Weekly Devotions - December 9, 2012 - 2nd Sunday in Advent

Here is the Weekly devotion for the 2nd Sunday in Advent - December 9, 2012

Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!

Notice something different about on the back page? Dinner Devotions are now called "Faith on the Go!" It's the same great household Bible study, but formatted to work with "Faith Five" from Faith Inkubators.

Children's Sermon All Saints Sunday 2012

Scripture: Isaiah 25: 6-9 or Revelation 21:1-6a

Preparation: A chair for every generation you have in your worshipping community and someone to represent them. There are 5-6ish living generations-depending on your source. Roughly: GI Generation (1901-1924), Silent (1925-1945), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Gen X (1965-1985), Gen Y (1978-1990), Gen Z 1995-2007 or today)
Then 2 extra chairs-one on each end- to represent the generations that have all passed and the ones yet to be born.
You can prep people ahead or just call people forward to sit in their chair, whatever is more comfortable.

Faith+Gather: Gather the children with you and in front of the empty chairs (or if you would rather have the people in them already that is fine too).  Explain the chairs and generations to the children saying that they represent all the different ages living now.

Faith+Share: Ask them, "Why do we have empty chairs on each end?" Take their answers and guide them to understanding that the empty chairs show the generations of people who have not been born and also the ones that have all lived before us. Continue with a simple explanation of All Saints Day, "Today we are remembering all the people who have gone before us and specifically we will say the names of the people who died this year. We call this All Saints day not because they are people that never did anything wrong but because they were people who were important in teaching and living faith in God even t hough they had struggles and sorrows and joys just like we do. We take time to remember that God's promises are for us and that they have been passed down and told to us because of the generations before. And these living people--they are the saints that tell us the story now and share their faith with each other and with the next generations. And this other empty chair shows that there are people yet to be born that will need to hear the story. And who will tell them about God's promises and love?.... That's right, you and the others who are here to live and walk in faith with them."
Share the scripture: "God promises to bring new life to us here on earth and to restore us all together in God's kingdom. It's a promise for the future but it's also a promise for today that God is here with us and loving us all through our lives no matter our age."

Faith+Prayer: Let's pray together and then we will offer a blessing to all the generations. Jesus, you give us many people to share the story of God's love. Be with each person, young and old, and be with us today as we remember the people who have died and how you love them too. Amen

Faith+Blessing: Have the children stand and gather around the chairs placing their hands on heads and shoulders. Say this blessing together or have just the leaders say it:
May you know the love and presence of God who is here in all ages. Amen

~Idea submitted by Rev. Michael Stadtmueller, written by Rev. Leta Behrens
Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply

Children's Sermon Isaiah 56:-1-8 Pentecost 9A August 14, 2011

This week texts are full of images of inside and outside that may be difficult for children (and adults for that matter!) to pick up on. Spend some time focusing on how Christ came with an openness that extends past all the boundaries we put up knowingly and unknowingly. 


Faith+Open: Gather the children at the front with you. Ask them not to sit but to stand and make a circle. Stand in the middle of the circle. Ask the kids to put one foot in the circle and show how they are on the inside of the circle. Ask, who is on the outside of this circle? (answers like others in the congregation, etc)

Faith+Share: We will hear from a prophet today--Isaiah. Isaiah is a prophet who wanted the people of God to understand that how they lived with others mattered to God. Isaiah talks about some people who were difficult for the others to welcome in or get along with or understand. They were people that most others would not want to let into the inside of this circle. They wanted God to be just for them. Can you think of people who might be hard for you to get along with or people that would be hard to welcome? Yeah, that is a reality of life we don't always let people in the inside of our lives or even the inside of groups that we belong to. Where do you think Jesus is in the circle? (get answers) I was once told by a wise person that whenever we make a circle around Jesus, trying to keep Jesus in one place with us--Jesus moves to the outside of the circle (move to the outside of the circle). Jesus wants everyone to know God's love and does not stay inside one little place or with one group of people. Jesus' love opens up the circle. (at this point pick a place at the top of the circle, have the two ends open up to make a line and ask them to hold their arms out).  Explain that now we have this open circle that will allow anyone in (even all those people out in the congregation, ha, ha).

