Take Nothing With You

Christ Episcopal Church

Children’s Chapel

July 2, 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 fourth 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. 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: How many of you have ever been on a vacation? I see a lot of you have been on vacation. Raise your hand and tell me some places you have been. Vacations are always fun to go on and to get to visit other place. When we go on vacation, we have to take some things with us from home that we may need. Tell me some things you may pack in your suitcases. (Allow answers.) In Jesus’ time, people traveled too. Sometimes they would go to places far from home and they too needed to pack things for the trip. In today’s story, Jesus sends 72 people on a very special trip. Let’s listen to the Bible story.

·             Bible Reference: Luke 10:1-4: After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every t own and place where he was about to go. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

·             Response: In the Bible reading from Luke that we just listened to Jesus sent 72 people out on a very special trip. There was something unusual that Jesus told his followers NOT to do before their trip. Can anyone tell me what Jesus said not to do before going on their special trips. (Allow responses.) Jesus said to not take anything with them on their trips! Isn’t that strange? I wonder why? (Allow children to also give answers as to why.) The trip Jesus sent his followers on was to tell others about the good news of God’s kingdom to other towns near and far. Jesus said to not worry about their things or to worry about what they would eat or where they would stay. Jesus even said to not worry about people who may not want to hear the good news they were bringing to each town. I wonder why Jesus told his followers not to worry? (Allow answers.) Jesus wanted his followers to know that God takes care of their needs and that nothing they could bring with them or prepare for would help them in spreading God’s message of love to the people in other towns. Only God could help them in their work to spread the good news of God’s Kingdom. In the same way God asks us to tell others about God’s love. All we are asked to bring on our journey is trust in God that he will provide for us. Does this mean that we will never pack anything for a trip again? No. But it does mean that when we go out into the world to show others God’s love, God is always with us taking care of our needs. We do not have to worry, but only trust in God and he will do the rest through each one of us.

·             Closing Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving each one of us and taking care of all of our needs. Help us to grow in your love so that we may share your love with others in the world. Amen

·             Response Activity will be provided.

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.