4 September 2022
Bible readings for today |
CollectGod of gentleness,
you give up all to be with us; enable us to love, obey, and hold fast to you alone, so that we may complete what we have started, built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. |
Season of Creation
This week marks the beginning of Season of Creation, a time in the church calendar when we are called to prayer and action to protect God's creation. Check out our resources here
Being a disciple (Luke 14:25-33)
Difficult passagesIt's passages like this one that make the lectionary hard work! How do you navigate such difficult passages, such as this one in Luke, as an adult -- let alone explain it to children?
We believe that there are age appropriate scriptures, and certainly there are some things in the Bible that might not be suitable for them to hear yet. However, it is our role and responsibility to steward these scriptures with love and care, and help our tamariki unpack them in a way that kindles their faith and grows their love of God. Take time to think about how you will approach this passage. Perhaps you don't read it all? Perhaps you choose a couple of verses to focus on. Perhaps you paraphrase, explain, unpack, and sensitively translate. Remember that for children, their families are their safety nets and most important people in their lives, so to hear that Jesus says we cannot be his follower if we love our parents more than God, is tough to digest at such a young age. A couple of the activities below highlight the importance of 'commitment' -- this is a great concept for kids to grasp, and a foot in the door to help them understand perhaps what jesus meant in Luke 14. Remembering Jesus bookmarkWhat you need:
CommittmentWhat is one thing that you really enjoy that you couldn’t live without? Why is it important to you? (Pause for discussion)
In today’s story, Jesus was telling the crowd that in order to follow him, they had to follow him with all their heart and make it the top priority in their lives. Wow! That’s quite a commitment!! Why do you think it was important to Jesus that his followers made him a priority? (pause) Well, I think that Jesus was teaching the people about commitment. How many of you are part of a sports team, or have been in a school play or have done a group project for school? What is it like when someone doesn’t turn up and they are supposed to, how does it make you feel? (pause) Well, I feel upset because if they had a specific job to do, then someone else has to cover for them, and if it’s a practice then I get annoyed because they won’t know what to do when they do turn up. Its very frustrating. So when Jesus is asking his followers to make him a priority, I think he is trying to tell them to not let other things distract them from learning from Jesus about the Kingdom of God . So what does this mean for us do you think? What are some things we can do to make following Jesus a priority? (pause) Give them time to think of ideas, including reading the bible regularly, praying and talking to God, going to church, loving others like Jesus would love them, forgiving people, being kind, etc. |
Gospel ConversationsThis is the sort of gospel reading that might make you think it was a good Sunday for preaching on the Old Testament ... but maybe that's exactly the attitude Jesus is addressing here! How do we face the tough demands of Jesus' teaching, and why would we want to? Apparently we need particular "ears to hear" the answers. A team from the Dunedin Diocese share their thoughts: Gillian, Jan and Anne join Michael to wrestle with the costs, joys and goals of discipleship.
Visio LectioAnother great print design from Rev. Sarah West at Visio Lectio, shared here with permission
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Commitment questions
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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 resources and ideas for honouring all the men in your community.
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. |
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Father's Day Ideas
Father's day, and Mothers day, is fraught for a variety of different reasons. It can be painful for those who do not have a Dad, or those who have lost Dads. It can also 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.
- Jar of Hershey's Kisses (It's Written on the Walls)
- M&Ms (Sisters What)
- Plant Pots (Whimsical Mumblings)
- Cookies (Living Locurto)
- Superhero Cards (The Best Ideas for Kids)
- Framed Fingerprints
- Fold out Card (Artsy Craftsy Mom)
- Seed Bombs (One Little Project)
Good Good Father
I have loved this worship song from Chris Tomlin, ever since I first heard it. Perhaps it was the simple words, the melody, the reminder that God is a loving, good Father -- who's integrity and character doesn't change, even when I don't have all the answers. Perhaps its just a classic Chris Tomlin song.
However, this song has become more meaningful to me recently.
A few years ago, I travelled back to the UK, to sit beside my grandmother in a hospital room as she lived out the final two weeks of her life with Leukemia. One day, a chaplain dropped by and was talking to my gran, and asked if she would like to hear a song. He pulled out a little bluetooth speaker, and the room was filled with 'Good Good Father'. My 92 year old grandmother lay peacefully still, smiling, as she soaked in the words. She loved it. So much that she asked for it to be played at the small 'celebration of life' service that was held at home for her a couple of weeks later. God's goodness and grace doesn't change -- no matter how old we are. His love for us is the same. He is a good good father.
— Diana, Anglican Diocese of Wellington.
However, this song has become more meaningful to me recently.
A few years ago, I travelled back to the UK, to sit beside my grandmother in a hospital room as she lived out the final two weeks of her life with Leukemia. One day, a chaplain dropped by and was talking to my gran, and asked if she would like to hear a song. He pulled out a little bluetooth speaker, and the room was filled with 'Good Good Father'. My 92 year old grandmother lay peacefully still, smiling, as she soaked in the words. She loved it. So much that she asked for it to be played at the small 'celebration of life' service that was held at home for her a couple of weeks later. God's goodness and grace doesn't change -- no matter how old we are. His love for us is the same. He is a good good father.
— Diana, Anglican Diocese of Wellington.
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