Each week I compile a number of resources to help you, your family, or your congregation 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 your family’s faith formation. My objective is for faith to be a lived experience and for children to learn how to worship, explore the Bible, and pray by participating in Worship with others. 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 idea is to form a lifelong love of Christ, for the Word of God, and to participate in Worship. Faith is portable, we live it and share it, every day. I hope these simple ideas help your family or congregation form their faith.
FOR CONGREGATIONS
:
f you are a small congregation, that suddenly has children in your pews, these can also be used in your services, shared direct from this site, or copied into your order of service. Create an area as close as possible to where the major liturgies of the service occur, for parents/guardians to worship with their children, and fill this area with books and toys in it that will enhance their spiritual experience. (Ie not toys for “keeping them quiet”). You will find some ideas in these posts Spiritual Delights or Toy Box tat! and Make the books appealing.
Suggest that visiting families pack a special backpack, filled with a children’s storybook bible, other books that speak about ideas in today’s readings, and drawing or craft materials that children can use to respond to today’s readings
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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 you can use your iPad or iPhone. You could write a precis of the message (traditional words or pictures), draw, and 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.
We are now in the season of Easter and its liturgical colour is WHITE. This is the last week of the season of Easter.
If worshipping from home you might like to set up a table or space with a white cloth, a cross, a candle, and some things that focus your mind on today’s readings.
THE LORDS PRAYER IN ACTIONS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOugEQpcc_k OR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMjm93ylL2w
FIRST READING: Acts:1:6-14
READ: Jesus Ascends, pp 342-345, The Whirl Story Bible
DRAWING: What would you draw from this reading? Draw it.
DO: Disolve Milo into milk or a milk subtitute. What else changes or disappears in front of you? eg. jelly crystals into jelly.
SING Power by Seeds Family Worship No. 3 on Album 8 Power
PSALM 68:1-10 and 32-35
SING: sovereigngracemusic, Joy from the Album to be like Jesus
SECOND READING: 1 Peter 4:12-14 and 5:6-11
READ:A Place where Sunflowers Grow by Amy Lee-Tai
A Storypath Suggestion
SING A Little While by Seeds Family Worship from Album 14 I believe
PRAY:
God,
thank you
that you are there
in my difficult times
as well as in my
good times
Amen
GOSPEL READING: John 17:1-11
READ: Somebody Loves You, Mr Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
A Storypath Suggestion
PRAY:
Draw: everyone you know.
Then when you are finished, point to each one and pray for them
OR if you have a play mat
you could pray for the people you might encounter as you play.
OR more prayer options
SING Prayers of the People on Vespers and Matins album by Liturgical Folk
Blessings
Wendy L.
Please check local guidelines before using items that are not mine especially if you are using this page for congregational use. Please acknowledge 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.
If you are in Australia and would like to teach your children to Acknowledge Country here is a video that will help, and a great book to help understand, We love Country. Most Uniting Church Congregations will say an Acknowledgement of Country towards the start of the service.
The Cross in My Backyard 