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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Year A - The Sixth Sunday in Lent Palm/Passion Sunday (April 17, 2011)

4:21 PM | Posted by jamila | Edit Post

LITURY OF THE PALMS

First, a word about the palms distributed to children and other worshipers.  The single strips of greenery often distributed to the congregation are not palm branches.  They are at best leaves from palm branches or even sections of leaves.  Children handed one of them and told to wave their palm branches are puzzled.  For good reason, they cannot imagine people waving such a thing to welcome Jesus.  So, to help them join the crowd on Palm Sunday provide them with real palm branches.  (They can be ordered from the same distributors at not that much greater a price.) 
  
The only reason to order the little strips of palms is to use them as Bible bookmarks or to make them into palm crosses.  To do the latter follow the directions with photographs at http://www.kingofpeace.org/resources/ . 

I heard about one worship leader who walked the  whole congregation through making palm crosses of their own during the worship service, projecting the step by step photographs.  Worshipers were urged to take their crosses home to post on the refrigerator, a bathroom mirror, or some other visible spot where it can dry during the year.

Or, save palm Sunday crosses made today to make ashes for next Ash Wednesday.  Burn the crosses then crush them in a small bowl with a pestle and mixed the ashes with a little oil for use at the imposition of ashes.  The worship leader who described this  suggested that the majority of the ashes be prepared before the service, setting aside a few to be crushed during the service while the significance of ashes made from last Palm Sunday’s palms is explained.  It would also be possible to prepare the ashes with an older children’s class during the church school hour to both teach them about the ashes and encourage their attendance on Ash Wednesday.  (Warning:  ashes mixed with water may form lye which will burn the skin.  So, mix ashes with olive or any other kitchen oil.)

Palm Sunday processionals at the beginning of worship are a tradition in many congregations.  Often children lead or follow the choir/s waving palm branches.  Adults love these parades.  As children age, they can become uncomfortable and feel “on display” in them.  For them, the best parades are those that include worshipers of all ages mixed together.  It is possible for the entire congregation to begin worship outside or in “the hall” and then process into the sanctuary together.  When they process as a group, older children appreciate having a stylized way of carrying their palm branch such as help across their chest and pointed up toward their shoulder. 

In my book Sharing the Easter Faith With Children there are scripts for two calls to worship led by children.  One has children yelling set lines from several corners of the sanctuary.  The other has a group of children at the rear of the sanctuary answering a worship leader in the front and is based on Psalm 24.

 
Matthew 21:1-11

Though Matthew does not mention children participating in this parade, other gospel writers do and most worshipers imagine children present.  That makes this a good opportunity to have the gospel read by a well prepared child.

The Palm Sunday parade is all about what kind of king Jesus intended to be and how he would use power.  This leads many preachers to speak about political power and how it is used today.  Though they miss some of the details of such political discussion, older children are quite ready to explore the theme.  While younger children simply want power and insist they will use it well.  Older children are becoming more aware of the difficulty of using power well.  They are beginning to recognize that some leaders claim power and privilege for themselves and other leaders use power on behalf of others.  They have heard enough of the stories of people such as Martin Luther King, Ghandi, and Mother Teresa to know the importance of their contributions and to realize that being a servant leader has a price.  For these older children, Jesus entry into Jerusalem is both about Jesus and about the leader they hope to become.











One way to explore these two kinds of leaders is to display two crowns: a crown of thorns and a king’s crown.  Pick each one up and ponder the differences in the people who wear them.  This could be a children’s sermon, but would be more effective if done within the “real” sermon.  A gardener can probably create a crown of thorns and very presentable royal crowns can be purchased cheaply at party shops or borrowed from a local theater group.

Even if you are observing Palm rather than Palm/Passion Sunday, consider reading Philippians 2:5-11 to explore its description of Jesus’ kingship.  A trained dancer could take the directions below as a starting point to creating movements that interpret the psalm as it is read.  Or, children could be asked to come forward to help present this text to the congregation.  Introduce the passage as the words to a very old song about the kind of king Jesus is.  Before reading it once, suggest that they listen for movements.  Then, reread it inviting the children to join you in the movements below.

gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

                                                        Philippians 2:5-11

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
Raised hands and face upturned toward heaven
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
Rock a baby in your arms
And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.
Arms out to the side as if on cross
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
Raised hands and face upturned toward heaven
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Kneel and bring hands together in prayer
and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Stay on knees and raise hands and face to heaven

gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg


Psalm 118.1-2,19-29

Psalm 118 echoes the parade story in Matthew.  Many of the verses could be shouts from the crowd.  To bring it to life, prepare readers to be scattered throughout the congregation to stand and shout one verse.  Reader 1 who reads the first and last verses is a worship leader standing in the lectern.  Remaining  readers could be of many different ages or could be the members of a teenage church school class.  (Teenagers with practice can read loudly enough to be heard without a microphone.  Older children are likely to be too soft even after a shouting practice.)  If 11 readers are too many to gather, settle for fewer assigning two or more verses to each reader.  This reading could be a call to worship or it could immediately follow the reading of the gospel lesson.

ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

          Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

Reader 1:         O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!

Reader 2:         Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”

Reader 3:         Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.

Reader 4:         This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.

Reader 5:         I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.

Reader 6:         The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.

Reader 7:         This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Reader 8:         Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!

Reader 9:         O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

Reader 10:       Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.

Reader 11:       The Lord is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.

Reader 12:       You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.

Reader 1:         O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg


LITURGY OF THE PASSION

Vocabulary Heads Up:  for children passion is kissy, icky, mushy stuff.  Few have even claimed passion as an intense enthusiasm, as in “she has a passion for the cello.”  So, it is probably best to simply introduce “Passion with a capital P” as the title given to the stories Jesus betrayal, trials, and crucifixion.


Matthew 26:14-27 or Matthew 27:11-54

The chief question children ask about the passion narrative is “Why did people hate Jesus that much?”  They simply cannot fit this story with all the others about Jesus being a friend, a healer, and a helper.  In one kindergarten class a boy posed this question and was answered by another boy thoughtfully, “Jesus said they had to share and they didn’t want to.”  Right on target!  Jesus called people to share, to forgive each other, to take care of each other, even to love people who do not love us back.  None of this is easy on either the personal or national level.  Because people did not want to do those hard things, they wanted Jesus to stop saying them or go away.  Since he wouldn’t stop saying them, they got rid of him – they thought.  It is a stretch but worthwhile to explore the possibility that they hated Jesus because they knew he was right, but did not want to do what he asked. 

If you have a good history of public conversations with children, explore this with the children during a children’s time.  Open by reminding them of all the wonderful things Jesus did.  Mention three or four well known stories about loving, kind Jesus.  Then present a rough wooden cross or a picture of the crucifixion and ask, “How could that have happened to him?”  If no answer is immediately offered, note that this is a question people have puzzled over for many years.  Then, recall some of the hard sayings about sharing and loving enemies.  Talk about how hard they are to keep and how bad it feels when you know you don’t do what Jesus said.  If you have history of talking about such things in worship, children will start weighing in and together you can move to some conclusions.

If you state this question at the beginning of the sermon, many children will be hooked and will stay with you as long as they can.  Be sure to get the simplest answers out first (before you lose the children), then move on to the more adult answers to the question.  This is both safer  than public conversation in a children’s time and teaches children that sermons might be interesting – at least in bits.

Often the entire passion story is read during worship.  It is powerful, but long.  To keep worshipers of all ages tuned in, read it in sections.  Have each section read by a different reader and separated with music, perhaps a mix of short choir pieces and verses of appropriate hymns sung by the congregation.  (“Go To Dark Gethsemane” is a good choice for children.  Matching the verses with the biblical accounts helps children understand both more clearly.)  Select readers of both sexes and all ages.  A teenage boy might read Peter’s part.  The Burial and Posting of the Guards at the Tomb can be read by two older children who come to the lectern together and read without a pause between them.  Because it is the longest reading, the Crucifixion requires an especially dramatic public reader.

Mat.      26.14-16               Judas Reader     Judas agrees to betray Jesus
                26:17-30               Reader 1              Last Supper
                                                Judas Reader     interrupts to read vv. 21-25 about Judas
Music?
                26:31-35               Peter Reader     Jesus predicts Peter’s denials
                26:36-46               Reader 2              Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane
                26:47-57               Judas Reader     Arrest in the Garden
Music?
                26:58-68               Reader 3              Trial before Caiaphas
                26:69-75               Peter Reader     Peter’s Denials
                27:1-26                 Reader 4              Trial before Pilate
                                                                              Judas Reader could interrupt to read vv. 3-5
Consider omitting vv. 6-10 for sake of time
Music?
                27:27-56               Reader 5              Crucifixion
                27:57-61               Child Reader 1   Burial
                27:62-66               Child Reader 2   Guards at the tomb

Go to http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_b_the_passion_story.htm for a script in which the congregation takes the part of the crowd declaring Jesus guilty and calling for his crucifixion. 


