Pax Cakes and Parades (March)
Children's program
COME CHILDREN, PRAISE AND PRAY
A Book of Children's Liturgies
Order of Service
Breakfast of Pax Cakes
Forgiveness of All Quarrels
Slide Show of Parades and Celebrations
Palm Sunday Story
Our Parade
Work of the Planning Committee
1. The "pax cakes" used in the first part of this service are simply pancakes. They should be small (about the size of a half-dollar), because four of these cakes are to be eaten by each child present. They should be served one at a time, as indicated in the program. You might want to have larger pancakes available to serve after the service of "pax cakes" for those especially hungry children. The planning committee will need to decide who will be doing the cooking and serving of the "pax cakes."
2. Another big project of the planning committee will be the creation of the slide show. Ask the people in your congregation for slides of parades. Any kind of parade: Macy's parade, Rose Bowl parade, a local parade. Try to get pictures that show joy and celebration. As a committee, arrange these slides for presentation. You may even want to write a script to accompany the picture. Another possibility is to obtain a film on parades and celebrations.
3. Take care of the physical arrangements for this service: Set up the tables for the breakfast, make arrangements for darkening the room for slides.
4. Decide on how you will do your parade at the end of the service. Will you use instruments? Palms?
Pax Cakes and Parades
Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday)
Setting: Breakfast Tables
Time: Preceding the Church Service
Leader:
Today is the Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday). This celebration in the church goes back to about the Tenth Century. In England, until comparatively recent times, there was the thoughtful custom of the Pax Cake. "Pax" is the Latin word for peace. People who had quarreled during the past year met and ate the Palm Sunday cakes together. They said, "Peace and good will," to each other and tried to understand each other's problems. The idea was that they did not want to go to Easter with hatred and anger in their hearts. Today we want to celebrate this ancient custom, and we have gathered around this table just as Christians used to do.
You will now be served your first pax cake. As you are eating this cake, will you think about members of your family whom you have quarreled with this year - your mother, your father, your brothers and sisters. Will you try to forgive and forget these quarrels now? If your family is here, you might want to say, "Peace and good will," to each other as the earlier Christians did.
(Allow time for the serving, the eating, and the exchanging of words.)
Minister: God forgives you for the family quarrels you have had this year.
Leader:
You will now be served the second pax cake. As you are eating this cake, will you think about your friends whom you have quarreled with this year - school mates, neighbors, playmates. Will you try to forgive and forget these quarrels now? If your friends are here, you might want to say, "Peace and good will," to each other as the earlier Christians did.
(Allow time for the serving, eating, and exchanging of words.)
Minister: God forgives you for the quarrels with friends you have had this year.
Leader:
You will now be served the third pax cake. As you are eating this cake, will you think about the times this year you have been thoughtless and cruel to helpless creatures - wild animals and pets that depend on you for food and comfort - birds and all the voiceless creatures that share our world.
(Allow time for the serving, eating, and exchanging of words.)
Minister: God forgives you for your thoughtlessness to his other creatures.
Leader:
As we eat our fourth pax cake, will you think about any other persons you might have quarreled with this year - teachers or clerks in stores, people who help you.
(Allow time for the serving, eating, and exchanging of words.)
Minister: God forgives you for all these quarrels. Anyone who seeks forgiveness from God receives it. He knows we are sometimes weak and sometimes selfish and he continues to love and forgive us.
Leader:
Now all the hatred and anger should be gone from our hearts and we can really celebrate Easter with joy and thanksgiving. Something that means joy and happiness and celebration is a parade. How many of you have been to a parade? (Group shares experiences.)
(Present slide show of parades and celebrations.)
Leader:
Palm Sunday was a parade. And for the children there, there was just as much excitement as we saw in these slides. Let's hear the story again.
Scripture Reader: As he (Jesus) came near Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead with these instructions, "Go to the village there ahead of you; as you go in you will find a colt tied up that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If someone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Master needs it.' "
They went on their way and found everything just as Jesus had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owner said to them, "Why are you untying it?"
"The Master needs it," they answered, and took the colt to Jesus. Then they threw their cloaks over the animal and helped Jesus get on. As he rode on, they spread their cloaks on the road.
When he came near Jerusalem, at the place where the road went down the Mount of Olives, the large crowd of his disciples began to thank God and praise him in loud voices for all the great things that they had seen: "God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory to God!" (Luke 19:29-38)
Leader:
Now imagine yourself at that parade. Jesus is coming. Instead of palm branches, we would probably have balloons and pennants. Instead of throwing our coats for Jesus' colt to walk on, we might throw ticker-tape and confetti. Instead of saying, "Hosannah," we would say, "Hooray," and clap our hands. Instead of pipes, we would have a brass band playing.
Use your imaginations. Imagine that Jesus is coming by here. Remember that no place was ever the same after Jesus walked through. Jesus walked by the sea, and fishermen left their nets and followed. He walked through Jerusalem, and thieves and dishonest men were exposed and children shouted, "Hooray."
If he walked through our room right now, what would happen? Would you recognize him as the King and shout, "Hooray," as the children did on Palm Sunday?
With these thoughts in our minds, let's all sing, "Hosannah, Loud Hosannahs the Little Children Sang."
