1 September 2024
Bible readings for today22nd Ordinary SundayLiturgical Colour: GREEN
The Builders of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Today marks the start of the Season of Creation, and is also Fathers Day in New Zealand. |
CollectCollect for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
E te Matua Māhaki, whakaaturia ō mātou hara e tū tāheke nei kia pai ai tā mātou whāki i aua hara kia mōhio ai ki te hōhonutanga me te whai rawa o tōu atawhai. E īnoi ana mātou i roto i a Īhu Karaiti tō mātou Ariki. Āmine. Gentle Father, show us our sins as they really are so that we may truly renounce them and know the depth and richness of your mercy. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. |
Season of Creation
The Season of Creation starts on 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on 4 October, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. The Season of Creation is an annual celebration of prayer and action to protect creation, and has been gaining traction around the world as something to focus on during September - a particularly good month for the Southern Hemisphere as the days get warmer and new growth gets underway.
Creation care in the BibleA comprehensive survey of Biblical verses from Genesis to Revelation that tell us about ourselves and creation. As a bonus, Leunig made some cartoons to illustrate it.
Kids MinistryKelvin the Kakapo - (Anglican Schools Office)
Ten lessons on caring for creation, including age-appropriate input, activities, stories from around the world and meaningful things you can do together. Companions with Creation (Wellington Anglican Movement) A term’s worth of learning how to better care for God’s beloved creation as individuals, members of a nuclear family, and contributors to a wider community. Season of Creation Resource for children's church and families Some creative creation ideas for children's church and families. Created by Angela Blundell, Children and Family Ministries Anglican Diocese of Auckland
Prayer ideasThese prayer ideas for use with kids could easily be adapted into prayer stations:
Carbon Footprints Plastic Planet Weather series Forest Thanks Climate Change Windmills Great books to check out
Wild Worship - Rachel Summers
A practical guide full of reflection, prayer and activities to help families and church groups experience God in a new way. As a forest school practitioner Rachel Summers wants to "...hold space to allow others to connect with creation" helping people find joy in finding God without walls and ceilings. (Challenging to find in NZ - try PaperPlus, Koorong or Amazon). 
Worship in the Woods (Engage Worship)
An amazing 10 week resource for worshipping outdoors, focusing on trees, light, roots, fungi, leaves, seeds, flowers, fruit, water and birds. Available in ebook format. 
Messy Church goes wild - Lucy Moore
This book encourages Messy Churches to meet God outdoors, love the natural world, experience a sense of awe and wonder there and to be more eco-aware in all we do, both inside and out, as gathered and dispersed church, for the good of the planet. Teaching kids to care for God's creation - Catholic resource offering thirty lessons that will engage children, teachers, and families in the good work of keeping our planet livable and sustainable for coming generations.
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Leaders /Adult Input
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Media
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Father's Day
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Today is Fathers' day in New Zealand, celebrated on the first Sunday of the month. To help you navigate this day in a sensitive way, check out the Strandz page for more resources and ideas for honouring all the men in your community.
Loving each otherFather's Day, and Mothers Day, can be difficult for many. It can be painful for those who do not have a Dad, for those who have lost a Dad, and for those who have difficult relationships with their fathers or sons. It can be painful for those who wish to be fathers or for those who have lost their partners. For these reasons, and many more, I recommend using these days as celebrations of spiritual parents (anyone), and making gifts for a variety of different people who have had positive impacts in children's lives.
Ideas
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God Loves You CardsWhat you need: Card, assorted bits of coloured paper, magazines etc to decorate with, scissors, glue, felts and crayons.
Preparation: You might like to make a few examples of card designs. There are plenty of ideas on the internet if you are feeling un-creative. Try searching 'making cards' or 'card designs' and see what you can find! What to do: Instruct the children that they can decorate their card anyway they like, and include the message 'God loves you!' in the middle. For younger children you might like to pre-write this in the blank cards. When they have finished, get them to choose who they want to send the card to. It might be someone in the congregation, a neighbour, a teacher etc. Remind them that God's love is for everyone, so perhaps they could give the card to someone they might not normally give a card to. |
Songs
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That which defiles (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23)
In today's passage, Jesus talks to the Pharisees about the rules they have and the way they tried to catch people breaking them. Today they asked him about why his disciples weren't keeping strict rules around eating, and Jesus reminds them that having a clean heart is even more important. The words we use can be a reflection of the state of our heart.
Washing handsLiving in a world with Covid-19, where good hand hygiene has been even more important than ever, it may be tempting to read today's gospel passage and think that the Pharisees and scribes have a good point! Its important to remember that they were not concerned with good sanitation, but with the keeping of lots of rules and regulations that would make someone ritually clean. Their rules are for exclusion, not including people into God's kingdom.
Quick Questions
Prayer JengaPrayer Jenga uses the popular game to encourage all ages to pray. Write prayer ideas on each of the blocks, and assemble your tower. As each person removes a block, they read out the prayer idea on the block and pray a quick prayer for it. It is a great way to get all ages praying out loud, in a fun and creative way.
Thanks to the Kitchen Table Project for the great idea. 
Prayer PlacematsUsing the paper, pens and craft materials around your house, design a placemat for someone else in the family, reminding them how much you love them. The passage from today reminds us that our heart is the source of the words we share, so take a moment to pray for that person and share words of encouragement, hope and love. Share them with each other at dinner time, and take a moment to explain what your picture represents.
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Leaders InputAre we training good little Pharisees? Great article by 1517, thinking about what messages we are giving to our kids.
Gospel Conversations 2024: A change of format this week! Anne and Michael were both away, so Trish Franklin, Eddie O'Connor, and Lisa Emerson soldiered on without them. We're exploring sections of Mark 7:1-23, talking about systems, integrity, authenticity, and focusing on Jesus. Gospel Conversations 2021: Peg Riley, until recently long-time chaplain of St Margaret's College in Christchurch, joins Bishop Kelvin, Alec Clark and Michael to dig deep into a potentially tricky passage of Mark's gospel. What does it mean to balance the inner and outer life of faith, to ensure the walls come down between us and others, to focus once again on the core of it all: love?
Scripture Reflections"Mark frequently depicts the scribes and Pharisees as habitual opponents of Jesus, for ever attempting to trap or trip him, to embarrass him in front of his followers and undermine his mana. The contrast Jesus makes between outward piety (Paul and Luther’s “works”) and inward devotion (akin to holy eros) silences, for now, the schemers. A similar and similarly unsuccessful trap, more obscure to modern readers, is depicted in the omitted verses. Love, compassion, and justice will not be silenced." - Rev. Michael Godfrey
Intergen WorshipThe readings from Mark 7:1-23 and James 1:17-27 help us focus on our actions as well as our words. Check out Intergen Australia's resources created by Michelle Cook, which considers how our both our words and actions are needed to care for creation.
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Great retelling of Jesus and the Pharisees. Includes a summary and some good questions:
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Listening and doing (James 1:17-27)
The reading from James ties in well with the gospel passage today, reminding the reader of the importance of words that match the heart.
Inspiring people: Helen KellerHelen Keller became a celebrated author, educator, and activist who believed in equality for people with disabilities. Before she made history as the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college, Helen was a smart kid who loved learning. She overcame many challenges to learn how to read, write, and talk. She spoke up for other people with disabilities so they could get equal rights. Explore how Helen Keller went from being a young girl in Alabama to the world-famous First Lady of Courage." - Book Depository
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Leaders InputChurch of Scotland's resources for today can be found here
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