The Family
Children's Liturgy and Story
Call to Worship:
Jesus said that some seed fell on good soil and brought forth a great harvest. As we worship today let us ask God to make sure that we are good soil and to help us to bring forth a great harvest.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, as soil is prepared, prepare me to receive the seed of your word.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, remove the thistles and nettles, weeds and briars from the soil of my life.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, plough me, hoe me and weed me to make me ready to receive you.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 13:1-9 (NRSV)
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. [2] Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. [3] And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. [4] And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. [5] Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. [6] But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. [7] Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. [8] Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. [9] Let anyone with ears listen!"
"Hear then the parable of the sower. [19] When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. [20] As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; [21] yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. [22] As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. [23] But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
Story:
The parable of the sower really speaks for itself, so here I've simply put it into the context of an ordinary family of four children growing up.
The Family
Jack was the youngest of the four children in the family. Susan came first, followed by Tommy, then Rosemary and finally little Jack. The children grew up in a Christian family where they went to church every week and learned about God from their lovely parents who had plenty of time for them.
Jack spent most of his time trying to catch up with his brother and sisters and copying anything he saw them do. It was a struggle, but he kept at it.
It was particularly difficult copying Susan, for she flitted from one activity to the next. She had a craze for making friendship bracelets, which Jack laboriously copied. It took him ages to get the hang of it, but by then, Susan was on to home-made jewellry and after that, birthday cards. Susan was quite brilliant. Or at least, that's how Jack saw her. She could turn her hand to anything and picked up new ideas very quickly, but she never stayed with anything for very long.
Tommy spent some time with his little brother, but he was much keener on football than on baby brothers so Jack didn't see much of him. Jack idolised Tommy and spent hours trying to kick a football, but however hard he tried, he was always miles behind Tommy who had far more to do than to teach Jack how to play. Tommy spent most of his time with his own friends and only gave a little of the time left over to Jack.
Jack loved Rosemary, for she was the nearest in age to him and didn't seem to be quite so far out of reach as Susan or Tommy. But there was something about Rosemary which puzzled Jack. She was forever teasing him rather than playing with him and sometimes the teasing got out of hand. Rosemary often made Jack cry, she was so mean to him. Jack loved her and wanted to play with her, but she frequently hurt him and he didn't like that much.
When the children grew up, Susan had a succession of brilliant jobs, none of which lasted very long. Tommy spent his time making money and was completely absorbed by his own wealth. Rosemary went wild as a teenager, got into drugs and dropped out. She soon began to thieve to support her habit and to the shame of the family, spent more time inside jail than out.
But little Jack grew up to be strong and steady. Deep down inside he was committed to God and that coloured his life. People loved Jack because he was always there for them, he always had time for them. Jack used to laugh and say that it was because he was the youngest in the family, he'd always had to fight for his siblings' attention and that had made him more sensitive to the needs of others. But everyone knew that it was God working through him, because young Jack was good soil which was bearing much fruit.
Activity:
You need:
A large shallow gardening tray
Soil
Pebbles
Compost
Water
Seeds
Talk about soil and the conditions necessary for growth - sufficient soil, good quality soil, water, warmth, light. Tell the children you're going to to experiment, to see which kind of soil produces the best crop. Let the children help you to spread soil in the tray. Leave one area of the tray clear for a path. In another area spread the soil very thinly. In another area spread the pebbles, so that the soil becomes stony. In the final area, mix the soil with compost.
Let the children sprinkle the seeds all over the tray, then water them in. Don't tell them what the seeds will produce, leave them to find out when the seeds grow. Put the tray in a warm, light place (and keep an eye on it during the week. It will certainly need more water.) Each week, let the children check the tray to see which seeds grow best (and pray that it's the seeds in compost!)
Tell the children the story of the sower again, and remind them that Jesus said that we are like soil. Ask them which conditions make soil best for growth (see above). Tell them that we receive water and light and warmth from God, but that we have to accept what God gives us and allow him to work within us if his word is to take root within us and grow properly so that it can be harvested at the right time. Point out that harvest happens when seed is fully grown and that that isn't instant but takes a long time of nurturing.
Prayers:
God our gardener, please make our church into such good soil that your word grows strong and healthy within us. And then bring us to the time of harvest, when much good grain is produced.
God our gardener, help us all to become stewards of your world. May we do whatever we can to sustain and nurture our environment and may we protest whenever we see the environment being needlessly destroyed.
God our gardener, may we strive to become good soil and may we accept without complaint all that is necessary to make us into good soil, even if the process of hoeing and ploughing is painful.
God our gardener, fill our friends and neighbours who are sick with the sunshine and warmth of your love. May your healing power rain over them until they are drenched and ready to grow into full health and strength. We name them before you ....
Blessing:
May God give you strength
as he prepares you
to became good soil
and to receive his seeds.
And may the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Be with you, be in your homes
And in your families,
With those whom you love
And with those for whom you pray,
Both now and always.
