Perfect for All Time

for Sunday, November 15, 2016
25th Sunday after Pentecost
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Proper 28
Year B
lectionary focus: Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
prop: your church bulletin

Welcome!

We are people who like to do things in order. We start at the beginning, go to the middle, and finish at the end. Even our worship service goes in order. Each Sunday we pray and sing and listen and share and have communion. And each Sunday, right before you guys come down to the steps, we pray the Prayer of Confession. This is the part where we tell God that we’re sorry for what we have done wrong. When I was a kid your age, the Prayer of Confession always confused me. It made me sad that each week we again said that we were sorry. I kept wondering why we didn’t get better, why we didn’t get it right. I mean, I made mistakes as a kid, but I thought surely when I became a grownup I’d be perfect and not need to tell God sorry.

Well, I’ve got two things to tell you about that. One: we don’t get perfect and two: we are perfect. I know, I know—I just said that we don’t get perfect and yet we are perfect; this is one of those conflicting Jesus things. First, we will never get perfect in that we will always, every week, every day make mistakes. We will always need to tell someone and God that we are sorry. But the second thing is that God knows we His children are each perfect, and God loves each of us no matter what, no matter what mistakes we make. And because of these two things—that we are imperfectly perfect—each week, we say the Prayer of Confession and while our Amen is still echoing off the ceiling, Pastor Joe reminds us that we are forgiven and that God loves us and that we are God’s perfect children.

Each week after our time on the steps, the next activity in the order of worship is to hear the scriptures read. Today we hear these words from the Book of Hebrews: “For by that one offering (Jesus) forever made perfect those who are being made holy.” (New Living Translation)

As a grownup, I’ve come to love the part of the service where we pray the Prayer of Confession. Of course, I still make mistakes and need to tell God that I’m sorry, and that makes me sad—but I know the very next order of the service is to hear again loud and clear that God forgives me and loves me and thinks I’m perfect. Therefore, I encourage each of you to hold fast to this truth: confidently tell God that you are sorry and confidently accept God’s love and forgiveness, because nothing can separate you from God’s perfecting love.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
We make mistakes.
We are sorry.
Thank You
for forgiving us
for loving us
and for making us perfect.
Amen

We are not Christians alone.
My mission is to share, encourage, and inspire.

KEEP (SH)OUT(ING)!

This is how it played out at EPC. It was awesome. ~Fran

for Sunday, October 4, 2015
World Communion Sunday
19th Sunday After Pentecost
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Proper 22
Year B
lectionary focus: Mark 10:2-16

note and PROP: As Edgewood Presbyterian Church celebrates World Communion Sunday, our children’s sermon will prepare the congregation and the table for Communion. Our prop is a fence section that will be placed on top of the Communion Table. By turning the fence into a table, we are saying: there is plenty to share; the table is big; we are one world. A great book to extend this lesson is The Greatest Table by Michael Rosen.

Good morning!

I have a BIG prop today! This is a section of fence. We put fences around things for safety. We fence our yards so our dogs can play and not get lost. We put fences beside roads so that drivers will know where to drive their cars. We put fences around dangerous things like power stations and water towers so that people don’t get hurt. Fences can be very helpful. But some people want to build fences to be selfish. Some people want to use fences to say that other people need to go away; to say that other people are not welcome there; to say that other people need to KEEP OUT (helper puts sign on the fence). Some people want to use fences because they feel there is not enough to share.

In our Bible story today, Jesus fusses at the disciples when they are being selfish. The disciples use themselves to make a fence to keep children away from Jesus. Jesus moves the disciples, opens His arms, hugs all the children, and reminds the disciples that there is plenty of Jesus to share.

Today we celebrate World Communion Sunday. Today we celebrate that there is STILL plenty of Jesus to share all over the world. Today we celebrate that we don’t have to be selfish with Jesus and His love.

But I wonder about the fences. I wonder about the people who forget that there is enough to share. I wonder what we can do. I wonder how we can move the fences like Jesus. I wonder how we can show that there is plenty to share. Here are 3 ideas.

First. I think we need to change the sign on the fence. That sign says KEEP OUT. But if we add God’s love and put a few more letters on the sign, it now reads KEEP SHOUTING GOD LOVES YOU! I think that makes Jesus’s message loud and clear.

Second. Today at EPC, we are changing this fence into a table. Watch as our helpers take the fence and place it here on top of Jesus’s table. And now our other friends will  add the elements. That fence which was designed to keep people out is now making the table bigger, is now welcoming us all to eat with Jesus.

And third. We can remember that there is enough to share. Whether we are sharing Jesus or love or kindness or food or shoes or a place to live, there is enough. And Jesus calls us all to share, calls us to make sure that others are welcome, calls us to show how big His table is.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Thank You
for keeping us safe.
Thank You
for sharing with us.
Thank You
for reminding us
to share with others
and to move selfish fences.
KEEP SHOUTING!
GOD LOVES YOU!
Amen
Amen

We are not Christians alone.
My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

Guest Post

This past Sunday, my preacher Joe Genau was up for children’s sermon duty. He presented the most amazing connection between lectionary, kids, and what we call Rally Day—the day we all gather together during Sunday School to hear about the options for Sunday School and other missions during the year. Honestly, when I read the lectionary readings I thought for sure Joe would avoid Song of Solomon and the Psalm! His genius found a way! I think his idea of saying ‘a poem can be a present’ will fit with many other lectionary-ily difficult Sundays, and so I share it here as my first ever guest sermon post. Take note!

photo by Bill Woodruff. Chicago, 2015

for August 30, 2015
14th Sunday after Pentecost
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Proper 17
Year B
lectionary focus: Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9

Guest Post by:
Rev. Joe Genau
Edgewood Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)
Birmingham, AL

Good morning!

One of the Bible readings we’re going to hear this morning is a little strange.
It’s a poem that someone wrote for a King and a Princess on their wedding day!
And it’s not the kind of poem that rhymes – but it does use big, fancy, beautiful words.
It says things like “You two look wonderful!” and “I’m really excited for you!” and “God really loves you!”

Whoever wrote the poem was really happy for the King and the Princess on their very big, very special day. This person was so happy, that they wrote the poem to tell everyone at the wedding just how happy they were.

Did you know that you can give someone a gift like that? Instead of buying them a present for their special day – their birthday, or their wedding day, or their graduation day – you can write them a poem or a song or a story and tell them how happy you are and how excited you are and how much God loves them.

Well, today is a special day for Edgewood Presbyterian Church.
After worship, we’re going to go upstairs and have a party because it’s Rally Day!
Rally Day is the day we celebrate the beginning of a new Sunday School year.
When we go upstairs, you’re going to find out who your teachers are, and what you’re going to learn about this year.

I’m so excited about this special day that I wrote a poem for you – and I’d like to read it to you now:

Rally Day is here – I am so excited.
My heart is so happy to see you all.
You all look so nice in your dresses and shirts and cool shoes.
You’re all getting so big – it makes me feel old sometimes.
You’re all so smart – and you’ll learn even more this year.
About life. And about church. And about God.
God’s word is like a lamp, showing us the way to live.
We have such great teachers! God gave them wisdom to share.
Have fun in Sunday School. Listen and act kindly to each other.
And ask lots of questions!
Ask lots of questions!
Always, ask lots of questions!

That’s it! Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear God,
Thank you
For wise teachers
And for books to read
And for art
And for music
And for questions!
You love us.
We love you.
Amen.

