EASTER 4C: Revised Common Lectionary: ideas to involve even the youngest.

WELCOME: Everyone is welcome here.

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 season of EASTER and the Liturgical colour is White (though many substitute GOLD). It is also Mother’s Day in Australia.

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

SONG FOR THE DAY No 3 God is Here Dancing on the Full of teh Spirit album by Heather Price

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE: Try and draw a continuous line from a spot at the centre of the page until it spirals out to fill the page. Repeating the words “You are a wonderful God”

FIRST READING: Acts 9: 36-43

READ The Whirl StoryBible, Peter Raises Tabitha, pp.348-361

MAKE: Something to give to your Mum or a special woman. eg. Lavender Sachet, A jewlery pouch from a hankerchief, tea towel printing or a wrapped Letter so love these pressed flower book marks

DRAW: Take the authors description of Tabitha as a guide and draw those things you really appreciate about your Mum or a special woman.

PSALM 23

READ: Found by Sally Lloyd-Jones

WATCH

SING Psalm 23 on Colin Buchanan’s Old Testament Big Bible Story Songs No.24

SECOND READING: Revelation 7:9-17

READ: The Jesus story Book Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones middle pages of A Dream Of Heaven

SING: Amen No. 3 on Seeds of Praise Vol.3 by Seeds Family Worship

PLAY: What do you struggle with? Write about it or act it out or play with your toys about it.

GOSPEL READING: John 10:22-30

WATCH

PLAY: with toy sheep, pull out the blocks and make paddocks let them move the sheep around. Let them be the shepherd.

COLOURING-IN

.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.

Sunday Reflection Acts 9:36-43

For some of you that read Tuesday’s blog overnight or early in the morning Melbourne time, you may have noticed that I made a mistake in the first version, which I adjusted later. In the original version, I was concentrating so much on the Good Shephard motif that it had slipped my mind that the first Reading on the Revised Common Lectionary for this Sunday Easter 4 was the story of Tabitha. If you were looking for a more appropriate seethe into the concept of Mother’s Day. There it was. But initially l overlooked it.

I wonder how many will also have looked at the later readings giving precedent to the shepherd theme?

But we would all be missing out. What a story, do we have in the first reading, and not just because Peter was coming into his powers and like Jesus was continuing with the use of them for all in the community.

This is also a story of community, of intergeneration’s, of how one member can encourage the whole community to work together.

Tabitha, also known as Dorcas. Living under two names was not unusual in Diaspora communities where the birth or community name would also have a name that is appropriate for the Greek’s in which wider community she is living. In Australia, it is still such a common situation that we see migrant communities where the given name and the commonly used name are different. Though I have noticed that thankfully this is changing. But this story is already reaching across time to today’s Australia due to this small detail. We see a little later in Acts how Paul uses name to disassociate from his pre -Christian persona by changing his name from Saul. A tradition that is still practiced in some Christian communities. When women become mother’s, we gain another name, a very common one that is shared by everyone else in that situation. My eldest child learnt before she went to school, that if she called out that generic name, she would get the attention of most women around her at the time, so she took to calling me by my given name when she wanted me in public. Our name defines us.

Tabitha/Dorcas was a woman significant enough to name, significant enough to describe and significant enough for her community to summon the great man Peter. We do not know if Tabitha was a mother, or even a wife as the most important descriptor, of her is as a disciple. And this is where I see the seethe into today’s other event, Mother’s Day, because it was not what Tabitha was known for in her community but rather that she was first and foremost a disciple. So though today we acknowledge mothers in all their complexities, the greater title, the one we all want, is Disciple. We are not missing out, by not having children, or being male. We are unified by our faith, by our common descriptor, disciple.

If we look deeper into the description of Tabitha/Dorcas it is about her good works and acts of charity, today we would expect to find a description of how she looked or what she wore. But no, it’s about her contribution to community, and as Disciple is the first descriptor these actions flow from that faith. This descriptor reminds me of something I had read about women’s faith development “for most, spirituality was rooted firmly in the everyday, mundane world of work”[1], Slee, moves on to say that much of what women do in their faith, goes unrecognised, and yet here it is these very elements of her discipleship that define and elevate her.

