Lent 1 C (March 10): Trusting God/Wilderness Times

There is an updated 2025 version of this post with more resources - see my archive at left

Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16, Romans 10:8b-13, Luke 4:1-13.

About the Images:

Upper Left: Australian wilderness: Purnululu. This is my photo so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities. If you want more information on Purnululu please visit http://www.discoverwest.com.au/western_australia/bungle_bungles.html

Upper Right: The Judean wilderness in Israel. This is my photo so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities. If you want more information on this area, please visit http://www.bibleplaces.com/judeanwilderness.htm

Middle Left: This is a free image from Cerrezo Barredo's site - see my link column at left.

Middle Right: This image comes from the awesome Church Galleries website. Visit the website at www.churchgalleries.com.
Lower Left: This is my image with the text added.  Please feel free to use for worship and related activities.  The photo was taken near Narooma on the east coast of Australia. 

Psalm 91 by the amazing Sons Of Korah

Kids: Jesus Was a Refugee

This is another brilliant book  by Andrew McDonough, Lost Sheep Resources, 2012 (pictured at right). This goes with the Gospel reading.  The great thing about these books is that they only around $A7 and for a further $A10 (or instead of) you can buy on line the story in any format you need to project the pictures in church.  There are also free activity sheets and for a cost activity books for both teachers and children.  Visit www.lostsheep.com.au to check out all the excellent resources. This goes very well with the Deuteronomy reading when it talks about welcoming aliens.

Drama: A Very Reasonable Man

Found in Stages on the Way by Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose, 1998, ISBN 1876357363, page 29 (pictured at right). This play is based on the gospel reading.

Introductory Discussion Questions: About the drama and any images you can show of the devil.

1. How have the artists portrayed the devil? Why?

2. In the drama, what sort of voice does the devil have? why?

Story: The Indian and the Rattlesnake

The second last story on the temptation page at www.sermonillustrations.com It connects well with the gospel reading.

Story: Don't Forget to Look After Me
By Max Lucado in the conclusion of his book, In The Grip of Grace, Word Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0849911435 (pictured at right). This story goes well with the Romans reading.

Prayer: Stone Prayers
Give everyone a stone which they can hold comfortably (size wise) and which has both smooth and rough surfaces. Encourage them to shut their eyes in prayer. Ask them to feel the rough surfaces and to think of the rough (hard) areas in their lives at the moment. Encourage them to silently ask God for help with regard to these areas. Then ask them to feel the smooth surfaces and to think of the things in their lives that they are grateful for - the things that make them happy and give them joy. Encourage them to pray silently thanking God for these things.

 
NB 1. Depending on where you live - enough suitable stones might be hard to find. I dug up a bit of our gravel driveway! Sometimes plant nurseries sell stones but they are often too smooth - you may have to search though the bags of stones to find a suitable lot.

 
NB 2. I did this first years ago and later met a lady who keeps the stone from that service on a shelf which she passes each morning as soon as she gets up. She still starts each day with a "rough" help prayer and a "smooth" thank you prayer :-)

Also:

Kids: The Pig in the Pond

By Martin Waddell and Jill Barton, Walker Books,  with lots of ideas for a whole worship service found in Worship is For Everyone by Julie Pinazza, Openbook Publishers, 2000, ISBN 0859109259, page 35 (pictured at left). This goes well with the Psalm reading.

Opening and Closing Responses for Lent

By Ruth Burgess and Chris Polhill in Eggs and Ashes, Wild Goose Publications, 2004, page 75 (pictured at right).

Transfiguration of Jesus C (March 3): Son-light/Reflecting God's Light

There is a 2022 updated version of this post with lots more stuff  - see archive at left.

Bible Readings: Exodus 34:29-35, Psalm 99, 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2, Luke 9:28-43 

About the images:
Upper Left: I have permission to use this photo by Tamar Dolev - see this and  more of her work at http://www.tamardolev.com Please ask permission before using any work of any artist.
Upper Right: Sunset from Norfolk Island. This is my photo so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities. If you want to know more about this beautiful island, then visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Island

Middle Left: This is the view from the top of Mt Sinai. This is my photo so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities.

Middle Right: This image comes from the awesome Church Galleries website.  Visit the website at www.churchgalleries.com.