Thanks for sharing Joe!
We are not Christians alone.
My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

Gathering Together

for Sunday, July 12, 2015
7th Sunday after Pentecost
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Proper 10
Year B
lectionary focus: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24

Welcome!

I love how joyfully you all come up to the chancel steps. Some of you run; some of you skip; and some of you walk…slowly…but you each come with intention and a smile. And I love how when I come into church each Sunday, Mr. Ray meets me at the door and gives me a big hug before he gives me the bulletin. When we gather for church and when we gather on the chancel steps, we meet each other in a joyful way. And our joy gives witness to our unity, that we are excited to all be God’s children together.

On our bulletin cover this morning, there is a picture of doors. Some of you guys drew these doors a few weeks ago with Miss Lindsey. This picture shows our church is a welcoming place, inviting the world to come and join us and be part of God’s family. This picture shows that nothing will keep us from opening the doors to let the people in.

In our Bible story today, King David calls for the people of Israel to come to God’s house. King David leads the people dancing through the town, joyfully celebrating the Glory of God. The people go dancing and singing and playing instruments and inviting everyone to join them as they process to God’s temple. King David calls for the church doors to be lifted and opened that all may gather to worship God.

So you see, for thousands of years, people have been getting together to worship God. And we make a big deal of gathering. We open the doors and come into the church excited to see our friends; curious to meet new visitors; thankful that God is with us. We come into church and celebrate being together as family to worship God who loves us each very much.

This past week our special word was #dance and we looked for ways that people were dancing. This week’s special word is #music. I bet you can think of lots of good pictures to go with music. I wonder what pictures Pastor Joe is taking on his vacation to go with music? So keep your eyes watching and get your parents to snap and post some pictures with our #epcvbs. And remember, lift up your heads and worship with joy. We are gathered to celebrate.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Thank You
for doors that open.
Thank You
for our church family.
Thank You
for dance and music
and being together.
Us and You.
You love us.
We love You.
Amen

We are not Christians alone.
My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

Hashtag Summer

for Sunday, June 7, 2015
2nd Sunday after Pentecost
10th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Proper 5
Vacation Bible School
Year B
lectionary focus: Mark 3:20-35
props: camera phone and Instagram/FaceBook
note: Our small church has decided NOT to do Vacation Bible School this summer. Not as a week long event nor as part of Summer Sunday School. This year, we are giving ALL of our Sunday School teachers a break! We will still have a Sunday School time, but each week the children will be taught by our lovely intern (I suggested she use StoryPath books.), and all the rest from Middle School on up will be taught Bible 101 by our new preacher (I know! Where did we get this guy? Hope we don’t burn him out too quickly!).
I have been following Brother, Give Us a Word from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist.  I applaud this awesome use of social media! My Pastor Joe and I discussed how we might use such an online tool with our congregation. And so #epcvbs is happening! This Sunday I will explain our Online Vacation Bible School during the children’s sermon time, give the first hashtag word (#family), and close with a group photo on the chancel steps. Through our church’s Instagram account (instagram.com/edgewoodpres) and hashtag words of the week, we will encourage our church family to connect and to post pictures using our main hashtag #epcvbs and the hashtag word of the week (see suggested hashtag words for each week following the sermon below). We want to provide our church family with another way to stay connected visually, mentally, and spiritually during summer vacations. (Since this Online Vacation Bible School is an intentional intergenerational activity, this hashtag word of the week will not be part of the children’s sermon every week—though it can be.) (Since not everyone views social media, Pastor Joe will print out the pictures each week and post them on the “wall” in the Narthex.) So here goes…let me know if I don’t make any sense.

Happy Summer!

I am so excited that summer is here and we are into our summer routines of not really having a routine! Summer is a big travel time and lots of us will be visiting family: grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins. Like holidays, summer is a great time for family to get together.

In our Bible story today, Jesus talks about family. Jesus points out that family is not just your parents or your brothers and sisters or your grandparents or your cousins. Jesus tells us that the people He calls family are those who follow God. Whoa! That means since we follow God that we are part of Jesus’s family! And since each of us are part of Jesus’s family, then we are part of each other’s family…meaning we are all family together. This is why we call each other part of our church family. Looks like we’ve got a big, happy family!

One of my favorite things that families do is take family photographs. So today I’ve brought my camera to take our church family picture together here on the chancel steps. But the thing is…I want each of you to be able to see the picture. Do you guys know who this is? You may have seen him in Pastor Joe’s office. He’s the church mouse. Pastor Joe posts pictures of the church mouse on an app called Instagram. So we’re going take our picture with the church mouse, post it on Instagram, and then all of our church family can see it! Here, you Ben, hold the church mouse.

And I’m going to stand back here, you guys squish in on the steps, and you guys in the congregation do your best photo-bomb pose! I might have to take two pictures. One, two, say Alleluia! (take the picture or two!)

One of the ways that Instagram makes it easy to share pictures is through labels called hashtag. Do you fingers like this. (Do the hashtag symbol if you understand what I’m talking about.) By using a hashtag label, we give a picture a theme. The hashtag for this picture that I just took is of course #family.

This is fun! I want to do this more. And I bet you guys would be good at it too! Let’s do this. All summer long, our church family is invited to post pictures on Instagram. This week, we start with #family. So when you guys (those on the steps with me here) and you guys (those in the pews out there) see something that makes you think “family,” we want you to photograph it, hashtag it with #family, and then post it to share. And so we can see them all together, Pastor Joe will print out the pictures and post them on the Narthex wall. AND each week this summer, Pastor Joe will give us a new hashtag word of the week for next week, and we can find other opportunities to photograph the new theme.

But we also need a hashtag to connect all of the pictures and themes. Our main hashtag will be #epcvbs. EPC stands for Edgewood Presbyterian Church and VBS stands for Vacation Bible School. Using Instagram, we are taking our Vacation Bible School wherever we are this summer. Through #epcvbs, we can share our family adventures with our whole church family. This way, we can all be church family together, following God whether we are here or there, near or far; we can stay connected spiritually and visually through the magic of technology.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Thank You
for family.
Thank You
that we are each
part of Your family.
Help us all
stay connected this summer
through worship,
through fun,
and through technology.
Amen

Suggested Weekly Hashtag Words that fit with the Revised Common Lectionary
We are still working on these. We want to find hashtags that don’t pull up inappropriate pictures on Instagram…if you know what I mean.

For the week of
June 8: #family

June 15: #davidandgoliath or #bestill

June 22: #morning or #balance

June 29: #honor or #HONORGOD

July 6: #welcome or #music or #fullness

July 13: #rocks

July 20: #picnic

July 27: #water

Aug 3: #truth or #GODSTRUTH

Aug 10: #backtoschool or #blessingofthebackpacks

We are not Christians alone.
My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

Easter 2015 Unpacking the Trunk

for Sunday, April 5, 2015
Easter Sunday
Year B

Not to sound sacrilegious, but I am all about the theatre of church. I find it Holy when each part of the service flows from one moment to the next. I’ve also been around long enough to know this flow takes a lot of planning, preparation, practice, and work. As our packed trunk will be unpacked by the children at the opening of our Easter celebration, I have spent an afternoon with Pastor Joe blocking out the details. Here are our stage directions; adjust as fits your congregation. As the children’s sermon falls in its usual spot a third of the way through the service, scroll down if you want just the sermon. 

In addition to the Easter decorations, our Lenten trunk will be open, draped in white cloth, surrounded by Easter lilies, and bursting forth with all sorts of white streamers, banners, and garlands.

*  Choir processes in silently and takes their place in the loft.