Faith+Prayer: Let's all Pray together: Jesus, help us to open our circles and open our hearts. Be with us today and with all those who need to hear your voice of love. Amen

Faith+Blessing: Make the sign of the cross together: God in my head, God in my heart, God on my left, God on my right.

Extended ideas: I love this idea at Worshiping with Children. Click the link to see the explanation about having people collect prayers in baskets for those on the outside.

Children's Sermon Jan 16 Isaiah 49:5-6

The texts this week reflect a Big God that dreams big for the world. Isaiah, for a few weeks now, has been talking about a promised presence and light to the nations and Jesus' is bringing the same message of salvation in his time and in ours. One of my favorite blogs is out of Union Presbyterian Seminary that is a resource on Children's Literature Biblically and theologically (here's the link http://storypath.wordpress.com). For this week the suggested picture book is God's Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams. It's a simple, yet well done message about God's love and care for the world and our call in it. Here is my children's sermon for this week using and adapting this resource. The first one is a children's sermon for 'in worship' time so it is brief. The second one is for a children's time where kids leave the worship space during the sermon for their own sermon time. Feel free to use in your worship setting! I found the picture book at my local library. If you can't find it, print photos of children from around the world and talk about how God has promised a light to all nations--to al the world and what that might look like.

Children's Sermon #1 (within in Worship)
Gather—
Do you ever daydream? Or remember night dreams?
What do you dream about?
What do you think Jesus dreamt about while he was here on earth?

Book Experience— I found the picture book at my local library. If you can't find it, print photos of children from around the world and talk about how God has promised a light to all nations--to al the world and what that might look like. 

Share a few pages from the God’s Dream book. It is the time of Epiphany, the season in the church where we talk about God's light being in the world and our call to be a light in the world. Did you hear our scripture for today from Isaiah? He is speaking for God and says, "I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."  God loves the world and sent Jesus to be a light showing that God’s love is for all. We are called by God to be lights too in how we treat one another and how we share the story of Jesus coming to the world. What are ways we show this or do this? 

Accept answers and highlight our call in the world. Explain to children that offering our prayers for others is one way we can love and care for the world anytime, anywhere. Hand out pieces of paper (could be shaped like clouds to symbolize dreams) and tell kids that they can write a prayer for the world or their dream for the world on the paper. Invite them to place this is the offering later in the service. You could also use their prayers for the prayers of the people time. Get creative!

Pray--God your dreams of peace and love for the world offer us hope. Thank you for loving us and being with us always. Thank you for being our light and help us to be lights for others. Amen

Children's Sermon #2 (Children's worship time)
Gather—
Do you ever daydream? Or remember night dreams?
What do you dream about?
What do you think Jesus dreamt about while he was here on earth?

Reading Experience--God’s Dream by Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams
Introduce book and tell a little bit about Tutu then read story
Reflection Questions:
What did you notice about what the other believes God dreams about?
How do you feel about God’s dreams?
Do you think the author left any out?
How do you know who loves you?
What would it be like if we could really hold hands with people from all over the world?
How do we learn about people in different parts of the world?
How do we reach out to those who may need to hear about God or experience love and care from other people?
Relate this also back to the offering our prayers up as a way of showing God's love and care in the world anytime and anywhere.

Bible Verse-- Read Isaiah 49:5-6
And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— (6) he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
**option here is to work on memorizing the second part of verse 6 or Isaiah 42:6 which is similar.

"God’s Dream is about a world in which all of God’s children join hands in peace, reconciliation and unity. Even though we come from different lands, have different eyes and skin, and talk to God in different ways, we are still brothers and sisters. By “sharing, loving, caring” and “knowing we are family” we can “make God’s dream come true.”  We have been called to be light to others, to care for them and share our lives with them." (quote from Children's Literature: A Resource; above link).

Activity--Prayers for the world…
Hand out pieces of paper (could be shaped like clouds to symbolize dreams) and tell kids that they can write a prayer for the world or their dream for the world on the paper. Invite them to place this is the offering later in the service. You could also use their prayers for the prayers of the people time. Get creative!

Pray-- God your dreams of peace and love for the world offer us hope. Thank you for loving us and being with us always. Thank you for being our light and help us to be lights for others. Amen

Materials: cut up slips of paper, colored pencils or markers, Bible, God’s Dream book

**use and adapt as needed for your setting giving credit where credit is due and not duplicating for profit purposes.