Lower Left: A free image from the Heartlight site - see my link column at left. 

Decor of the worship space:

Decorate the focal point of your worship space with any combination of heaps of lit candles, spotlights, and white and gold material.

Listening Song: Great Light of the World
By Bebo Norman on his album, Myself When I Am Real (pictured at left), 2002, or on WOW 2004.

Kids Story: Reflections
Place a large mirror in a dim part of your church and put the lighted Christ candle on it. Give each kid (with supervision if necessary) a tea light. Ask them to light their tea lights from the Christ candle and place them on the mirror. The effect should speak for itself.

 
Kid's Story:

I have a collection of large cards with dinner plate sized round faces drawn on them - each face reflecting a different emotion; eg tired, scared, surprised, sad, happy, excited, puzzled etc etc. The transfiguration lends itself very much to a retelling of the story using these cards to reflect the emotions of the disciples. You can either hand out the faces and get kids to hold up the one they have when they think that is how the disciples must have felt or you can hold up a relevant card at the relevant time and ask the kids (and the congregation?) to reflect the same face. It can be lots of fun.

Film Clip: Amelie

Show the clip where Amelie walks the blind man across the road. As she does so, she begins to detail all the things around him so that she gives him his sight.

Discussion Questions: For the film clip or as stand alones
To think about by yourself: 

      When have you felt closest to God's glory?
Brainstorm: 

      How did it make you feel?
Together: 

1. Why do you think God sometimes is revealed in these ways?
2. How has the experience impinged on your daily life?
3. How are we able to reflect God's glory on to other people?
4. What happens when we do?

Drama: We Can't Tell You
Found in Mega Drama 5 by Verena Johnson, (Ed.), Open Book, 2002, ISBN 0859109194, page 61 (pictured at left). This drama is based on the gospel reading.

Sermon Starter: Space Jump
Liken the disciples experience on the mountain to the Theatre Sports game, Space Jump, and then compare the game with the business and diversity of modern life.

Story: Spiritual Disciplines
Found in Story 664 in 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers by Craig Brian Larson and Leadership Journal, Baker Books, 2002, ISBN 0801091551 (pictured at right). This story goes well with the Corinthians reading.

Story: Testimony
Found in Story 719 in 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers by Craig Brian Larson and Leadership Journal, Baker Books, 2002, ISBN 0801091551 (pictured at right). This story also goes well with the Corinthians reading.

Story: Reflected Son-light 

Index 2166 from Bible Illustrator for Windows Version 1.0d, Parsons Technology Inc., 1990

Story: A Candle in the Darkness
Found in More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks by Wayne Rice, Zondervan, 1995, ISBN 0310207681, page 17 (pictured at left). When I first told this story, I illustrated it with a self lighting candle ie you cannot put out God's light.
 

Story: Wouldn't He stick Out?
Found in Illustrations, Stories and Quotes to Hang Your Message On by Jim Burns and Greg McKinnon, Gospel Light, 1997, ISBN 0830718834, page 203 (pictured at left).

Poem: Transfiguration
By Bruce Prewer and found his site at www.textweek.com (see my links at left) under Prayers, Prefaces, Litanies, etc. on the Transfiguration C page.

 
Prayer: Transfiguration
This is a great three reader prayer written by Roddy Hamilton and found on his Mucky Paws blog (see my links) in his Archives for February 16 2007.

Response Activity:
Project or give everybody a copy of 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 and ask them to underline the part that gives them the most hope. Be generous with time to do this - make it a spiritual exercise. Then ask them to share their response with two other people. 

Response Activity:
Give each person a small candle or tea light and ask them to light it at their main meal each day this week to remind themselves of God's love for them and that they are reflectors of God's light.

Response Activity:
Brainstorm ideas on how your congregation can be a light in the community? As each idea is suggested, write it on a separate piece of paper. Put them around the walls. Give everybody three stickers each and ask them to put a sticker on the three which excite them the most.  After the service, give the six with the most dots to a member of your church council or leadership team :-) !!

Also:

Poem: Leaf and seed
Found in In Due Season by Herbert F Brokering, Augsburg Publishing, 1966 (pictured at right) in the Autumn section and based on the 2 Corinthians reading.