29 December 2024
Bible readings for todayRCL
Liturgical Colour: WHITE |
CollectE Īhu, kāhore āu ara e rite i ō mātou.
He tamaiti Hūrai koe, he tamaiti uiui koe, i ngaro koe i ō mātua. Meingia kia whakarongo ngākaunui mātou me te whakaiti i ngā mea e whakaponohia ana e mātou. Whakarongo ki tēnei īnoi i runga i tōu aroha. Āmine. Jesus, your ways are not our ways. You are the Jewish boy, you are the questioning child the parents lost. Make us willing to listen and humble in what we believe is right. Hear this prayer for your love’s sake. Amen. |
Bible Explore in 2025
We're excited to keep sharing ideas and resources to support the church across Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad. If you are creating material, writing prayers, coming up with fun games for kids... let us know! Email us at [email protected]
Over the summerYou may have fewer services or regulars over the summer months, but its always a great idea to anticipate that children will be present in your Sunday gatherings.
Quick checklist:
Have some things printed out and a creative station available for kids who want an interactive space. These school holiday packs from the Salvation Army are a great start |
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Jesus as a child (Luke 2:41-52)
Today's story helps us understand that Jesus knew who he was, even when he was young.
Leaders InputMonday Meditation on Luke 2:41-52
(Source: Gary Neal Hansen) As the only recorded scene of Jesus’ life between infancy and adulthood Luke 2:41-52 is a treasure. It is also pretty hilarious when you think about it. The Holy Family had travelled to Jerusalem for Passover, keeping to the rich practice of their Jewish faith. They did it every year, apparently with a large contingent of extended family and friends. It must have been a combination of religious holiday, pilgrimage, and group vacation. Then it all went terribly, terribly wrong. If Mary and Joseph hadn’t actually heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child, they certainly acted like it was true. They headed back toward their home town, trusting that Jesus was safe the care of — well, someone. No worries. Then after traveling a whole day, they noticed Jesus wasn’t actually with them (Luke 2:44). My kids haven’t quite reached the pre-teen stage, but they make enough of a splash most of the time that their absence would be noticeable. The text is silent as to their conversation when Mary and Joseph realized they’d lost the Son of God. There might have been some… unguarded words. Keep reading here... |
Visio Divina is the thoughtful contemplation of a picture, photo, work of art, or really anything visual that invites God to speak to us. Visio Divina can be done in a group with others or practiced alone. Here are the basic steps:
- Pray - ask God to speak to you and trust that He will. - Notice your first impressions of the picture. - Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings. - Listen for God's voice. - Share, journal, respond - as you wish. - How will things change as a result of this? No image from the amazing lectioviso.com this week so instead try this one by artist Sophia Novelli. Bigger image and reflection questions here. 
Gospel conversations: The GC team take a well deserved break over the summer, but have put together a quick reflection on the gospel passage for anyone stepping in to lead and preach over the summer break.
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Activity SheetsWhere's Jesus? Like Where's Wally but better!
Spot the difference - Jesus in the temple I Spy Sunday - what can you see in church? Kids TalksPreschool Lesson - sample lesson from Gospel Light Curriculum.
Kid's Sermon - another funny and thoughtful retelling by garynealhansen.com Don't Miss Jesus! - talk with a focus on not become “lost” or distracted by things and missing out on the constant presence of Jesus. Personalise It! (If you have a similar story to start with, use your own. If not here is a story from Julie Hintz: "When my children were little, we went on holiday and visited the Waitomo Caves. It was an amazing experience. We especially liked the glowworms. All of us, including our six children, went through the cave together, got into the boat and saw the glowworms. But something happened and instead of 6 children coming out with us at the end of the tour, there were only 5! At first I thought Tim was with his dad and his dad thought he was with me. You can imagine how frantic we were when we realised that Tim wasn't with either of us. There were so many people and it seemed like such a dangerous place. My husband and I looked at each other and quietly asked each of our other children if they'd seen Tim. "No" was there answer. The older boys went up the different paths to see if perhaps he'd gotten ahead of us, but Tim was nowhere to be found. Finally while the others were looking, I went back into the entrance of the cave, hoping that somehow Tim had just gotten turned around. And there he was! He was standing with another group of tourists, listening to the guide and getting ready to go back through the caves. After hugging him and making sure he was all right, I asked him, "Where were you?" He looked up, smiled and said, "Mummy, I love this place. I just wanted to stay longer. Where were you?" That reminds me a little of our story today. Mary and Joseph were on their way home and had been travelling for a full day when they realised that Jesus not only wasn't with them, but he wasn't with any of their friends or other relatives. They hurried back to Jerusalem, frantically looking for him, and found him, 3 days after they'd left the city. He was sitting with the teachers in the temple, asking questions, answering questions, listening. The people were amazed at how wise he was. But still, when Mary and Joseph found him, they were so relieved. It must have been a horrible time not to be able to find their son! When Mary said, "Where were you? We've been looking for you for three days!" Jesus answered, "Didn't you know that I'd be in my Father's House?" Mary and Joseph might not have understood what Jesus meant, but when we hear about that, we can know that Jesus knew who he was. He knew that God was his father and that He was God's Son! [I Spy Jesus Bottle, Faith Sprouts] Jesus in the Temple activitiesI Spy Jesus Bottle (Faith Sprouts)
Maze (ShareFaith Kids) Build a Lego Maze (Mombrite) Colour by number (Bible Crafts by Jenny) Help me grow like Jesus - sImple Prayer activity for 5-7 yrs (ish) - start on your session and kids can take home to do some more.
Some fab ideas for interacting and exploring the story here. Bonus - includes some lesson plans incorporating them.
GamesHide and seek - since this story has to do with Mary and Joseph looking for Jesus, have a fun game of hide and seek, in or outside.
Seek and Find - give kids a picture containing several “hidden” elements to hunt for. See how many they can find. I spy - continuing the theme of looking for items, play a fun round of “I spy” using objects around the room and a variety of clues. What’s missing? Have one student leave the room for a minute. Change one thing about the room or someone in the room, and see if the student can detect “what’s missing.” [adapted from ministry-to-children.com] |
Intergenerational worshipIntergen Australia have produced a two-week series called 'Reflect' to help provide space in the lectionary readings to relect on what we know about God and Jesus. The resource highlights the Colossians, Psalm and gospel readings through bible experiences, prayer, creative and interactive reflections.
Written and compiled by Katherine Ruhle. Download here 
Game: What's missing?What you need:
What you do:
Drinking straw mazeNote: This activity contains marbles so is not for younger children under 5yrs.
What you need:
What you do:
You can use sello tape instead of a glue gun if you find the straws move too much before you're able to glue them down |
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