Faith Formation Journeys

Walking Together in Grace

Tag: Time after Pentecost

  • Children’s Sermon July 15, 2012, Ephesians 1:3-14 – 7th Sunday after Pentecost

    Children’s Sermon July 15, 2012, Ephesians 1:3-14 – 7th Sunday after Pentecost

    Scripture Focus: Ephesians 1:3-14

    Preparation: Bring a baptismal certificate from your church, or even better, bring your own Baptismal certificate.

    Faith+Open: Gather the children near your baptismal font if possible and ask them if they know what this place in the sanctuary is for. If you cannot gather at the font, talk about baptism as the children come up, maybe remind them of the last time someone was baptized at you church.

    Faith+Share: That’s right, this is where we baptize people! (In my setting we always have water in the font and the children are used to being splashed with water as we gather.) I bet you are wondering why we’re here, since the stories today don’t really seem to talk about baptism at all. Well, it’s because one the part of the letter to the Ephesians that we read makes me think about baptism! In that letter it seems like Paul, or whoever wrote the letter, is writing to a group of people who don’t think of themselves as children of God. He says this great thing in the letter, he says, “He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:5 NRSV)

    Many of the people in this part of the Bible were totally new to the stories about Jesus and God. Many of them probably felt like they did not deserve the grace and love of Jesus. Maybe because of where they were born, or what they used to believe, or because of things that they had done. The author of the letter is telling them that even if they were not born into a community that believes in God and Jesus, they are still part of the family. God adopts them as God’s own children and gives them all the good things that Jesus promised.

    We hear the same message today! Even when we might not feel like we deserve God’s love or forgiveness we still get them! God loves us and seals us with the Holy Spirit, which brings me back to baptism. Baptism is one of the ways that we are reminded that we are all one family in God’s love and care. When we baptize people we give them a certificate to remind them of the amazing gift of God’s love and our adoption into God’s family.

    Faith+Prayer: Loving God, thank you for this amazing family! Teach us to love and care for each other the way that you care for us. Amen.

    Faith+Blessing: May your eyes be opened to see all the amazing works of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

    – GB

    Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.

  • Children’s Sermon July 8, 2012, Mark 6:1-13 – 6th Sunday after Pentecost

    Scripture Focus: Mark 6:1-13

    Preparation: A backpack or suitcase full of travel gear. For example, if available, pack a backpacking backpack with the gear you might need for several days (tent, sleeping bag, clothes, etc). Or put together carry-on size bag for a weekend trip. Bring a walking stick and a Bible with the reading from Mark ready to read.

    Faith+Open: Enter from a place that allows you to walk a distance with your gear and call the children to follow you as you walk to your regular meeting place.

    Faith+Share: I bet your wondering what all this stuff is for, aren’t you? Well, I heard that Jesus was about to send us on a journey to go heal people, so I thought that I should pack. Have any of you ever packed for a trip? What kind of stuff did you bring? (Let them answer for a minute or two.) Well I have a bunch of stuff, too. Let’s see what I have with me. (Now go through your bag a little. You may just need to give highlights if you have a bunch of gear!)

    Pretty good, don’t you think? I should be ready for just about anything! Now, I also heard that Jesus had some instructions and a packing list for me. It should be right here in the reading. (read verses 7-9.) Uh Oh, I think I may have over-packed! All I really need is my shoes, a couple of shirts and good walking stick. It may not seem like much to take on a long journey, but I think that Jesus had a plan. I think that he wanted the disciples to have faith that everything would fine, but even more, I think that Jesus wanted the disciples to get to know the people they were going to help and heal. He wanted to create trust between the disciples and the communities they entered. He was teaching them and us that it is okay, and even good to rely on each other for the things that we need, and to be ready to share we have more than we need.

    Faith+Prayer: Gracious God, you give us good gifts. Sometimes more than we need or know how to use. Teach us to share with others when we have too much, and teach us to ask for help for others when we need it. Amen

    Faith+Blessing: May your eyes be opened to see all the amazing works of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

    -GB

    Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.