Listening to yourself

So I spent much of last year posting blog posts on behalf of a good friend and colleague. I didn't have to write them, only post them, and each time I did, I was reminded of my own blog sitting dormant with no updates for 2, (now nearly 3!!) years. But I didn't do anything. What a huge gap of time! Should I go back and add in tons of old blog posts to make up for all of the empty months of not posting? then, I wrote this. Our staff writes weekly devotions that we send to our congregation. This week was my turn, and I wrote about not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. And so I finally decided to pick this old blog thing up again. Why not? So, I will give it a whirl--probably won't post every week since I don't give children's sermons every week--but i'll try to make it good enough!

Children’s Message, Sunday, January 8, 2012--Well Pleased—Mark 1:11

What a wonderfully busy and exciting few months we have had! Advent has been our time of thinking about, preparing for had celebrating the birth of Jesus. In Sunday School and in church, you all have spent time with the stories around Jesus’ birth—Mary and Joseph and the angels and the shepherds! And now, we have this Messiah—this Jesus! As we move forward in Sunday School, we will jump into the stories of Jesus and his ministry. The people he taught, the miracles he performed, the sayings and preachings that the world has remembered.

But let’s take a step back for a minute.

Today, we celebrate the occasion of the baptism of Jesus. Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist earned his name in this passage of scripture. He told the people about how wonderful Jesus was, and then, right there in the Jordan River he baptized him! This healer, this teacher, this miraculous Messiah—was baptized right then and there. Of course, at that point—he wasn’t a healer yet. He hadn’t done much teaching yet. But it didn’t matter to God—God knew that Jesus would be special and would bring God’s word to the world. The gospel of Mark tells us that just as Jesus was coming up from being baptized in the water, God’s voice came from heaven saying, “You are my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11) Now, of course, anyone would be well pleased with their child—especially if they were Jesus! But what I notice is that God doesn’t say, “You are my child the miraculous healer” or “you are my child the great teacher”. Nope—“you are my son the Beloved.”

At this point in our story, Jesus wasn’t yet a great teacher or a great healer or the leader of the disciples. Jesus was God’s child. God had great things planned for Jesus, but the main thing was that God created Jesus, had a special job for Jesus and most of all, loved and was pleased with Jesus. And although you all are not Jesus—you are God’s children, and I am pretty sure that even before you do anything great, you, too are pleasing to God as God’s beloved.

Let’s pray: Loving God
As we remember the gift of baptism
And we remember that we are yours,
We pray that we may please you. Amen.


* With Thanks to Carolyn Brown and her fantastic blog, "Worshiping with Children" for the kernel that grew this sermon.
http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2011/11/year-b-baptism-of-lord-january-8-2011.html

Word Girl

OK, so in the past 6 months I have done two "Word Girl" themed children's sermons. Since you must work with children if you are reading this blog, I am going to assume that you know "Word Girl" as the PBS show featuring World Girl (also known as 5th grader Becky Botsford) as a super hero who teaches vocabulary. Being that my name is Becky, I have adopted this idea to use as a launching point to introduce different words to kids. So here is this past week's "Word Girl" sermon on the word JUSTICE Take a look and tell me what you think!

Children’s Message
Sunday, November 27, 2011
“Justice”

I have decided to put my “word girl” cape back on this morning to talk with you about a word that I am thinking about today. That word is “Justice”. Now, I know for some of you, that word might make you think about fashion, and for some of you that word might make you think about fighting bad guys, but actually, Justice means, in a nutshell, “to treat others fairly”. A lot of the messages in the Bible are about Justice.

In Micah, we are instructed to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.

In Amos, we see that prophet using the idea of “Justice rolling down like waters” to show the people how things could be different by following God’s way

In Isaiah, we hear the prediction that the Messiah will “come to bring justice to the nations”.
So when we read the Bible, we know that God wants justice, we know that we are called to do justice, and perhaps at this time of year, most importantly, we know that Jesus brought justice to our world.

So how can we live this Justice that God taught? How can we treat others fairly?

We can think and talk about it more in Sunday School, and as we prepare in this advent season, and wait for the Messiah who will bring justice to the nations, we can think about ways we can follow Jesus by bringing justice to our world.

Let’s pray:
As God’s people,
We are taught to seek justice.
Help us to try to treat others fairly
And bring justice to our world.
Amen.

Children’s Message, Sunday, August 14, different—but the same (Matthew 15:21-28) 9th Sunday after Pentecost

Children’s Message
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Different—but the same (Matthew 15:21-28)

Before I talk to you today, I want you to take a moment and think of a person who you would describe as being “the same” as you. OK. Hold that thought in your mind while I tell you this story. . .


(this is my story--insert your own)
Many years ago, I worked with a partner of the Presbyterian Church in England. While I was there, I lived in the dorms of a missionary training college. Throughout the year, people came and went as they were studying and preparing to go out and do mission work. It was an international dorm, so there were people from over 40 countries there, so I got to know lots of different people.

One man that I will always remember is Do-Young, a pastor from Korea. One night as we were sharing our stories, I mentioned that I was a Presbyterian. Do-Young looked at me and said, “You are a Presbyterian?? Then we are the same!” Turns out he was a Presbyterian too.
Now I don’t know what you thought about when I asked you to think of a person who is the same as you, but before that conversation, I wouldn’t have described Do-Young as the same as me. He was a man, he was 15 years older, he was from Korea. . . but we were both Presbyterians, so he was right, in one very important way, we were the same!

Now, when the scripture is read later, you will hear another story about Jesus and a woman who was different from him. I want you to listen to how that story ends, and talk with your parents or the grown-ups that you came with today about what Jesus might have learned from that woman.

