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Friday, June 16, 2017

The Still Small Voice

Christ Episcopal Church
Children’s Chapel
June 18, 2017

·             Welcome: Good Morning girls and boys! I am so happy to see you all this morning! Do we have any new friends with us? (Welcome new friends.)

·             Church Practice:
We are now in the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. The cloth on our Children’s Chapel altar is green today which is the color we use during Ordinary Time.  Who would like to move the arrow on our liturgical calendar? (Allow one child to come up to the calendar to move the arrow forward one week.) The arrow is now pointing to the second green square.  You will also notice that in big church the altar frontal, church dressings, and clergy stoles are green. (Light altar candles.) We light these candles to remind us that Christ is the light of the world. We remember that God is always with us, that Jesus lives in our hearts and that we are inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit. Before we begin our Bible lesson today, let us pray.

·             Children’s Collect:  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. Draw us near to you and 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

·             Introduction: Have any of you ever been afraid? What are some things that make you afraid? Where do you want to go when you are afraid? Do you want to hide? Do you want to be with your mom or dad? In our Bible story today we will hear about what God’s prophet, Elijah does when he is afraid.

·             Bible Reference: 1 Kings 19:3-13 (Read Aloud)

3Elijah was afraid a and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”


·             Response: In the Bible story we just heard, Elijah is afraid and he runs away. He is told by an angel to go into the mountains because the Lord God is about to come near. Elijah wants God’s help and begins to look for him. He looks all over for God and thinks he sees him in the strong winds and then in an earthquake, and then in fire. As he sits by himself Elijah hears nothing but silence. The silence scares Elijah even more and he covers his face. Then he hears a very small voice, almost a whisper say to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah realizes this very still small voice is God and that God has been with him all along.
God is also with each of us all of the time in both good times and sad times and everywhere in between. We can take comfort that God lives right in our heats and always gives each of us unending love.

·             Closing Prayer: Holy God, faithful and unchanging: enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love, that we may truly worship you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

* Response Activity: Father’s Day Card activity will be provided.

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