Proper 22 B (October 3): Sticking Up for Others

 

Bible Readings: Job 1:1; 2:1-10, Psalm 26, Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12, Mark 10:2-16.

About the images:

Upper Left: This is my image so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.

Upper Right: I took this photo of my kids about thirty years ago. I wanted to take a photo of Kate without the teddy bear (which had the odd name of "Winter") and, as you can see if you look closely or click on the image to enlarge it, her eyes filled with tears at the very thought. Her big brother, Jared, immediately sprang to her defence and insisted Winter be part of the photo as he comforted Kate. Naturally, I photographed them all :-) Please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.

Middle Left: A free image from Cerezo Barredo -see my link column at left.

Middle Right: This is my image so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.  It reminded me of the words in the blessing song from Together in Song 779, May the Feet of God Walk with You because the last two lines fit beautifully with the gospel reading - May the child of God grow in you and his love bring you home. 

Lower Left:  It is World Communion Sunday this Sunday (or thereabouts).  This image is free from Creative Commons.  The copyright details are attached to the image.

Lower Right:  This is a free Heartlight image - see my link column at the left.

Listening Song: People Putting People Down

By Bob Dylan on his Hardest To Find album, 1996 (pictured at right)

Psalm 26: The Prayer of the Innocent Believer

Often called the above name for obvious reasons - works well if you ask different people to read a verse or two each. Get them to read from where they are sitting in the congregation and choose the readers from a variety of ages and gender, different ethnic backgrounds and various abilities/disabilities etc etc.

Kid's Story: Jesus loves kids

I can't source the original idea for the story about James, but it pops up in various places and in various forms when Googled eg

http://www.liturgiesonline.com.au

where Moira Laidlaw uses it for a similar purpose.

Take along a large photograph of one of your children or a child who is special to you and, if possible, take a photo of the kids as they come and sit around the front. Discuss with them about how photographs are a good (sometimes!) record of what a person looks like. Hold up your photo - say that its not a bad likeness of the child you love. Tell them that even though the child's face is imprinted on your heart you still like to have a few photo's around as well. 

Then tell the following little story (from the internet).

Three years old James was visiting his grandparents and he was playing in the garden just outside the back door whilst his grandmother was making tea. It was getting pretty dark and stormy and she was just going to call James indoors when there was a flash of lightning.

Thinking that James would be afraid, she rushed to the back door just as he came running in, filled with excitement - "Guess what, Gran," he shouted "God just took my photo!"

Well, we know that lightning is not really God taking photos of James or anyone else. Do you know why? Because God doesn't need to take our photo because God is with us all the time. And we know what God is like because we know from the Bible what Jesus is like. So, that's almost as good as a photo. And while we haven't any photos of Jesus either, we have enough words written about him to know what he was like. 

Tell the gospel story for today of the children coming to him.

Then ask the kids to put on badges that say "I am one of God's beloved children" and if there is time and availability of badges, ask them to distribute one to every member of the congregation - alternatively, they could make the badges during the service to distribute to everyone just before the benediction.

Kid's Story: Jesus and the Children

By Andrew McDonough, Lost Sheep Resources, 2007, ISBN 9781921229091 (pictured at right).  This is one of a brilliant set of books and each can be downloaded for a small cost from the web as a slide show.

Discussion on the Gospel Reading: Mark 10:13-16

1. Who is being hurt or put down or rejected?

2. Who is doing the hurting? - why?

3. How does Jesus respond to those doing the hurting?

4. How does Jesus respond to those who have been hurt?

Film Clip: A Colour Purple

(pictured at left) Show the clip where Shug Avery comes back to reconcile with her father and he walks out on her. Ask the same four questions as above replacing the word "does" with "would". 

Film Clip: The Preacher's Wife

(pictured at right) Show the clip where the Rev. Henry Biggs prays for help and Dudley, the angel, arrives in answer to his prayer. Unfortunately, Biggs puts the angel (God’s help) down by thinking it’s all a bit of a joke and drives off.

Drama: Out of the Mouths of Babes

In Mega Drama 4 by Verena Johnson (Ed.) Open Book, 2002, ISBN 0859100186, page 58 (pictured at left). This drama is based on the gospel reading.

Further Discussion: Our Community

1. What sections of our community here in .....(put in the name of your own community) do you think our church may hurt or put down or reject?

2. How?

3. How would Jesus respond to these sections of the community?

4. How would Jesus respond to us?

Response Activity:

Give everyone a business card with a clip art drawing or sketch of two people hugging - this works best if one person is larger than the other.

Also give everyone a pencil. Encourage everyone to use this card and the pencil as a conversation starter with God.

Ask: Is there someone you need to reconcile with? Do you need to put your arms around someone who you have hurt? Then colour in the larger figure?

Or do you need a hug this morning, do you need Jesus arms around you today? Sometimes we sit on the other side of the fence like David in Psalm 26. Sometimes it is us who are hurt, sometimes it is us who suffer some sort of put down or rejection. Then colour in the smaller figure?

Either way, don't show it to anyone - it is for you and God alone.

Listening song: I Am

By Jill Phillips on her self titled album (pictured at right). I have suggested this song before but it fits beautifully as something that can be listened to either after or during the above activity.

Response Activity: Meditation and Symbolic Action: Testimony and Prayer of Three Anonymous Children

From Present on Earth by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose, 2002, ISBN 0901557642, page 111 (pictured at left). I put images with the third testimony and backed it with music: Searching from the Past by Secret Garden on their album, Earth Songs.

Also:

Prayer Exercise: Guided Imagery Prayer

Found in Prayer: Heart of the Pilgrimage by Jenny Youngman, Upper Room Books, Nashville, 2007, ISBN 0835898369, page 70 (pictured at right).  This is based on the Gospel reading.

Poem: In some very tiny places
Found In Due Season by Herbert F. Brokering, Augsburg Publishing House, 1966  in the spring section. Based on the Hebrews reading.

Sermon ideas: The Priority of the Oppressed

Found in Life on the Road by Athol Gill, Herald Press, 1992, page 195.  This is based on the Gospel reading. 

Meditation: Testimony and Prayer of Three Anonymous Children
Found in He Was in the World by John L. Bell, Wild Goose Publications, 1995, ISBN 094798870X, page 74 and based on the Mark reading.

Meditation: I Sang For Him

Found in Present on Earth by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 2002, ISBN 0 901557 64 2, page 78ff.  This is based on the Mark reading.

Invocation

By Susan E. Brown and found in Before the Amen by Maren C Tirabassi and Maria I. Tirrabassi (Eds), Pilgrim Press, Cleveland, 2007, ISBN 978 0 8298 1750 8, page 117. Based on the Mark reading.

Commitment to Teaching and Learning

By Deborah Gline Allen and found in Before the Amen by Maren C Tirabassi and Maria I. Tirrabassi (Eds), Pilgrim Press, Cleveland, 2007, ISBN 978 0 8298 1750 8, page 229. Based on the Mark reading.