Sunday, October 06, 2024

Proper 23 B (October 13): Let God Sort it/Treasure Chests

 







































Bible Readings: Job 23: 1-9, 16-17, Psalm 22:1-15, Hebrews
 4:12-16, Mark 10:17-31

About the images:
Upper Left:
 The needle image comes from Wickimedia Commons, and the camel from Microsoft free clipart.
  
Upper Right: This is my photo - please feel free to use it for worship and related activities. I see this as a choices picture - the world often reflected in the window of our faith. 
Middle Left:  This is a free image from Church Galleries - see my link column at left.
Middle Right: This is a free image from the Hermano Leon site - see my link column at left. 
Lower Left: A free image from Cerezo Barredo - see my link column at left
Lower Right: A free image from Heartlight. - see my link column at left.
Bottom Left: Another free image from the Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú

Listening Song: What Good

By Third Day on their album, Time (pictured at left). This songs matches in well with the gospel reading.

Opening Prayer
By Molly Phinney Basquette 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 (pictured at right). Based on the Mark reading.

Kids: The Little Gate
By Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen and found in their book, Stories Jesus Told, Candle books, 2005, ISBN 101859855881 (pictured at left).

Film Clip: Home Movie
Make a home movie of random people in your local area - not necessarily church people but mix a few in.
Ask them all the same questions:
1. What does being rich mean to you? and
2. How do you get to have eternal life?
Ask the congregation to then discuss these same two questions.

Film Clip: Schindler's List
Show the scene near the end of the film  when Schindler is leaving and all the people he has saved crowd around to thank him, however, all he can think about is the ones he didn't save and he looks at his wealth with new and despairing eyes. If you can watch this without weeping, you are tougher than me.  I suggest you watch it a few times before showing it in church so you don't end up a crying mess in the pulpit.

  

Quotes: Millionaires:
Andrew Carnegie: Millionaires seldom smile.
John Jacob: I am the most miserable man on earth .
John Rockefeller: I have made many millions but they have brought me no happiness.
W.H. Vanderbilt: The care of $200 million is too great a load to bear. There is no pleasure in it.

Discussion Questions: Millionaires
In pairs or threes:
• What do you like to think is in your treasure chest?
• Evaluate what Jesus would think of your treasure.

Meditation: Four Changed Lives
Found in Present on Earth by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose, 2002, ISBN 0901557642, page 183, (pictured at left). This goes well with the gospel reading.

Prayer for Others

Make a powerpoint presentation of pictures from your local newspaper of war, famine, accident, murder, ... (the hard and sad things that we read about) to some contemplative music and allow people to pray either during or after the presentation.

Prayer: Child, I am Here
By Michel Quoist in 
Prayers of Life, Macmillan, 1965, ISBN: 0717101584 (pictured at right). This goes well with the gospel reading.

Also:

Story Plus Other Stuff: Some Very Hard Homework
Found in Wally the Dodgy Trolley and other Stories of Faith and Humour by Ian Johnson, Scripture Union Australia, Lidcombe, 2000, ISBN 0949720984, page 70 (pictured at left).


Poem/Meditation: Follow Me
By Ruth Burgess in Dandelions and Thistles: Biblical Meditations from the Iona Community by Jan Sutch Pickard (ed.) Wild Goose Publications, 1999, ISBN 1901557146, page 48 (pictured at right). This goes well with the Mark reading.

Worship Activity: The Presence of God
By Jim Burns and Robin Dugall in Worship Experiences, Gospel Light, 1999, ISBN, 0830724044, page 83 (pictured at left).  This is based on the Psalm.

 

Prayer Exercise: When God Seems Distant
Found in Prayer: Heart of the Pilgrimage by Jenny Youngman, Upper Room Books, Nashville, 2007, ISBN 0835898369, page 35 (pictured at right).  This is based on the Psalm.

Sermon ideas: Keep an Eye on the Camels
Found in Life on the Road by Athol Gill, Herald Press, 1992, page 90.  This is based on the Gospel reading (pictured at right). 

Drama: Just a Prayer Away
Based on the Hebrews reading and found in Mega Drama 4 by Verena Johnson (Ed.) Open Book, 2002, ISBN 0859100186, page 47 (pictured at left)

Poem and Comment: Bible
Found in Disturbing Complacency by Lisa Bodenheim, Wild Goose Publications, 2007, ISBN 978 1 905010 37 0, found under the second Tuesday of Advent.  This is a Christmas preparation book, but is very useful for other times of the year as well. This entry is based on the Mark reading.  

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Proper 22 B (October 6): 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.
Bottom Left: This is a free image from Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.

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.

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
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). This can also be found in He Was in the World by John L. Bell, Wild Goose Publications, 1995, ISBN 094798870X, page 74 (pictured at right) and is based on the Mark reading.  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 (pictured at left). 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 (pictured at right).  This is based on the Gospel 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 (pictured at right).  This is 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.