Palm Sunday C: Revised Common Lectionary: ideas to involve even the youngest.

WELCOME: Everyone is welcome here.

While designed to be used during a Sunday service at church or by zoom, these readings can also be used during the week to help you remember and build on what you experienced on Sundays. My objective is for faith to be a lived experience and for children to learn how to worship and explore the Bible and pray by participating in Worship. The goal here is not for them to learn names or facts though they may want to do that for themselves, but rather to find ways of connecting with the text and sharing that with others. The ideal is to form alife long love of Christ and for the Word of God.

Today is Palm or Passion Sunday in LENT. The Liturgical colour is PURPLE. (Passion Sunday recommendations are on a seperate blog)

If you are worshipping from home you may like to set up a worship area

You can do this by setting up a candle, then add the things that remind YOU of God, a Cross, a Bible that everyone likes to read from, a special object, even something from one of the readings.

If able to worship in the Church buildings pack a special backpack, as well as filling, it with your Covid Safe equipment, add the books or materials required to help your young ones relate to today’s readings.

For adults and older students, you might like to use a journal with which to record anything that grabs your attention during the service. This could be a special, bound book or use your ipad or iphone. You could write a precis of the message (traditional words or pictures), draw, keep a record of emotions and hymns that you did or did not like. You could use a template like this free download. Remember, this is for you, you do not have to show anyone what is in it unless you want to, and you feel safe to do so.

CONGREGATIONAL USE: Though parents are the best at sharing their faith with their children. If you are a small congregation where children are a very small, or rare part of your congregational life, please feel free to make these suggestions available to your congregation. I am very happy for you to copy and paste ideas from here into your own Order of Service or for you to supply a link to this page. An acknoledgement though is always appreciated.

LET’S BEGIN:

LISTEN: On the album Lent, Palm Sunday Foolish Knight, by Liturgical Folk

MAKE: though there are no Palms in the Gospel reading for today one of the traditions I love is to make a cross and put it on my front door, until Ash Wednesday next year. This year you could make a paper cross and put that on your door and it will still burn on Ash Wednesday next year.

Palm free traditions could be to

1. Draw coats on the footpath to the church or to your door
2. Leave a coat outside the door, (if it does go to another home treat that as a socially responsible Lent response)
3. Wear a coat to church and remove it when you get to the door, or if worshipping at home, place your coat on the floor of the space where you are worshipping

Light or turn on 6 Candles (one for each Sunday in Lent) Blow out (or turn off) 6 Candles

PRAY

Into this season of Lent (pretend to Walk)

I go (point to yourself)

Life has it’s seasons (draw a circle in the air)

It’s Joys and (happy face)

It’s sadnesses (sad face)

You go before me (point your arms ahead)

You are there after me (look behind)

Amen

THE LORD’S PRAYER:

You might like to start with the Lord’s Prayer if at home, or say the Lord’s Prayer within a set place if following along in a service. Here are 4 options

2 with ACTIONS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOugEQpcc_k OR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMjm93ylL2w

A more contemplative version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NuUo-igXDU&fbclid=IwAR2FasYCU-9mP1PaLQDjweXyhyUnJutt4J28KycjzeUEttWSesipX2jmJxE

Or for a more Intergenerational approach try Number 1 on the Table Settings album by Liturgical Folks

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY

If you are in Australia and attending a Uniting Church in Australia, in many cases an Acknowledgment of Country will be said. You can teach your young ones to do this too.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE:

PRAY: Use heart shaped post-it notes and as you write a person or an activity you can do out of love, pray for the activity or person.

PALM SUNDAY

FIRST READING: Isaiah 50:4-9a

God has given me the tongue (poke out your tongue)

Of a teacher (Point your finger as if making a Point)

That I (point to yourself)

May know how to energize the tired with a word (jump up and down)

Each morning God wakes me (stretch as if waking up)

To listen to those being taught (Place your hand behind your ears)

God opened my ear (point to your ear)

I obeyed and did not look back( look behind you)

I turned away from those who hurt me (turn around)

I turned my back on those who hit me (turn around)

I did not hide from insults (crouch down)

God helps me (give yourself a hug)

I am not bought low (hold your head high)

I smile(smile)

knowing that You God (hold your hands in a prayer position)

are always with me (give yourself a hug)

I stand with God (show your muscles)

God helps me (give yourself a hug)

Actions in Italics

DRAW a face on a paper plate.

PLAY: With a weighted toy that wobblies but gets up right again when it falls down, such as this

PSALM 118: 1-2 and 19-29

READ: Pointing to the risen Lord

This is the day that the Lord has made (stamp your foot)
Let us rejoice and be glad in it! (Put your hands up high)
The Lord is my energy and my strength (show your muscle)
He has become my salvation! (stand with feet apart and chest out)

The stone that the builders rejected (get a toy block)
has become the corner stone, (use it to start a row with other blocks)
the foundation on which everything is built. (continue to build) (you might like to build a cross)
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good (put your hands in a praying position)
His steadfast love goes on forever! (shelter your eyes and look far ahead)
Words by Rev Purdie actions in italics by me

PLAY: The full version has such beautiful imagery and metaphor, let them build something with blocks. Ask them how they built it? where is the door, the windows? Are they happy with what they have built. Let them know that God is our base, and it make’s us happy.

 

SECOND READING: Philippians 2:5-11

READ The day I became a Bird by Ingrid Chabbert

WATCH

Understand why Storypath made this suggestion

SING: Totally God, Totally Man from The Ology by Soveriegn Grace Kids

PRAY

Jesus

Help me to be in your

Praise team

Amen

GOSPEL READING: Luke 19:28-40

Every Children’s Story book Bible I am aware of mixes the Gospel stories of Jesus’s truimphant entry. None of them therefore tell the Luke story. You might like to read the different versions and find what is and is not missing in each gospel. HINT There are no Palm leaves mentioned in Luke. All children’s books I know show palm fronds in their pictures. Therefore I have chosen this book which focus’s on the Donkey, like Luke does.

READ: Dave the Donkey by Andrew MacDonough

WATCH

ACTIVITIES: Purchase and Download the accompanying Activities Book

PLAY: Act out the story, find a toy donkey, some dolls clothes, lots of toys or dolls to be the crowd.

SENDING HYMN Tell the World by Hillsong Kids Learn the actions here

Blessings

Wendy L.

Please check local guidlines before using items that are not mine especially if you are using this page for congregational use. Please acknowedge this page if you find it useful. Thank you.

I am writing this on Wurundjeri land and wish to pay respect to all Elders, past, present and emerging.

I have qualifications in Education, Theology and Children’s Spirituality, and have worked as a Children and Families Worker in a city church. I use simple and easily found ideas to help you share the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) readings. This is a ONE STOP SHOP where I have done the sifting for you to find theologically and developmentally appropriate material for your congregation or family, saving you time from sifting through many websites, facebook , pinterest, instagram, and blog posts.

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