Peter’s First Easter, by Walter Wangerin Jr., has Peter telling his experiences from the Last Supper through Jesus forgiveness at the fish fry on the beach.  Older boys especially appreciate his straight-forward, strong but emotional account of what happened.  The art depicts Peter and Jesus as strong believable men.  The book is too long to read in its entirety, but a single story could be read from this book at children’s time during a service with a sermon rather than reading of The Passion. 



Adult worshipers know that Easter follows this horrible story.  But, children, especially younger children may not.  Even if they have heard the Easter story, they may not place it after the passion.  Older children who may be tuning into this reading of the full passion story for the first time, often respond strongly.  So, it is important to end with a reminder that God has a wonderful surprise waiting.  If you buried the Alleluia in a box, bring out the box, refer to what is in it, and invite the children to come next week to celebrate God’s wonderful surprise ending.  It can be worth the effort to call the children up front briefly to be sure they hear this promise of a better ending.


Philippians 2:5-11

Use the movement of this great hymn about Christ to summarize the Passion.   See the directions for a trained dancer or for the children to come forward to move to this reading.  (Directions are in the Palm Liturgy section at the beginning of this post.)
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Thursday, January 20, 2011

Year A - Ash Wednesday (March 9, 2011)

1:17 PM | Posted by jamila | Edit Post

Other than Good Friday, Ash Wednesday is probably the day on which children are least expected or planned for in the sanctuary.  The prophet Joel, however, insists that parents bring their children to the meeting he has called to point out to the whole community that they are sinners.  Today, there is much for children to learn from seeing their parents and the leaders of the congregation wearing ashen crosses and even more from wearing ashes themselves.  The experience deeply binds them to their faith community.

The imposition of ashes is amazing to children.  They marvel at the sight of adults wearing the ashes.  At first they wear their own ashes as a sign that “I am one of them” or “I belong.”  As they hear the language about sin, forgiveness and repentance, they begin to wear them as an admission that “yes, I too am a sinner.”  This is not an easy step for children who are repeatedly told that they are "wonderful" and "capable."  It also flies in the face of frequent adult insistence that they can make good choices which is often taken to mean “if you try hard enough, you won’t be a sinner.”  Ash Wednesday makes it easier to make the admission that “yes, I too am a sinner” by setting it in the presence of everyone else making the same admission. 

We are all first marked with the cross using water (and sometimes oil) at our baptisms.  At that time to be marked with the cross is a wonderful thing.  We are identified as the loved children of God.  On Ash Wednesday we are marked with the cross using ashes and the words, “remember you are dust.”  The ashes and words remind us that we are not so wonderful.  In fact, we are all sinners.  Fortunately the sign is not an X, marking us as hopeless rejects, but a cross reminding us that God loves and forgives us, sinners though we be.   

In spite of their interest in the ashes, for children Ash Wednesday is mainly the beginning of Lent.  Lent is for them spring training for disciples.  We begin the season admitting to ourselves and others that we are not perfect disciples and are fortunate that God loves and forgives us anyway.  We then commit to doing better.  When children are offered specific doable disciplines that will help them be better pray-ers, better Bible readers, better at serving others, they respond enthusiastically.  Having committed themselves to such disciple training, they come to communion as to the training table.  Here they are reminded of God’s love for those who try and do well  and also for those who try and do not do as well as they wish.

Many congregations mark the beginning of Lent by changing the paraments and adding special crosses to the sanctuary.  It is very appropriate to make these changes on Ash Wednesday.  But, if the reality is that many will not be part of the Ash Wednesday service, consider stripping the sanctuary for that day leaving it somber and then adding the Lenten colors and symbols  on the first Sunday of Lent when you can call the majority of the congregation to observe Lent. 

In Sharing the Easter Faith With Children I offer detailed plans for 2 Ash Wednesday services.   Neither is built on the lectionary readings for the day.

