19 December 2021
Bible readings for today |
CollectGod, your purpose exceeds our understanding:
grant us the grace you gave to Mary. Help us recognise your presence, and, at our end, know the joy of your embrace. Through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen |
Luke 1:39-55: God's Big Plan
Today's story looks at how God encouraged Mary through the words of her cousin, Elizabeth
Lighting the Candle of LoveToday is the 4th week of Advent and we light the candle of love.
What you need:
Invite a family member to light all four candles, remembering what each one stands for (hope, peace, joy and love) This is a good opportunity to talk about love. Some helpful conversation starters (note- as you all talk and share together, gently lead the conversation into specifics- Statements like I love my friends are helpful. Statements like I love Sophie and Elyssa can be more helpful because they can allow you to explore the specifics of relationships)
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Aroha - LoveOur te reo word for the week is aroha, which means love. You can download this graphic on our Strandz website
Advent Wreath LiturgyA simple liturgy for lighting your candles in the Advent Wreath, from Build Faith (Use the fourth week!) written by Rev. Matthew Kozlowski
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Gospel Conversations This week Michael is joined by Jerry Morris, zooming in from Wisconsin; Mosgiel-based John Franklin, and (on her first appearance) Karen Hoffman from beautiful Kurow. Together, they unpack the story of Mary and Elizabeth, and what this passage has for us today.
Craft boxes for homeAs Christmas draws close, and families adjust to being on holiday, tensions in the house may be running high. Children will pick up on parental stress, something that’s hard to avoid at this time of year. If you’re extra busy finishing at work and preparing for the holiday, and your children are demanding more time than you’re able to provide, try creating special craft boxes for your children.
Make one shoe box size box for each child - or one box for all of them to share and put a few special arts and crafts things inside. Include some special paper, felts, stickers, pipe cleaners, glue, buttons, paper or card- whatever you have or can easily get. Wool, popsicle sticks, tape, crayons, aluminum foil are also possibilities. When things get a bit rough, pull out the boxes and sit them down. Say something like, ‘You’ve got___ (an amount of time appropriate for their age) to create a Christmas card, or a poster or whatever you think might be of interest. By redirecting their need for your attention, they can work on something fulfilling and you might just get a few extra minutes to finish something that needs to be done. |
Christmas is closeThis week is exciting because Christmas is so close. Some children will know what they’re receiving as gifts, others will be planning holidays, others will have helped decorate the house or baked or already had Christmas parties. As a leader, it’s important to be mindful that there might be children for whom Christmas is a difficult time. There might be unusual family tensions through job loss, illness, having moved to a new city, lack of finances, etc. Your children might live in a separated family where they’re not quite sure which parent they’ll be with when. The first Christmas after a traumatic event can be particularly difficult. As a leader, it’s important to allow the excitement and joy of the season to bubble up, and still be aware and support others who might be struggling. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge that even though Christmas is a joyous, exciting, amazing time of year, that for some people, Christmas can be hard and that we need to support, love and pray for those who are struggling.
I wonder...
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A big surprise
A children's talk about Mary visiting Elizabeth
Say something like: What a surprise! First Mary is visited by an Angel - definitely not an everyday occurrence! And she’s told that she’s going to have a baby and that the baby is going to be God’s son. Phew! That would be a bit of a shock for anyone. God is full of surprises and in this story- the surprise doesn’t end there.
After Mary is visited by an angel, she went to visit her older cousin, Elizabeth. Elizabeth had never had any children. Mary loved Elizabeth and wanted to see her and tell her what was happening - that she was pregnant with God's son. When Mary reaches Elizabeth' house, we find out another surprising something. Elizabeth was also pregnant. Not only that, but as soon as Elizabeth saw Mary, Elizabeth’s baby jumped around inside her. He started wiggling, kicking, moving around and getting really excited. Before Mary said anything at all, Elizabeth knew something amazing. She knew that Mary was pregnant and that Mary’s baby was going to be the Lord.
