Forgiveness

Exercise for kids (and grown-ups):

Multiply 7 x 70....490

Start a list: date, person, offense.
To forgive is a verb. Forgiveness is a noun. It's active, not passive. God does it. God forgives. And he keeps forgiving. Jesus' words, "Your sins are forgiven" brought physical healing to people.

When you forgive someone write it down & cross it out. You could also cut 490 strips of paper, and throw them away but if we keep a cross out list we might see a pattern to the things that offend us and patterns to our own sins that need forgiveness. When you get to 490 start again . . .

But think about something. If God asks us to forgive like that, He must be doing that, too. If He asks us to keep His commandments, He must be keeping them, too. If He asks us to turn the other cheek, He must be doing that too. If He asks us to bless those who curse us and love those who hate us . . . He must be doing that, too, all the time . . . God of generations, God of heaven & earth . . . I'm not saying He doesn't get angry & shake generations, heaven, & earth but imagine all the blessing that's going on. Imagine all of the people God loves . . .

from a slightly different angle

Matt 38-48 (NIRV)

All that Jesus said & did, all that He was, represented God - "I and the Father are One." "That which I see my Father doing, I do." Even when push, came to shove, came to crucifixion, He lived the words He spoke . . .

If you take all that Jesus said and substitute: "God can ask us to be like this because this is the way God is -" from throwing tables, to healing, to turning the other cheek - the hard stuff...

We assume (we've always learned) that all the things Jesus told us, all God's rules... this is how we're supposed to act...Is it more empowering to understand/know/see that He can ask us to do these things because this is how God acts? This is how God behaves? This is who God is. . .the God we believe in...the God we trust...the God who made us...Father, Son, Holy Spirit?

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 ?