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Monday, April 25, 2011

School Is Out!!!!

2:07 PM | Posted by jamila | Edit Post
OK!   As I post this on April 25th, it seems premature.  But, if you have been looking at the posts for the Sundays at the end of May, you know there are text-specific suggestions for recognizing the end of school in the congregation's worship.  This is the more general article promised in those late May, early June posts.  And, yes it will be here before we know it. 

The end of the school year is HUGE for children.  It is a marker of their growing up.  When the church recognizes this event, children feel loved and important.  When the church does not notice it, they feel marginalized.  One of the best places to raise the event is in the congregation’s worship.  As it is done, children and their parents feel loved and included.  Other worshipers remember their school days and enjoy all the hoopla.  (The end of the school year is one experience every person in the room shares.)

As we plan for including the end of school in our worship, we must be sensitive to the many feelings children bring to it.  Some are bursting with pride at work well done.  Some are profoundly relieved that what is an ordeal is over at least for a while – IF they don’t have to go to summer school.  Some are stung by the news that they will repeat the grade they have just suffered through. 

Kids are also looking toward summer with different levels of excitement.  Some anticipate sports camps, family vacations and free time.  Others are nervous about those same plans.  And still others see only boredom and maybe unwelcome child care arrangements ahead.

With all this in mind, there are several ways to raise the event in the congregation’s worship.

% At the very least mention the end of the school year in the congregation’s prayers voicing both appreciation of the year accomplished and looking forward to the summer.  Remember students, teachers, janitors, cafeteria workers, and all others who work at schools.
% Just before the congregational prayer, invite the children to join you at the front.  Together identify things you want to say to God about the school year just ending and about the summer ahead.  Either cobble those concerns into a prayer that you offer with the children while you are together or incorporate them at the beginning of the congregation’s prayer.  The former helps children stick with you.  The latter demonstrates to them that their concerns are part of the whole church’s concerns.  (Warning: if this is done as a children’s time much earlier in the service, many children will not even hear it in the church’s prayers later.)

% A week or so ahead, invite the children to bring to the service one item they are looking forward to using during the summer, e.g. a soccer ball, sleeping bag, their library card, etc.  At some point invite them to come forward with these items.  Ask about them and how they will be used.  Ask children who arrive without items to name what they are looking forward to using.  After the conversation, offer a prayer asking God to be with the children as they use the items, asking God to help them use them with kindness and fairness, pray that the summer be as much fun as everyone is hoping and that all will be safe and loving throughout.

% Write end of the school year and/or beginning of summer psalms

Provide children with a paper and crayons or pencils.  One side is titled “Prayer for School.” The other is titled “Prayer for Summer.”  Add shadowy lines that might guide printers if they write what they want to tell God about each one or that could be ignored by those who prefer to draw pictures about school and summer that contain their prayers.  Ask ushers to distribute supplies as children are seated and give instructions early in the service or do so during a children’s time or just before reading the psalm for the day.  Talk about some possible topics for the psalms and invite children to display their psalms on a bulletin board, tape them on the communion rail after worship, or show them to you as they leave the sanctuary.

To call for more specific psalms, divide the titled prayers into sections as below.


!#:!#:!#:!#:!#:!#:!

A Psalm for the End of My School Year

Praise God for people, subjects, and activities at school: 
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________


Tell God about the things you are sorry about from school this year
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________


Tell God what you are looking forward to this summer
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________


Write or draw a last line for your psalm.
_____________________________________
_____________________________________

!#:!#:!#:!#:!#:!#:!


% The end of the school year suggests a benediction.  Below is one possibility.  But, I offer it with the concern that closing the service in this way will suggest to worshipers of all ages that it is fine to disappear until fall.  If you do an end of school benediction, it might be wise to surround it with words to the contrary.

UINUINUINUINUINUINUINU

Ask the groups in parentheses to stand for a special benediction, concluding with one for all in the congregation.

(Students stand) As you go forth into your summer, remember that God will be with you at the pool, at camp, at home, even at summer school, and wherever you go.  Have fun and be a good disciple. 

(Teachers stand) As you go forth into your summer, enjoy your change of pace.  Learn something new for the future.  And, remember that God is with you, watching over you and guiding you both in the classroom and out of it.

