Faith Formation Journeys

Walking Together in Grace

Tag: Year A

  • Children’s Sermon Pentecost 5A Psalm 139

    Scripture Focus: Psalm 139

    Supplies—something knit

    Faith+Open— After welcoming the children, tell them about the Psalm for today. If your service doesn’t use the Psalm this week or if they have not heard it, read either all or parts of it to them. Ask them to close their eyes and imagine God creating them and knowing them. Be sure to read the part about being knit together in the womb.

    OR: use the book Before you Were Born by Nancy White Carlstrom.   It is a beautiful children’s book based on this Psalm and could be read, or parts read, to engage children in the psalm in a way that relates to them on a personal level. You could simply read this book or read parts and continue with the rest of the elements following.

    Faith+Share: When you hear the words that you were knit together in your mother’s womb what does that make you imagine or how does that feel? Show them the knit item or items you have. If you can knit or if you know someone who does, you could also show them what it looks like when the person is knitting. Explain that to knit is to carefully bring yarn together to make it into something new. Another thing about knitting is that it creates warmth that stays with us. A knit scarf is meant to be warm, to keep out the cold and to keep the heat in and close to our necks.

    God knit each of you together in a careful and loving way. You were created with God’s heart and hands and God knows you in this way as well. Psalm 139 is praising and thanking God for being a God that is will us from the beginning and all throughout our lives. Just like a knit scarf will keep the warmth on you, God will stay with you in your heart. They can remember this when they wear something knit or when they use water to remember their baptism or when they come to the table for the communion meal. Ask the children to think of ways they can remember how they are loved by God.

    Faith+Prayer: God you know me, God you love me. Thank you for knitting me together. Thank you for your love that stays with me. Amen

    Faith+Blessing: Making the sign of the cross say this another way to help us remember God is with us—God in my head, God in my heart, God on my left, 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.    have some knit samples the kids can put on and play with

    2.    older kids can braid or twist yarn together in a bracelet to simulate knitting together

    3.    create pictures of what life was like before they were born

  • Easter 3 A Children’s Sermon 2011

    Children Sermon:

    By Gus Brockmann, Worship and Children’s Ministry Director, First Lutheran in Longmont CO

    Scripture Focus: Luke 24:13-35

    Supplies – an easy to see optical illusion (see the picture to the left,  prints well on 11×17)

    Faith+Open— After welcoming the children show them the illusion, being careful to talk about the most obvious part (in the attached file, talk about the forest).  Once they have looked for a few seconds point out the hidden picture (the tiger in the attached file).  Some of the children might spot it before you call attention to it, but that’s ok too!

    Faith+Share:

    Sometimes, like in this picture, we don’t always see what is really there.  It’s easy to see the trees, but we might not see the tiger until we look at the picture for a few minutes.  The Gospel today is a story that takes place on Easter, right after Jesus come back to life.  We hear about some people who run into a stranger on the road as they are walking home; at least they think he’s a stranger.  They invite the stranger to come with them, telling him that it will soon be dark and dangerous on the road.  The stranger agrees to go with them, and they talk about just happened in Jerusalem, and the stranger talks about the Bible and tells them stories from the prophets.  Once they get home, they make dinner and invite the stranger to sit and eat.

    The stranger sits with them, picks up the bread, blesses it and breaks it.  In that moment, they realize that they are sitting with Jesus! They are amazed that their eyes did not see him, but they knew in their hearts that it was him.

    Sometimes when we look at things we don’t see the whole picture at first, just like in the illusion.  We might not see Jesus all the time, but He is always walking with us and caring for us.

    Faith+Prayer: Loving God, we bless you for the gift your Son, Jesus.  Thank you for sending him with us a friend and companion.  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.    Find additional optical illusion pictures and examine them together

    2.    Read the story of the Walk to Emmaus from Spark Storybook Bible or Jesus Storybook Bible