Here is the devotion page for the 25th Sunday after Pentecost, November 15, 2015. (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!
Tag Archives: Year B
Children’s Sermon – 24th Sunday after Pentecost – November 8, 2015 – Mark 12:38-44
Prepare: See if you can track down a copy of “Should I Share My Ice Cream?” by Mo Willems (here is a link to Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Should-Share-Cream-Elephant-Piggie/dp/1423143434). You can also probably find a copy at a local library. If you cannot find this book, look for a book about how fun it can be to share something. The premise of “Should I Share My Ice Cream” is the tension between wanting to share and wanting to keep something for yourself.
For the worship station you will need access to the bread portion of your communion service, a basket of some kind and some small pieces of paper.
Gather the children around and ask them about their favorite flavor of ice cream, or something that relates to the book that you found. Then ask them what it feel like to share that flavor, or thing with other people.
I have a book for us today, it’s a short book about how sharing can be hard, and how it can also be really fun.
Read the book!
What do you think about the story? Why do you think that it was so hard for Gerald to decide what to do with his Ice Cream?
In the Bible story that we hear today, Jesus points out a woman who is giving a very small amount of money to the church, something like giving a penny. Jesus notices her and says that she is actually giving much, much more than most of the other people. That penny is all that she had to live on, to buy food, clothes, and she gave it all away – she shared it!
The idea of sharing the all that we have is pretty scary, but when we all share together, then we can all have enough, just like Gerald and Piggy both getting some ice cream.
God of abundance, help us to see and know that there is enough. Help us to share what we have, and accept the gifts of others. Amen
Have the paper ready
Go get the communion bread, or go near it and talk about how this small amount of bread feeds all the people in the room. One person could certainly eat it all, but there is enough to go around, it we all share.
Invite the congregation to think about other things in there lives that can be shared so that all have enough – have them write those things on one side of the paper. Then have them turn the paper over and have them write what it feels like to share something wonderful with someone else.
Gather the papers together and use them as part of the prayers of the church. The whole basket can be blessed, but also pull a few out to read as part of the prayer. Use some for the things we know we should share, and use some to praise God for the gift of sharing.
You are filled with God’s love and grace.
Weekly Devotion Page for November 8, 2015
Here is the devotion page for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, November 8, 2015. (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!
Weekly Devotion Page for Nov. 1, 2015 – All Saints Sunday
Here is the devotion page for All Saints Sunday, November 1, 2015. (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!
Weekly Devotions for Reformation – October 25, 2015
Here is the devotion page for Reformation Sunday, October 25, 2015. (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!
Weekly Devotion page for October 25, 2015 (22nd Sunday After Pentecost)
Here is the devotion page for the 21st Sunday after Pentecost, October 18, 2015. (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 All Saints Sunday John 11:32-44 Nov 1, 2015
Preparation: You will need a large mirror or several smaller ones. For the worship station you need the mirror/mirrors and markers or dry erase markers.
Gather the children with you and around a big mirror. Say “look into this mirror, what do you see?” Take answers (the will see themselves and others sitting next to them) Ask, “Ok, so have you have been told you look like someone in your family? I get told I look like my Dad because our eyes are the same. And sometimes I am told I am like my grandmother because we like many of the same things. So sometimes when I look in the mirror, I do not just see myself, I see my Dad or I see the things my grandmother and I love then I think about my grandparents who have died and the other family members that I have in my family. Sometimes I wish they were still here so I could see how much we look like and so I could talk to them again. Do you any of you have people you love that have died and you wish were still here?”
“Jesus has a friend named Lazarus and in this story today, Lazarus died and his sisters went to get Jesus. They were very sad and so was Jesus. Then Jesus did this amazing thing and he told Lazarus to come out of the tomb! And Lazarus did come out and the family had their brother back, he was raised from the dead. Now sometimes, I am sad that this does not happen with the ones I love. I would like to see them not just in the mirror when I look at myself or in a picture. So sometimes this story makes me sad. But other times this story makes me hopeful. Jesus wants us to know that one day we will be with those we love and miss and Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead not just to show his power but also so show us that God’s love and power can overcome all our fears and all our sadness and that when we feel those things God is right there with us.”
“So Let’s look in the mirror again and say a prayer together. Loving Jesus, thank you for our faces, thank you for our memories of those we love, help us to see them and you in our hearts and to know your promise of eternal life. Amen”
Have the children look at themselves in the mirror while saying these words. “God in my head, God in my heart, God on my left, God on my right.”
Have mirrors at a station on a table. Either a big one or several smaller ones. Have dry erase or regular markers (test them first) around the mirrors. Post these instructions: Look in the mirror and notice what memories are there for you or what hopes you have. Notice if you remind yourself of someone you know that has died either by looks or because of the bond you shared in other ways. Write a word or a prayer or draw a memory on the mirrors. Then look in the mirror again and give yourself a blessing: Child of God, you are surrounded in memory and hope +
Children’s Sermon – 21st Sunday after Pentecost Year B, Mark 10:35-45
Prepare: You will need to be near a baptismal font with water in it for the children’s sermon.
