13 July 2025
Bible readings for todayToday is also Sea Sunday
Liturgical Colour: GREEN New Zealand State schools start tomorrow (Term 3) |
CollectE te Atua kaha rawa,
nāu mātou i ako e āu kupu ko te aroha te whakatutuki o te ture; meatia kia aroha pono ō mātou ngākau ki a koe me ō mātou hoa tata anō ko mātou; Ko Īhu Karaiti tō mātou Ariki. Āmine. Almighty God, you teach us in your word that love is the fulfilling of the law; grant that we may love you with all our heart and our neighbour as ourselves; through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen. |
Sea Sunday
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From the Sea Sunday website: "The second Sunday in July, is when we come together across the globe to celebrate the role seafarers play in our daily lives. To thank them for the hardships they face and the sacrifices they have been forced to endure due to the Covid lockdowns. You can join with your church, community group, school or individually.
From London to Lagos and Manila to Melbourne, our community gathers together to give something back to these essential workers who spend months away from their families in often difficult conditions to help keep our global economy afloat. Mission to Seafarers Wellington - Facebook Page |
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Boat themed Activities
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Boat RaceA 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! Prayer in a BottleWhat 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. |
Crossing the Sea TagA 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! Boat prayersWe 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!)
Source: One Little Project
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The Greatest Commandment (Luke 10:25-28)
One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!" (New Living Translation)
Activities
- Pipecleaner Moses Craft (Bible Story Printables)
- Folding Optical Illusion (Jesus Without Language)
- One God Hand Craft (Catholic Icing)
- Paper Plate Heart Weaving (Red Ted Art)
- Heart Craft (True Aim Education)
- Water Colour and Crayon Messages (Flame Creative Kids)
The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
Visio LectioAnother great illustration from Rev. Sarah West from Auckland, shared with permission
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ActivitiesIf it were you and reflection sheet - downloadable worksheet with modern day scenarios (Ministry Spark)
Retelling the Good Samaritan using shapes (Flame Creative) Good Samaritan Story Bag (Flame Creative) Lift the Flap Book (Jesus without language) Printable Images (Jesus without language) Good Samaritan Mini Theatre (Jesus without language) Gospel ConversationsSometimes we are given obscure or difficult Gospel readings to discuss. This week is a different problem. Everyone - well, almost everyone - knows the parable of the Good Samaritan, so what can we learn from it which will strike us afresh? Bishop Steve, Jerry Morris and Lisa Emerson from the Dunedin Diocese give us a wealth of ideas to challenge and cheer us.
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Media
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