12 November 2023

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Bible readings for today

• ​​Joshua 24:1-3,14-25
• Psalm 78:1-7
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
• Matthew 25:1-13

Liturgical Colour: GREEN
Today is also marked as Rememberance Sunday 

Collect

Father, 
let us not serve you grudgingly like slaves, 
but with the gladness of children 
who delight in you 
and rejoice in their work; 
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. 
Amen. 

E te Matua, kaua mātou āu pononga e tukua kia amuamu, engari i runga i ngā harikoa a te tamariki e hari nei mōu, e mahi ana i roto i te ngākau koa. Ko Īhu Karaiti tō mātou Kaihoko. 
Āmine.

The parable of the bridesmaids (​Matthew 25:1-13)

In our reading today Jesus warns us to be prepared to meet him.

Parable of the bridesmaids bible story

A story about being prepared to meet Jesus, which can be found on Sermons 4 Kids.

Discussion questions

• Did everyone in the story get to the wedding?
  
• Why did 5 of the Bridesmaids not make it to the wedding?
  
• How do you think the bridesmaids who missed the wedding felt? 
  
• What feelings are conjured up in you when you think of a wedding?
  

Weddings are a time of waiting expectantly, joyful anticipation and preparation. Advent (the season before Christmas) is also a time of expectant waiting, joyful anticipation and preparation. As you go through the story today, see if you can identify all these aspects of a wedding. These are also the themes of Advent! 

Quick questions

• What do you need to do in the morning to get ready for school/kindy?
• What things would you put in a bag to get ready for:
  • a) school
  • b) bush walk
  • c) going to a birthday party
• Who would you have liked to have been in the story today and why?
• How do you think you can be ready for God?

Simon says

Use the game of "Simon Says" to introduce the theme of being alert and awake from today's passage.
​
Choose one person to be Simon and stand at the front.  Simon calls out instructions to the group.  “Simon says jump up and down.” Or “Simon says turn around”.  The idea is that every time “Simon” says something everyone has to do it.  But if Simon says, “Jump up and down” without first saying “Simon says”, then no one should do it.  If someone does something that Simon didn’t say to do, they have to sit down.  The last one in the game, wins.

Lantern craft

What you need
Construction paper, scissors, tape, glue sticks, rules, pens.

What you do
Make paper lanterns following the step below. Then invite the kids to decorate them and write Matthew 25:13 on the handle.

1. Cut off a one inch strip from the short end of the construction paper.
2. Fold the paper in half, matching the two long ends
3. Starting on the fold, cut slats roughly 2cm apart from each other, and ending 4cm from the edge.
4. Unfold the paper.
5. Match the short ends of the paper together and tape or glue them together
6. Attach the handle to the top with tape.
7. Decorate.

Advent

Today's story is about being ready, being prepared. It ties in really well with the concept of Advent and being ready for Jesus' birth. Think about how you can talk about ways we can get ready for Christmas, and how we can 'be ready' for when Jesus comes back again. ​

Ready relay

Introduce the theme of being "ready" from today's passage by playing this simple packing relay game

In today's passage there were two groups of bridesmaids. Those that were ready and had packed all that they needed and those that weren't and had to go shopping for what they'd forgotten. Whilst they were shopping they missed out on the very thing they were waiting for!

When we go on holiday we have to be ready...ask the children what things they might need to pack for their holidays. 

Today we're going to have a "packing relay"....

Materials: 2 Suitcases or backpacks, enough holiday items (such as sunglasses, suncream, shorts, jandals, sun-hat, toothpaste, hairbrush, camera, beach towel, bucket and spade) for two groups. 

Divide the group into two teams or if working with pre-schoolers just have children line up in one group. 

Place a back pack or suitcase for each team at the end of the room.

Have each team line up behind their pile of things to pack. 

When you say go, the teams must race one by one to take an item and place it in the backpack/suitcase. The person to take the last item up to the backpack/suitcase must put the backpack on and race back to their team. The first team to have their bag packed and ready to go are the winners.

​For preschoolers simply have them take an item one-by-one to place in the suitcase. 

Ready, set, wait!

​Ministry to Children have some great ideas on this page -- including games, crafts and lesson ideas