*  The Chiming of the Hour.

*  Choir sings Verses One and Two of “Woman, Weeping in the Garden”
(solo male doing verse one; solo female doing verse two)
Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #241
Louisville, KY: Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, 2013.
also
Hymnary.org

*  Two acolytes enter from back of church with lit torches, stopping at Row One.

*  Pastor Joe, wearing his robe but not the stole, follows them and continues over to the trunk. He gets the big, fancy Bible and returns to stand between acolytes.

*  Pastor Joe: Please rise in body and spirit for the Gospel of the Lord.
Reads John 20:1-18, Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark…

*  Pastor Joe: The GOSPEL of the Lord.

*  Congregation: Praise to You, Lord Christ.

*  Pastor Joe: The congregation may be seated but I invite the children to come forward to unpack our Lenten trunk and prepare the sanctuary for our Easter celebration.

*  While the whole Choir now sings Verses Three, Four, and Five of “Woman, Weeping in the Garden,” there will be much messy and chaotic and (we hope) joyful activity:

* Acolytes go and light the candelabras and then meeting to light the Christ Candle together once it is unpacked and placed.
* Helping adults take their places as noted later.
* Children come down to meet Joe at the trunk.

* Joe hands the big, fancy Bible he was just reading to a child, “Run this up there to Miss Lindsey at the lectern and then run back down here.”

* Joe hands Christ Candle to a child, “Take this to Miss Fran over there and then run back over here.”

* Joe hands Processional Cross to a child, “Run this to Finn in the back of the church and then run back down here.”

*  Joe hands the baptismal pitcher to a child, “Run this to your mom in the back of the church.”  (This kid will be kept by her mom as in a few minutes she will process in with the filled pitcher.)

*  Joe hands out the boxes of doughnuts—yes, real doughnuts so there will be lots of boxes, all taped shut to prevent spilling—“Run these to Mr. Ben and Mr. Dave and Mr. Ray in the back of the church and then run back down here.”

*  Joe hands out the Alleluia streamers, “Here make sure every kid gets one of these when they come back.”

*  Joe gets two kids to put the white stole around his shoulders.

*  When all the kids return down front (except the one with the baptismal pitcher now in the back beside Finn with the processional cross),
Pastor Joe: Thank you for unpacking our trunk with the things we will need for our big, joyful Easter celebration. You are now holding the Alleluia streamers that you made long ago before Ash Wednesday. And we can now say that Easter word: Alleluia! Each time your hear this word today, I want you to wave your streamers and make the bells on them ring. Let’s practice: Alleluia! (Kids wave and ring.)

*  Pastor Joe: (Turning to the congregation) Please rise again in body and spirit for the Call to Worship.
(To the kids) Listen to how this goes.

*  Pastor Joe: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.
*  Congregation: Alleluia, Christ is Risen Indeed.
(Doing this a second time so all the kids can participate.)
*  Pastor Joe: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.
*  Congregation: Alleluia, Christ is Risen Indeed.

*  Opening Hymn

*  During the singing of the opening hymn, the Processional Cross is brought in, followed by the child with the baptismal pitcher who pours the waters into the font.

We will continue with the Service.

Children’s Sermon
for Sunday, April 5, 2015
Easter
Year B
lectionary focus: John 20:1-18
props: Your trunk or other container for ‘packing away’ the things we will need for the big, mysterious celebration of Easter NOW EMPTY AS NOTED ABOVE.

Wow! Happy Easter! Everybody say, Alleluia! (Alleluia!)

Here we are at the big, joyful, mystery of Easter!

There sure was a lot of running this morning! I love how you all ran to unpack our Lenten trunk. I love how you ran to put each item from our Lenten trunk back in its place. Everything is now decent and in order.

In our Bible Story this morning, we heard about a lot of running. When Mary and the women found Jesus’s tomb empty, they ran to Peter and John. And then everybody ran back to the tomb and then, they all ran some more. They ran because things did not make sense and they were trying to find the sense of everything; they ran because things seemed out of control and they were trying to find some control for what was going on; they ran because everything seemed out of order and they were trying to find the order of everything.

And that’s the big, joyful, mystery of Easter:
The resurrection of Jesus puts order into our lives.

It’s that simple.
It’s that simple, but it’s that complex.
This doesn’t mean that everything in life is easy; this doesn’t mean the junk drawer in my kitchen is all organized and clutter-free; this doesn’t mean I will never be confused or sad again. Easter works with the craziness and puts order into our lives; Easter gives us direction, gives us purpose. And the direction, the purpose, the order in our lives is love.

Through the resurrection of Jesus, we know that God loves us. We know that nothing can separate us from God’s love. And as God loves us, we are called to love each other.

Long ago, on that first Easter, as the disciples were running around the empty tomb, Mary stood confused in the cemetery. A man asked her why she was crying. Mary turned around supposing the man to be the gardener; but He was Jesus, the gardener of the whole world. Mary turned around and found that Jesus had put love into our lives. When we want things to make sense, when we want to know how to lead, when we want to arrange everything in order, we go with love.

This is the mystery.
This is the direction.
This is the order.
For God so loved the world.
For God so loves you.

As you run, or walk, or crawl, or skip, or dance, or sit very, very still, remember Easter puts order in our lives. Easter puts love in our lives. We are Easter people. We are people of love.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Alleluia!
Christ is Risen!
Easter puts love in our lives.
Help us
put Your love
in the world.
Alleluia!
Amen

I hope you have enjoyed this Lenten/Easter series.
I’d love to read your comments.

We are not Christians alone.
My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

Lenten Series Sermons 2015

Background: See my explanation of our Lenten Series for the outline and plan.

I hope those of your reading this blog have figured out that many people have their fingerprints on it. This Lenten Series idea comes through my newest church buddy Pastor Joe Genau of my church Edgewood Presbyterian Church (PCUSA). Joe came to me with this ‘crazy’ idea…“I’ve got this huge trunk. It’s been my dream to use it…” And so the conversation exploded from there. We looked at the lectionary; we looked at other sites and readings about Packing Away the Alleluia; we looked at the kids in our congregation; and together we decided to get our kids ready for Easter by having them plan for the celebration, helping them figure out what we will need on that joyful Easter morning. I’m so excited about this series collaboration…and so excited about Pastor Joe including these kids in the worship of our Lord every Sunday. Love me some crazy!

This post here has all the Sunday sermons for the series. My church began Lent at an Ash Wednesday service that included a children’s sermon noted below. Since I’m such a slacker and did not post that sermon beforehand, you may want to adapt the First Sunday in Lent sermon to cover that object. Feel free to rearrange/substitute objects to fit your worship. Our point is to mark this Lenten Season as a time to set aside the important things we will need for the big, joyful, mysterious celebration of Easter so that we will be ready and new and special on that day.

for Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Ash Wednesday
Year B
lectionary focus: Psalm 51:1-17
props: Your trunk or other container for ‘packing away’ the things we will need for the big, mysterious celebration of Easter AND Alleluia streamers with bells attached to small dowels. You’ll want to have many of these streamers on dowels so that on Easter you can pass them around the congregation.

Good evening!

It’s kind of strange to be at a worship service at night in the middle of the week. But it’s also kind of cool!

I know that you all know about Easter. Easter is a big, bright, joyful special day. We say Alleluia! and Christ is risen! and The Lord is risen indeed! This big celebration is coming but it is not Easter yet. We are now in the time before Easter. This is called the Season of Lent. Lent is the time we get ready for the big celebration that is coming. Easter is bright and colorful and loud. But Lent is dark and gray and quiet. Lent is a time when we focus on getting ourselves ready for the celebration, but we don’t celebrate just yet.