(Parents of children in school stand) As you go forth into a summer of new schedules and different activities for your children, there will be lots of juggling.  As you juggle, remember to love and enjoy your children.  And, know that God loves you and your children always.

(Everyone for whom the end of the school year will make no difference at all stands)  Hang in there.  It is easy to feel that everyone else is on vacation or doing interesting new things while you “keep at it.”  Remember that God is with you in the ongoing, everydayness of life. 

(All worshipers)  No matter where you are going this summer or what you will be doing, remember that God is with you always and in all places.  God loves you and watches over you.  So, go in peace.

UINUINUINUINUINUINUINU


% At some point in the service point to all the church activities planned for children and their families during the summer.  If children will be going to a church camp or conference, gather them up front and send them off in the name of the church and with an appropriate short prayer.  Name in town activities and encourage all to participate. 

% If many of your families will travel during the summer, start a bulletin board titled something like “First Church on the Road” and invite everyone to post pictures of themselves at other churches they visited.  


This is a hodgepodge of general ideas - maybe a starter brainstorm.  Now, 

% Check the postings for the Sundays of late May and early June for text – specific suggestions.

% Add another possibility in a Comment.  We all need all the ideas we can get!
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That Time With the Children!!!!!

1:36 PM | Posted by jamila | Edit Post
The Time With Children
The Children's Sermon
Time with Young Disciples

It goes by many different names.  But basically it is a time of less than five minutes when the children of the congregation are invited forward for a presentation especially for them.  Many of you who read this blog, use it to prepare such messages.  I want you to know that...

In a perfect world, I am against Children’s Times in worship for lots of reasons.

L They say to the children this is for you.  What is unsaid is, now please sit down and be quiet or leave for other activities so that we adults can do real worship which you will find boring. That does not invite children to participate more and more fully in the congregation's worship.

L The age span of the children who appear make it very hard to say something that will be meaningful to all of them.

L The object lessons often used require that listeners be able to transfer characteristics of a concrete object to an abstract spiritual truth.  People who study how we think have proved that this ability does not develop in the human brain until adolescence.  To prove this to yourself, ask a child, "what did Pastor say on the steps today?"  The child will tell you all about the object presented.  Then ask, "Why do you think Pastor told you about that?"  The child will hem and haw and say "I suppose it has something to do with God."  The children don't get object lessons.  The adults on the other hand do and use them to recall the more complex abstractions of the sermon.

L Children are often exploited for the pleasure and laughter of the adults.  When children offer or hear another child offer something that seemed perfectly reasonable to them only to hear the congregation laugh, they are embarrassed.  That is one reason most children refuse to go forward far earlier than their parents expect.

But they do have positive value

J They do say that the congregation values children.

J They also give the children a chance to get close to the congregation's leader.  When the main worship leader takes time to speak with the children, they feel that they count.  Conversely, when this is the only part of worship delegated to someone else, they assume that the real leader is not interested in them.

To my thinking the negatives far outweigh the positives.  The real goal is not to provide five minutes for the children, but to invite children to grow into the entire worship experience.  We do this better when we plan worship mindful of the presence and needs of worshipers of all ages.  We don't have to dumb down worship for children, but we do have to toss them lifelines that help them join in the singing, praying and listening. You'll find this blog filled with ideas about how to do that on each Sunday of the lectionary cycle.

So, if in this less than perfect world you must offer a Children's Sermon....

F Avoid object lessons that children do not understand.

F Use the time for worship education.  Explain and explore the meaning of prayers and responses that are regularly used.  Highlight one aspect of a sacrament as it is celebrated.  Tell the story behind or walk through the verses of a hymn just before you sing it.  Bring the pulpit Bible to the children and read one of the day's texts from there, stopping along the way to talk about some aspect of it with the children.  Or, talk about that reading with the children and then send them back to their seats inviting them to listen to it from there.  You will find lots of worship education suggestions in this blog!

F If possible move the time around in the order of worship in order to explore with the children what is about to happen.  Talking about a part of worship just before doing it has a big impact.

F Pick one part of the main scripture story for the day that may be speak to or interest children, but will not necessarily be of concern to the adults.  Explore that facet of the text with the children.  It will meet their need and enrich the worship experience of the adults as well.

