5 November 2023
Bible readings for todayAll Saints Day
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time If All Saints’ Day is celebrated on Wednesday 1 November, then you can use these readings:
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CollectAlmighty God,
give your people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the one true God; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. E te Atua kaha rawa, tukua mai he kaha ki tāu iwi, kia ū ai rātou ki ngā whakamātautauranga o te ao, a te kikokiko, a te rewera hoki; kia tapatahi ai hoki te hinengaro ki te aru i a koe, te Atua pono. Ko Īhu Karaiti tō mātou Kaiwhakaora. Āmine. |
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12)
IntroductionThe Sermon on the mount is one of the most enduring and most loved teachings of Jesus' ministry. This radical teaching went against the popular rhetoric that said our 'good deeds' were enough for God. However, this series of 9 truths point to a God who cares about our internal transformation and personal relationship with our Creator, more than the acts we can do for Him.
ActivitiesJigsaw Puzzle (Sunday school Zone)
The Beatitudes Poster (Sunday school Zone) Beatitude bookmarks (Sunday school Zone) Colouring pages (The Colouring Pages) Folding paper activity (Etsy - pay to download resource) What are the beatitudes? (Children's Ministry Deals) "Bee-Attitudes" Poster (Biblewise) Teaching curriculumIf you're looking for a longer teaching series on the Beatitudes for children, then have a look at the Kid's Travel Guide to the Beatitudes by Group Publishing. It has 13 sessions, and provides some fun object lessons and activities for each of the beatitudes.
Beatitudes cardsAn idea for some great little cards to help explain the beatitudes in child-friendly language. The full instructions can be found on the Flame Creative Children's Ministry website here.
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Visio Lectio
Read the storyYou can find today's story in:
Colouring SheetIn light of current events in Ukraine, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have asked that Sunday 27th February is used as a day of prayer for peace. Flame Creative have put together a colouring sheet
For the colouring sheet on its own, click here. For the colouring sheet with the Archbishops' prayer for Peace in Ukraine, click here. Together we prayPrayers for church worship from the Diocese of Wellington, found here
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Hypocrasy (Matthew 23:1-12)
Gospel ConversationsThis is a first for our Conversation: three bishops! And a challenging passage for anyone in church leadership to tackle. Rev. Michael Godfrey welcomes Bishop Steve Maina who joins Bishop Kelvin Wright, Bishop Steve Benford, and of course Michael, to wrestle with what we, who are part of a large church institution, do with Jesus' words on leadership.
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Joshua crosses the Jordan River (Joshua 3:7-17)
Activities
- Stone Memorials (Grace and Wonder)
- River Crossing Game (Teampedia)
- Rock Activities (Mrs Plemons Kindergarten)
- Printable Craft (Crafting the Word of God)
- Story Telling with Blue Jelly (Grace and Wondering)
- Ark of Covenant 3D Craft (Crafting the Word of God)
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All Saints Day
People are always curious about who we are, and where we come from. In Maori culture, knowing and understanding your whakapapa (your place in your geneology) has been an important part of identity. All Saints day is a day in the Christian calendar that reminds us of some important Christian brothers and sisters whose lives have been acclaimed by others over the years. We remember the fathers of the faith, the prophets, Mary and Jospeh, the apostles and so many other biblical saints. We also commemorate the saints of the Christian Church including martyrs like Perpetua, teachers like Augustine, and mystics like St. Teresa of Avila.
Later, All Souls Day was added to the church calendar on November 2nd, as a way to acknowledge all believers in the church who have died, and it provides a time to give thanks to God for those men and women of faith in our lives.
Later, All Souls Day was added to the church calendar on November 2nd, as a way to acknowledge all believers in the church who have died, and it provides a time to give thanks to God for those men and women of faith in our lives.
Chalk WindowsIf you have any clear windows in your church, you can use liquid chalk markers to write on them. Invite people to write the names of those who are the saints of your community, or whose lives exemplify the beatitudes. It can be a way to surround ourselves with the cloud of witnesses. (These will wipe off very easily with a damp cloth).
RememberingIf part of your tradition is to remember those who have died during the year on All Saints/All Souls you could:
The courage to live eternally“If Easter is when Christianity celebrates the resurrection of Christ, All Saints’ is when Christianity celebrates the resurrection of the rest of us. The focus of Easter is the victory of Jesus over death and the grave. The focus of All Saints’ is resurrection and life eternal for the rest of us.
I think it can be an act of courage to believe in eternal life and to strive to live lives consistent with this belief. It takes courage to live as though our lives matter eternally — even if they seem to us very ordinary, even frustrating and disappointing. It takes courage to believe that our lives matter beyond this lifetime, or even the earthly memory of it, when so much of what we do seems trivial and even pointless. It takes courage to choose to do the good and just thing in terms of eternity, rather than what is easiest, even when it will cost us something in the short-term and nobody will much notice or care anyway” Reverend Dean Snyder. Read the rest here All Saints resourcesThis video from Evangelisation Brisbane (Catholic Church) has some ideas - bunting, litany - that could be included or modified to mark All Saints Days
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Gospel ConversationsAll Saints' Day! One of the great feasts of the Church. We hear Jesus in Luke's Gospel describing what the "blessed" ones are in God's Kingdom, and it's not what anyone hearing it for the first time would ever have expected! Join Alec, Jenny and Lisa as they overcome some technical glitches (you'll notice that our team magically rearrange themselves at one point on the screen) to talk over with Michael some life-changing ideas.
Easter and All SaintsIf you had special decorations, like an Alleluia banner, in your church for Easter, today is a great day to bring them back out. Drawing on the Rev. Dean Snyder’s perspective, if Easter celebrates Christ’s resurrection, then All Saints is when we celebrate the resurrection of the rest of us.
For more info, see here Godly playWhy not try this Godly Play inspired YouTube clip for All Saints' Day? One of many such clips from the St Albans Diocese (UK) based on the Revised Common Lecfionary. You could always use this for inspiration and create your own NZ version.
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