One is a traditional sanctuary service built around the stories of Peter who had to repent frequently.  It uses many traditional prayers selected with the presence of children in mind, a call to confession, the imposition of ashes, changing the paraments, introduction of Lenten disciplines, and communion.

The second begins with a pancake supper at which soap crosses are carved or wooden crosses are sanded and rubbed with linseed oil.  After supper people follow the tolling handbells to the sanctuary for a short service of stories about picking up crosses and following Jesus. 


Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

This text can frighten children with its threat of God punishing people.  Isaiah’s message with its call to change your ways is complicated, but gives children a way to respond other than simply be frightened. 


Incorporate Joel’s trumpet into the call to worship.

Trumpet alarm (not a fanfare)

Leader:            Blow the trumpet; sound the alarm on Zion, God’s sacred hill.
Tremble, people of Judah!
The day of the Lord is coming soon.
Come back to the Lord your God.
He is kind and full of mercy;
he is patient and keeps his promise;
he is always ready to forgive and not punish.

Trumpet alarm repeated.

Leader:            Blow the trumpet on Mount Zion;
give orders for a fast and call an assembly!
Gather the people together;
prepare them for a sacred meeting;
bring the old people;
gather the children
and the babies too.
Even newly married couples must leave their room and come.

(Joel 2:1, 13b, 16 – Today’s English Version)


Isaiah 58:1-12

Though this is a complicated passage, when it is explained to children, they respond.  Isaiah is saying we don’t need to be sad about the bad things we do.  Instead, we need to stop doing those things.  We need to change our ways, to repent.  Verses 6 and 7 are key.  When they are explored and linked to specific Lenten disciplines offered to the congregation, children take up those disciplines enthusiastically. 

Introduce fasting as going without something.  Point out that frequently it means going without food.  Some people plan to go without something they like for the six weeks of Lent, e.g. go without chocolate or sodas or desserts.  But Isaiah suggests that we go without some bad habits and cultivate new ones.  Isaiah would say to children,
Fast from greed, feast on sharing
Fast from telling lies, feast on telling the truth
Fast from hating, feast on loving
Fast from teasing, feast on kind words
Encourage worshipers to make up their own fast, feast challenges and to undertake living by them during Lent.  (This is based on a more adult list found at http://seashellseller.blogspot.com/2005/02/ash-wednesday-these-are-notes-for.html )  The worksheet below is one way to present this challenge to children.  Urge them to post their papers somewhere in their room at home where they will see it often. 

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU


                                                 During Lent I Will

Fast from _____________________________________________________________

And feast on____________________________________________________

Fast from _____________________________________________________________

And feast on____________________________________________________

Fast from _____________________________________________________________

And feast on____________________________________________________

Fast from _____________________________________________________________

And feast on____________________________________________________


_______________________________________________________
(Your name)


UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU


Psalm 51:1-17    INIQUITY    SIN   TRANSGRESSIONS  EVIL   GUILT   >>>  REPENT

King David arranged for a man to be killed in battle (accidently on purpose) so that the King could marry his wife.  Adult Bible students will know why David wanted to marry Bathsheba, but the murderous theft of a wife is significant in itself to grab the attention of worshipers of all ages.  What do you pray to God after you do that?

Verses 1 -6 are descriptions of how sinful humans can be.  They include lots of unfamiliar to children “sin” words –transgressions, iniquity, sin, evil, and guilty (NRSV).  Write one or more of these words on a large sheet of poster paper in black crayon or by dipping your finger in the ash pot.  Briefly describe all the ways we hurt and sin against each other and God.  Specifics help.  Name calling, hitting  to hurt, cutting someone out, teasing someone to hurt them, cheating, telling a lie or a secret, … are familiar sins to children.  Point out that we don’t like to admit we do these things, but that all of us do.  Then note that on this day every year (and perhaps during each Sunday worship service), we take time to be honest with ourselves, with God and with each other about this.  We are all sinners.

Verse 10, “Create in me a clean heart and put a new and right spirit within me” is an interesting word picture that has to be explored before children can grasp it.  The literal picture is both odd and right on target.  Children need to be told David did not want God to cut him open and wash off his heart.  But, he did want God to help him “clean up his act.”  He wanted God to give him a second chance or a fresh start and wanted God to help him do better.  He wanted to repent.  When we pray this prayer we join David.  (Even though we haven’t done anything as bad as having someone killed, we have done lots of other hurtful, sinful things).  If you have done the sin words poster, add REPENT in purple marker.


