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23 June 2024

Bible readings for today


Liturgical colours: GREEN

​Other resources below: 
Matariki is celebrated on Friday 28 June

Collect

E Īhu, te Kaiwhakaora i te tūpuhi,
pakaru mai ai ngā ngaru o te hōhonutanga,
ka ngahoro te whenua, ka waipuke,
ka toromi rānei,
whakawhiti mai ki a mātou i runga i te wai.
Whakarongo ki tēnei īnoi i runga i tōu ingoa.
Āmine. 
​
Jesus, Saviour in storm,
when the waters of the deep are broken up,
when the landmarks are washed away or drowned,
come to us across the water.
Hear this prayer for your name’s sake.
Amen.

Jesus Calms the Storm (Mark 4:35-41)

Calming the storm is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels

The Storm that Stopped

This book is a wonderful retelling of the bible story found in Mark 4, with vivid illustrations and an engaging prose. The Storm that Stopped is a great telling of this story by Alison Mitchell, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri. 
Children's Ministry Plans
​These lesson plans have been created by 'The Storm that Stopped' team. 
​Introduction
Preschool lesson plan (2-4year olds)
Children's Ministry Lesson Plan (5-7year olds)

Jesus and the Storm

Jesus and the Storm storybook, by Lost Sheep. Downloads and other resources available on their website

Activities

Boat prayers

We used these origami boats to pray for the plans that God has for us in the weeks ahead. They are a bit tricky to master first time, so you might like to make some in advance, and then get people to decorate or write prayers on them. And then float your boats in a paddling pool or tub! Instructions here. (the video is helpful!)
Picture
Source: One Little Project

Quick Questions

  • If you could be one person in the story, would you be Jesus or the disciples? Why?
  • Can you think of a time when you have been really afraid? What did you do?
  • Have you ever prayed for help? What happened?

Intergenerational worship

Intergenerational material and ideas from Intergen Australia, written and compiled by Elizabeth Waldron Anstice

Prayer in a Bottle

What you need: paper, pens and felts, bottles (1 per child). Soft drink bottles are ideal! Paddling pool filled with water, or a piece of large blue material to represent water.
What to do: Get each of the children to write/draw a letter (prayer) to God for help with something that scares them or they are having trouble with. 
Roll up the letter and put it in a bottle. Write ‘SOS!’ in large letters on the bottle.
Tell the children about how in the past people would write messages in bottles and throw them out to sea in the hope that someone across the sea would find the message -- either a stranger, or someone they loved (if you were a hopeless romantic!). 
With either the paddling pool or the piece of material, get the children to one by one put their bottle into the ‘water’ and remind them that God hears their prayers, even in the storms. 

Intergenerational Art

Beth Barnett has put together some fantastic Intergenerational resources for Intergen, part of the Centre for Theology & Ministry in Melbourne. 
Today's creative art ideas can be found here. Well worth a look! 

Boat Race

A game for younger children
​What you need: Large boxes from the supermarket.
What to do: Give each child a box and get them to line up at one end of the room.
Get them to kneel inside the box so they can push themselves along with their hands.
When you say ‘Go!’ they have to try and get to the other side of the room first!

Crossing the Sea Tag

A game for older children
​What you need: Nothing!
What to do: Choose someone to be ‘In’. Have them stand in the middle of the room. Get the rest of the children to stand at one end of the room.
The person who is in, calls out ‘Crossing the Sea!’ and all the children have to try and run to the other end of the room without getting tagged. The person who is in tries to tag as many people as they can. If a child gets tagged, they must freeze where they are. They are now also ‘in’ but can only tag people that they can reach without moving. The next round starts when the person who is in calls out ‘Crossing the Sea!’  The game ends when there is no one left to tag!

Gospel Conversations

Some Gospel readings have seriously challenging bits to them ("unforgiveable sins" for example) but this week, to our relief, we have the glorious story of Jesus calming the storm. The poor disciples, who were scared enough when the storm raged, become even more scared when it stopped! Would we be the same? Lisa Emerson, Michael Holdaway and Anne van Gend join Michael (over a slightly dodgy internet connection) to discuss that, and other, questions.
Gospel Conversations 2021
A previous episode from the Dunedin Diocese! 

Media

David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)

There are many bits of 1 Samuel 17 in today's story, so for simplicity, you might like to cover the life of David for children, or focus on a particular part - like when he defeats Goliath.  

Media

David and Goliath - Saddleback Kids (1 Samuel 17: 1-58)

Matariki

Matariki is an ancient festival for Māori, and is also known as the Māori New Year. It  is celebrated every winter when the seven-star constellation, ‘Matariki’ (also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters) appears in the dawn sky. The dates for Matariki change every year around the mid-winter moon cycle, but it’s usually around late May to mid July. In 2023, we are celebrating Matariki with a public holiday on Friday 14 July.

Matariki is also celebrated in wider New Zealand culture, with Pākeha also learning the significance of this time, and it is a part of our pre-school and primary school curriculum.

​So even if Matariki is not something you’re familiar with, Matariki is an opportunity for families of faith to learn more about and celebrate the goodness of our God. Families reflect on the people who have gone before them (their tipuna), and reflect on the beginnings and endings. The appearance of the group of stars reminded people to start preparing their gardens to plan their crops, and give thanks for the food we have stored and preserved. It is a time to share ideas, to remember the past and celebrate the future.
It is the LORD who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. 
He turns darkness into morning and day into night. 
He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land
​Amos 5:8

Resources

Useful Websites and Resources ​
Scripture Union New Zealand
Presbyterian Church
​Our friends in the Presbyterian Church have some great resources listed on their Kids Friendly website. Some of our favourites include:
Te reo to learn
  • Nga Whetu - stars 
  • Te Marama - the moon 
  • Nga Ranginui - the sky

Media
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Bible Explore
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