Or, omit the Children's Message and instead... 

Structure worship so that it invites children as well as adults to participate.   

F Don't just read the day's scriptures, present them.  Ask two readers to read the texts that are conversations between two people.  Have stories with complicated action pantomimed as they are read.  Plan readings of the psalms that highlight their poetic format. (This is called "including the arts in worship".)

F Include the children's sermon in the real sermon to invite children to listen to as much of it as they can follow.  Cite children's literature and movies as well as adult culture.  Use common childhood experiences in illustrating points.  When children hear something that catches their interest, their heads bob up and they still with you for a while.  Make sure there is at least one thing that will catch the attention of the children in every sermon.

F Include the children's concerns in the church's prayers. 

F Invite children to be worship leaders.  They can serve as ushers, greeters, readers, singers, instrumentalists, acolytes….  All they need is a little help with preparation.

F Look at the worship bulletin through the eyes of a young reader.  Then either get an elementary teacher in the congregation to help you reshape it so it is easier to read or create a child’s version of the bulletin.  Mainly what is needed is a basic font, names for the parts of worship that use more verbs than nouns (e.g. We Listen to God’s Word instead of The Epistle Reading) and concrete vocabulary.  Many congregations place such bulletins in a small canvas bag with paper and a pencil or markers to create a children’s worship kit.

So use the ideas in this blog to create the best possible children’s messages if you must.  But I also encourage you to use them to explore other ways of speaking to children and including them more fully in worship.  

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Why Children Belong in the Sanctuary

1:15 PM | Posted by jamila | Edit Post
Many congregations today plan for children to be anywhere else rather than in the congregation’s worship. Sunday School is held at the same time. Children’s Churches are created to provide children with worship on their own level. (Some larger congregations provide a series children’s worship experiences for young children, older elementary children, and youth thus making what happens in the sanctuary "adult church." ) Still other congregations simply provide recreation activities to keep the children out of the sanctuary.

The argument for this approach is that children and worship as it is generally practiced are incompatible. Children live in a fast paced world that is very visual and participatory. Where else do they mainly sit and listen in a situation that is planned for people other than just children? They wiggle and add noise to a quiet room. The fear is that they will be bored and therefore will decide before they are able to appreciate it fully that worship is not for them and leave worship forever.


But when they are not part of the worshiping congregation children miss out.

In the congregation's worship we take our place among all of God’s people. Simply being in the room and walking through the rites and rituals connects us to people of all ages in our community. Children see the youth and adults that they know as teachers, coaches, and the “big kids” singing and praying. Families worshiping together claim the faith for the entire family. In some families it may be the only time they see their parents express their faith in a visible way. The stories told and songs sung by people of all ages have a different importance than those same stories and songs told and sung with only other children. Finally, worship is not an activity a child expects to outgrow moving on to another group. Instead it is a mysterious way of coming into God's presence with people of my community. I may not understand it fully now, but I do expect to understand it more fully later and to be part of that community for my entire life.

Children frequently participate in activities they do not fully understand. If they feel valued in those activities and if the adults around them let them know that the activities are very important, children participate as well as they are able and look forward to the day when they will understand more fully what is going on.

Also, during the elementary school years, children are focused on the larger world. They want to know how everything around them works and who gets to do what. They want to try almost everything. That will not last. During adolescence the focus turns to my peers and our special activities. That means we have a very important window of opportunity to invite children into the congregation’s worship between the ages of six and about twelve. If we do it well, they will have both a home within the larger congregation and a foundational understanding of worship on which they can build throughout their lives.


So, how do we include children in the congregation's worship?

First of all we do not dumb worship down for the sake of the children. We offer the full feast. But we plan that feast expecting worshipers of all ages to be present.

At the very least we include the concerns of children. If prayer requests are made publicly we hear with respect a child’s grief over a dead pet. When school starts, report cards are eminent, and the school year ends we include them in the church’s liturgy. (Many congregations are incorporating a blessing of the book bags into congregational worship at the beginning of the school year.) Holidays such as Halloween that are of special interest to children are noted in sermons.