(Children may be given palm branches and encouraged to march around the tables as they sing or you might want to use the modern symbols of parades, balloons and confetti and even instruments.)
Breakfast of Pax Cakes
Forgiveness of All Quarrels
Slide Show of Parades and Celebrations
Palm Sunday Story
Our Parade
Work of the Planning Committee
1. The "pax cakes" used in the first part of this service are simply pancakes. They should be small (about the size of a half-dollar), because four of these cakes are to be eaten by each child present. They should be served one at a time, as indicated in the program. You might want to have larger pancakes available to serve after the service of "pax cakes" for those especially hungry children. The planning committee will need to decide who will be doing the cooking and serving of the "pax cakes."
2. Another big project of the planning committee will be the creation of the slide show. Ask the people in your congregation for slides of parades. Any kind of parade: Macy's parade, Rose Bowl parade, a local parade. Try to get pictures that show joy and celebration. As a committee, arrange these slides for presentation. You may even want to write a script to accompany the picture. Another possibility is to obtain a film on parades and celebrations.
3. Take care of the physical arrangements for this service: Set up the tables for the breakfast, make arrangements for darkening the room for slides.
4. Decide on how you will do your parade at the end of the service. Will you use instruments? Palms?
Pax Cakes and Parades
Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday)
Setting: Breakfast Tables
Time: Preceding the Church Service
Leader:
Today is the Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday). This celebration in the church goes back to about the Tenth Century. In England, until comparatively recent times, there was the thoughtful custom of the Pax Cake. "Pax" is the Latin word for peace. People who had quarreled during the past year met and ate the Palm Sunday cakes together. They said, "Peace and good will," to each other and tried to understand each other's problems. The idea was that they did not want to go to Easter with hatred and anger in their hearts. Today we want to celebrate this ancient custom, and we have gathered around this table just as Christians used to do.
You will now be served your first pax cake. As you are eating this cake, will you think about members of your family whom you have quarreled with this year - your mother, your father, your brothers and sisters. Will you try to forgive and forget these quarrels now? If your family is here, you might want to say, "Peace and good will," to each other as the earlier Christians did.
(Allow time for the serving, the eating, and the exchanging of words.)
Minister: God forgives you for the family quarrels you have had this year.
Leader:
You will now be served the second pax cake. As you are eating this cake, will you think about your friends whom you have quarreled with this year - school mates, neighbors, playmates. Will you try to forgive and forget these quarrels now? If your friends are here, you might want to say, "Peace and good will," to each other as the earlier Christians did.
(Allow time for the serving, eating, and exchanging of words.)
Minister: God forgives you for the quarrels with friends you have had this year.
Leader:
You will now be served the third pax cake. As you are eating this cake, will you think about the times this year you have been thoughtless and cruel to helpless creatures - wild animals and pets that depend on you for food and comfort - birds and all the voiceless creatures that share our world.
(Allow time for the serving, eating, and exchanging of words.)
Minister: God forgives you for your thoughtlessness to his other creatures.
Leader:
As we eat our fourth pax cake, will you think about any other persons you might have quarreled with this year - teachers or clerks in stores, people who help you.
(Allow time for the serving, eating, and exchanging of words.)
Minister: God forgives you for all these quarrels. Anyone who seeks forgiveness from God receives it. He knows we are sometimes weak and sometimes selfish and he continues to love and forgive us.
Leader:
Now all the hatred and anger should be gone from our hearts and we can really celebrate Easter with joy and thanksgiving. Something that means joy and happiness and celebration is a parade. How many of you have been to a parade? (Group shares experiences.)
(Present slide show of parades and celebrations.)
Leader:
Palm Sunday was a parade. And for the children there, there was just as much excitement as we saw in these slides. Let's hear the story again.
Scripture Reader: As he (Jesus) came near Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead with these instructions, "Go to the village there ahead of you; as you go in you will find a colt tied up that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If someone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Master needs it.' "
They went on their way and found everything just as Jesus had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owner said to them, "Why are you untying it?"
"The Master needs it," they answered, and took the colt to Jesus. Then they threw their cloaks over the animal and helped Jesus get on. As he rode on, they spread their cloaks on the road.
When he came near Jerusalem, at the place where the road went down the Mount of Olives, the large crowd of his disciples began to thank God and praise him in loud voices for all the great things that they had seen: "God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory to God!" (Luke 19:29-38)
Leader:
Now imagine yourself at that parade. Jesus is coming. Instead of palm branches, we would probably have balloons and pennants. Instead of throwing our coats for Jesus' colt to walk on, we might throw ticker-tape and confetti. Instead of saying, "Hosannah," we would say, "Hooray," and clap our hands. Instead of pipes, we would have a brass band playing.
Use your imaginations. Imagine that Jesus is coming by here. Remember that no place was ever the same after Jesus walked through. Jesus walked by the sea, and fishermen left their nets and followed. He walked through Jerusalem, and thieves and dishonest men were exposed and children shouted, "Hooray."
If he walked through our room right now, what would happen? Would you recognize him as the King and shout, "Hooray," as the children did on Palm Sunday?
With these thoughts in our minds, let's all sing, "Hosannah, Loud Hosannahs the Little Children Sang."
(Children may be given palm branches and encouraged to march around the tables as they sing or you might want to use the modern symbols of parades, balloons and confetti and even instruments.)