Our Bible story tonight reminds us that we must prepare ourselves to praise God. We pray so that we may ready for what God puts into our hearts.

This Lenten Season we will be putting away the things we will need for our Easter celebration so that we will be ready and feel new and be special on that day. Tonight we have these streamers that you guys made in Sunday School last week. Each streamer says Alleluia! This is an important word for Easter Sunday. It is one word that lifts many praises to God. And to remind us that it is a special important Easter word, we don’t let ourselves say this word during the Season of Lent. We save it. But notice we have many streamers that have “this” word on them. Not one streamer, but many…one for you and you and you and you and you and all of them out there and everybody. Because on Easter we need everybody’s voice to praise God. So now I’ll place the streamers in our trunk. They will be here ready for us to unpack on Easter and use to lift many praises to God.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Be with us
during the dark and quiet of Lent
as we prepare ourselves
for the bright and joyful
Easter celebration.
We love you.
You love us.
Amen

**

for Sunday, February 22, 2015
First Sunday in Lent
Year B
lectionary focus: Genesis 9:8-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15
props: Your trunk or other container for ‘packing away’ the things we will need for the big mysterious celebration of Easter AND the baptismal pitcher or other baptismal object.

Good morning!

The sanctuary looks a little different today. You notice that the paraments are now purple. And we have this big trunk at the front of the church. We are now in the Season of Lent. Lent is the time we prepare for the big celebration that is coming. You know about Easter. Easter is a big, bright, joyful celebration. We say Christ is risen and The Lord is risen indeed. This big celebration is coming but it is not Easter yet. Lent is a time when we focus on getting ourselves ready for the celebration, but we don’t celebrate just yet. On last Wednesday night, we began our preparations for Easter by packing away the streamers that you guys made. I wonder if you remember the special Easter word that is on the streamers. Let us whisper this word now. (Alleluia.) We don’t use this special Easter word during Lent. By keeping this word silent during Lent, it will make this word extra loud and joyful on Easter.

Today we are packing away another item that we will need for our big Easter celebration. This is our baptismal pitcher. You guys help Pastor Joe each week by carrying the pitcher full of water and pouring it into the font during the prayer. You do this to remind all of us that we are claimed by God, that we are all God’s children.

In our Bible story today, we hear about Noah and his family in the Old Testament going through the great flood. We also hear about Jesus in the New Testament being baptized in the river. These stories of water remind us that as the children of God, we go through the darkness of water, and we come out into the light of God.

Today we pack away the baptismal pitcher. We will not use it during Lent. This gives us time to be dark, and gray, and quiet. Then on Easter, we will unpack the pitcher. You will again pour the water. We will celebrate anew coming out of the darkness and into the light; we will rejoice anew that through the love of Jesus, God claims each and all of us as His children; we will shine anew with the brightness of God’s flowing love.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Be with us
during the dark and quiet of Lent
as we prepare ourselves
for the bright and joyful
Easter celebration.
We love you.
You love us.
Amen

**

for Sunday, March 1, 2015
Second Sunday in Lent
Year B
lectionary focus: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Romans 4:13-25; Mark 8:31-38
props: Your trunk or other container for ‘packing away’ the things we will need for the big, mysterious celebration of Easter AND the processional cross. (Fortunately ours comes apart into two pieces so it will fit in the trunk.)
bonus: We are considering a added wonderment of scattering sand around the entrances to the church. This will be an extended metaphor of Genesis 22:17. Not addressing this during the children’s sermon, but possibly in the adult sermon and/or Sunday School.

Welcome!

We are in the Season of Lent. We are preparing for the big, joyful, mysterious celebration of Easter, but it is not Easter yet. We are packing away the things we will need for our celebration. We have already loaded the trunk with those streamers with this Easter word that we do not say during Lent. We have placed our baptismal pitcher in the trunk awaiting the light at the end of the Lenten darkness. Today we will pack away our processional cross. I know…you must be thinking, ‘How is that going to fit into our trunk?’ Engineers are smart; the cross is made so we can take the top part off the pole and it won’t get damaged while it is packed away. And now, you are probably wondering, ‘Why pack away the cross?!’

In our Bible stories today, we are reminded that God has made a covenant with us. God has made a promise to us. Through Jesus, we have life eternal; through Jesus, we will always live with God. The cross is a symbol of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The cross is also a symbol that we no longer fear because we are always with God.

Each Sunday as the choir comes into the church, our acolyte carries the processional cross. This reminds us that we are each followers of Jesus, carrying a cross of resurrection and life. We will not be packing away all of our church crosses, just this big processional cross. Then on Easter, we will unpack it. We will again lift high our cross. We will again proclaim the love of Christ. We will again adore His sacred name. With brightness and joyfulness. We will be Easter people remembering anew God’s covenant and promise of life to us. God is with us always.

And so I place the cross in our trunk. It is kind of odd to pack away the cross. But we are not getting rid of it; we are not forgetting it; we are preparing the things we will need for the great celebration to come. We are allowing ourselves a time of darkness, so that we can shine in the brightness of Easter.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Be with us
during the dark and quiet of Lent
as we prepare ourselves
for the bright and joyful
Easter celebration.
We love you.
You love us.
Amen

**

for Sunday, March 8, 2015
Third Sunday in Lent
Year B
lectionary focus: Psalm 19:1-14 (verse 10)
props: Your trunk or other container for ‘packing away’ the things we will need for the big, mysterious celebration of Easter AND a clean, empty doughnut box. (We have doughnut time after the service; we will continue this time of fellowship through Lent, but with another treat; I can’t wait to see the kids’ faces on this Sunday.)

Uh oh. I can see the excitement on your faces that I am holding a doughnut box. And now I can see the worry on your faces as you remember that during this time of worship we are packing away the things we will need for our big, joyful Easter celebration. Yes. You are right. Today we pack away the doughnuts. Just so you will know: this is an empty doughnut box. And just so you will know: I am sure there will be some sort of treat after the service.

And just so you will know: I wonder too why do we have to pack away the doughnuts???

The Bible is full of stories that speak to us of God, stories that share wisdom and hope and faith and love. And today’s story from Psalm 19 reminds us that God’s Word to us is sweeter than honey.

Each Sunday after church, we enjoy a time of fellowship, talking and eating doughnuts. This time of fellowship, of sharing God’s love with each other and reflecting on God’s Word to us, is very important and special. Today, to show we understand how special God’s Word is and how special our fellowship time together is, we are packing away the doughnuts. We will continue to have our fellowship time, but to give a little darkness and quiet in that time as we are in the Season of Lent, we will skip the doughnuts. And then on Easter Sunday, the doughnuts will return! We will spend our Easter fellowship time rejoicing in the resurrection of Jesus and the celebration of God’s Word, tasting the doughnuts that like God’s Word are as sweet as honey.

I place this empty doughnut box in our trunk. The box is next to our streamers with this Easter word we do not say during Lent. It is next to our baptismal pitcher and our processional cross. We are in the dark and quiet Season of Lent. We are preparing ourselves for the big, joyful mystery of Easter. The celebration is coming, but we are not celebrating yet.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Be with us
during the dark and quiet of Lent
as we prepare ourselves
for the bright and joyful
Easter celebration.
We love you.
You love us.
Amen

**

for Sunday, March 15, 2015
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Year B
lectionary focus: John 3:14-21
props: Your trunk or other container for ‘packing away’ the things we will need for the big, mysterious celebration of Easter AND the Christ Candle.