We can also throw young worshipers life lines. We can tell the story behind a hymn before we sing it. Key vocabulary words can be identified and defined before a scripture is read. One aspect of a sacrament or ritual can be explored just before it is celebrated. The texts for the day can be presented in a lively way that both captures the essence of the text and catches the attention of children rather than simply read in a monotone. Such short moments of worship education are often appreciated by adults who are new to worship or need a refresher course.

Children are most sure they belong in worship when they become worship leaders. Children can sing, play musical instruments, read scripture, light candles, serve with adults as greeters and ushers, take up the offering, and more. In smaller congregations all that is required is alert adults to invite children to take leadership especially suited to their interests and abilities. A child playing Jesus Loves Me with one finger on the chimes is a real call to worship for the whole congregation. In larger congregations, plans must be made for groups of children. So, there are children’s choirs and acolyte groups. Children’s classes are asked to help prepare a scripture presentation. And, more.

Years ago I had a fight with a music director about a prime piece of time. He wanted it for a children’s choir. I wanted it for a kid’s club. He finally said, “Let’s be honest. These kids are going to grow up, probably disappear from church for a while at some point, and hopefully come back. And where will they come? They will come to the sanctuary. And, if they have been in my choir and learned the ways of the sanctuary, it will feel like coming home and they will stay.” He is right, of course, and that is why it is so important that during their elementary years we welcome children to the sanctuary and intentionally find ways to help them grow as worshipers there among God's gathered people.
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Monday, April 18, 2011

Year A - The Sixth Sunday of Easter (May 29, 2011)

4:47 PM | Posted by jamila | Edit Post
On this Sunday it seems a long time since Easter Day and for the last week or two we have been out of the post-resurrection stories.  So, it might help to retrace the arc of the season’s stories.  Present pictures of biblical events and challenge worshipers to put them in chronological order.  Or, present them in order walking people through the season.  Then, look ahead to the coming Ascension and Pentecost celebrations setting them in relation to Easter.  

Pictures to include: crucifixion, empty tomb, Thomas, Emmaus, Ascension, Pentecost.
 
If school is ending in your area this week, include that in your worship.  There are text-specific ideas in this post and more general suggestions in a “Schools Out!” article that will posted at the end of April under a new index that will be called the Popcorn Index.


Acts 17:22-31

Paul speaks about “the unknown God” who is bigger than anything we can imagine or carve or paint.  It is a good time to ponder the mystery of God who is more than we can understand. 

For children the story of the blind men defining an elephant based on the one part they got hold of is a good starting point.  There are some things we know about God, e.g. God created the whole universe, is totally good, and all powerful.  But there is lots we don’t know about God.  To keeping them thinking, I talk with children about “used to thinks” about God.  I tell them I used to think that God was like a very old wise man.  Now I think God is neither man nor woman but both and more than both.  You might recall the blind man who first held the elephants tail, then imagine that he was led to its ear.  He might say, “I used to think an elephant was a rope, now I know it is more than a rope.  I wonder else it is.”  In an informal setting in which you can be sure the children won’t be laughed at, invite them to share their “used to thinks” about God. 

R The name God gave Moses was “I am who I am, I will be who I will be.”  People called God the great I AM.  Again, ponder the mystery that God is more than we can understand.
  
 R It’s a good Sunday to explore and sing “Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise.”  Before singing take time to enjoy some of the big mysterious words and phrases describing God.  Say them aloud together.  Talk briefly what words such as immortal, invisible, un-resting, un-hasting say about God here. Put some of the poetic phrases (“in light inaccessible hid from our sight”) into your own words.  Then sing about and to this "bigger than we can understand" God. 


Psalm 66:8-20

This is a psalm of praise written after a time of testing.  Older children and youth have been through a time of testing at the conclusion of the school year.  Connect their testing to that mentioned in the psalm and elsewhere in the Bible.  Then invite children to create their own psalm of praise for God celebrating the end of the school year.  Suggest that they write or draw things that were hard about school and things that they really liked.  Provide a titled page with shadowed lines that could be used for writing with space remaining for surrounding illustrations or could be ignored with pictures drawn all over the page.


!@#!@#!@#!@#!@#!@#!@#!

I Praise you God at the end of this school year!


________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________


!@#!@#!@#!@#!@#!@#!@#!


