Here is the devotion page for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, June 1, 2014
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We have started a new format for our inserts (starting with Pentecost, June 8, 2014). To learn more about this format read this – Keeping up with what God is Doing,
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Here is the devotion page for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, June 1, 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!
Preparation: Have a picture of your mom or dad or another family member that you may resemble. Doesn’t have to be exact.
Gather the children. Say, “I have this picture of my mom (or whomever) and it’s interesting because we have some similarities. We have the same color hair, eyes, height. But more than that, she and I both like fish, both play piano, and both like to ski. We are alike in many ways. Some of this is that we are related and so we share genetic traits, some of this is that we spent a lot of time together. Families are very important. They shape us and we tend to be like someone in our family. Who are you like in your family? Do you and your siblings like similar things? Or with your mom and dad, aunt uncle? Has anyone in your family ever told you that you are like someone else in your family? Yes, we can be like our family members and share likes, dislikes, hair color, words we use, etc.
Do you ever wonder what Jesus means when he talks about the fact that God is in Jesus and Jesus is in us and we are a part of each other? That we share life together? It’s really confusing and hard to think about isn’t it? We can’t really explain it well because we can’t see God in us and in others but just like we share traits with our families, Jesus says that we share traits with him and with God. The biggest trait that we share is love. Jesus says this is how everyone will know that you are part of God’s family is by showing love. Just like people may know that you are part of your family you live with by how you look or act, Jesus says by showing love you for every person, then everyone will know that you are part of God’s family. When we all share this love it connects us like family. Jesus says that everyone is in God’s family and promises to be with us always to help us remember that.
What are ways that Jesus showed love? (Accept all answers) What are ways that we can show love? (Accept all answers) These are great ways to show God’s love and to include everyone in the family of God!
Dear Jesus, thank you for being with us always. Thank you for showing us how to be like God and love everyone. Thank you for making us one big family in your love! Amen.
Have kids go to their families and people in the congregation turn to one another and make the sign of the cross and say, “Jesus loves you and so do I.”
Worship station idea: Invite people to bring a picture to share of their family and have a big piece of butcher paper shaped like a heart (or more than one) to tape them to. Have families write their last name and one similarity or unique thing about their family. If you can’t do pictures-have them draw their family and do the name piece or just do the name and unique family trait. Have a another station close by for people to write prayers for their families and neighbors.
-BW
Here is the devotion page for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 25, 2014
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Here is the devotion page for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 18, 2014
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Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
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!
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.
Here is the devotion page for the Third Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2014
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Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
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.
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!
