someone was looking for emerging kids & prayer. here are some resources for you to explore

Children & the Emergent Church on Facebook

an interesting article

a creative idea for kids at the end

prayers in the offering plate even a child's prayers. Not for public display, just for God.

a worship resource

for every living plant or creature (human, included), for every change in sky or sea, every change of season that you interact with, depend on, or observe with awe . . . think "God's Word is alive like this" and always has been and always will be.

Then read Hebrew 4:12-13

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday starts another liturgical season.

You could go through all of scripture. You could use the lectionary. Keep looking for children. Where were they? How would this event affect them? Were they there to hear the words? What would they hear? What would make sense to them? How did what their parents see or hear affect them?

What are the concrete nouns and actions in the passage that we can share with children to better know God? If I bring objects or pictures or speakers or talk about the science, the life cycle, the environment, the history, the culture . . . will it give a child more experiential understanding to bring to their hearing of God's word? Will they be more apt to remember it? Will they be better able to process it? Not from an adult's perspective - not from your perspective but from theirs.

With the Holy Spirit's help, of course. Think small, simple & short. How can you explore God's Word, God's stories, with children in ways that will help them to better know God ?

Lent 8f Saturday

Job 14:1-14 Job. Not only the image of the young plant growing up in a dry place again but human mortality - Life & death. Babies living only a short time. The imagery of the tree. When I was a child we had a huge tree in my yard that went down in a thunderstorm and filled up the yard. 25 years later when I went back to visit, there it was again. Does it help the scriptures to make more sense to children if we talk about the plants, animals, customs God uses to teach us?

or Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24 • We may forget how incredibly down writers in the scriptures would get (often for good reason with things they couldn't control - war, famine, etc etc). They continued to put their faith in God and have a place in that cloud of witnesses.

Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16 • "My times are in your hand; deliver me . . ." Grown-up or child, our times are in His hands.

31:16 "Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love." From Psalmist's perspective God's deliverance would reflect well on God. Save me, Lord, so people will praise You!


1 Peter 4:1-8 • We all will have to give account to the God of the living & the dead. 4:7-8 "The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins." A disciplined prayer life or a disciplined life so God will answer our prayers? Keep loving... love covers a multitude of sins. We can share this with children.

Matthew 27:57-66
Here's the story of Joseph & Nicodemus again and the story of securing the tomb. They were afraid that someone would steal the body and trick them into believing that Jesus had risen. How young can you share this story?

or John 19:38-42
Preparing the body for burial. How much is 100 pounds? What spices did they use? What did it smell like? What is linen? How big a piece of linen? What is "The Day of Preparation"? They found an empty tomb that was close by. This is sort of funny, ". . . a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid . . ." Was it common or uncommon to have a new tomb? Of course a new tomb was a tomb in which no one had ever been laid. If it had been a used tomb it would be occupied unless someone stole the body... This new tomb was about to become a used tomb. It would soon be empty & unused again because the occupant wasn't going to stay dead...but nobody knew that.

Lent & Easter: Concrete

What symbols that go with this season can you introduce to your youngest kids? Palm. Dove. Garden. Jail. Dinner. Cross. Lily. Bread. Wine. Sheep. Cooked lamb. Blood when you hurt yourself. Praise. Thanksgiving. Being nice. Being mean. Hurts. Bruises. Healing. Friends. Tomb. Death. Life.

Are there other concretes that you can use to explore the season with your youngest kids? What can you see, hear, touch, smell, taste to associate with these Lenten & Easter stories about Jesus?