1 Peter 3:13-22

This passage includes two themes that speak to children.  The first is that we need to be ready and willing to stand up for Jesus and be able to say why we are doing it.  This is especially important as children get ready for summer when there are new opportunities to stand up at camps, pools, even in free time at home.  Peter urges us to be brave in standing for what is right and to be gentle with others as we do it.  Two examples,

Runner Eric Liddell (“Chariots of Fire”) refused to run in an Olympic race he very much wanted to run because it was scheduled on Sunday.  Eric believed that playing sports on Sunday was disrespectful to God.  So, he calmly announced that he would not run.  He had to be brave because lots of people got really angry with him.  He was however gentle.  He didn’t scream and shout about how wrong the Olympic officials were to schedule the race on Sunday.  He simply said that he would not run because much as he loved racing, he respected God more.


 The Empty Pot, by Demi, tells of an Emperor who announced that he would choose to succeed him the child who grew the most beautiful plant from the seed he gave them.  Ping, who was very good with plants, did everything he could, but his seed would not grow.  Frustrated, but honest, on the set day he placed his empty pot among the pots of other children which were filled with lush green plants.  The emperor went immediately to the empty pot asking the boy to explain why it was empty.  In response to Ping’s honest account of what he had done and what had happened (his witness), the emperor revealed that all of the seeds had been cooked so they would not grow.  He was looking for a brave, honest boy who would become a brave, honest leader – and found him.

R The second theme is Peter’s insistence that even though at times it will look as if the bad guys are winning, God will win in the end.  This is the best Easter Good News for young children.  So begin exploring this theme by wishing everyone Happy Easter and reminding them of what happened.  On Friday it looked like the bad guys had won.  They had killed Jesus and sealed his dead body in a tomb.  All Jesus’ friends were frightened and sad.  Then on Sunday, Jesus came straight out of that tomb proving that God is more powerful than the worst evil.  This is an important Easter message from God to remember every time it looks like the bad guys are winning and we are feeling hopeless.  It is also important to remember when the bad guys are winning and we are tempted to join them.


John 14:15-21


R This is a hard text for children to follow as it is read.  Verse 20 is probably the key verse for them.  “I am in my Father, you are in me and I am in you.”  We, God and Jesus are so close we are “in” each other.  To help concrete thinkers explore this, talk briefly about how close we are to a best friend, to a brother or sister, to a parent…  (If you are seated together on the steps scrunch close together, leaning against each other.)  Then claim that God is even closer.  Admit that it is hard to think about God who is bigger than the whole universe being inside us, but insist that it is true.  Recall or sing a couple of verses of the song “I Have a Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart” to celebrate this closeness of Jesus, God and us.
I have a joy, joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart….
I have the love of Jesus, love of Jesus down in my heart…
Even
And if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack…and stay.

R Olympic runner Eric Liddell (“Chariots of Fire”) described his closeness to God saying, “God made me run and when I run fast, I feel his (God’s) pleasure.”  Encourage worshipers to imagine God enjoying with them the things they love to do most. 

If you use this in a children’s time with a smallish number of children, begin by inviting them to run all the way around the perimeter of the sanctuary or down the center aisle and back to their place. Compliment them on their speed and style. Then tell them about Eric Liddell.

R After exploring Jesus’ living in us and us in him, introduce the idea that we are Jesus’ hands and feet today.  We are to do what Jesus would do if he were in his body today.  List together some of the things Jesus did and identify specific ways we can do those things today – making friends with people who need friends, forgiving others, sharing food and other stuff with people who need it, etc.  Note that none of this is easy, but it what we are called to do as Jesus’ hands and feet and that as we do it we have Jesus’ promise that he is with us.

Children packing disaster relief supplies
R Greek students point out that “in us” can also be translated “among us.”  So identify ways God is “in us” and we are “in God” at church.  Be specific – singing, praying, and doing God’s work in our area and the whole world.  Describe some activities in which children are involved explaining how God is “in us” and we are “in God” as we do them. 