Good morning!

Light is a big part of our worship service. Each Sunday, the acolytes bring the light into the church and  light our candles; and at the end of the service, they carry the light out into the world. The light is a symbol and a reminder that Jesus is the light of our lives. Through Jesus, there is no darkness. Through Jesus, we let the light of God’s love shine to those around us. We sing the song, This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Our Bible story today says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only son; Light has come into the world; and whoever lives by the truth comes into the light.”

On Easter Sunday, we will start our celebration by lighting a new candle: this candle. This Christ candle is larger than our other candles. It is marked with the cross and the Greek letters alpha and omega, reminding us that Jesus is the beginning and the end. We use this candle throughout the Easter Season and on other special occassions. Lighting this candle on Easter will end our Lenten Season of darkness.

Then of course! We need to pack this candle away so that it is ready for our big, joyful Easter celebration. We place it here in our trunk next to the streamers, and the pitcher, and the cross, and the doughnut box. We know that this Lenten time of darkness and quiet will end. We will unpack the trunk. We will shout with joy and we will run with gladness. The celebration is coming but it is not time to celebrate yet.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Be with us
during the dark and quiet of Lent
as we prepare ourselves
for the bright and joyful
Easter celebration.
We love you.
You love us.
Amen

**

for Sunday, March 22, 2015
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Year B
lectionary focus: Jeremiah 31:31-34
props: Your trunk or other container for ‘packing away’ the things we will need for the big, mysterious celebration of Easter AND the big, fancy Bible. We have a big, fancy Bible that stays on the lectern; during the children’s sermon we will take it from there to place in the trunk.

Welcome!

Before we start, I need to get something important. I’m going up here to the lectern and get an important book. I’m taking the big, fancy Bible. And I am sure you can guess what we are going to do with it. Yep, we are going to pack away the Bible. We’ve been surprised by some of the things we have packed away in our trunk for the upcoming big, joyful Easter celebration. But the Bible?? Don’t worry; our readers will still have a Bible to read our stories. But we are packing away this one for Easter because the Easter story is so big and so joyful that we need the big, fancy Bible for Pastor Joe to read.

I want to show you today’s Bible story. It is here, in the Book of Jeremiah. We read that God says, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” You know, it really doesn’t matter how big the Bible is or how fancy the binding or lettering. The important thing is that these stories are the Word of God to us. Through our Bible stories, God is telling us how to live; God is writing His word on our hearts. And that word is love.

Easter is the greatest story of love. And so on Easter, we will celebrate in a great big way and we will read this greatest story of love from the big, fancy Bible. For now, we place it here in our trunk to be ready with the streamers, and the pitcher, and the cross, and the candle, and the doughnuts. Soon we will unpack the trunk. We will shout with joy and run with gladness. The Easter celebration is coming but it is not time to celebrate yet.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Be with us
during the dark and quiet of Lent
as we prepare ourselves
for the bright and joyful
Easter celebration.
We love you.
You love us.
Amen

**

for Sunday, March 29, 2015
Palm Sunday
Year B
lectionary focus: Mark 11:1-11; John 12:12-16; John 13:1-7, 31B-35 (from Maundy Thursday’s readings)
props: Your trunk or other container for ‘packing away’ the things we will need for the big, mysterious celebration of Easter AND the white vestment stole.

Good morning! Good morning!

It seems the celebrating has begun! But wait! While the dark and the gray and the quiet of Lent has gotten thin today, we have not arrived at the Easter celebration yet. In our Bible story today, the people welcome Jesus to Jerusalem, having a parade and waving palm branches as symbols of welcome and safety. But we know the rest of the story. We know that the real celebration is not here yet. While today we enjoying the palms and singing Hosanna, we know that this week we have to go through the darkest, grayest, quietest part of Lent before we come out into the brightest, shiniest, and most joyful Easter next Sunday.

And so today we finish packing our trunk for Easter. We started long ago packing the streamers with the Easter word. We then added the baptismal pitcher. We took apart and added our processional cross. Then we packed away the doughnuts. That was so hard to do!! Then the Christ Candle went in, followed by the big, fancy Bible. Seems we don’t have much left to pack. But today we will add the stole. The what? The stole. This is a stole. (point to the current one being worn by your pastor) The stole is this lovely cloth Pastor Joe wears over his robe. The stole is a sign that he is a preacher. It makes him look very fancy and special.

But the stole is also a symbol of work. Later this week we will hear the Bible story of the last meal Jesus has with his friends. During this meal, Jesus stops and washes the disciples’s feet. I know! It sounds crazy! We want clean hands when we eat, but Jesus gets down on his knees and washes his friends’ dirty, stinky feet! Like us, I am sure the disciples were wondering why He did that!!! And so we will all understand, Jesus explains. Yes, He said that He is our teacher and Lord, but He is showing us what we are called to do. We are called to work; we are called to take care of each. None of us is so fancy and so special that we cannot work for each other. So preachers wear the stole as a symbol of the towel Jesus used when He washed and dried the disciples’s feet, and the stole reminds us that we are called to work for each other.

Today we pack away Pastor Joe’s stole. But not this lovely purple one because purple is the color of Lent. For our bright, shiny Easter celebration, we change to a pure, shiny white. This is the stole we will pack today for Pastor Joe to wear next Sunday. (now show the white stole) This is the stole Pastor Joe will need for our big, mysterious, joyful Easter celebration next Sunday.

All of our objects are safely packed away. We are ready to celebrate, but we are not there yet.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Be with us
during the dark and quiet of Lent
as we prepare ourselves
for the bright and joyful
Easter celebration.
We love you.
You love us.
Amen

**

for Sunday, April 5, 2015
Easter Sunday
Year B

(Not to sound sacrilegious, but I am all about the theatre of church. I find it Holy when each part of the service flows from one moment to the next. I’ve also been around long enough to know this flow takes a lot of planning, preparation, practice, and work. As our packed trunk will be unpacked by the children at the opening of our Easter celebration, I have spent an afternoon with Pastor Joe blocking out the details. Here are our stage directions; adjust as fits your congregation. As the children’s sermon falls in its usual spot a third of the way through the service, scroll down if you want just the sermon.)

In addition to the Easter decorations, our Lenten trunk will be open, draped in white cloth, surrounded by Easter lilies, and bursting forth with all sorts of white streamers, banners, and garlands.

*  Choir processes in silently and takes their place in the loft.

*  The Chiming of the Hour.

*  Choir sings Verses One and Two of “Woman, Weeping in the Garden”
(solo male doing verse one; solo female doing verse two)
Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #241
Louisville, KY: Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, 2013.
also
Hymnary.org

*  Two acolytes enter from back of church with lit torches, stopping at Row One.

*  Pastor Joe, wearing his robe but not the stole, follows them and continues over to the trunk. He gets the big, fancy Bible and returns to stand between acolytes.

*  Pastor Joe: Please rise in body and spirit for the Gospel of the Lord.
Reads John 20:1-18, Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark…

*  Pastor Joe: The GOSPEL of the Lord.

*  Congregation: Praise to You, Lord Christ.

*  Pastor Joe: The congregation may be seated but I invite the children to come forward to unpack our Lenten trunk and prepare the sanctuary for our Easter celebration.

*  While the whole Choir now sings Verses Three, Four, and Five of “Woman, Weeping in the Garden,” there will be much messy and chaotic and (we hope) joyful activity:

* Acolytes go and light the candelabras and then meeting to light the Christ Candle together once it is unpacked and placed.
* Helping adults take their places as noted later.
* Children come down to meet Joe at the trunk.