Jesus said that some seed fell on good soil and brought forth a great harvest. As we worship today let us ask God to make sure that we are good soil and to help us to bring forth a great harvest.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, as soil is prepared, prepare me to receive the seed of your word.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, remove the thistles and nettles, weeds and briars from the soil of my life.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, plough me, hoe me and weed me to make me ready to receive you.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 13:1-9 (NRSV)
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. [2] Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. [3] And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. [4] And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. [5] Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. [6] But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. [7] Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. [8] Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. [9] Let anyone with ears listen!"
"Hear then the parable of the sower. [19] When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. [20] As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; [21] yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. [22] As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. [23] But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
Story:
The parable of the sower really speaks for itself, so here I've simply put it into the context of an ordinary family of four children growing up.
The Family
Jack was the youngest of the four children in the family. Susan came first, followed by Tommy, then Rosemary and finally little Jack. The children grew up in a Christian family where they went to church every week and learned about God from their lovely parents who had plenty of time for them.
Jack spent most of his time trying to catch up with his brother and sisters and copying anything he saw them do. It was a struggle, but he kept at it.
It was particularly difficult copying Susan, for she flitted from one activity to the next. She had a craze for making friendship bracelets, which Jack laboriously copied. It took him ages to get the hang of it, but by then, Susan was on to home-made jewellry and after that, birthday cards. Susan was quite brilliant. Or at least, that's how Jack saw her. She could turn her hand to anything and picked up new ideas very quickly, but she never stayed with anything for very long.
Tommy spent some time with his little brother, but he was much keener on football than on baby brothers so Jack didn't see much of him. Jack idolised Tommy and spent hours trying to kick a football, but however hard he tried, he was always miles behind Tommy who had far more to do than to teach Jack how to play. Tommy spent most of his time with his own friends and only gave a little of the time left over to Jack.
Jack loved Rosemary, for she was the nearest in age to him and didn't seem to be quite so far out of reach as Susan or Tommy. But there was something about Rosemary which puzzled Jack. She was forever teasing him rather than playing with him and sometimes the teasing got out of hand. Rosemary often made Jack cry, she was so mean to him. Jack loved her and wanted to play with her, but she frequently hurt him and he didn't like that much.
When the children grew up, Susan had a succession of brilliant jobs, none of which lasted very long. Tommy spent his time making money and was completely absorbed by his own wealth. Rosemary went wild as a teenager, got into drugs and dropped out. She soon began to thieve to support her habit and to the shame of the family, spent more time inside jail than out.
But little Jack grew up to be strong and steady. Deep down inside he was committed to God and that coloured his life. People loved Jack because he was always there for them, he always had time for them. Jack used to laugh and say that it was because he was the youngest in the family, he'd always had to fight for his siblings' attention and that had made him more sensitive to the needs of others. But everyone knew that it was God working through him, because young Jack was good soil which was bearing much fruit.
Activity:
You need:
A large shallow gardening tray
Soil
Pebbles
Compost
Water
Seeds
Talk about soil and the conditions necessary for growth - sufficient soil, good quality soil, water, warmth, light. Tell the children you're going to to experiment, to see which kind of soil produces the best crop. Let the children help you to spread soil in the tray. Leave one area of the tray clear for a path. In another area spread the soil very thinly. In another area spread the pebbles, so that the soil becomes stony. In the final area, mix the soil with compost.
Let the children sprinkle the seeds all over the tray, then water them in. Don't tell them what the seeds will produce, leave them to find out when the seeds grow. Put the tray in a warm, light place (and keep an eye on it during the week. It will certainly need more water.) Each week, let the children check the tray to see which seeds grow best (and pray that it's the seeds in compost!)
Tell the children the story of the sower again, and remind them that Jesus said that we are like soil. Ask them which conditions make soil best for growth (see above). Tell them that we receive water and light and warmth from God, but that we have to accept what God gives us and allow him to work within us if his word is to take root within us and grow properly so that it can be harvested at the right time. Point out that harvest happens when seed is fully grown and that that isn't instant but takes a long time of nurturing.
Prayers:
God our gardener, please make our church into such good soil that your word grows strong and healthy within us. And then bring us to the time of harvest, when much good grain is produced.
God our gardener, help us all to become stewards of your world. May we do whatever we can to sustain and nurture our environment and may we protest whenever we see the environment being needlessly destroyed.
God our gardener, may we strive to become good soil and may we accept without complaint all that is necessary to make us into good soil, even if the process of hoeing and ploughing is painful.
God our gardener, fill our friends and neighbours who are sick with the sunshine and warmth of your love. May your healing power rain over them until they are drenched and ready to grow into full health and strength. We name them before you ....
Blessing:
May God give you strength
as he prepares you
to became good soil
and to receive his seeds.
And may the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Be with you, be in your homes
And in your families,
With those whom you love
And with those for whom you pray,
Both now and always.