Let’s pray:
Loving God,
We thank you for the ways that you make us unique
And we thank you for the ways we are the same
Help us always
To respect and care for each other. Amen

Children’s Message--Sibling Rivalry—Genesis 37:12-28--Aug. 7--8th Sunday after Pentecost

Lots of us have brothers or sisters. I have a big sister. The story goes that when I was born and came home from the hospital, my sister got kind of jealous. She got pretty sick of people coming in and cooing at me and saying how pretty I was and bringing me presents and all of those other things that happen when a new baby comes. Eventually she got fed up, and, as the story is told in our house, finally told someone who was goo-goo-gaa-ing over me, that if they liked the baby so much, they could just take her home! I’ve heard other stories where big brothers or sisters were even craftier than my sister and offered to sell the new baby to visitors! Now, as you can imagine if you have a sister or brother, my sister eventually decided that I was OK and I could stay in the family.

Today’s Bible reading focuses on some brothers who even as grown men got jealous of their little brother. Joseph, known to many of us as the man with the coat of many colors, was the youngest son of Jacob, who we have been hearing about lots over this summer. Joseph had special dreams. When he told his brothers about his dreams, they didn’t like what he dreamed about. They got so jealous that they did sell him to get rid of him!!

Yes, Joseph’s brothers were mean, and they even sold him away to get rid of him. He ended up in jail, but eventually the very thing that got his brothers so mad—his dreams-- ended up being what saved him. It is funny how in families we get mad, we argue, we do things we sometimes feel really bad about, but we always hope that in the end, our love of each other, and our love of our families will be the most important thing for us.

Let’s pray:
Loving God
We thank you for the love of our families.
Help us to care for each other
And love each other
As you love us. Amen.

(This is a re-post of a 2008 message)

Children’s Sermon, Sunday, July 24, The Parable of the Leaven—Matthew 13:33 6th Sunday after Pentecost

So all week, I have been thinking about rice krispy treats. I think it is because I have been wanting to make something sweet and cookie-ish, but it has been so hot, that I haven’t wanted to warm up the kitchen--so rice krispy treats seemed like the perfect treat to me.

Now, I have also been thinking about today’s scripture and how I was going to talk with you all about it. Today, we get a whole bunch of parables--6 to be exact. I’d like to read you one of them: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

Do you know what yeast is used for? It is used to make bread rise. As I was reading this parable, I pictured a woman working really hard at kneading a hunk of dough, working all of that leaven through it.
And because I was hungry for rice krispy treats, I thought about how much work it takes to mix the krispies into the marshmallow.

So here’s what I came up with. . . Without yeast, bread would just be a sticky flat dough. Without the marshmallows, there would be no “treat”--only a bowl of dry cereal. They become a part of each other. I think that is how God works in us as Christians. Can you imagine if someone handed you a rice krispy treat and asked you to take out all of the marshmallow? You couldn’t do it. Maybe it is the same with us. Being a Christian is just a part of us--mixed into who we are so much that we cannot separate the Christian from the rest of us.

In the Presbyterian Brief Statement of Faith, the last line states, “We rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God Through Christ Jesus our Lord.” AMEN!!

Let’s Pray:

Loving God

We are thankful that you are a part of us

And we pray

That you remain in us--

Now and always.

Amen.

Children's Message, July 17--Jacob's Ladder--Genesis 18:11-22--5th Sunday after Pentecost

Children’s Sermon, Jacob’s Ladder (Genesis 28:11-22)—Prayer Rock

So did everyone have a good sleep last night? What do you sleep with? Raise your hand if you sleep with a stuffed animal or special blanket. . . how about a pillow. . . how about a rock. No one sleeps with a rock? Me neither! I love big fluffy pillows, so I don’t think I’d like to sleep with a rock! The reason I was thinking about sleeping with rocks is because of the Bible story that we are looking at in worship today. We will be hearing about the story of Jacob’s ladder. This story is about a very special dream that Jacob had, where he saw a ladder that led up to God, and in this dream, God blessed Jacob’s descendants. When Jacob went to sleep the night that he had this dream, he slept with a rock, and in some versions of the Bible, they say that he used it as a pillow. After he woke up, to remember his special dream, Jacob set that stone on a pillar and anointed it.

So, I wanted to think about a way that we could use a rock to help us remember that special dream. I remembered a poem that I had seen years ago about a prayer rock. This poem, using the rock, helps remind us to pray before bed (by leaving the rock in your pillow to “bonk” you in the head) and in the morning (by leaving the rock on your floor to step on).

So I hope that this prayer rock helps you to do two things:
1) remember to take time in the morning and evening to say a prayer to God, and
2) to remember the story of Jacob’s dream about the ladder up to God where Jacob used a rock as a pillow.

Let’s pray:
Loving God
Be with us when we are awake
Be with us in our dreams as we sleep
Help us to remember your stories
And to pray always.
Amen.

**poem**
(This rock and poem could be a craft to do with the kids in Sunday School time)
I'm your little prayer rock
and this is what I'll do.
Just put me on your pillow
'til the day is through.
Then turn back the covers
and climb into your bed,
and, whack! your little prayer rock
will bump you on the head.
Then you will remember
as the day is through,
to kneel and say your prayers
as you intended to.
Then when you are finished
dump me on the floor.
I'll stay there through the nighttime
to give you help once more.
When you get up next morning,
clunk! I stub your toe,
so that you will remember
your prayers before you go.
Put me back upon your pillow
when your bed is made,
and your clever little prayer rock
will continue in your aid.
Because our God in heaven
cares and loves us so,
God wants us to remember
to pray each day, you know.
(I do not have a source to cite for this--all entries I find list "author unknown", and I somewhat edited it from the original)





Another Jacob's ladder idea can be found here:http://beckyveitch.blogspot.com/2008/07/jacobs-ladder-childrens-sermon.html