R An end of school take on this verse is the obvious-to-adults, but worth-saying-again-to-children fact that God is “in them” and they are “in God” always – during the school year and during the summer.  Identify some of the many things children are looking forward to doing during the summer.  After each one say, “God will be in you and you in God at…”.  You might also explore the fact that they are Jesus’ hands and feet and voice everywhere they go this summer and challenge them to act accordingly.
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Saturday, April 9, 2011

Year A - The Fifth Sunday of Easter (May 22, 2011)

7:58 AM | Posted by jamila | Edit Post
In North America school schedules are all over the place, but many schools start summer vacation in late May or early June.  “The Last Day of School” is huge for children.  Starting with this week I’ll be looking for connections between specific texts and end of school for children.  Then, the week after Easter look for a more general post about how to raise this big event in the congregation’s worship whenever it happens. 

Today’s texts are filled with rocks.  Some are quite real – the ones hurled at Stephen.  Others are symbolic – cornerstone, living stones, and “my rock and fortress.”  Adults enjoy the plurality of symbols.  Children who have trouble getting the meaning of symbols can be overwhelmed.  On this day it does not help that the real rocks were weapons and the symbolic ones point to God’s steady trustworthiness.  So alert the children to all of the rocks, but focus for them on just one or two kinds of rocks. 

Googling rocks reminded me that
"you rock!" or rock music will be
the first rock in many  young minds.
Have a pile of rocks front and center.  Depending on
your focus it could be a big pile or be arranged as a wall, even intersecting walls.  A local landscaper may even loan you a pile of rounded “river rock.”

At the beginning of the service point to the rocks and urge worshipers to watch for rocks in scriptures, prayers and songs today.  You may even want to briefly describe some of the rocks you will feature.

 Acts 7:55-60

R This text assumes listeners know how Stephen got himself into enough trouble to be stoned.  Most children (and many adult worshipers) do not.  For them, expand the reading.   Start with Acts 6:8-15, offer a brief summary of his sermon, and then read Acts 7:55-60. 

R Children need to be told that stoning is killing a person by throwing rocks at them.  Note that it is a very cruel way to kill a person.  You may or may not want to note briefly that it is still practiced today in some countries.

R Stephen is a hero who stood up to the crowd.  Doing so cost him his life, but he thought speaking about Jesus was worth dying for.  Children often find themselves in situations in which they must stand up to their friends refusing to do something they know to be wrong.  Stephen’s story provides both a hero to emulate and a warning that standing up to the crowd often causes trouble – fortunately the trouble is not often lethal.  Still sometimes standing up to the crowd is the right thing do, even when the crowd fights back.  Martin Luther King is reported to have repeatedly told his children that a person “who had nothing that was worth dying for…was not fit to live.”  This is a sober conversation, but it calls children to eyes-wide-open, heroic living.

R If you explore Stephen as a hero, sing some new verses for “Lord, I Want to be a Christian.” 

Lord, I want to be a Christian…
Lord, I want to be like Stephen…
Lord, I want to be courageous…
Lord, I want to be forgiving…
Lord, I want to be like Jesus…

R If you will be focusing on the living stones in 1 Peter, consider replacing the Acts 7 reading with Acts 6:1-7, the calling of the first deacons.  If your congregation has deacons, this is a great opportunity to introduce some of them and describe their work to the children (and other adults).  Deacons are in this case examples of people who are serving in one specific way as living stones in the church.  Be sure to point to others as well.  (FYI - This text does not appear in the Revised Common Lectionary at all, but is the Roman Catholic reading for this day.)


Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16

R This prayer for protection is filled with rock images that are unfamiliar to children.  If you want them to “get it” introduce key rock words before the reading.  Rock of refuge and strong fortress need only a brief definition.  But, “my rock” needs fuller explanation.  Talk about what it means to say a person is a rock.  Remind them that Peter in Hebrew means “rock.”  Jesus told Peter he was going to be his rock.  End by noting that many prayers and hymns refer to God as our rock.  Only then, read the psalm. 

R Many rock images in hymns need explaining to children – even “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”  Point them out before singing.  If you sing “A Mighty Fortress,” get the congregation to look at the first line of each verse.  Put them into your own words.  This gets the rock message out.  Children may get lost in the rest of the lines, but they will catch the beginning key phrases.


1 Peter 2:2-10

The writer refers to God’s people as “a holy race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” and a spiritual house composed of living stones.  I’d go with the last one.  There are several ways to develop it in worship.


