17 November 2024
Bible readings for today
Liturgical Colour: WHITE |
CollectE te Atua, tō mātou rangatira,
kaiarataki hoki, kia tae mai mātou ki te wāhi e wehe ai te huarahi, pupuritia mātou ki te ara tika a te Karaiti, e ora ai ki te whakahau i ngā mahi onāianei, me te āhei ki te oranga mutunga kore. i roto pū i a Īhu Karaiti tō mātou Ariki. Āmine. God, our ruler and guide, when we come to the place where the road divides, keep us true to the way of Christ, alive to the present opportunities, and confident of eternal life. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. |
Jesus speaks about the future (Mark 13:1-8)
Leaders InputIs the end of the world near?
It was Peter, Andrew, John, and James who heard a bit of the conversation and figured Jesus was talking the end of the world. They wanted to know more... ...and they were pretty anxious about the answer! What do you think? What did Jesus say? Well he was actually kind of low key about it. He has three words of wisdom on the topic. What were they? Well, read on...
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Gospel Conversations 2024: We're getting to that time of year where all the apolcalyptic parts of the Gospels are brought to our Sundays. This week we have the disciples gaping in amazement at the glories of the Temple, and Jesus telling them calmly that it will shortly be no more than rubble. But that was the 1st Century. What do we learn from this now? John Franklin, Jeremy Nicoll and Lucy Flatt join Mike this week to work it out.
Gospel Conversations 2021: Rev Michael Godfrey describes this week's gospel as "a prickly little scripture," and it is a difficult one. As we approach Advent, we begin Mark's "Little Apocalypse": Jesus' predictions of the destruction of the Temple and other tragedies. What do the rumours of disaster 2000 years ago tell us about maintaining hope and avoiding despair and apathy in the face of our own crises?
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Kids TalksWhen things fall apart: Simple message on keeping our focus on the one thing that will never fall apart - God! (RFour.org)
The end of the world (or not?): A children's sermon about Mark 13:1-8 (garynealhansen.com) Be careful who you follow: A very short simple talk, using a Simon-says type game to show we shouldn't let ourselves be tricked by people pretending to be Jesus. Following along: Another very short talk about choosing who we follow carefully. Getting distracted: (for older kids) A talk that uses 3d stereograms to talk about how we need to focus on what's important. Questions to think about:(garynealhansen.com)
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Games to get you goingCup Stacking Game
Jenga
Games about distraction/focus
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A New Covenant (Hebrews 10:11-25)
Intergenerational Worship
Holiness and Humanness: Tied into One (Hebrews 10:11-14)
These resources are adapted from the material originally made available as part of the six week Holiness and Humanness series). Sometimes highlighting the words in a bible passage that begin with the same letter can be a useful way of starting the process of exploring the significance of the text. So, for today’s reading from Hebrews 10:11-14 such an approach is being suggested. The reading from Hebrews 10:11-14 describes how in Jesus’s life and death he joins together all of our brokenness, our sins, our needs, our joys, our challenges, our fortunes, our griefs, our lives - all in one perfect, complete offering of Jesus’ life - to the grace of God. Using symbols of… • yarn for tangled ideas • crepe streamers for fragile relationships • beads for tears of grief • plasticine for things that are out of shape • ribbons for the beautiful love of God that we know in Jesus …the Creative Prayer resource encourages the bringing of all our prayers to the one place - the cross - and the bringing of all our lives to be joined in the one complete and perfect offering of Jesus’ life. [From intergen.org.au] |
Hannah and Baby Samuel (1 Samuel 2:1-10)
Today's story looks at Hannah and the baby Samuel.
Leaders InputHelping our children trust
This week, be intentional about lifting each child up with kind words and actions. Trust is so important. Our children can be battered around (emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically) throughout the week so go the extra mile in making church and children’s church a safe haven. When our children trust us and know that we’ll take care of them by being kind, understanding and listening to what they have to say, they can relax and learn to trust God, too. Letting go (for parents)
As a parent, I read the story of Hannah and Samuel with amazement, joy, admiration and a gut wrenching sense of uncertainty. Could I have done what Hannah did? Could I have given up the answer to my prayers? Could I have let go and kept my promise? Letting go of our children is a tough one, and most of us are not required to let go the way that Hannah did. Not withstanding the incredible and miraculous events surrounding the story, as parents, we too are continually faced with letting go. From our toddler who wants to pick out her own clothes, to our 5 year old just starting school, parenting is about the balance between holding on and letting go. We want to love, teach, resource, and support our children so that eventually they will be able to be independent. It can be a rough road. I know of parents whose children have left for uni or their OE who are devastated; empty nesters who don’t know what to do with themselves. Letting go doesn’t start when our children move out, it starts when they’re wee; when our baby squirms to get down from our arms, when our preschooler races off to kindy friends, when our older child chooses to bike to school, when we allow our teens to drive the car or set their own bedtime. This week, identify moments throughout the day when you are practicing letting go- not to push your child away, but to allow them to grow into the person of God that He has ordained them to be. |
BibleProject overview on the book of 1 Samuel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In 1 Samuel, God reluctantly raises up kings to rule the Israelites. The first is a failure, and the second, David, is a faithful replacement.
The BibleProject poster of the books of Samuel
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Trust gameA game about listening and trusting
What you need: Nothing What you do:
A talk about trustSay something like: I once had a friend named Kim*. I really liked being with her. She was fun and interesting. We used to like to walk together so we could chat while we were exercising. But then something happened. She got busier at work, so it was harder to arrange time together. A few times, I invited Kim over or to go out for a walk and she said she couldn’t make it. Then she called and asked if I were free the next morning and I was. So we planned to meet, but Kim didn’t show up. I thought maybe she’d forgotten so wasn’t too worried. But it happened again. We made a plan, and she wasn’t where we’d planned to meet. We organized to go out for coffee with 2 other friends and the three of us waited for Kim, but she didn’t come. It wasn’t a good feeling at all. I felt like I couldn’t trust her and didn’t want to make any more plans with her. It was a bit sad. Kim had been a good friend, but it didn’t feel like she valued our friendship. In some ways, Hannah must have felt sad, not only that she didn’t have a child of her own, but also wondering whether God had really heard her prayers- and whether he was going to answer. But God always hears and answers. His answer might not always be ‘yes!’ He listens carefully. He always ‘shows up’. We never have to worry that God is going to forget about us. Through Eli, God promised Hannah a son, and Hannah made a promise back to God. Hannah’s prayers were answered- that was God’s promise. And Hannah gave Samuel to God’s service- that was Hannah’s promise! * If you have a similar story, use your own examples, names, etc. If you don’t have a similar story, you can say something like, “There was once a girl named Julie who had a friend named Kim” I wonder questions
Talking about HannahSome discussion questions:
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Exploring Hannah with preschoolersUsing eggs and odds and ends to talk with preschoolers about the story of Hannah and keeping promises. From our friends at flamecreative
Teaspoon prayersThis is a simple way to help people learn to pray.
What you need: Optional: A teaspoon for each person or one to hold up for the group What you do: Explain what tsp prayers are. Say something like:
A wee teaspoon prayer craft kids can take home as a reminder. |
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