I think that’s a story full of surprises. So full, that we know that God must have been up to something really, really big. This was no ordinary meeting, and God hadn’t planned a bit of ordinary stuff. Oh no! He had something big, no huge planned. God’s plan was to come and be with us in the world, to love us and save us. And for God to work it all out this way, he must really want to be with us. And he does. He wants to be with us just now, just the way we are. We don’t need to improve ourselves for him; get our hair cut, get good grades, lose weight or get a job. He wants to be with us right now. And to do that, God’s going to send a baby to earth. I always thought that if someone were going to change the world, that person should be strong and smart, and big and tough powerful and maybe a bit bossy. But God’s big surprising plan was very different. His big thing is a very little baby and that baby is coming very very soon!
Say something like: What a surprise! First Mary is visited by an Angel - definitely not an everyday occurrence! And she’s told that she’s going to have a baby and that the baby is going to be God’s son. Phew! That would be a bit of a shock for anyone. God is full of surprises and in this story- the surprise doesn’t end there.
After Mary is visited by an angel, she went to visit her older cousin, Elizabeth. Elizabeth had never had any children. Mary loved Elizabeth and wanted to see her and tell her what was happening - that she was pregnant with God's son. When Mary reaches Elizabeth' house, we find out another surprising something. Elizabeth was also pregnant. Not only that, but as soon as Elizabeth saw Mary, Elizabeth’s baby jumped around inside her. He started wiggling, kicking, moving around and getting really excited. Before Mary said anything at all, Elizabeth knew something amazing. She knew that Mary was pregnant and that Mary’s baby was going to be the Lord.
I think that’s a story full of surprises. So full, that we know that God must have been up to something really, really big. This was no ordinary meeting, and God hadn’t planned a bit of ordinary stuff. Oh no! He had something big, no huge planned. God’s plan was to come and be with us in the world, to love us and save us. And for God to work it all out this way, he must really want to be with us. And he does. He wants to be with us just now, just the way we are. We don’t need to improve ourselves for him; get our hair cut, get good grades, lose weight or get a job. He wants to be with us right now. And to do that, God’s going to send a baby to earth. I always thought that if someone were going to change the world, that person should be strong and smart, and big and tough powerful and maybe a bit bossy. But God’s big surprising plan was very different. His big thing is a very little baby and that baby is coming very very soon!
Christmas on the Move
Christmas cardsMake Christmas cards that can be sent to homebound parishioners who will likely receive home communion in the Christmas season. Children, in particular, might like to make cards for members of their own families, or people they sit with or know at church.
You could include the greeting from today’s Epistle: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. Print this in advance on address labels, or on paper that can be glued inside the card so that younger children who might struggle with writing can also include the greeting. |
Tissue paper christmas trees
What you need:
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Media
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An Angel visits Elizabeth
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Luke 1:39-45: Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth.
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Tailrace Kids: Elizabeth
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Luke 1:45
Balloon memory verse game
The Lord has blessed you because you believed that he will keep his promise. Luke 1:45
What you need:
What you do:
What you need:
- 15 balloons in a variety of colours
- Permanent marker
- 1-2 pairs of scissors (for older children to pop their balloons if desired)
- Optional- a lolly to put in every balloon
What you do:
- Blow up each balloon, tie it and write one word of the memory verse on it.
- Put them in a bag or box ready for the children.
- When you’re ready tell the children that you have lots of balloons and that you’re going to work to keep as many in the air as possible. Let the children have a minute or so to try and keep them in the air.
- Then say something like, “Ok, grab a balloon (or two depending on your numbers). Each balloon has a word on it and that word is part of our memory verse. Once you have your balloon (s) sit down.
- Invite the children one at a time to come up holding their balloons.
- Ask 1 or 2 of the older children to help put the memory verse in the correct order. Once the children and balloons are correctly lined up, say the memory verse together a few times. Allow the children to take the balloons home with them.
- Note for older children: You can put a lolly in each balloon and once the memory verse work is finished, you can pop the balloons so that each child gets a lolly. Keep in mind that some children do not like the sound of popping balloons. One way to let the air out without noise is to make a small cut near the tie off point of the balloon. The air will trickle out and the balloon will not pop.