For the worship station you will need paper, washable markers and a bucket of water (maybe a towel, too!)
Have the children gather around the font and ask if any of them remember being baptized, or if any of them remember the last time someone was baptized in your church.
The Gospel text for today is about a bunch of things, but I caught Jesus talking about baptism again! Baptism comes up a bunch with Jesus, but this time is just a little different. Two of his friends, James and John, ask Jesus for a very high honor – they wanted to sit with him as he ruled over the world. Well, again, this story is about a lot of different things, but Jesus says to them, “Hey, if you can deal with the same Baptism I am going to go through then that will be enough.” We think of baptism as a beautiful ritual with water and words and prayer. Jesus had that, too, but what if Jesus is talking about something else?
When we talk about life with Christ we often say that we are baptized into his death, or we say in baptism we die to sin and are raised to new life in Christ. Jesus could be talking about what is coming up in his life, his own death and resurrection! He could be talking about the Easter story! When we baptize people, one of the things that we talk about is that we die to sin, and are raised up out of the water as new sisters and brothers in Christ. We are made part of the family of God, pretty cool!
In this story, Jesus is telling us that we need to let the sinful parts of ourselves go, we need to let them die so that we can be reborn in Christ’s love.
Loving and living God, we come to you seeking love and understanding. We come to you to live out our baptismal promises. We come to you with joy in our hearts at the new life you give us in the cleansing water of Baptism. Amen
(make a cross on all their heads with water from the font!) You are a clean and new child of God!
For the worship station, set up an area where people can write down something that keeps them from God. It can be a confession, or a doubt, or an illness, or anger, or anything!
Have the bucket (or basin) near by full of water and let them say a brief prayer, then dunk the paper in the water and wash the words away.
You will want to test this BEFORE worship to make sure that your maker/paper combination is going to release the ink into the water.
Weekly Devotion Page for October 18, 2015
Here is the devotion page for the 21st Sunday after Pentecost, October 18, 2015. (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!
“Jesus Looks at You and Loves You” Children’s Sermon Pentecost 20B Mark 10:17-31
Preparation: a needle and thread–use a larger one if possible so that they can see, a sign that says Go in Peace, Serve the Lord (optional as you can do this verbally as well) Worship station supplies are a coloring page with cross–click here for a pdf of that page.
Gather the children up front with you and greet them. “Well, I heard Jesus saying some interesting things today about camels and needles and other things that sound just impossible. What are some things that you think are impossible?” (take answers, you will likely get some crazy ones like flying, etc) Yes those sound pretty impossible and some of them truly are not things we do as humans (like flying–careful not to encourage dangerous things!)
Today Jesus talks about it being more difficult for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get their own way into heaven. I brought this sewing needle with me to show you, can you see it here. This is the eye of the needle, the part where the thread goes (put the thread through or did it ahead of time.) Now, let’s use our imagination–how big is a camel? Yep this big, huge (spread out your arms) and how will a camel walk through this needle like the thread? Sounds crazy right? Well Jesus is using some big imagination there! Even exaggeration–talking about something that is not really possible. There was also this man, who asked Jesus a big question–what do I DO to have eternal life. And Jesus tells him to give away all that he has –everything and then he will know what it is to have eternal life. How do you think the man felt? Yep, he felt pretty gloomy because he just did not think he could do that-it sounded impossible. Does that sound impossible to you? What are some ways that we do give away we have and share? (talk about some things they do and any project you are working on together)
I also noticed that it says Jesus looked at the man with love–Jesus sees him and us with love! Then Jesus says, it is not possible for you to DO anything on your own but with God all things are possible. You can give things away and you can share with others even when it is difficult. And no matter what you do God’s love is there and Jesus going to the cross and rising again is what gives us eternal life, so there is nothing you can do to make it happen on your own.
Do this activity as the prayer and blessing:
What we DO matters, how we go out and share God’s love. AND God will be with us and gives us eternal life no matter we have or do not have or do or do not do. So yes we need to care for others and we need to know that Jesus is the one who saves us. We say something at the end of each service-Go in Peace and serve and the Lord. Do you know what that means? Go out of this place, knowing God is with you and do things that show God loves you and everyone else.
I have a sign here and so let’s have two people make an arch with their hands and I will hold this sign up for you. Now before we go back to our seats you will walk through this arch and sign and hear the words, Go in peace and serve the Lord and you can say thanks be to God as you go to your seat. As you hear these words remember that God goes with you no matter what you do in this world.
Option: Have two kids make these arches as people leave the sanctuary and encourage them to go through that tight space and hear the words that God loves you as you go in peace.
Have a cross coloring outline on a sheet of paper and the words Jesus looks at you and Loves you (paraphrase of verse 21)–Here is one made for you, click here! Inside the cross write the things that we struggle to give away to God and need to lay on the cross. Around the cross write or draw the ways God loves comes to you.