4th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Revised Common Lectionary: ideas to involve even the youngest.

You have found a collection of ideas to help you contemplate the RCL readings. 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 with you. 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 a life long love of Christ and for the Word of God.

We are now in the longest season of the Liturgical calendar, After Pentecost, it is often refered to as Ordinary Time, as no big celebrations occur in this season. The Liturgical colour is Green.

If you are worshipping from home you may like to set up a worship area and define it with a GREEN placemat, or ribbons.

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:

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.

INTRODUCTORY SONG Hey Ha Ha from the Full of the Spirit Album by Heather Price Music

FIRST READING: 2 Kings 5:1-14

READ:Brave Girls Bible Stories: A captive Audience, pp.95-100

RESPOND: How might the people in the story feel? For those who can write they might like to write how each person might have felt, or write a poem or a play.

For those too young to write or prefer to express themselves in other ways

The servant girl?

Naaman?

The King?

Elisha?

show with your face or body, or draw each persons face on a paper plate, showing how you think they might feel.

COLOURING-IN

PRAY:

Thank you God

that you listen to me

like Naaman listened to his young servant

Amen

PSALM 30

READ: thanks again to Rev Purdie http://www.conversations.net.nz/psalm-30-joy-in-the-morning.htmlthanks again to Rev Purdie http://www.conversations.net.nz/psalm-30-joy-in-the-morning.html

Psalm 30: Joy in the morning

The night was dark, but joy came with the morning. (close your eyes, then open them and smile)
I was so sick I thought I would die, (make a sick face)
but you healed me, you helped me, you saved me! (point to yourself)
You turned my sadness into dancing! (dance)
You took off my weeping and dressed me in joy! (wipe a pretend tear from your eye, do a star jump )
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. (make an infinity sign with your hands fingers touching one hand up the other down palms apart)

thanks again to Rev Purdie. Actions by me

How does this Psalm make you feel? Show it or draw it or pick the emotion from tthe emoji’s on a phone.

SECOND READING: Galatians 6:(1-6) and 7-16

READ: The Breaking News by Sarah Lynne Reul

WATCH

A suggestion by Storypath

MAKE: plant a seed or put a carrot on some coton wool in a dish, and watch things grow, It won’t be instant, you will need patience.

PRAY

Creator God,

sometimes it’s hard to get on with

other people You created

Please help me to find ways

To bring us all together for Good

Amen

GOSPEL READING: Luke 10:1-11 and 16-20

READ:

PLAY: Take your toys for a trip. If you have a play mat with a city or country playscape you caan play on that.

PRAY

If you have a city or country playmat,

Pray as you play for the people or the situations that you can imagine happening to those travelling on your mat.

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.

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