23 August 2026
Bible readings for today
Liturgical Colour: GREEN |
CollectAlmighty and everlasting God,
by your Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified; hear the prayer we offer for all your faithful people, that in the ministry to which you have called us we may serve you in holiness and truth; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. E te Atua Kaha rawa mutungakore, nā tōu Wairua ka kawanatia ka whakatapua te kāhui o te Hāhi; whakarongo mai ki tā mātou īnoi mō āu tāngata whakapono katoa, mā roto i a mātou minitatanga, nāu nei mātou i karanga kia mahi ki a koe i roto i te tapu me te pono; Ko Īhu Karaiti tō mātou Ariki me tōu mātou Kaiwhakaora. Āmine. |
Peter, the Rock (Matthew 16:13-20)
In today's reading Jesus asks Peter, "Who do you say I am”, and Peter replys “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus gives Simon a new name - Peter "the rock"
Introduction to discussionYou may like to focus your session on Peter -- and the words that Jesus speaks over his life. Peter is a wonderful example of someone who messes up, time after time, but God still uses him for Good.
Introduce your children to the person of Simon Peter and adventures he had with Jesus. Highlights of his life (Source: here) include:
Intergenerational worshipA collection of intergenerational worship ideas, written and compiled by Chris Barnett. See the Intergen website for details.
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Questions
Gospel ConversationsWho do we say Jesus is? Peter, for once - and briefly - gets it right, but what are the implications of both what he says to Jesus and what Jesus says to him, for us individually and for the church? A team from the Dunedin Diocese (Michael, David, Nat and Richard) tackle some difficult and some hope-filled ideas in this week's discussion.
Game - who am I?Preparation:
You will need large pictures of famous people. (Magazines are a good place for this) Cut each picture into six pieces. (Make sure you know how to put them back together!!!! Put all the pieces of a complete picture in a separate envelope. What to do: Get the children to sit in a circle. Tell them that you are going to give them a puzzle that they need to put together again. Empty one envelope and get them to put it back together. When they succeed, ask them if they can tell you who it is and why they are famous. Repeat with another envelope. Game - people charadesPreparation:
You will need a list of people or characters that the children will be familiar with eg, Jesus, SpongeBob Squarepants, Donald Duck, etc. What to do: Divide the children into two teams, and number each team member. Separate the teams so they are back to back and can’t see the other team. Ask the first team member from each team to come up the front. Explain that in a moment, you will show them the name of a famous person. What they then must do is without speaking, get their own team to guess who the person is. The first team to guess correctly gets a point. Keep going until every member has had a turn. The team with the most points wins. Interview with JesusNote: for younger children you might like to go through the questions together and then get them to draw a picture of themselves and Jesus doing something together eg. Playing in the playground
What you need: A copy of the interview template, felts and crayons, bibles What to do: The children can do this individually, in pairs or as a big group. Give them each a copy of the interview questions and a bible. Get them to answer as many questions as they can (some of the questions they can feel free to make up the answers for!) After answering the questions, fold the interview sheet in half and then decorate the cover. After a set time, ask the children to come back together as one large group. Invite those that want to share their answers to do so with the larger group. If you have time, then divide the children into pairs and get them to interview each other. 
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Moses in the papyrus basket (Exodus 1:8-22, 2:1-10)
When Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, declared that all Hebrew baby boys should be killed, the midwives had incredible courage to protect and save the boys. When the wife of Levi had a baby boy, and she kept him hidden for three months. When she could no longer keep him hidden safely, she put him in a papyrus basket, covered with tar and pitch to make it waterproof, and floated it down the Nile in the hope that someone would find him and keep him safe. Pharaoh's own daughter found him, and asked Levi's mother to look after him. She named him Moses, which means “I drew him out of the water.”
IntroductionMoses is the most important Jewish prophet. He's traditionally credited with writing the Torah and with leading the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. In the book of Exodus, he's born during a time when the Pharaoh of Egypt has ordered every male Hebrew to be drowned.
Baby Moses paper plate craftA paper plate craft from Let their light shine!
Image sourced from Let their light shine
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Children's programmesScripture Union Scotland has a great new resource, One Big Story, for helping kids unpack the Bible over 2 years, and their material in Term 2 covers the story of Moses. See more here >>
Activities
Bible ProjectAn overview of the first part of Exodus, from the BibleProject. A great introduction to this passage for anyone preaching or leading, wanting to have a broader understanding of the story of Moses.
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