By Liturgical Element
God’s Love in Print
Like many churches do, on most Sundays of the year I gather with the youth and children of our congregation for a children’s message. Sometimes we just talk. Sometimes I offer an object lesson. Always we pray at the end. Over the years I have said many things to them and they have said many things to me. For my part, the most important thing I ever say to them is simply, wonderfully, perfectly, the good news that each one of them is loved by the God of love in Christ from their head down to their tippy toes. Loved, not for who...
read moreForty Days: a Wilderness Diary (story sermon)
This reflection tries to imagine Jesus’ thoughts and struggles during his forty days alone in the wilderness. It considers what he needs to learn, before he will be ready for his public ministry. The sermon could be done with a costume if desired, but it is not necessary. An altar arrangement with desert themed materials would help set the scene. Forty Days: A Wilderness Diary Matthew 3:13-17,4:1-11, Psalm 32 The Gospels tell us that Jesus spent forty days alone in the wilderness, before he began his ministry. Mark merely says, “He was...
read moreRemember Me, (I kissed him)
A kiss is just a kiss…..but a kiss can mean so many different things, depending on the people involved and the context. In these two stories from Scripture, two kisses show us Jesus at his most vulnerable and most human. I found it interesting to put Judas and the nameless woman side by side, and let them tell their stories. This was offered on Palm Sunday but could be shared any time during Lent. It calls for three readers– a man, a woman, and the narrator. Remember Me, (I kissed him) Mark 14:3-9 & Mark 14:3-10, 43-46...
read moreGratitude & Grief: Mother’s Day Litany
For this piece, I was struck by the complexity of our relationships with our mother’s and the mixture of gratitude and grief we sometimes experience on Mother’s Day. Users should feel free to update the references to current events as appropriate. Hymns cited are from the Chalice Hymnal. A LITANY FOR MOTHER’S DAY (based on Psalm 98) Leader: O sing to the Lord a new song, but sing the old songs too. Sing a song of remembrance: People: We remember the God who named and claimed us, and the mothers who read us Bible stories, and made us...
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