2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

For children on Ash Wednesday this is simply a call to repent now.  Now, during Lent, is a good time to work on being better disciples.  “Just do it!”  They will not hear this as the passage is read, but depend on the worship leaders to restate the call in other ways during worship.


Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21

This is another “just do it” message.  Jesus says we should make a show out of our Lenten disciplines.  We don’t need to tell everyone we know and remind them of how good we are being by doing it.  Instead we are to make it between us and God.  Talk to God about it.  Ask God to help us.  Thank God for forgiving us when we fail.  Tell God why we are doing it.
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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Year A - Transfiguration of the Lord (March 6, 2011)

6:43 PM | Posted by jamila | Edit Post
Matthew 17:1-9

OK, I know the Old Testament reading usually goes first.  But this is Transfiguration Sunday and all the texts for the day all relate to the gospel.  We can run, but we cannot hide.  So, let’s start with the key story.

Madeleine L’Engle talks about the function of myth as stories that can neither be proved nor disproved, but which describe the world and our place in it.  (See  http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/l'engle_3501.htm )  She suggests that we not get tangled up in whether or how such stories happened, but what they are trying to tell us.  That means that we simply tell the story to children.


Artists have portrayed the transfiguration repeatedly.  Google” transfiguration images” to find the images on this page and many others.  After reading the story, show worshipers some of these pictures.  Point out some of the differences in them.  Give children paper and crayons with which to draw their own picture of the transfiguration.  Invite them to post their pictures at a set place after the service for all to see.  (Art can be taped to the altar rail, to any fencing at the front of the sanctuary, or on a door.


The hymns based directly on this story are not very easy for children to sing.  Instead sing hymns about Jesus’ power and glory.

“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” is filled with impossibly complex words that describe all the ways God is more than we can understand.  Introduce it walking through the words in the first verse then inviting everyone to sing it enjoying all the words we can hardly know and the bigger-than-anyone-can-understand God they describe.
Immortal (God is forever, God never dies), Invisible (we can’t see God), God only wise.
In light inaccessible (God is so brightly amazing that we can’t see God) hid from our eyes….

“Fairest Lord, Jesus,” on the other hand, is filled with concrete images and simple words to praise Jesus who is still more than we can fully understand.  The final line links to the transfiguration saying “Jesus shines brighter; Jesus shines purer than all the angels heaven can boast.”

If you are going to bury the Alleluia next Sunday (Observing Lent and Celebrating Easter), sing “Come Christians Join to Sing” praising Jesus with repeated Alleluias.  Even non-reading children can join in on the Alleluias.  Present the Alleluia poster, explain what you will do with it next week, and display the poster throughout the service.  Include lots of Alleluias in the rest of today’s liturgy.


There are lots of examples of transfigurations in children’s literature.  Cinderella is seen for the person she really is with the help of her fairy godmother.  Simba seeing his reflection in a pond realizes that he really is father’s son and is meant to be the Lion King.  There are others.  Probably the best for preaching today is Fiona’s transfiguration in Shrek.  In a whirl of light and special effects the beautiful princess becomes an large, loving ogre.  Similarly, in a flash of light, Jesus who has been revealed to be the son of God “sets his face toward Jerusalem” claiming his task of suffering love.


Tread carefully with the superheroes like Superman, Spiderman, etc.  Each of these characters have super powers that are not obvious in their “everyday” persona.  They use these unique powers to do what normal humans cannot do.  In his transfiguration it is obvious that Jesus could call on some very spectacular powers, but he does not.  Instead, he offers himself in self-sacrificing love.  Unless you are steeped in the details of the lives and powers of the superheroes, I’d not bring them up.  Child fans will talk you into inescapable corners and mire you in there in complex details.


Exodus 24:12-18

Finding all the similarities in this story about Moses surrounded by God’s presence on Mt Sinai and the story of Jesus’ transfiguration is better done in a church school class of older children where they can read both texts, search out the details and then talk about what they mean.


Psalm 2 or Psalm 99 and 2 Peter 1:16-21

All of these passages have connections to the transfiguration story, but those connections are not very significant to children.  So, read and explore them for the adults.

