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).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 have a special lesson that isn’t based in today’s scripture reading, but is based on the life of one of our modern prophets and ministers, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Most of you have probably heard of MLK, but today we will learn a bit more about him.Story: Read together “Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King” by Jean Marzollo
This story told us some things about MLK. Was there anything that you didn’t know about him?
MLK is a special figure in our country’s history because of the changes he helped make. He was a very brave man and he got much of his courage from stories about Jesus and even stories about Gandhi. Does anyone know who Gandhi is? He was a Hindu leader, which is a different religion.
MLK was very passionate about his faith. We read these same Bible stories that MLK read and we can learn to be brave and seek justice, too. Let’s read another story, since we aren’t reading a Bible story together today.
Story: Read together “Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream and You” by Carole Boston Weatherford
Conversation:
There are many ways to be like Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a great man with many great qualities. One of the ways we can be like him is to create peace and kindness.Story: Read together “God is peace” (p. 60-61) in Images of God for Young Children
Closing Prayer
“God, we thank you for Martin Luther King, Jr. and all the things he did for us. We are grateful that he taught us about equality, love, justice, and freedom. We hope to continue learning from his life and striving for the justice of which he dreamed. Amen.”
Craft: Make Peace Flowers. Trace handprints in 3 different skin tones (on construction paper) and use them to make a flower.
Curriculum texts used:
Special Texts used:
No comments:
Post a Comment