11 July 2024
Bible readings for today7Ordinary Sunday
Sea Sunday
Liturgical Colour: GREEN Sea Sunday is the second Sunday in July |
CollectE te Atua,
tō mātou kaha, tūmanako hoki, tukua mai te hautoa o Hoani te Kaiiriiri kia tūturu ai te kōrero pono kia kaha ki te turaki i te hē me te manawanui, ahakoa ngā mamaetanga mō te pono; i runga i te ingoa o Īhu Karaiti tō mātou Ariki. Āmine. God our strength and our hope, grant us the courage of John the Baptist, constantly to speak the truth, boldly to rebuke vice and patiently to suffer for the truth’s sake; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. |
Sea Sunday
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From the Sea Sunday website: "The second Sunday in July, is when we come together across the globe to celebrate the role seafarers play in our daily lives. To thank them for the hardships they face and the sacrifices they have been forced to endure due to the Covid lockdowns. You can join with your church, community group, school or individually.
From London to Lagos and Manila to Melbourne, our community gathers together to give something back to these essential workers who spend months away from their families in often difficult conditions to help keep our global economy afloat. Mission to Seafarers Wellington - Facebook Page |
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Jesus Calms the Storm (Mark 4:35-41)
Calming the storm is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels.
The Storm that StoppedThis book is a wonderful retelling of the bible story found in Mark 4, with vivid illustrations and an engaging prose. The Storm that Stopped is a great telling of this story by Alison Mitchell, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri.
Children's MinistryThese lesson plans have been created by 'The Storm that Stopped' team.
Introduction Preschool lesson plan (2-4year olds) Children's Ministry Lesson Plan (5-7year olds) Activities
Quick Questions
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Jesus and the StormJesus and the Storm storybook, by Lost Sheep. Downloads and other resources available on their website
Prayer in a BottleWhat you need: paper, pens and felts, bottles (1 per child). Soft drink bottles are ideal! Paddling pool filled with water, or a piece of large blue material to represent water.
What to do: Get each of the children to write/draw a letter (prayer) to God for help with something that scares them or they are having trouble with. Roll up the letter and put it in a bottle. Write ‘SOS!’ in large letters on the bottle. Tell the children about how in the past people would write messages in bottles and throw them out to sea in the hope that someone across the sea would find the message -- either a stranger, or someone they loved (if you were a hopeless romantic!). With either the paddling pool or the piece of material, get the children to one by one put their bottle into the ‘water’ and remind them that God hears their prayers, even in the storms. Water Art prayers
Intergenerational ArtBeth Barnett has put together some fantastic Intergenerational resources for Intergen, part of the Centre for Theology & Ministry in Melbourne.
Today's creative art ideas can be found here. Well worth a look! Boat RaceA game for younger children
What you need: Large boxes from the supermarket. What to do: Give each child a box and get them to line up at one end of the room. Get them to kneel inside the box so they can push themselves along with their hands. When you say ‘Go!’ they have to try and get to the other side of the room first! Crossing the Sea TagA game for older children
What you need: Nothing! What to do: Choose someone to be ‘In’. Have them stand in the middle of the room. Get the rest of the children to stand at one end of the room. The person who is in, calls out ‘Crossing the Sea!’ and all the children have to try and run to the other end of the room without getting tagged. The person who is in tries to tag as many people as they can. If a child gets tagged, they must freeze where they are. They are now also ‘in’ but can only tag people that they can reach without moving. The next round starts when the person who is in calls out ‘Crossing the Sea!’ The game ends when there is no one left to tag! Boat prayersWe used these origami boats to pray for the plans that God has for us in the weeks ahead. They are a bit tricky to master first time, so you might like to make some in advance, and then get people to decorate or write prayers on them. And then float your boats in a paddling pool or tub! Instructions here. (the video is helpful!)
Source: One Little Project
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The Death of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14-29)
This week's RCL gospel reading is a difficult one - the beheading of John the Baptist. We wouldn't necessarily advocate for this story to be told in children's ministry programmes or in an intergenerational context, but adults may like to chew this passage over in a sermon. However, a story like this reminds us that a sermon can never 'only be for adults' - there are often young ears in the room, even if you have a full children's programme. Please be sensitive to this, when preparing any material for main church services!
In this passage, there are themes of prophecy, power, and truth that connect this passage to the Amos reading.
In this passage, there are themes of prophecy, power, and truth that connect this passage to the Amos reading.
Gospel ConversationsWho is Jesus? The key question of Mark's gospel continues to challenge us.
Think of this week's story of the beheading of John the Baptist. Is it a challenging story? Certainly. Is there a "so what?" to take away? Conceivably. Is there good news in it? Now, that takes some digging for! Fortunately we have a superb group of thinkers and faith-ers to tackle the passage. Lisa Emerson, John Franklin, and Mannie Marara join Michael to find where the gospel in this week's Gospel may be. Gospel Conversations 2021: +Steve, Gillian and Alec tackle a rather difficult gospel passage together. What do we do with the story of John the Baptist being beheaded? Where is the good news in this "gospel of two halves," and who do we say Jesus is?
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Psalm 24
Psalm 24 tells of God's amazing world
Earth craft activities
There are lots of great creative ideas to help celebrate God's amazing earth -- where do you start? Here are a few craft ideas that might be suitable for younger children (click on the pictures below to go to the website)
What's the plan? (Ephesians 1:3-14)
EphesiansThe New Testament reading for today marks the start of seven weeks of Ephesians. If you are looking for a series to dig into, during Ordinary Time in the calendar, then perhaps this might be for you. You can find more about Ephesians here
Adopted and loved"God decided in advance to adopt us into his family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ" - Ephesians 1:5.
Ephesians can be a beautiful, hard, confusing and amazing book to read - all in one! While I have had many a conversation about the theological complexities of predestination around this passage, the concept of adoption is a beautiful one to unpack with children. Chosen, not out of obligation or duty, but loved unconditionally through choice. God is "so rich in kindness and grace" (v.7) |
What's the plan?Have you ever wondered what God's plan for you is? Or for your church? Your neighbourhood, the world? Good news! Just have a read of Ephesians 1:10, which lets us into the answer:
"This is the plan: At the right time he (God) will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth." (NLT). God has a confident, clear and hope-filled plan. Intergenerational worshipA collection of resources around this Ephesians reading, written and compiled by Katherine Ruhle for Intergen Australia. The resources provided give many opportunities for people to hear, engage with, reflect on, and respond to God’s spiritual blessings in their lives. It is hoped that people can fully ‘breathe in’ God’s goodness, grace and forgiveness, and have time to reflect on what God’s blessings mean to them.
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