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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Observing Lent and Celebrating Easter

9:01 AM | Posted by jamila | Edit Post
Most congregations work hard to include children in Advent and Christmas celebrations.  Lent and Easter are another story.  Often the children are not expected at and not even wanted at these worship services.  The hope is that they will hear the stories in church school or at home and join the congregation celebrating the stories when they are older and understand them more fully.  I think that is a mistake.  The Lent-Easter stories are the key stories of our faith and the worship services of Lent, Holy Week and Easter are our high Holy Days.  Children need to be part of them with the entire congregation.

I feel so strongly about this that I have written a book, Sharing the Easter Faith With Children.  It includes
-           information about what children understand about these stories at each age,
-          commentary on the Holy Week and Easter texts from a child’s point of view,
-          detailed plans for Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter services at which children are expected to be part of the congregation
-          study session plans for parents, teachers, and worship planners
-          an annotated bibliography of children’s literature related to Lent and Easter
The book offers LOTS more than I can put in a blog.  So, I encourage you to invest in it.  Buy it now and you will have lots of ideas for all the Lenten and Easter services which will not appear in these blog posts.  It is available at many of the usual on-line book sellers and in many religious bookstores.

But, until you get the book J here are a few ideas about including children in the congregation’s observation of Lent and celebration of Easter.

Children CAN hear the passion and resurrection stories.  From an early age they can be told that people who were angry with Jesus killed him on a cross, but that God would not let Jesus stay dead and made him alive again on Easter.  Over the years they add the details.  The younger the children the more they follow the emotions of the story rather than the facts.  For that reason it is important to always tell the whole story.  Even on Good Friday, mention the surprise that we know is waiting. 

Children also find different kinds of good news in the passion and resurrection stories than adults find in them.  Older preschoolers celebrate God as most powerful super power in the universe and are glad to be allied with God.  Younger elementary schoolers, who are moving out into the world on their own more and more, find comfort in the God who knows us and promises to be with us always even after we die.  Older elementary schoolers identify most strongly with Peter as he lived through Holy Week.  Jesus’ forgiveness of the best friend who betrayed him proves to them that God will forgive anything.  Adults find comfort in the promise of new life.  All these different versions of “the best news” enrich each other when they are woven into the congregation’s worship.

Exploring the stories in the sanctuary in worship gives them more power for children.  For example, a palm parade with other children in a classroom may be a kid thing, but a triumphant parade in the sanctuary with people of all ages communicates that this is indeed an important parade.  Hearing the story of the Last Supper is one thing, but celebrating the Last Supper on the “anniversary” of very night that Jesus invented it with the whole church brings the story to life.  Same with hearing the crucifixion story on Good Friday or getting up before sunrise to hear the story outside on Easter Sunday morning.

So, as you begin planning for the season as a whole, consider the following….

Make a big deal about changing the colors in the sanctuary.  Do it together on either Ash Wednesday or the first Sunday of Lent.  This can be fairly formal with people carrying out the white or green cloths and banners and others processing in with the purple ones.  Or, it can be more informal with worship leaders inviting worshipers to help change the paraments and explaining in the process the meaning of Lent and the purple.  Describe the changes in the sanctuary that will come on Good Friday and again on Easter.

Hide the ALLELUIA!  Many congregations ban the use of the word “Alleluia!” in the congregation’s worship during Lent.  To highlight this, create (or get young or older artists to create) a beautiful poster of the word, show the poster at the beginning of the service on the first Sunday of Lent, then put it in a box and tuck it somewhere in the sanctuary.  Leave it there until Easter where young children can check on it, if they wish.  On Easter morning, bring it out, shout it, sing it and enjoy it.

Encourage a Lenten worship discipline for children and their families.  Because Lent is basically spring training for disciples, it is an opportunity to encourage children to grow as worshipers. 

If you tend to use historic prayers of confession and assurances of pardon or repeated sung responses during Lent, introduce and explain them to the children during worship and encourage them to join in on praying and singing them.  (Many adults will listen appreciatively.)

Encourage households to pray together at home each day during Lent.  This can be as simple as challenging them to pray before one meal each day or at bedtime each day or to pray  the Lord’s Prayer together each day (perhaps learning it in the process).  Or, it can involve providing printed devotionals for households of different ages.  Young children learn the practice of daily prayer by praying with their parents.  Older children often begin to pray on their own when provided a printed guide to be followed for a set period.  If you do this, don’t simply set the discipline at the beginning of Lent.  Mention it throughout Lent encouraging people to keep with it or get back to it if they have let it slip.  Congratulate them at the end of Lent and give specific suggestions for keeping the discipline going.

