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.
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: JOEL 2: 23-32
NOTE: to all those affected by the flooding in Australia this passage may seem like a cruel irony, like many I have family and friends in the affected areas. All of us, who grew up in the country, know how fickle God’s world can be, from famine to feast, draught to flood. This is the year for fear, next year may feel more like the prophets words. Stay safe, stay strong – for this too will pass.
READ: Mallee Sky by Jodi Toering and Tanya Harricks
DO: Draw it or show it or point out the emotion this story brings up for you on the emoji’s on a “phone.
PRAY:
God I want to Rejoice
I do it like this
(show how you show you are truely happy and thankful to God)
Amen
PSLAM 65
READ: Psalm 65: He’s got the whole world in his hands!
We who live at the ends of the earth, (make a ball with your hands)
at the farthest reaches of the sea; (wiggle your hands like a choppy sea)
with the hills and fields and oceans (make a pointed hill with your hands)
we shout and sing to praise the Lord! (cup your hands around your mouth as if yelling)
He’s got all of the people in his hands, (wiggle your fingers)
He’s got all our regrets in his hands, (flop your hands down)
He’s got all of our hopes in his hands, (palms facing to the sky)
He’s got the whole world in his hands! (make a ball with your hands)
He’s got the ends of the earth in his hands, (make a ball with your hands)
He’s got the crashing of the waves in his hands, (wiggle your hands like a choppy sea)
He’s got the high mighty mountains in his hands, (make anointed hill with your hands)
He’s got the whole world in his hands! (make a ball with your hands)
He’s got the dawning of the morning in his hands, (sweep your hands in an arc)
He’s got the last rays of sunshine in his hands, (until it goes from one side of your body to the other)
He’s got the sweet falling rain in his hands, (twinkle your fingers from your head down)
He’s got the whole world in his hands! (make a ball with your hands)
He’s got the planting of the seed in his hands, (point you pointing finger into then palm of the other hand)
He’s got the gathering of harvest in his hands, (pretend to pull up a carrot)
He’s got the sheep and the farmers in his hands, (pretend to knit)
He’s got the whole world in his hands! (make a ball with your hands)
thanks again to Rev. Purdie for the reworking of this Psalm, actions by me
SECOND READING: 2 Timothy 4:6-8 and 16-18
READ: The Good Bye Boat by Mary Joslin
PLAY: with your favourite toys. How do we say goodbye to each other. Gather your toys up at the end of the play and deliberately say goodbye as you put them in the back pack.
Older ones might like to write down a story or a play about saying goodbye.
PRAY: (hold your hands in a prayer posiition but to one side of your body, then as you pray leave one hand where you started then move the other to your middle and then further to the other side of your body)
At the beginning
In the Middle
And at the End
There is always you
Amen
GOSPEL READING: Luke 18:9-14
READ: The Lion Story Bible The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
OR WATCH:
PRAY:
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.
The Cross in My Backyard 