Ordinary 25

22 September 2024

Bible readings for today

Liturgical colour: GREEN

Season of Creation continues. Resources here.

Collect

E te Atua māhaki,
hōmai he whakaaro kia warewaretia
ngā pānga hē me ngā kino,
he hiahia ki te rapu i ngā painga o ētahi atu,
he ngākau e kī ana i te aroha;
mō te korōria o tōu ingoa tapu.
Āmine.

Give us, we pray you gentle God,
a mind forgetful of past injury,
a will to seek the good in others and a heart of love;
for the glory of your holy name.
Amen.

Who will be the greatest? (Mark 9: 30-37)

Today Jesus reminds us about what greatness looks like in God's eyes.

Welcoming children

"Then Jesus put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”

These words from Mark 9 are at the heart of our children and families ministries, across the church. Its the 'go-to' passage for us, reminding us of the welcome and embrace of God for those most vulnerable in society.

Quick Questions

Who is your hero?
What are you 'best' at?
Why do you think Jesus said 'If you want the place of honour, you must become a slave and serve others!'?

Games to get you thinking

Reverse relay: Get your kids lined up in two (or more) lines for a relay race. You can shout out different movements if you want to mix it up (hop! walk backwards! etc). Just before they start let them know that the person at the back of the line will be running first (and the person at the front will run last).

Unexpected rankings: Play a competitive game of some sort. At the end - congratulate those who didn't do so well and give them a prize. Commisserate with those who came first - "better luck next time". The kids may be highly indignant about this - which can lead nicely into imaginging how the disciples might have felt.

Mixed it up: Use words from the story, or verses, and write the letters or words on individual cards or pieces of paper. Mix up the order and have students place them back in the correct order.

Who is the greatest? Brainstorm people or characters who might be considered the “greatest of all time” in various categories such as sports, politics, food, or super powers.

Kids Talks

The Greatest is the Least (Full lesson plan)
First and Last (Full lesson plan)
A Kids Talk on Mark 9:30-37 - Gary Neal Hansen

Art, Jesus, and Children

Art is a wonderful way for kids to explore and express their understanding of stories and scripture and connect it to what is happening in their lives.

You might like to share some different artistic expressions of Jesus hanging out with kids. Just google 'Jesus and children' and you'll find many depictions. Try and choose a selection of styles and cultures - and particularly art that expresses something of Jesus immense love for our littlest ones in all their glorious chaos, wonder and creativity.

Wonder with the kids about:

What do you notice?
Which is your favourite? Why?
Who would you like to be in these pictures? Why?

Offer the kids art materials and the opportunity to create!

What would a picture of Jesus at your church or home look like?
If you were hanging out with Jesus, what would you be doing?

For more info on connecting to God through images check out Visio Divina here.

Leaders Input

Things to think about & ask your church adults:

When Jesus welcomed a child into the middle of the gathering, did he do so as a sermon illustration for the benefit of the adults, or perhaps for another reason?
Does this act show us about the heart of God?
As Jesus put a child among the crowd, we assume that there were children nearby. Children and all ages gathering around Jesus (not off in a hall somewhere else!). Are children in the midst of your church?
How can we be welcoming of all generations?
Is there anything stopping or hindering your welcome of children into your faith community?

Sermon by Bishop Eleanor:
In this sermon, Bishop Eleanor speaks about the Mark 9 passage, and about a theology of childhood.

Scripture Reflection:
"I tend not to think that Jesus had some sort of crystal ball awareness of the rough journey that dwelled ahead of him. Like many who have given up their lives in the service of truth and justice (I think of Martin Luther King and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyrs; perhaps Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki, too: Google is your friend!) he knew that his trajectory of justice-proclamation, pricking the skins of religious and societal hypocrisy, was soon going to turn to tears. Yet in the midst of that apprehension he turns to one of the most powerless and defenceless in the community and defines the child as a symbol of his own vulnerability and the vulnerability of his gospel. Jesus risked vulnerability, the vulnerability epitomized by a child. The Church, sadly, has in many cases failed horrendously in its duty of care to these icons of Jesus, the vulnerable children. It has failed, too, in its vocation to vulnerability, pontificating instead from assumed positions of power. The two failures are entwined. But let’s reflect on that when we strike passages about millstones and necks and deep oceans. For now let’s just remember that we are called to be vulnerable, not powerful, and to proclaim justice and compassion, not self-preservation."
- Michael Godfrey, Dunedin Diocese

Gospel Conversations 2024: Continuing on through the Gospel of Mark, the disciples have hit the high point of recognising who Jesus is and witnessing the transfiguration, and are clearly a bit carried away by it all. Jesus has to remind them that following him is not all glowing mountaintops, but service and humility. This has major repercussions for us as individuals and as the church, so join Esme, Damon, Anne and Mike as they discuss what they might be.

Gospel Conversations 2021: David Tombs, Fiona Hammond and Diana Abercrombie join Rev Michael Godfrey for a spirited discussion about confused disciples, entering the Kingdom as a child, and the way Jesus flipped expectations upside down. With such eloquent and involved participants, this is a conversation that was difficult to edit down to 15 minutes!

Media

Psalm 1

Psalm 1 Potato Print Trees (Path Through the Narrow Gate)

Create your own psalm

During various Covid levels, our congregation was not allowed to sing, and we came up with creative ways to worship using the psalms.

To replace this corporate aspect of worship, we created a 'Build your own psalm' on Direct Poll. Using a QR code, the congregation used their phones to scan it to start the poll, and we kept track of the most popular votes.
We provided 4 options for people to select, and if there was a tie, we did rock/paper/scissors to choose which was to be included! At the end, we read through all the responses at the end. This worked well for all ages, and we had a few extra devices on hand to include those who may not have one.
The first question was: What our response should be? Answers included e.g "blessed be your name", "you are a good, good God", "your love never fails" etc. After each of the refrains, we would use the chosen response.
Further questions covered all aspects of psalms - from celebration, declaration, lament and praise.
An example of a question was: Select one option - Your love is: "unfailing and trustworthy", "like a mother hen protecting her chicks", "like a loving father", etc. We praise you because: "you have done so much for us", "your love is unending", "your mercies are new every morning"
We had someone typing up the responses directly into the powerpoint, so they could be read together once the poll had been completed.
Choose 6-8 of these topics and then read out your corporate psalm together.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time