As you plan services that include children, be sure to invite them and their parents repeatedly.  One parenthetical “children are welcome” will not do the job.  You will have to say that children are not only welcome, but are encouraged to attend.  Be sure to set the times of weekday services with children and families in mind, i.e. before bedtime on a school night.  Explain to the whole congregation why it is important that children participate in these services. 

If reading this is recalling ways congregations you know have included children in their Lenten and Easter worship, share it in the comments section.  We all need all the ideas we can gather on this one!
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Thursday, January 6, 2011

Year A - Eighth Sunday in Epiphany/ Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 27, 2011)

5:20 PM | Posted by jamila | Edit Post
Isaiah 49:8-16a

Isaiah’s message to the Jews living in Exile or recently returned is that God is with them and loves them always.  Children will hear that most clearly in verses 15c -16a, “I will not forget you.  See, I have inscribed you in the palm of my hand.”  The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn, captures this in the story of a Mother Raccoon who sends her fearful child off to his first night at school after kissing the palm of his hand and instructing him to press his palm against his face any time he needs to feel his mother’s love.  Many children go off to school, summer camp, or scary new situations having heard this story and carrying parental kisses in their hands.  

Read the whole book  - less than 5 minutes to read aloud.  (Your public library will probably have multiple copies.)  Then read the phrases from Isaiah and state that you believe there is a connection here.  Isaiah says that God has your name written in the palm of God’s hand and God will never forget about you. 

If this is a children’s time and the children are seated near you and not too many in number, remind them that Chester also kissed his mother’s palm and gave her the same instructions.  Then, write “God” in the palm of each child’s hand with a marker reminding each child to remember that God loves him or her always.  If possible, say each child’s name as you do this.


The last page of the book shows the American sign language sign for “I love you” being given by a raccoon paw.  Use it to teach the congregation the sign and tell them to make it when they need to remember that God loves them and will not forget them and that they love God.




Psalm 131

Consider reading this psalm from the Today’s English Version (The Good News Bible).  It does not use the term “weaned child” which is unfamiliar to children and not something you want to explain in the sanctuary and it translates the second phrase of verse 1 “I am not concerned with great matters or subjects too difficult for me.”  Most children have experience with subjects at school that are “too difficult for me.”  That can be the entry into discussing with the whole congregation how it feels to be coping with issues or subjects that are just too hard.

This psalm is so short that it can be read in worship more than once.  So, invite worshipers to listen to it as you read it through a first time.  Make some comments about trusting God.  Instruct everyone to relax in their seat, maybe stretch their neck a little, and close their eyes.  Then, read the psalm again slowly and thoughtfully.  Conclude with “Let’s God’s people say, Amen”

At any age it is easy to sing a hymn without thinking about the words.  For children it is hard to read the new words and string them together into meaningful sentences as you sing.  So invite the congregation to follow in their hymnals as you talk your way through the words of the first verse of “Be Still My Soul”  before singing the whole song together. 

Be still my soul; the Lord is on your side.
God loves you and is on your side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Having God on your side doesn’t mean that everything will always go the way you want it to; but you can get through the bad times knowing that even in them God is on your side.
Leave to your God to order and provide.
Remember that God is in charge.
In every change God faithful will remain.
God will be with you in all the scary changes.  For children those changes include a new school, moving, the arrival of a sibling, parents divorcing, having to learn something new and hard, going away to camp or live with relatives….
Be still me soul, your best, your heavenly friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Recall the thorny part of the crucifixion that led to Jesus’ joyful resurrection and note that Jesus is with us all the way through both our joyful and thorny times.

Walking through the first verse gives children a sense of it and is about all they can absorb.  It also encourages the adults to pay attention to what they are singing in this verse and all others.


