Opening Check-Ins
We support each other no matter what. Invite everyone to share something that made them happy and/or something that made them sad this past week. We are here to support each other in prayer and presence.Centering in Silence and Song
If you have a household altar, I recommend using it. If not, a sense of ritual and sacred time can be initiated by lighting a candle and ringing a bell (three times is usually a good way to help everyone settle into silence). Share a few minutes of silence together. You may sound the bell again when silence is over. Children often enjoy the responsibility of these tasks (and should be supervised and assisted as appropriate).You may also listen to this song and discuss what it brings up for each of you:
Prayer of Jesus
If you have a particular version of the prayer that you use, you are encouraged to use it.This is the "children's translation" that I wrote and use with my students:
God all around us with many sacred names
We roll up our sleeves to create a beautiful world with you
Please care for us and our needs and forgive us when we don’t do our best
Please help us to be forgiving of others, too.
Help us to be good, loving, and safe so we can help create a loving and safe world for everyone.
Amen.
Sacred Story
Background:
Today we are talking about mental health. One of the things Jesus was famous for was for being a healer. Today’s Bible story tells us that Jesus healed many people in Capernaum and Galilee.Bible Story:
Story: Read together”Follow Me!” in Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible (p. 206-207)After the disciples decide to join Jesus, the story tells us that Jesus healed many people in that area.
Today in the church, we are talking about health. There are many ways to be healthy. We want healthy minds, healthy bodies, and healthy spirits. That might look differently for each of us.
Story: Read together “Healings and Miracles” and “Friends Who Help” in Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible (p. 249-251).
In some of our Bible stories, people need different things to be healthy or healed. Sometimes they need to be touched. Sometimes they need words. Sometimes they need a salve, or an ointment-- maybe like Vaseline or Vicks.
There are lots of ways we try to stay healthy in today’s world, too. We understand health differently than they did in Jesus’ time. Today there are lots of medicines and medical treatments that people didn’t know about back then. However, we know that Jesus’ message of healing is still important today and that part of doing God’s work is trying to make sure everyone is healthy.
There are certain things we all need to be healthy, like food and sleep, but there are other ways in which we have different health needs. Like I have a medicine that I take every day that helps me to stay healthy and I usually talk to my doctor once a week.
You might have different health needs.
Today we’re going to read a story about what healthy looks like for different people and some different ways that we stay healthy. It is written by someone who has an important job in our country. It is written by Justice Sotomayor. She is a justice on the Supreme Court. That means she is a judge that helps decide some very important things in our country. She is also special because she is the first Latina justice, which is pretty neat.
Contemporary Story:
Story: Read together “Just Ask!” by Sonia Sotomayor.
Conversation:
The book includes conversation prompts as part of the text. Invite the children to share their answers to the questions as they feel led.Craft:
We'll be making coping fortune tellers. You can find PDF print-outs and other instructions here:
Closing Prayer
“Dear God, please help us to have healthy minds, bodies, and spirits, and to help make sure everyone in your human family has the health care they need. Thank you for looking out for me and caring for me. Please help me to ask for help when I need it and to receive the help that I need. Amen.”Curriculum texts used:
- Images of God for Young Children by Marie-Helene Delval
- Growing In God's Love: A Story Bible by Elizabeth F. Caldwell and Carol A. Wehrheim
Special Texts used:
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