Ø  Enjoy the picture of a human tower.  Then point to one of the people somewhere in the middle of tower and ask what would happen if that person decided to go home.  After realizing the importance of each person in the tower, point out that the church is a lot like that tower.  If any one of us decides to quit on our job, it makes a big difference.  Cite specific examples, e.g. what if the organist decided not to come today?  What if the fellowship hour person decided not to put out the cookies and lemonade?  Then point to one child and ask what if NAME didn’t come today.  There won’t be any immediately obvious thing that will not happen, but that person will be missed.  Compare them to one of the people in the middle of the tower and recall their importance.  (Link: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3d10_fm_de_vilafranca.jpg.)
OK, this is perilously close to an object lesson.  But, I think that taking time to carefully describe both sides of the metaphor (the people in the tower and the people in the church) will make it understandable to children.  I’d be curious to hear from anyone who tries it how it went.

Ø  Before deciding whether to use the cornerstone image, ponder how frequently you use it in worship and how clearly your congregation claims it.  There are 10 biblical references to the cornerstone.  Psalm 118:22 is read every year on both Palm/Passion Sunday and Easter.  One is read in Year A after Pentecost and 3 others are read in Year B after Pentecost.  That may place the cornerstone at the margins in some congregations.  Other congregations, especially those with a significant cornerstone in their building, may speak frequently about Christ the Cornerstone.   In the latter case it is worth your time to carefully introduce the image to children.  If you do, try one of the following:

R If you have a pile of rocks up front, be sure there is a squarish one.  Use that stone as a cornerstone and line up the other rocks as walls.  Demonstrate the function of the cornerstone in setting the direction of the walls and insuring the stability of the whole building by laying out good and not so good rock foundations on the floor.  Then, explain that the church often says that Jesus is our cornerstone.  He shows us how we need to live as God’s people and thus makes sure that the church is strong.  Offer specific examples of ways churches can stray from Jesus’ directions, e.g. not paying attention those around them in need.


R If you have a cornerstone in your building, tell
about it, show a picture of it, and encourage people to find it after worship.  Then introduce Jesus as the “real” cornerstone of you church, citing things you do because Jesus directs it.

R Sing “We Are the Church” by Avery and Marsh to celebrate all the living stones that make up your congregation.

R To illustrate the fact that the church is not a building, but people, lead the congregation in the finger play, “Here is the Church.”  This could be embedded in the sermon.

Here is the church
Here is the steeple
Open the door
See all the people.

You can have a church
Without any steeple.
But you can’t have a church
Without any people.

R If school is ending and your congregation is going into summer mode, this is an opportunity to point out that the church is not a brick or wood building, but a human building and that they are “living stones” in that building.  Describe some of the things the living stones in your congregation will be doing during the summer, e.g. mission trips, Bible School, camps, etc as groups and lots of other things as individuals and families.  In an informal setting, hear summer plans.  In a more formal setting, describe some plans.  You might even create a bulletin board and invite people to add pictures of their summer “living stone” activities.  Leave it in a place the congregation see frequently for the whole summer.


John 14:1-14

from The Family Story Bible,
by Ralph Milton,
illustrated by Margaret Kyle. 
Permission granted for
non-commercial use with attribution.
R Jesus' discussion with Philip in verses 8-10, “whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” is the heart of this reading for children.  It is a good Sunday to bring out pictures of Jesus in action.  Ask worshipers to tell the story in the picture.  Conclude each description with “God is like that!”  If this is a children’s time, close in prayer thanking God for sending Jesus to show us what God is like.

R Sing “Once in Royal David’s City.”  Enjoy singing it out of season.  Read through the second verse and even the fourth before singing it to help worshipers see why it makes sense to sing it during Easter season and how it goes with this reading.

R Many adults and most ministers associate this text with the many funerals at which it is read.  Hearing it brings an “oh that again” sigh.  But, it is new to children and few of them connect it to funerals.  Their inexperience invites worship leaders to explain to them what a funeral is and why these verses are so often read at funerals.  There is a lot we don’t know about what happens after we die.  God has kept that secret, maybe as a surprise.  Name some of the guesses people have made about harps, streets of gold, wings and halos.  Be clear that these are just guesses.  But we do know for sure, because Jesus tells us so in these verses, that God will be with us and take care of us after we die.  So we and every person we love who dies are OK.
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