1 Corinthians 4:1-5

To get everyone into this text, point out that you feel some real connections to Paul.  You are both ministers.  You both do a lot of preaching and teaching.  You both help people in churches solve problems and visit with people when they are sick or getting married or dying.  You even know what Paul was talking about here when he said that people were “judging him.”  They were comparing him to another preacher named Apollos.  They were saying things like, “You surely don’t preach like Apollos” or “Apollos would have never done that” or even “Apollos is a better minister than you are, Paul.”  Ouch!  Point out how that hurt Paul and how it hurts you and other preachers when it happens to you.  Then, dig into Paul’s response.  Paul said that it didn’t matter what they thought about how he did his job.  It didn’t even matter what he thought about how good a minister he was.  The only one that had the right to ”judge” Paul is God.  So, Paul’s job was to do the very best job he could at what he thought God wanted him to do and not to worry about what other people thought about how he was doing his job.  After noting that ministers often have to reread this passage when people compare them to other ministers, suggest that this is probably also true for people in other jobs.   Even children are often compared to better students, piano players, athletes, or kinder, sweeter children.  Maybe the worst is feeling compared unfavorably to siblings.  We all have to take Paul’s advice that no one can judge us but God.  So, all we can do is do the best we can.  Note that this is not easy advice to take and that you bet even Paul reread what he had just written and thought, “I know that is what I WANT to think, but man it isn’t as easy as it looks on paper.”
This could be a children’s sermon or it could be the beginning of the real sermon.  In the latter case, older children especially can be drawn into hearing about your feelings about being judged as a minister.  Though they may not stick with you for the entire sermon, they will listen for a while and conclude that, at least occasionally, sermons might be for them as well as for the grown-ups.

Name-calling is one of the most damaging form of judgment for many children.  “You are such a….”  “only a … would do that” or “You are so…..” are phrases hurled at other children to embarrass them and put them in their place.  If we follow Paul’s example, we do not call people names and when others call us names, we remember that only God can judge us (not these other kids) and that our job is to do the best we can and remember that God loves us (even if some other kids do not).



To explore name-calling among children further, go to http://www.nonamecallingweek.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/resources/index.html.   This is the resources page for a group that sponsors a rapidly growing No Name Calling Week campaign in schools K-12.  The week was January 24-28, 2011; but the resources can be used any day.


Matthew 6:24-34

Judging by lectionary helps on line, most worship planners will use this passage to explore our tendency to worry – about almost everything.  Adults can think about worrying in the general seeing similarities in worrying about money, love life, safety, etc.  Children think in the specific.  For them, pick one or two worry targets to explore in detail.  For example,

worrying about how tall and good looking you might get.  Kids dreaming of being basketball stars want to be tall.  Gymnasts and dancers want to stay small.  Everyone wants to grow beautiful and can hardly believe that one day they will look anything like the glamorous teenagers or adults they admire.  They need reminders that they can’t worry their way taller or shorter.  Or,

prodded and even spooked by ads that insist that unless they wear a certain brand of clothes, they will have a miserable life, many children, especially the girls, but also the boys, worry about wearing the right clothes.  They need help from as many sources as possible to realize that the ads are wrong.  They, like the lilies of the field, can be beautiful without the in-brand of clothes.

Introduce children and older worshipers to the practice of the breath prayer as a way of coping with worries.  A breath prayer has two parts: one a name of God that fits the prayer and the second a very short request for help in dealing with the problem, e.g. “God, help me feel OK at school.”  God’s name is said while breathing in and the request is said while breathing out.  Breath prayers can be planned out in advance and then prayed silently throughout the day as needed. 

“Mammon”, which looks a lot like mammal to early readers, is best translated for children as “stuff.”  Stuff includes clothes, toys, books, electronic gadgets, and other things we think we “gotta have.”  The text says you can’t serve God at the same time as you spend all your time thinking about, playing with, and taking care of all your stuff.  Jesus says the most important rules in the world are ”love God” and “love other people.”  Mammon says “love your stuff” or the most important things in the world are having the right stuff, having all the stuff you want, and taking care of your stuff.

The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes, is the story of older elementary school girls who harass a new girl who wears the same faded dress to school every day but boasts of having 100 dresses of silk and velvet at home.  Finally, the abuse takes its toll and the girl’s father withdraws her from school and moves away in search of a place where they will be more welcome.  Wanda leaves behind as her entry student art contest 100 drawings of beautiful dresses.  Her drawings win the contest and the embarrassed admiration of the girls who had judged her so harshly.  This classic story speaks both to the epistle theme of judging others and to Jesus’ insistence that getting so very focused on what we wear leads to trouble.  The 96 page book will need to be read in advance by a worship leader and retold in his or her own words.   Available in public and elementary school libraries.


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