The Parables and Stories of Jesus

Let the Children Come to Me

(date of entry):  Sunday, Sept 12, 2021; 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture verse:  Matthew 19:14

(entry by Caroline Lindholm):  The Gospel for this Sunday includes the passage where Jesus says “Let the little children come to me.” This is a favourite in Children’s Liturgy. I think the children are always pleased that Jesus rebukes the adults and says the kingdom of God belongs to them. Easy to see why it is so well loved! But what does it mean that the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these? I believe it is not necessarily about being innocent; rather, it is about understanding so much is out of our control and putting our faith in God the way a child puts faith in a loving parent. 
 
I suggest you read the passage to your children and remind them how much Jesus loves them. I have a colouring page to work on:
 
I have taken it from this website: https://www.looktohimandberadiant.com/p/my-book.html
 
A fun activity I often do for this passage is making paper dolls. I’m always impressed at how much the children like making paper dolls, making their faces and drawing their clothes. Here is a website with a template and instructions:
 
 
Get creative with your kids on this. Pull out the craft supplies and have fun 🙂
 
Here is another template that makes dolls that are a bit bigger in case that is what you would like:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Il_iPPzhnpral_pP0418VnCNPZGlTKwnWh89Vmkafec/edit

Also, Tatiana from the First Communion Group has asked me to pass on this invitation:
 
All parish children, ages 5-9  — are invited to join 1st communion class planting beans in pots this coming sunday Oct 3 10:40 to 11:20 am.   This will happen in the courtyard. There will be cookies and hot chocolate afterwards.
 
We will be discussing the sower-and-seed parable. 2 page doc attached (below).
 

The Beatitudes

…That is where we take our lesson from the Gospel. It is the wonderful Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus reminds us of who is truly blessed, people who live lives that are not centred on Earthly satisfaction, but who are humble in the presence of the Lord and who serve others. It is a lot to ask of us! But to show mercy, to seek peace, to thirst for justice, for the sake of others and not for ourselves is what Jesus calls us to do. 
 
I have a couple of things for the kids to remember the Beatitudes. Here are a bunch of cards to help remind them how to live:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wph864ce6qf653t/Beattitudes%20cards%20%281%29.pdf?dl=0

And a fun activity to remind them to focus on the “Bee-attitudes” not the “me-attitudes)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ifih7we935x1yr/beeattitudes.pdf?dl=0

The Temptations of Jesus

Activity 1: Read Luke 4:1-13

Today’s gospel is about when the devil tried to tempt Jesus in the desert. You can read it here or, for our pre-readers, watch this video made by Saddleback Kids:

The devil tried to tempt Jesus into being selfish by telling him to make a miracle and turn stones into bread (Jesus was hungry from fasting). The devil also tried getting Jesus to worship him by saying he’d give Jesus all the world’s riches if he did. The devil’s final temptation was to tell Jesus to save himself from the desert by flying out of there.

Every time, Jesus denied the devil and told him that being selfish is not God’s plan. Instead, every answer Jesus gave told the devil that there is more to life than just serving himself. Because of that, the devil saw that he had no power over Jesus, and left him.

Activity 2: Focus on God’s Word Game!

Why did the devil lose power over Jesus? Because Jesus knew the secret to living your best life: live your life according to God’s teachings. If you focus on the Word of God, no one can lead you astray!

To help us understand this, let’s play the Focus on God’s Word game! Here’s what you need:

  • A blank piece of paper
  • A red marker – or a bunch of colours, if you want!
  • Pieces of paper – or anything you can crumple into a ball

Here’s how to play:

  • Use your red marker to draw a big heart on your blank piece of paper – that’s your target!
  • Crumple pieces of scrap paper to make balls. At least 3 for each player
  • Put the heart target on the floor
  • Stand as as far away from you as you can from the heart target
  • Focus on the target, and throw the paper balls at it. Try to make as many balls land on the target as you can!

Here’s a tip: focus on the heart to aim your shot. This is exactly what God asks us to do every day: focus on loving and caring for one another, and you’ll hit your mark.

Activity 3: What sustains you?

In the gospel, Jesus said, “One does not live on bread alone.” This means food can make sure you don’t go hungry, but love is what keeps us really going. How do we know this? When someone cheers you up, you may have noticed it gets easier to continue on with your day.

Kindness is one way you can help someone get through a challenging time. What are some other things you can do to help someone through a tough time? Is there anything you’ve done to cheer someone up? Gracie likes to draw pictures I can put in my pocket to look at when I need cheering up. If you do something like that for someone, feel free to let me know!

That’s it for this week! Take care everyone!

The Prodigal Son

(entry by Pearle Lundeen, March 27, 2022)

Introduction

In this lesson, we learn about the healing effects of the three C’s: Conversion, Confession, and Celebration. As always, have a look at the activities below to learn more!

