EASTER 3C: 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)

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.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

FIRST READING: Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)

READ: THE SPARK Story Bible, Saul to Paul, pp.408-413

OR The Children of God Storybook Bible, Paul, Follows Jesus, pp.120-121

COLOURING -IN

PLAY:Seeing things differently. Get a magnifying glass or use a phone App, to magnify, a bug eye glass (for example) even celepephane, in different colours or smooth it out then crush it up, then look at things through them. Use any of these things to look at the world around you differently. You could make a stained glasss window.

PSALM 30

Psalm 30: Joy in the morning

The night was dark,(Cover your eyes with your hands) but joy came with the morning.(do a star jump)
I was so sick (pretend to vomit)I thought I would die,(put the back of our hand on your forehead)
but you healed me,( pretend to wrap a bandage on your arm) you helped me, you saved me! (look up)
You turned my sadness (make a sad face) into dancing!(do a little dance)
You took off my weeping (pretend to wipe away tears)and dressed me in joy! (a star jump)
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. (fold your hands in prayer)

A rewrite by Rev Purdie actions (in italics) by me

How does this Psalm make you feel? make your face show how you feel, or draw it or find an emoji that shows how you feel.

SECOND READING: Revelation 5:11-14

READ: The Jesus Storybook Bible By Sally Lloyd-Jones pp.344-345 the 2 middle paragraphs.

DRAW: What do you do when you are happy?

The image of the lamb is used in this passage, you might want to have a toy lamb with you to play with. Explain that it is one of the images we use for Christ. ( your child will not understand now but in time this will start to make sense to them, especially as the imagery reoccurs during the church year.) Older members could see how many images there are for Christ in the Bible.

GOSPEL READING: John 21:1-19 .

WATCH

READ: Peter and the Big Breakfast by Andrew Macdonough

WATCH

OR The Beginner’s Bible, A net full of fish pp. 462-465

DO: You might like to purchase the downloadable activity book that goes along with the Lost Sheep story Peter and the Big Breakfast. For $Aus4.95 you will have lots of activities for everyone to enjoy.

OR Print off the freebie bookmarks and use them to retell the story.

COLOURING-IN D is for Disciple download scroll down

CRAFT

.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.

Advertisement

EASTER 3 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 9:1-6 (7-20) The Conversion of Saul

READ: The Beginner’s Bible, A Changed Man, pp.488-493

OR The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones pp. 337-338

OR My first Read aLoud Bible by Batchelor and Boshoff, Jesus speaks to Paul, pp.240-241

COLOURING -IN https://ministry-to-children.com/pauls-conversion-sequenced-coloring-page/

PLAY: use your toys to retell the story of Saul meeting Christ and being helped by Ananias.

PSALM 30

Psalm 30: Joy in the morning

The night was dark, but joy came with the morning.
I was so sick I thought I would die,
but you healed me, you helped me, you saved me!
You turned my sadness into dancing!
You took off my weeping and dressed me in joy!
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

from http://www.conversations.net.nz/psalm-30-joy-in-the-morning.html

How does this Psalm make you feel? or use https://e2epublishing.info/posters/ (scroll down a long way to find them) 

SECOND READING: Revelation 5:11-14

READ: The Jesus Storybook Bible By Sally Lloyd-Jones pp.344-345 the 2 middle paragraphs.

SING a song, sing it softly if you are going to affect others nearby.

DRAW: a wonderful place that makes you feel so happy you want to sing.

POINT OUT all the times you will sing during the service.

The image of the lamb is used in this passage, you might want to have a toy lamb with you to play with. Explain that it is one of the images we use for Christ. ( your child will not understand now but in time this will start to make sense to them, especially as the imagery reoccurs during the church year.)

 

GOSPEL READING: John 21:1-19 The third sighting after the resurrection.

READ: Peter and the Big Breakfast by https://www.lostsheep.com.au/stories/peter-and-the-big-breakfast/

OR The Beginner’s Bible, A net full of fish pp. 462-465

DO: You might like to purchase the downloadable activity book that goes along with the Lost Sheep story Peter and the Big Breakfast.

OR Print off the freebie bookmarks and use them to retell the story.

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 (8 WEEKS IN)

CRAFT:  make a three dimensional picture of the fishing boat and net

You will need 1 paper plate

2 different blue colours of paper, cut one larger than the other in a wave shape

I small bamboo serving basket https://www.partysavers.com.au/products/wooden-boats-14cm-50pk?variant=12164402249842&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwh6XmBRDRARIsAKNInDGJK0wc0iRXqSVlE4iWlDqdHVrTA5Hbv3Ae_aUpok1yU2gzn5mc0T0aAkbZEALw_wcB

1 fruit net, Usually found around lemons or limes

Glue, paper as waves onto paper plate, glue the bamboo serving basket in the middle of the plate.

Cut out and colour in simple fish shapes, then place them in the “net”

You could even make peg people/disciples to your 3 D picture if you want to.

(sorry at present my camera is not working so no picture – send me pictures of your wonderful creations)

Blessings

Wendy L.