Lent 1 B (February 18): God's Promises/Rainbows, Surviving

 

 

Bible Readings: Genesis 9:8-17, Psalm 25:1-10, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:9-15

 

About the Images:

Upper Left: A rainbow on Australia's Highway No 1 at Kilmany - Kilmany is in the Wellington Shire (http://www.tourismwellington.com.au) but is too small to have a web page of its own.

Upper Right: This is a free Corel clipart with my text.

Middle Left: This is a modern day photo of the Judaean wilderness - I don't think it has changed all that much since Jesus' day.  This is my photo so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.

Middle Right: This is a wonderfully cross shaped plant (purslane I think) I found growing in the desert in Central Australia. This is my photo so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.
Lower Left: This is a tiny bit of Australia's vast wilderness: the Painted Desert just out of Coober Pedy - http://www.thepainteddesert.com.au

Lower Right: a free image from the now defunct Scripturepics site. 

Bottom Left: Another amazing free image from Cerezo Barredo: this artist never fails to impress. The images can be used so many different ways: newsheet covers,  meditative colouring,  powerpoint slides, whatever fits for your service!!!

Worship Space Decor:

Drape 4-6 metre shiny and bright lengths of material in the order and colours of the rainbow (six colours are sufficient - indigo was only chosen to make the number of colours equal seven a few centuries ago because seven was considered a more perfect number than six!)

Listening Song: Dive

Sung by Steven Curtis Chapman on his album, Speechless, Sparrow Records. 1999 (pictured at right) or on WOW 2001 and on other albums too.  Following Jesus means diving deep and losing ourselves in the flood of living water.

Listening Song: Who You Are?

(see clip below) Sung by Caedmon's Call on their album, In the Company of Angels or on WOW 2003. This song goes well with the gospel reading.

Kid's Story: Noah's Ark

by Jan Latourette and Sally Mathews, Lutheran Publishing House, 1982, ISBN 0859101959 (pictured at right).

Film Clip: Noah's Ark

On Leunig Animated, Fruitcup Films, 2001 (pictured at left).   This little clip is a great introduction to a prayer of confession.

Film Clip: Toy Story

When Woody reminds Buzz that his owner's name is written on the sole of his foot in indelible ink. Relate to how God has our names written on the palm of his hand.

Drama: It's a Sign

Found in Mega Drama 3 by Verona Johnson (ed) Openbook, 2002, ISBN 0859109178 (v.3), page 46, (pictured at left). This drama is based on the Genesis reading. It looks at the definition of promise.

Drama: Noah's Ark

Skit 21 in Clown Ministry by Floyd Schaffer and Penne Sewell, Group Books, 1984, ISBN 0936664185, (pictured at right). This drama obviously goes with the Genesis reading.

Story: "What I want!"
Found as story No 232 in Your Point Being? by Graham H. Twelftree,Monarch, 2003 (pictured at left). This story is related to the gospel reading.

Discussion:

Give a the congregation three pictures (via data-projector or handout) - one of an overwhelming sea, one of the ark all shut up and one of a rainbow - and ask them to think which best represents their relationship with God at this time. Ask them to share their responses in pairs or threes.

Response Activity:

Give each person a business card with a rainbow printed on one side with a blank back on the other side. Ask people to write one of God's promises which gives them encouragement on the blank side. Instead of passing the peace, greet someone by swapping the card. Read the new card and then swap it with somebody else. Do this a number of times so that each person will have read a number of promises.

Response Activity:

Plait bracelets made of embroidery cotton in the colours of the rainbow - they look best if you combine red and orange, yellow and green and blue and purple to get the three plaiting strands. Encourage people to wear them as a prayer/reminder of God's promises to them. It's fun to do this by working in groups. If you have used the above discussion, then use those groups to build on the trust and comeraderie they will have established between themselves.

Also:

Opening and Closing Responses for Lent

By Ruth Burgess and Chris Polhill in Eggs and Ashes, Wild Goose Publications, 2004, page 74 (pictured at left) . 

Psalm 25

Found in The Psalms: An Artist's Impression by Anneke Kaai and Eugene Peterson, Piquant, 1999, ISBN 0 9535757 0 5, page 16 (pictured at right).    

Discussion Questions: What is a Soul?

Found in Chapter 5 of The Gospel According to the Simpsons Leaders Guide for Group Study by Mark I Pinsky and Samuel F Parvin, Westminster John Knox Press, 2002, ISBN 0 664 22590 X (pictured at left).  These questions are based on the Psalm.

Hymn: Forty Years the People Wandered

By Penelope J. Stokes 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 64 (pictured at right). Based on the Mark reading.

Reading: God's Rainbow People

By Ann B Dayand 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 218. Based on the Genesis reading.