5th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Revised Common Lectionary: ideas to involve even the youngest.

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 longest season of the Liturgical calendar, After Pentecost, it is often refered to as Ordinary Time, as no big celebrations occur in this season. The Liturgical colour is Green.

If you are worshipping from home you may like to set up a worship area and define it with a GREEN 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.

INTRODUCTORY SONG Hey Ha Ha from the Full of the Spirit Album by

Heather Price Music

PRAYERS OFTHE PEOPLE: Song of Prayer on I am Loved Album by Heather Price

FIRST READING: Amos 7:7-17

READ: House Held up by Trees by Ted Kooser

WATCH

A Storypath suggestion

PLAY: What is a plumb line, make a plub line then use it to see how straight things are. WATCH

PRAY

Creator God,

help me to stay

upright

in you

Amen

PSALM 82

READ: Psalm 82: The Judges Judement

SING/LISTEN by Liturgical Folk on the Psalm Settings Album

SECOND READING: Colossians 1:1-14

READ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSfNv0-SgJM What do you do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada The Colossians are growing in their faith, like the idea in this book.

FIND:  Things that are alive, ie plants, us, pets, etc then find things that are not, ie blocks, pews, candles

MAKE: A tree, draw a wiggly line in green texta in the middle of the page. Then paste leaves (cut from green paper) on the sheet.

PRAY:

I grow strong (flex your arm)

With good Food (pretend to eat)

I grow wise (rest you chin on the back of your hand)

With God’s Word (point to a Bible)

I grow with God (put you arm out as if putting it around a friends waist)

When I pray (put your hands together in prayer)

Amen

GOSPEL READING: Luke 10:25-37

READ: The Good Samaritan by Andrew MacDonough

WATCH

COLOURING-IN http://www.thebeginnersbible.com//includes/files/base/documents/bb-Coloring-GoodSamaritan.pdf OR Heart Puzzle

DO: Make a Storyteller for free OR for $Aus4.95 you can have activities to keep everyone busy

SING: Love Like You by Soveriegn Kids on the Awesome God Album

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.

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5th Sunday after Pentecost 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.

Always have plain drawing paper, washable texta’s, the books that are suggested and the toys or craft suggested for this week

Remember to download the colouring sheets and check out the links before Sunday morning.

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

Sing or sway during the Hymns

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

 that can be shown off. Don’t throw these out when you leave the church. Keep them at home in a special box, and bring them out to remind your child what has been happening or use as future prayer points.

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: Amos 7:7-17

READ/WATCH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCDPkGjMBro IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE by Laura Numeroff as suggested by http://storypath.upsem.edu/lectionary-links-sunday-july-10-2016/

PLAY: What can you teach your toys? Can you tell them what will happen if they do something? Such as if you eat, you will need a drink?

PRAY

Help me Lord,

To follow you

Amen

 

PSALM 82

READ

Psalm 82: The Nobodies’ Psalm

Everyone who is given a job
to lead or be boss or even be President
will one day stand before the Lord
and answer the question when he asks:
“When you were in charge,
did you care for the poor?
Did you lead with fairness?
I don’t care how important you were
how much everyone loved you
or how much money you made.
What matters to me are the people
that no one cares much about
who can’t pay you back
or make you more popular.
What did you do to look after them?”

And the leaders will say,
“but who cares about the nobodies?”
And Jesus will answer:
“When you cared for the least of these, you cared for me.”
(Matthew 25:40)

Thanks to Rev. Purdie http://www.conversations.net.nz/psalm-82-the-judgersquos-judgment.html

 

Colouring-In:https://store.illustratedchildrensministry.com/products/bible-story-coloring-pages-summer-2019 For purchase for $10US digital download (total of 12 weeks worth)

 

SECOND READING: Colossians 1:1-14

READ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSfNv0-SgJM What do you do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada The Colossians are growing in their faith, like the idea in this book.

FIND:  Things that are alive, ie plants, us, pets, etc then find things that are not, ie blocks, pews, candles

MAKE: A tree, draw a wiggly line in green texta in the middle of the page. Then paste leaves (cut from green paper) on the sheet.

PRAY:

I grow strong (flex your arm)

With good Food (pretend to eat)

I grow wise (rest you chin on the back of your hand)

With God’s Word (point to a Bible)

I grow with God (put you arm out as if putting it around a friends waist)

When I pray (put your hands together in prayer)

Amen

 

GOSPEL READING: Luke 10:25-37

READ: https://www.lostsheep.com.au/stories/the-good-samaritan/

Buy and Download the activity book for activities for all ages. Aus$4.95. (older children might enjoy the free storyteller download)

OR

My First Read-Aloud Bible  by Batchelor and Boshoff, The Kind Stranger pp.182-183

ALSO 5 minute Bible Stories, by Batchelor and Boshoff, The Kind Stranger pp.140-141

OR The Beginner’s Bible, Good Samaritan, pp.379-384

Colouring-In http://www.thebeginnersbible.com//includes/files/base/documents/bb-Coloring-GoodSamaritan.pdf

PLAY: collect teddies and dolls etc and act out the story. OR create a felt board using stiffened felt as the back board, and make people out of felt then let your child replay the story.

PRAY:

You ask me God

To love you (make a love heart with your hands)

and to love others

Help me to love (make a love heart with your hands)

Amen

 

 

NOO! You are not finished even if the service has.

Now is the time to continue teaching your child beyond the walls of the church. 

Use the craft or drawings during the week to talk about the service or the stories.

Use any of the readings during the week, at bedtime, as story time or during the day in play or prayer.

Enjoy sharing your faith with your child.

Blessings

Wendy L.