* Joe hands the big, fancy Bible he was just reading to a child, “Run this up there to Miss Lindsey at the lectern and then run back down here.”

* Joe hands Christ Candle to a child, “Take this to Miss Fran over there and then run back over here.”

* Joe hands Processional Cross to a child, “Run this to Finn in the back of the church and then run back down here.”

*  Joe hands the baptismal pitcher to a child, “Run this to your mom in the back of the church.”  (This kid will be kept by her mom as in a few minutes she will process in with the filled pitcher.)

*  Joe hands out the boxes of doughnuts—yes, real doughnuts so there will be lots of boxes, all taped shut to prevent spilling—“Run these to Mr. Ben and Mr. Dave and Mr. Ray in the back of the church and then run back down here.”

*  Joe hands out the Alleluia streamers, “Here make sure every kid gets one of these when they come back.”

*  Joe gets two kids to put the white stole around his shoulders.

*  When all the kids return down front (except the one with the baptismal pitcher now in the back beside Finn with the processional cross),
Pastor Joe: Thank you for unpacking our trunk with the things we will need for our big, joyful Easter celebration. You are now holding the Alleluia streamers that you made long ago before Ash Wednesday. And we can now say that Easter word: Alleluia! Each time your hear this word today, I want you to wave your streamers and make the bells on them ring. Let’s practice: Alleluia! (Kids wave and ring.)

*  Pastor Joe: (Turning to the congregation) Please rise again in body and spirit for the Call to Worship.
(To the kids) Listen to how this goes.

*  Pastor Joe: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.
*  Congregation: Alleluia, Christ is Risen Indeed.
(Doing this a second time so all the kids can participate.)
*  Pastor Joe: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.
*  Congregation: Alleluia, Christ is Risen Indeed.

*  Opening Hymn

*  During the singing of the opening hymn, the Processional Cross is brought in, followed by the child with the baptismal pitcher who pours the waters into the font.

We will continue the Service…

Children’s Sermon
for Sunday, April 5, 2015
Easter
Year B
lectionary focus: John 20:1-18
props: Your trunk or other container for ‘packing away’ the things we will need for the big, mysterious celebration of Easter NOW EMPTY AS NOTED ABOVE.

Wow! Happy Easter! Everybody say, Alleluia! (Alleluia!)

Here we are at the big, joyful, mystery of Easter!

There sure was a lot of running this morning! I love how you all ran to unpack our Lenten trunk. I love how you ran to put each item from our Lenten trunk back in its place. Everything is now decent and in order.

In our Bible Story this morning, we heard about a lot of running. When Mary and the women found Jesus’s tomb empty, they ran to Peter and John. And then everybody ran back to the tomb and then, they all ran some more. They ran because things did not make sense and they were trying to find the sense of everything; they ran because things seemed out of control and they were trying to find some control for what was going on; they ran because everything seemed out of order and they were trying to find the order of everything.

And that’s the big, joyful, mystery of Easter:
The resurrection of Jesus puts order into our lives.

It’s that simple.
It’s that simple, but it’s that complex.
This doesn’t mean that everything in life is easy; this doesn’t mean the junk drawer in my kitchen is all organized and clutter-free; this doesn’t mean I will never be confused or sad again. Easter works with the craziness and puts order into our lives; Easter gives us direction, gives us purpose. And the direction, the purpose, the order in our lives is love.

Through the resurrection of Jesus, we know that God loves us. We know that nothing can separate us from God’s love. And as God loves us, we are called to love each other.

Long ago, on that first Easter, as the disciples were running around the empty tomb, Mary stood confused in the cemetery. A man asked her why she was crying. Mary turned around supposing the man to be the gardener; but He was Jesus, the gardener of the whole world. Mary turned around and found that Jesus had put love into our lives. When we want things to make sense, when we want to know how to lead, when we want to arrange everything in order, we go with love.

This is the mystery.
This is the direction.
This is the order.
For God so loved the world.
For God so loves you.

As you run, or walk, or crawl, or skip, or dance, or sit very, very still, remember Easter puts order in our lives. Easter puts love in our lives. We are Easter people. We are people of love.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Alleluia!
Christ is Risen!
Easter puts love in our lives.
Help us
put Your love
in the world.
Alleluia!
Amen

I hope you have enjoyed this Lenten/Easter series.
I’d love to read your comments.

We are not Christians alone.
My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

Lenten Series 2015

Looking for Lent options? We are crafting a Lenten Series. (See the sermons here.)

Building on ‘Burying or Packing Away the Alleluia,’ each Sunday, we will add to our trunk special objects that we will use on Easter Sunday. Our phrase is ‘a big celebration is coming, but we are not there yet.’ We are looking forward to Easter remembering that we are Easter people on a journey with God. (And yes, we will key on the Revised Common Lectionary for each Sunday.)
I hope those of your reading this blog have figured out that many people have their fingerprints on it. This Lenten Series idea comes through my newest church buddy Pastor Joe Genau of my church Edgewood Presbyterian Church (PCUSA). Joe came to me with this ‘crazy’ idea…“I’ve got this huge trunk. It’s been my dream to use it…” And so the conversation exploded from there. We looked at the lectionary; we looked at other sites and readings about Packing Away the Alleluia; we looked at the kids in our congregation; and together we decided to get our kids ready for Easter by having them plan for the celebration, helping them figure out what we will need on that joyful Easter morning. I’m so excited about this series collaboration…and so excited about Pastor Joe including these kids in the worship of our Lord every Sunday. Love me some crazy!

Here is our outline:

Ash Wednesday: Pack Away the Alleluia Streamers
We have a large packing trunk that will be kept at the front of the church and draped in purple. At this first service, we will place many streamers with the word Alleluia. Yes, we need more than one, as it is not THE Alleluia, but YOUR Alleluia that we need on Easter.

1st Lent: Remembering our baptism, we pack away the baptismal pitcher.

2nd Lent: Remembering our covenant with God, we pack away the processional cross.

3rd Lent: Remembering the sweetness of God’s word, we pack away the doughnuts. Yes, this might be impossible! After worship each Sunday, we have fresh, warm doughnuts; today we will pack them away and not have them until Easter Sunday. (I’m sure there will be some other option…but we know this will get the kids’ attention.)

4th Lent: Remembering God’s grace, we pack away the Christ Candle.

5th Lent: Writing God’s word on our hearts, we pack away the big, fancy Bible.

Palm Sunday: Remembering that through the joy of the Palm Sunday parade and the darkness of Holy Week, we look to the light of Easter and pack away Pastor Joe’s white stole.

Maundy Thursday: The trunk will be closed and draped in black.

Easter Sunday: Now the trunk is open, draped in white, and filled with flowers and streamers and possibly balloons and other symbols of joy. Our service will begin with Pastor Joe and two acolytes processing to the front. Joe will unpack the big, fancy Bible. Flanked by the acolytes and their lit torches, he will read a portion of John 20:1-18 “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark…” Joe will then invite the children to come unpack the trunk with the special objects we need for our Easter celebration. Our hope is this will involve much running (as on the first Easter) with children taking the baptismal pitcher to be filled, carrying fresh hot doughnuts to the narthex, stationing the processional cross at the start of the choir line, lighting the Christ Candle at the front of the church, and passing out the many Alleluia streamers (which are on thin dowels and have bells tied to them) to all the children of God. Now that the children have helped us, we will begin our celebration of the big mystery of Easter. Later in the service, the children’s sermon will follow a traditional Easter sermon.

