The
Episcopal Church of the Ascension
Kids’
Worship Service
August 12, 2012
I.
Welcome!
a.
Processional/Gathering: Children quietly enter the Kids’ Worship
room following the cross from church and find a letter to sit on the gathering
carpet. Recognize and welcome visitors.
b. Opening
Prayer: “The
Lord be with you.”
Response: “And also with you. (Light the Candles)
We light these candles to remind us that Christ is the
light of the world, and we are Christ’s light in the world. On our alter table
today, we have a green cloth. The green cloth is the color we use for Ordinary
Time.
c.
Children’s Collect for the Day:
Let us Pray, “Heavenly Father,
we are here to worship and praise you. Open our hearts and minds so that we may
hear your words spoken to us through the Bible story today. Give us strength
that we may serve you through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives, and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen”
II.
Bible Lesson (Proper 14B)
a.
Introduction: How many of you have ever watched the TV
Program, Sesame Street? There are many characters on Sesame Street like Big
Bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo and more. There is even a character named Oscar the
Grouch who lives in a Garbage Can. He
has green fur and a furrowed brow and his face always looks like this (Make a
grouchy face.) If Oscar has a grouchy face, how do you think he is feeling most
of the time? Yes, he is feeling mad or angry or grouchy. How many of you have
ever felt angry or mad or grouchy? I know I have felt angry many times in my
life. What did you do when you got angry? We all might get angry sometimes, and
that is OK. What is not OK is to stay angry.
Anger makes you feel bad inside, doesn’t it. So I wonder, how do you get
rid of anger when you feel that way? Last week we heard a letter from one of
Jesus’ followers named Paul. Paul wrote many letters to the early Christians
who lived in many different cities and towns all around him. In one letter to
the Ephesians, Paul wrote to them about anger and how to get rid of it. Let’s
listen to what Paul said,
b. Bible
Story Ephesians 4:25 - 5:2
25So then, putting away falsehood, let all of
us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.26Be
angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,27and
do not make room for the devil.28Thieves must give up stealing;
rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have
something to share with the needy.29Let no evil talk come out of
your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that
your words may give grace to those who hear.30And do not grieve the
Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of
redemption.31Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger
and wrangling and slander, together with all malice,32and be kind to
one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has
forgiven you.
5 Therefore be imitators of
God, as beloved children,2and live in love, as Christ loved us and
gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
c. Response: In Paul’s
letter to the Ephesians he said, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun
go down on your anger.” I wonder what Paul meant by those words. If someone breaks your favorite toy are you
going to feel angry? Of course you are. Anger is a natural feeling, but you do
not have to act on your anger. If someone breaks your toy, you may get angry
and you may want to go and break something to get back at the person who broke
your toy. But should you break someone else’s toy just because they broke your
toy and you are angry at them? No. Paul tells us we should put away our anger
and that we should forgive others for hurting us. It’s not easy to put away our
anger, but what will happen if we let that anger stay locked up inside us? We
may become grouchy like Oscar the Grouch and have a frown on our face all the
time. So how do we put away our angry feelings and forgive others for hurting
us? Paul also tells us that God is there to help us. When we feel angry we can
ask God to help us to let go of those feelings and to turn those feelings into
forgiveness and love as God forgives and loves us. Let us pray: Heavenly
Father, we thank you for giving us the example of forgiveness when someone
hurts us and makes us angry. Help us to not let go of feelings of anger that we
may have so that we may be loving and forgive others who hurt us.
d.
Activity:
We say a prayer here in Kids’ Worship that is called the “Lord’s
Prayer.” In the prayer we ask God to
forgive us as we forgive others who hurt us. The Lord’s Prayer is a very
special prayer that we say at church each Sunday and maybe at home too. Let’s
say it together now. (After prayer say.) Today you will color the “Lord’s
Prayer.” You can take it home to keep and say with your family.
III.
Closing Prayer and Benediction
a.
Closing Prayer: Say the
Lord’s Prayer aloud and ask children to join in if they know the prayer.
b. Benediction: “Let us go in peace to love and serve the
Lord. (all together) Thanks be to God.”
c.
Recessional: Return to Church services: Children line up
behind the acolyte and follow silently to return to church.
