Welcome. 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.
The season After Pentecost has ended and we look forward to the start of Advent with the Reign of the King celebration.
It is also the end of the Liturgical calendar. So make sure to find a way to celebrate the end of the Year.
The Liturgical colour for change between the Liturgical Seasons in the church is White or 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, tablecloth or ribbons, 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.
THE LORD’S PRAYER:
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
INTRODUCTORY SONG Hey Ha Ha from the Full of the Spirit Album by
Heather Price Music
FIRST READING: Jeremiah 23:1-6
READ The Herd Boy by Niki Daly
A Storypath suggestion
PLAY: You will need 1) two sheets of coloured paper one green, one brown. 2) 2 paper fans 3) Cotton Balls or marshmellows or craft pompoms.
TO PLAY place your cotton balls on the brown sheet of paper and herd your Sheep( cotton balls) to the grass (green sheet of paper) by using your fan to move your Sheep(cotton balls)
You can make this game for two by using 2 colours of cotton ball, and two people try to fan them onto the green. If you want to be competetive between the two of you, use another piece of green paper and try to seperate the two herds of sheep( the two coloured cotton balls) one colour going to one of the green sheets and one colour going to the other. (it is dificult to find two tone cotton balls so instead you could use, marshmellows or craft pom poms like these ones.)
PRAY
Help me to listen (cup your hand around your ear)
to people that follow You (pretend to walk)
and help me to know the difference
Amen
PSALM: Luke 1:68-79
The song you just listened to were the prophecy/song that Zacchariah, John the Baptist said when he was able to speak again to catch up on the whole story watch
SING: A song you sing when you are happy
SECOND READING: Colossians 1:11-20
READ: The Princess Knight by Cornellia Funke
Read why Storypath made this suggestion here
SING Totally God Totally Man by Soveriegn Grace Kids
PRAY
In you God,
even I am STRONG (flex your muscles)
Amen
GOSPEL READING: Luke 23:33-43
READ: The Whirl Story Bible; Jesus is crucified, pp.322-325
COUNT the number of crosses in your church, or if not at church, where do you see a cross?
FIND an emoji that explains how you feel at different times when you hear this passage.
or DRAW part of the passage that is important for you.
MAKE a palm cross
SING Heather Price’s Carry the Cross from her Full of teh Spirit Album
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.
Everyone is welcome here.
The Cross in My Backyard 