Tabitha/Dorcas had her faith, in all elements of her life and thus her story fits comfortable in the shepherd motif as a description of faithful servitude, even in death. But it still has much to tell us independently. Do not overlook the faithful Tabitha’s in your community, regardless of their age, or gender. This is a wonderful story worth sharing on its own.

For a children’s version, you can find Tabitha retold in Brave Girls Bible Stories by Jennifer Gerhelds (2014,Tommy Nelson, Nashville)

OR Forgotten Bible Stories By Margaret Mc Allister illustrated by Alida Massari, ( 2016 Lion Children’s, Oxford)

[1]Slee, Nicola, “Women’s Faith Development, Patterns and Processes” (2004, Ashgate, Surrey ) p.170

EASTER 4 YEAR C: Ideas to help you share this weeks RCL readings with the 3’s and under.

How wonderful that you have bought your young child to church, don’t waste this opportunity to share the faith stories and experience the wonder of worship.

If you are a parent or Guardian

Prepare a special church bag in advance each week so that you are ready for the rush on Sunday Morning.

Sit towards the front so they can see what is going on.

Read during the Bible readings,

Pray during the prayers,

Colour, Draw or Craft during the sermon.

Craft or drawing or play are for spiritual responses not for a perfectionist piece that can be shown off.

Remember that little ones will need their own space to move and wiggle,

You have bought your child to worship. Enjoy engaging them in it.

If you are a small congregation without a Child and Family Minister have an area available near the front for parents/guardians to worship with their children, and print off this information so that it is readily available or direct them to this site. Set up an area with books and toys in it that will enhance their spiritual experience. (Ie not just toys for “keeping them quiet”).Spiritual Delights or Toy Box tat! andMake the books appealing

If you would like these ideas as a PDF file sent to you each week, please contact me.

FIRST READING: Acts 9: 36-43 The story of Tabitha and Peter

READ Brave Girls Bible Stories, Love in Action pp.183-187

Colouring-In: https://store.illustratedchildrensministry.com/collections/coloring-sheets-posters/products/bible-story-coloring-pages-spring-2019 PURCHASE IS DOWNLOADABLE AND IS IN AMERICAN DOLLARS FOR 14 WEEKS (9 WEEKS IN)

MAKE: Make Mum or a special women in your life a Mother’s day card. A simple card, can be made by folding an A4 sheet in half , drawing on the front page and a simple I love you Mum/Grandma etc on the inside facing page.

Take the authors description of Tabitha as a guide and draw those things you really appreciate about your Mum or a special woman.

PRAY

You are wonderful God

Now try and draw a continuous line from a spot at the centre of the page until it spirals out to fill the page.

PSALM 23

READ/WATCH: https://www.lostsheep.com.au/stories/cecil-and-psalm-23/

Colouring_in free download when you scroll down, also the buttons make a great sequencing game as a way of retelling the story

OR you can buy an activities book to download which will have more than enough activities.

SECOND READING: Revelation 7:9-17 Sheppard motif

READ: The Jesus story Book Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones middle pages of A Dream Of Heaven

Sing: https://www.seedsfamilyworship.com/product/seeds-of-praise-vol-3/# number 3

PLAY: with toy sheep, pull out the blocks and make paddocks let them move the sheep around. Let them be the shepherd.

GOSPEL READING: John 10:22-30 Are you the Messiah?

Today’s reading comes after the Good Shepherd paragraphs, but précised and with an important spin on who Jesus is. I suggest that you retell the story of the Lost Sheep.

READ/WATCH: https://www.lostsheep.com.au/stories/cecil-the-lost-sheep/

Colouring In: Buy and Down load the activity book that comes with this story, you will have lots of activities for old ad young.

PLAY: with toy sheep, pull out the blocks and make paddocks let them move the sheep around. Let them be the shepherd.

Blessings

Wendy L.