Carrying God's Mark
Children's sermon
Object:
Dark ash and oil, to mark crosses on the foreheads of the leaders (Leader 2's should be pretty light, while Leader 1's cross should be darker and more obvious)
First Thoughts: As we begin our journey into Lent, we are faced with some weighty spiritual questions. How much of our sense of faith rests on the perspective of others, and how much of it is founded on self-reflection and vulnerability to God? This is difficult for us, because we do need a spiritual community to affirm us and challenge us, and to give us a sense of our identity as Christians in the world. But when we feel our faith doesn't "count" unless it is seen by others, we run into the problems Jesus is talking about in this illustration. Are we pious in public because we want others to think we're holy, whether or not our private life matches up? Or do we seek genuine growth and challenge from God? Is Lent just an opportunity for us to practice public humility (perhaps by declaring to anyone in earshot that we're giving up chocolate for six weeks?) or is it a chance for us to spend more time in prayer and reflection, genuinely seeking clarity and new direction from God? Reflect for a few minutes on how you will observe this Lenten season and carry that sensibility with you in your time with the children.
Props You Will Need: Dark ash and oil, to mark crosses on the foreheads of the leaders (Leader 2's should be pretty light, while Leader 1's cross should be darker and more obvious)
Teaching As A Team:
Leader 1: So (name), how did you like the Ash Wednesday service tonight?
Leader 2: It was kind of quiet and the scripture passages were a little difficult to understand, but I liked it. (really looking at Leader 1) Hey, no fair!
Leader 1: What? What are you talking about?
Leader 2: The cross on your forehead -- it's much darker than mine.
Leader 1: Does that really matter?
Leader 2: Sure it does. I mean, I went to the service just like you did. But my cross is so light people might not even see it. What's the point of having the cross if nobody can see it?
Leader 1: So you think the most important thing is to have a big black cross on your forehead so everybody can see?
Leader 2: Sure. How else will folks know that I'm ready for Lent?
Leader 1: That's a good point. But you know what? In our lesson today Jesus says that if we're really trying to do what God wants us to do, we shouldn't make a big deal out of doing it in front of other people. Like when we pray, we shouldn't go outside and pray in a big group of people, making a show of it because that might not be prayer at all. We might just be showing off so people think we're praying, and so they'll think we're really great.
Leader 2: You mean we're trying to impress other people instead of really talking to God?
Leader 1: Exactly. And the black cross on our foreheads isn't so other people will know we're Christians. It's to remind us who we are and to mark us for the Lenten journey ahead.
Leader 2: But I'm not even sure what Lent is.
Leader 1: It's the forty days before Easter. During these forty days we're trying to walk with Christ as he walks to death on the cross and through his resurrection. It's a very special time where we look at our lives prayerfully, asking God to show us the things that aren't right in our lives, and asking God to help us make changes.
Leader 2: So even if the black cross isn't on our foreheads, it can be on our hearts.
Leader 1: That's right. In fact, that's the most important place it can be.
Teaching On Your Own: (only a very light cross on forehead) Hey, guys, do you see this mark on my forehead? Can you tell what it is? It's supposed to be a cross. I went to the Ash Wednesday service tonight, and the pastor put it on my forehead. But it's so light you can't even tell what it is. It's not fair! Some of the other people got dark crosses, ones you could really see. But not me. How will anyone know I'm a good Christian now? What do you think? Do you think having a great big black cross on my forehead is important? That question makes me think of the lesson we have today. Jesus says that if we're really trying to do what God wants us to do, we shouldn't make a big deal out of doing it in front of other people. Like when we pray, we shouldn't go outside and pray in a big group of people, making a show of it. That might not be prayer at all. Instead of really talking to God we might be trying to impress people about how good we are. You know what? I think that might be true of the black cross on our foreheads too. We have them not so other people will know we're good Christians, but to remind us who we are and to mark us for the Lenten journey ahead. Do you know what Lent is? It's the forty days before Easter. During these forty days we're trying to walk with Christ as he walks to death on the cross and through his resurrection. It's a very special time where we look at our lives prayerfully, asking God to show us the things that aren't right in our lives, and asking God to help us make changes. So even if the black cross isn't on our foreheads, it can be on our hearts. In fact, that's the most important place it can be.