A more formal script coming soon…

Peace,
Fran

Advent Series: Highlighting the Chrismon Tree 2014

Advent Christmas 2014
Year B
Highlighting the Chrismon Tree

The Chrismon Tree is a relatively new option for sharing the story of God’s love. Started in 1957 by Frances Kipps Spencer at the Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia, the tradition caught on and spread quickly…long before the Internet! This year, our church is using the parts of the Chrismon Tree to help us slowly prepare for the big joyful mystery of Christmas. For more details on the history of the Chrismons, see the Ascension Lutheran Church Chrismons Ministry.

For other details on ornaments and symbols, see these sites:
Chrismon Customs
and Chrismon Symbols

And so here are 4 sermons for Advent and 1 for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day:
1st Sunday in Advent–Nov 30—Mark 13:24-37–Wrapping the Chrismon Tree’s base with a tree skirt
2nd Sunday in Advent–Dec 7—Mark 1:1-8-Ornaments will already be on the top ¾ of the tree; children will hang ornaments on the lower branches
3rd Sunday in Advent–Dec 14—John 1:6-8, 19-28–The lights (yes, strung before the 2nd Sunday but not lit) will be turned on during the children’s sermon
4th Sunday in Advent–Dec 21—Luke 1:26-38–The angel treetopper will be on the tree
Christmas Eve–Dec 24—Luke 2:1-14 (15-20); 1 John 4:7-9, 16b; John 1:1-5–Christ is Born!

And we have another song! To go with our theme, we have adapted O Christmas Tree into O Chrismon Tree. Verses are provided below with their appropriate Sunday or you can see all of them together by clicking here. Thanks to Jill and Bill and Amanda for your musical help!

*

for Sunday, November 30, 2014
1st Sunday in Advent
Year B
The Chrismon Tree
lectionary focus: Mark 13:24-37
prop: Just the bare Chrismon Tree, no ornaments, no lights, nothing. Have a tree skirt for this sermon. You might also have a real pine branch for illustration purposes if your church tree is artificial.

Welcome!

We are now in the Season of Advent, the time when we prepare ourselves for Christmas. Christmas is such a big joyful mystery that we take a whole month to prepare! This year, we will spend the 4 Sundays of Advent talking about our church decoration known as the Chrismon Tree. Wait? Don’t I mean Christmas Tree? No, our church tree is called a Chrismon Tree. Everyone say after me: Chrismon Tree (Chrismon Tree). The first Christmas trees were used over 500 years ago, and we decorate the ones in our homes to celebrate and share our family’s traditions. The first Chrismon Tree was created just over 50 years ago. A woman named Frances Kipps Spencer wanted to make something new out of an old tradition, so she decorated a tree for her church to celebrate and share the old and new story of God’s love for each of us. Mrs. Spencer named this a Chrismon Tree, adding together the word Christ with the word Monogram which are letters showing ownership; so a Chrismon Tree is a tree belonging to Christ.

But now I’m sure you are wondering why the tree isn’t decorated? Ahhh…first things first. As we said, the Season of Advent is the time we prepare for Christmas; and because Christmas is such a big joyful mystery we take a whole month to prepare…and we take a whole month to prepare so we can prepare slowly. Not slowly like we sit around doing nothing, but slowly like we take time to appreciate each step of our preparation.

Okay, but that still doesn’t explain why the Chrismon Tree is not decorated! Again, first things first. Let’s just look at the tree. Honestly, our tree is an artificial tree…that means it is not a living tree that grows outside. But it is a model of a real kind of tree, a real tree known as an evergreen tree. Do you hear that description? Ever. Green. Evergreen trees have these small pointy greens leaves; and evergreen trees hold these green leaves all year long, unlike other trees that lose their leaves each fall and are bare through the winter. We use evergreen trees at Christmas to remind us that God’s love for us is unchanging. God’s love for us is very old, and yet God’s love for us is also new. God has loved us, God does love us, and God will love us. Always.

And so on the First Sunday in Advent, we have placed the tree here in the front of the sanctuary to remind us of God’s unchanging love. We start decorating our Chrismon Tree by wrapping this blanket (tree skirt…whatever your terminology) around the base of the tree. Our Bible story today tells us to be ready. We have set the tree, the foundation for our Advent Chrismon Tree. Christmas will be here soon; but the first Christmas has already come. God’s love for us is unchanging; it is forever and ever.

Next Sunday we will see how this story continues.

After we pray, we will sing our Advent song…(This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it; then lead the children in the chorus and verse of O Chrismon Tree.)

Dear Lord,
On this First Sunday in Advent
we are reminded
that Your love for us
is unchanging,
old and new,
forever.
Amen

And now O Chrismon Tree:

Chorus
O Chrismon Tree, O Chrismon Tree
Helping share God’s story.

Verse 1 for Advent 1
Branches green the whole year through
Show us God is old and new.

**

for Sunday, December 7, 2014
2nd Sunday in Advent
Year B
The Ornaments of the Chrismon Tree
lectionary focus: Mark 1:1-8
prop: Prior to this Sunday string the lights (but they won’t be lit until Advent 3!) and hang the ornaments on the top ¾ of the tree. (Do not place that angel treetopper…that’s for Advent 4.) Have child-friendly ornaments for the children to hang during the sermon. As each church has different ornaments, you will need to choose the ones you have to highlight in this sermon. [Sites with ornament meanings: Chrismon Customs and Chrismon Symbols] This is the time to explain where your church got your ornaments: are they homemade by someone still in your church? or from long ago? a child’s grandparent? Share what the symbols mean as well as the personal stories of your ornaments. Prepare a time during Sunday School to share the different symbols and meanings.

Welcome!

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. We are slowly preparing for the big joyful mystery of Christmas! I’m sure you are noticing that our Chrismon Tree looks a bit different this Sunday. Last week on the First Sunday in Advent, we had just the bare tree here. We learned that we use a type of tree called evergreen to remind us that God is old and new; that God has always loved us and will always love us. God is unchanging.

Today the tree is hung with ornaments. Notice that they are all white and gold. White for purity. Gold for the Glory of God. Notice that they have different symbols. These ornaments tell the story of Jesus. [We see ornaments with stars…like the Star of Bethlehem. We see the Shepherd’s Crook…like the shepherds who came to Baby Jesus, and how we call Jesus the Great Shepherd. We see the Dove…Jesus brings Peace to the world. We see the Heart…Jesus loves us and God is love. We see many different crosses…we celebrate the birth of Jesus but also His continued life through Easter! The cross on this ornament is called the Jerusalem Cross and it was stitched by Cherry’s grandmother before Cherry’s father was even born!]

I wonder if you have noticed that only the top portion of the tree is decorated with ornaments? That’s because we want you to help! Each of you can come get an ornament to put on these empty branches down low. The symbols may seem unknown to you…but during Sunday School we will explain what each one means. Then you will know what part of the story of Jesus’s Church you have helped share!

Our Bible story today shares the message of John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus who helped prepare the way for Jesus to share God’s love. The ornaments of our Chrismon Tree continue to share the message of the Church, telling us about Jesus and His love for us.

And I see you noticed that there are lights on the tree…but they are not lit. Remember, we are preparing for Christmas slowly. We will see what is next on the Third Sunday of Advent.

After we pray, we will sing our Advent song…(This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it; then lead the children in the chorus and verse of O Chrismon Tree.)

