobby). Then hang a long piece of art paper on the wall, or put it over a table, whichever works if you space.
Put out some pens, crayons, markers, etc, and invite people to write or draw the thing that most distracts them from being engaged with God’s love.
Have a container of stickers our so that they can cover the distraction with God’s love!
Weekly Household Devotion Page for November 6, 2016
Here is the devotion page for All Saints Sunday, November 6, 2016. (Click on the words!)
Just click on the picture to download the PDF file!
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Children’s Sermon for October 23, 2016 – Luke 18:9-14, Lectionary 30
Prepare: Get a long piece of paper – comically long! – to use as a scroll. This could be a long strip from an art roll, or several pages taped together.
For the worship station you will need posters, images or objects that reflect concerns in your community or in the world, containers and beads (or something similar).
As the children gather tell them that you are going to show them the best way to pray. Have your scroll ready and start a prayer with the most grand address to God that you can think of. Something like, “Gracious and merciful God, ruler of all creation, Lord of the storms and sea, Spirit if Truth and understanding,” and so on. Then finish with, “let me tell you all the ways that I am humble!” At this point drop one end of the paper so that it unrolls across the floor. (Make a big deal of it! You are going for a laugh!)
So, what did you think of my way to start a prayer? Pretty fancy huh? I totally think that Jesus would think this was great. I bet God can hardly wait to hear the cool stuff I do! Let’s take a look at the Gospel lesson today and see what Jesus says. I hear it’s about praying . . .
(take a minute to review the lesson, or maybe read it if they haven’t heard it yet.)
Or, maybe not! Did you guys even hear the Gospel story today? This is exactly the wrong! Jesus was kind of upset with the guy who was bragging, and he really seemed concerned for the guy who asked for mercy.”
Jesus is calling us to action rather than words. We are called to go do stuff, not to talk about what we have done. We are called to be gracious and merciful, and to be good and just and kind. If we spend out time focused on how our actions make us feel we kind of miss the point. How do your actions, how do your words make others feel? How are you God’s hands and feet in the world? That is what Jesus is hoping for us.
Gracious Lord, sometimes we forget that our actions tell more about us than our worlds. Lead us to be compassionate, caring, and merciful as we live out our lives. Amen.
+ God is merciful to you +
For the worship station, set up a prayer station with items, images, etc, that call attention to injustice or problems in and around your community. Invite people to offer prayers by dropping beads into baskets or jars in front the the things that concern them the most.
This does NOT need to be a quiet time, you may invite people to talk about what they see and feel!
Weekly Devotion Page for October 16, 2016
Here is the devotion page for the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, October 16, 2016. (Click on the words!)
Just click on the picture to download the PDF file!
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Get up and Go! Children’s Sermon Luke 17:11-19 Pentecost 21C October 9, 2016
Gather the children up front with you and welcome them. Say, “I am wondering.. what do you think faith looks like?” Pause for a moment. “Like maybe it looks like folded hands in prayer? (show with hands) Or maybe it looks like showing the I love you in sign language? (who with hands pinky, index and thumb fingers up with the middle and ring down) I wonder if we can come up with a posture that shows faith?” Then say, “Let’s all strike a pose, move your body into a position that you think looks like faith.” Do this experiment together a couple of times. Comment on ones that stand out, ask questions of ones you do not understand.
“In our story today from Luke, Jesus heals 10 lepers-10 people who were sick and being healed meant they could return to their homes and families. And as they ran off to do this, one of them turned back and prostrated himself and gave thanks. What does it mean to ‘prostrate’?” See if anyone knows and if not show them a bowing down. “This man showed faith with this bowing action. And then Jesus says something else, he says Get up! and Go! Sometimes we think of faith as praying or bowing or sitting quietly and those are all true. They help us connect with God, to hear God and to talk to God. And Jesus gives us another way to show faith. Get up and Go!”
There is a song about this that I really like. It’s called “Go!” I want to teach it to you now (or just sing if your setting knows this song. This part can also be skipped to shorten and you can just move to the prayer). This song is by Eyewitness
Lyrics: Go Out and Pray
Go out and pray like it all depends on prayer.
Go out and work like it all depends on work.
Go out and love ‘til the final day ‘til he comes.
Go out and sing the greatest song you know.
Go out and study His word so we all can grow
Into the fullness of the likeness of His Son.
Words and Music by Eyewitness
For our prayer, we are going to get up and Go. So let’s stand in a circle together. Everytime I say Go! raise your arm in the air and say Go! Back
At the end I will say Amen, Let’s Go! And you say “Let’s Go!”
Jesus, you tell us to Go! And pray, and work and sing and study and grow! Help us to Go and live and act in faith knowing your love Goes with us.
+May you know God GOes with you always+
Google images of ‘postures of prayer’ and put them on a large poster. Set down a rug or some yoga mats and invite people to try out different postures. You can go a step farther and have cards for them to take home to try out there as well.