14th 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, for the Word of God and to participate in Worship.

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.

For Season of Creation you might like to add flowers, animal toys, twigs, dirt etc. as well as setting up a candle,(or as this years theme is the burning bush you might like to add something like this) 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.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

https://www.childrens-ministry-deals.com/blogs/childrens-pastors-only/how-to-pray-the-five-finger-prayer

INTRODUCTORY SONG Hey Ha Ha from the Full of the Spirit Album by

Heather Price Music

OR To celebrate the Season of Creation SING/LISTENto this song by Heather Price from the Full of the Spirit Album No.8 Nature to Nurture

FIRST READING: JEREMIAH 4:11-12 and 22-28

READ: Mallee Sky by Jodi Toering and Tanya Harricks for an Aussie view on disasters,

WATCH

Then reinforce the idea that God is there in good and bad, we just need to turn to Him

PLAY: Build something with blocks knock it down and build it again

PRAY:

Creator God

You have the power to create or destroy

We have the power to love you or to turn away

Help us choose wisely

Amen

PSALM 14

​Psalm 14: “There is no God”

“There is no God!” everyone says. (hands on hips)
“I can do what I like!” everyone thinks. (point to yourself)
“Who cares about God?” everyone asks. (flop your arms away from your body)
“I’m here for me, I don’t answer to anyone!” (point to yourself)
God looks for faith, will he find it anywhere? (shade your eyes)
God looks for care for the poor.(pretend to put your arm around the shoulder of a mate)
God looks for love, will he find it in me? (make a heart shape with your hands)

Words by Rev. Purdie, actions by me

How does the Psalm make you feel? Draw it or show it or point out an emoji .

SECOND READING: 1 TIMOTHY 1:12-17

READ: Tickle Monster by Edouard Manceau

WATCH

A Storypath Suggestion

SING/LISTEN: Gotta-wait from Sovereign Grace Kids album To Be Like Jesus

PLAY: with any toys that transform from one thing to another.

GOSPEL READING: LUKE 15:1-10

READ: The Whirl Story Bible, The Lost Sheep and Lost Coin, pp262-265

OR The Spark Story Bible, The Lost Sheep and Lost Coin, pp.312-315

Colouring -In THE LOST SHEEP

PARABLE OF THE LOST COIN

PLAY: Let them play at being the shepherd, you might want some plastic sheep and some green material, or just a soft toy sheep to cuddle.

Let them play at searching for anything, you might like to hide something in the pew and ask your child to find it. This could be a book mark hidden in a pew book or a toy in your bag, or a sheep sitting on the pew.

REMEMBER: not to let them play with anything that might cause a chocking hazard.

SING Lost is Found from the Listen Up album by Soverign Grace Kids

SENDING SONG 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. If you find this page useful an acknowledgment is always appreciated. 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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