Dear Lord,
On this Second Sunday in Advent
we hang the ornaments
showing symbols
that share the story
of Your love
for us.
Amen

And now O Chrismon Tree:

Chorus
O Chrismon Tree, O Chrismon Tree
Helping share God’s story.

Verse 2 for Advent 2
Ornaments of white and gold
Are symbols of the Church of old.

***

for Sunday, December 14, 2014
3rd Sunday in Advent
Year B
The Lights of the Chrismon Tree
lectionary focus: John 1:6-8, 19-28
prop: the lights on the tree…flip the switch during the sermon.

Welcome!

Today is the Third Sunday in Advent! We are getting closer to Christmas! The Chrismon Tree looks almost totally decorated! Almost, but not quite. Advent is a time that we prepare slowly for the big joyful mystery of Christmas. We began our journey with the bare Chrismon Tree, reminding us that God is unchanging and loves us always. Last week, we placed the ornaments of white and gold that tell the story of Jesus and His love for us. Today our Bible story continues sharing about John, the cousin of Jesus. The words used say that John came to announce that Jesus is the Light.

And so I wonder if you can figure out what we are going to add to the Chrismon Tree today? Right! It is finally time to light the lights! Zach will you push the button, please? Ohh. Ahh. The tree was already beautiful but the lights make it shine. And this shining makes the beauty extend out into the room. Like John in the Bible, the lights of the Chrismon Tree remind us that Jesus is the Light of the World. When we have Jesus in our hearts, we shine God’s love out into the world.

Light shines fast, but we are preparing slowly for Christmas. I’m afraid I can’t imagine what else we can add to the tree!

After we pray, we will sing our Advent song…(This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it; then lead the children in the chorus and verse of O Chrismon Tree.)

Dear Lord,
On this Third Sunday in Advent
we light the lights
proclaiming
You are the Light.
Help us
to shine Your love
everywhere
all the time.
Amen

And now O Chrismon Tree:

Chorus
O Chrismon Tree, O Chrismon Tree
Helping share God’s story.

Verse 3 for Advent 3
The lights are lit and shining bright!
Remind us Jesus is the light.

****

for Sunday, December 21, 2014
4th Sunday of Advent
Year B
The Angel Treetopper of the Chrismon Tree
lectionary focus: Luke 1:26-38
prop: the angel treetopper (already placed)

Welcome!

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. We are so close to Christmas that it may seem time is speeding up, but remember, we are preparing slowly for the big joyful mystery of Christmas. We want to appreciate each step along the way.

We began our season with the bare Chrismon Tree, reminding us that God is old and new and unchanging. On the Second Sunday of Advent, we added the ornaments symbols of the story of the Church and Jesus and God’s love. Then last week on the Third Sunday, we finally lit the lights proclaiming Jesus as the Light of the World! But what about today? I’m wondering if you notice anything different about the tree? Yes! At the very top! There is an angel!

In our Bible story today, we hear about Mary learning that she will be the mother of Jesus. Mary gets this news from an angel. When the angel first appears, Mary is a little surprised. I think I would be pretty stunned to meet an angel, too. And then to learn that God is calling her to such an important job! But the angel says, “Fear Not! God is with you.” This blessing gives Mary the strength to respond with joy and she says, “I am the servant of the Lord!”

God calls each of us to do important jobs. And sometimes we all just need to stop and remember: Fear Not. God is with us. And so, atop our Chrismon Tree, we have an angel reminding us that God is always with us and that we do not need to fear what God calls us to do. Like Mary, we can joyfully be servants of the Lord.

After we pray, we will sing our Advent song…(This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it; then lead the children in the chorus and verse of O Chrismon Tree.)

Dear Lord,
On this Fourth Sunday in Advent
we hear the angel
Fear Not!
and we know
that You are with us always.
Amen

And now O Chrismon Tree:

Chorus
O Chrismon Tree, O Chrismon Tree
Helping share God’s story.

Verse 4 for Advent 4
The angel sits atop the tree
Says Fear Not to you and me.

*****

for Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Christmas Eve
Year B
lectionary focus: Luke 2:1-14 (15-20); 1 John 4:7-9, 16b; John 1:1-5
prop: the Chrismon Tree

Welcome!

And so we have spent the past four weeks taking a slow approach to Christmas. We have slowly decorated the Chrismon Tree as we have slowly prepared for the big joyful mystery of Christmas. We started with just the bare evergreen tree, reminding us that God is old and new and unchanging. On the Second Sunday in Advent, we hung the white and gold ornaments with their symbols of the Church and Jesus and God’s love. On the Third Sunday, we finally lit the lights, shining the beauty out into the world and reminding us that Jesus is the Light. This past Sunday, we topped our tree with the angel, hearing again the words “Fear Not! God is with you!”

So I wonder if our tree is finished? A little over 50 years ago, the first Chrismon Tree was decorated in Danville, VA, by a woman named Frances Kipp Spencer. She said “a tree was never finished until someone came to see it and have the story of Christ explained to them through the ornaments.”

So I wonder if our tree is finished? I wonder if we can do more?

Tonight is Christmas Eve. Tonight we hear the story of the birth of Jesus told from the Old Testament to the New Testament. And in all these stories, we hear one of my favorite lines. After the angels appear to the shepherds in the fields telling them about the Baby Jesus, the shepherds head to Bethlehem. The Bible story says, “They went with haste…” Those shepherds, those regular guys, did not move slowly. They went quickly; they hurried to do what God called them to do. Tonight is Christmas Eve. We have prepared slowly, but now it is time for us, too, to go with haste, to hurry to do the important job God has given us. It is time for us to hurry and share God’s love.

Say after me:
Alleluia! (Alleluia!)
It is Christmas! (It is Christmas!)
Heaven comes to Earth! (Heaven comes to Earth!)
God loves us all! (God loves us all!)
Alleluia! (Alleluia!)
Amen! (Amen!)

And now we will sing all of our verses of O Chrismon Tree:

Chorus
O Chrismon Tree, O Chrismon Tree
Helping share God’s story.

Verse 1
Branches green the whole year through
Show us God is old and new.

Verse 2
Ornaments of white and gold
Are symbols of the Church of old.

Verse 3
The lights are lit and shining bright!
Remind us Jesus is the light.

Verse 4
The angel sits atop the tree
Says Fear Not to you and me.

Verse 5 for Christmas Eve
Christmas Day Christ has His birth,
A time when Heaven comes to Earth.

******

Merry Christmas!
We are not Christians alone.
My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.

O Chrismon Tree!

Advent 2014
Year B

I’m still working on the Advent sermons, but we have crafted the new verses for our theme song–changing O Christmas Tree to O Chrismon Tree. Here they are so you can see if you like! (Please feel free to make suggestions.) Our choir master is going ahead and introducing them to our children…

For more information on our Advent sermon series…see this post.

Chorus
O Chrismon Tree, O Chrismon Tree
Helping share God’s story.

Verse 1 for Advent 1 (We explain the tree itself.)
Branches green the whole year through
Show us God is old and new.

Verse 2 for Advent 2 (We explain the ornaments.)
Ornaments of white and gold
Are symbols of the Church of old.

Verse 3 for Advent 3 (We explain the lights.)
The lights are lit and shining bright!
Remind us Jesus is the light.

Verse 4 for Advent 4 (We explain the angel.)
The angel sits atop the tree
Says Fear Not to you and me.

Verse 5 for Christmas Eve (We celebrate!)
Christmas Day Christ has His birth,
A time when Heaven comes to Earth.

Check back for more information…

We are not Christians alone.
My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.