Activity 1: Read Luke 15:1-3 & 11-32

Today’s gospel is about The Prodigal Son. You can read it in the bible, or for you pre-readers, have a look at this video – from my favourite Saddleback Kids!

 

In this parable, Jesus tells us the story of a man who had two sons. One son took the money his father gave him, went far away and wasted it, spending needlessly and making bad decisions. The other son stayed by his father’s side and was dutiful.

The first son realized his mistakes, and wanted to come home to his family. When he came back, his father wasn’t mad at him. Instead, they threw a party to celebrate his return. His other son was confused – why would their father celebrate a person who made bad choices? 

Their father could see beyond the first son’s mistakes, and focused instead on the good actions his son performed: he realized his mistakes – we call that Conversion; then he asked his father for forgiveness – we call that Confession. These acts can only come from a humble heart, and his father chose to recognize that by throwing a party – that’s the Celebration.

Activity 2: The unofficial fourth C: Colouring!

Here’s a colouring page about the Prodigal Son. It shows that beautiful moment when the father and son reconcile. They hug! I love this image because it shows what happens when you spread God’s Love through confessing your sins and forgiving the sins of others. They look so happy.

Feel free to print this out and colour it while reflecting on what it means to confess and forgive.

https://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?t=https://www.coloring.ws/bible/jesus/prodigalson2.gif

Activity 3: Where do you find your courage?

It takes a lot of courage to admit when you made a mistake. It also takes courage to forgive someone. How were the father and son able to perform these acts of conversion, confession, and celebration? They had the courage to do it because they loved each other.

Have you ever said you’re sorry? How do you feel before you say it? How do you feel afterwards? What does the person you’re saying sorry to do?

If you have something you feel sorry about, try saying you’re sorry to someone. If you’re shy, think about God’s Love for you. He gives you so much love you can share it with others just by saying sorry.

Love One Another

(Entry by Pearle Lundeen, May 14, 2022)

In this lesson, we learn about one of Jesus’s most important teachings: to love one another as Jesus loved us.

As always, feel free to do one, some, or all of the activities below.

Activity 1: Read John 13: 31-35

Today’s gospel took place during the Last Supper. Jesus saved one of his most important teachings for that night. You can read it in your bible, online or watch this video that explains what it is!

 

Jesus told his disciples a very important message: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

Jesus wanted to leave us one last message that summarized his teachings. Throughout his whole life, he showed us to help others without being selfish, and to put the needs of others first.

Activity 2: Craft a Note of Love

Jesus intended us to live our lives just as he did, loving each other as he taught us. We should take his message to heart! Here’s a fun craft to do just that: let’s make an origami heart that has a secret space where you can write a message inside it. Here’s a video about how to do that:

Here’s one I made for Gracie. I wrote Jesus’s “new commandment” in it. Now she can keep it in her pocket and look at it whenever she wants.

 

Activity 3: How do you show love for others?

Jesus gave us many examples throughout his life of how he loves us. That’s what makes this message so powerful! If we ever get stuck thinking about how to show love for others, we only need to look at what Jesus did. Is there a teaching of Jesus that you use as an example to show love for others? I like showing love for others by sharing Jesus’s teachings with them – just like we do every week for Children’s Liturgy! What do you like to do to show your love for others? Feel free to let me know!

 

That’s it for this week. Have a great week!

The Golden Rule

For this children’s liturgy, I will focus on the second reading, the letter from Paul to the Galatians which tells us, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. To me, this summarizes Jesus’ entire message about how to live in the world with other humans. Ask your children what they think it means. It’s a logical concept: if you don’t like being treated a certain way, then it is likely that the people around you would not like it either, so don’t treat people in ways that you wouldn’t like. It reminds us to reflect on how our actions and words affect other people. It is such a sensible and simple approach to human relations that it is often called the “Golden Rule”, and is an idea that exists in many religions and philosophies. Here is a poster that you can review with your children for further reflection on the golden rule:

A rule that exists in so many cultures and philosophies is a rule worthy of our attention and reflection! If we consider this rule while at school, at home, playing with friends, going about our daily activities, at work, etc., we would live much more peaceful lives.
 
After reviewing the Golden Rule and the variations on the rule, I have an activity for your kids.

Flap Book Love Your Neighbour (click to view and download)

nstructions for this activity can be found on the website it came from: Sunday school activities – November 22, 2020 — Bells Corners United Church (bcuc.org) but I have copied them here:
 

Flap Book

Print the template, then cut out the square.  Fold along the dotted lines to make triangular flaps.  Fold so that the Golden Rule is not covered by the flaps.  Under each flap, finish the sentence starter using words and/or pictures.  For instance, “I show love to others when I … ask someone if they need help.” 

Decorate and colour!