Closing Prayer: God, be with us in these forty days, as we carry your mark in our hearts and on our lives. Help us to see areas in our life that need to be changed and help us to bring healing and love to our families and friends. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this lesson at home or in a classroom setting, we're going to illustrate carrying God's mark on our hearts, through the use of paper hearts. You will either need to provide hearts or give the children a chance to cut a heart of their own out of paper. (If you want to be particularly committed to the Lenten theme, use purple paper.) Give the children a chance to think about the blessings in their lives that they're grateful for, and write a few words about these blessings on one side of a few hearts. Next encourage the children to think of things in their lives that aren't so Christ-like -- things they need to change. Examples might be being grumpy in the mornings, fighting with siblings, not eating vegetables at dinner, forgetting to feed the family dog or cat, and so forth. Once they have some ideas, have them write a few words about their need for change on one side of the other hearts. Next we will mark the hearts. Provide the children with a dish of olive oil and a dish of ashes and invite them to put their finger once in the oil, then in the ash. (Make sure you have some wet wipes available for clean-up!) One by one invite the children to make an ash cross on the back of each of their hearts. Explain to them that during Lent these hearts will represent very special prayers of thanksgiving and of petition (asking for help). The crosses on these hearts remind us of the crosses on our own hearts, which remind us that we belong to God and that God will help us. You might suggest that during the season of Lent they can keep these hearts near their beds at night for prayer time. Or you might decide to set up a special Lenten tree for your classroom and hang the hearts there for your class reflection time in the weeks ahead. You can conclude the lesson by offering to mark the children's foreheads as well, if you would like. If you decide to mark the children's foreheads, you can say a simple prayer over each child, something like "God, be with (child's name), and give her courage and strength for her journey."
Props You Will Need: Dark ash and oil, to mark crosses on the foreheads of the leaders (Leader 2's should be pretty light, while Leader 1's cross should be darker and more obvious)
Teaching As A Team:
Leader 1: So (name), how did you like the Ash Wednesday service tonight?
Leader 2: It was kind of quiet and the scripture passages were a little difficult to understand, but I liked it. (really looking at Leader 1) Hey, no fair!
Leader 1: What? What are you talking about?
Leader 2: The cross on your forehead -- it's much darker than mine.
Leader 1: Does that really matter?
Leader 2: Sure it does. I mean, I went to the service just like you did. But my cross is so light people might not even see it. What's the point of having the cross if nobody can see it?
Leader 1: So you think the most important thing is to have a big black cross on your forehead so everybody can see?
Leader 2: Sure. How else will folks know that I'm ready for Lent?
Leader 1: That's a good point. But you know what? In our lesson today Jesus says that if we're really trying to do what God wants us to do, we shouldn't make a big deal out of doing it in front of other people. Like when we pray, we shouldn't go outside and pray in a big group of people, making a show of it because that might not be prayer at all. We might just be showing off so people think we're praying, and so they'll think we're really great.
Leader 2: You mean we're trying to impress other people instead of really talking to God?
Leader 1: Exactly. And the black cross on our foreheads isn't so other people will know we're Christians. It's to remind us who we are and to mark us for the Lenten journey ahead.
Leader 2: But I'm not even sure what Lent is.
Leader 1: It's the forty days before Easter. During these forty days we're trying to walk with Christ as he walks to death on the cross and through his resurrection. It's a very special time where we look at our lives prayerfully, asking God to show us the things that aren't right in our lives, and asking God to help us make changes.
Leader 2: So even if the black cross isn't on our foreheads, it can be on our hearts.
Leader 1: That's right. In fact, that's the most important place it can be.
Teaching On Your Own: (only a very light cross on forehead) Hey, guys, do you see this mark on my forehead? Can you tell what it is? It's supposed to be a cross. I went to the Ash Wednesday service tonight, and the pastor put it on my forehead. But it's so light you can't even tell what it is. It's not fair! Some of the other people got dark crosses, ones you could really see. But not me. How will anyone know I'm a good Christian now? What do you think? Do you think having a great big black cross on my forehead is important? That question makes me think of the lesson we have today. Jesus says that if we're really trying to do what God wants us to do, we shouldn't make a big deal out of doing it in front of other people. Like when we pray, we shouldn't go outside and pray in a big group of people, making a show of it. That might not be prayer at all. Instead of really talking to God we might be trying to impress people about how good we are. You know what? I think that might be true of the black cross on our foreheads too. We have them not so other people will know we're good Christians, but to remind us who we are and to mark us for the Lenten journey ahead. Do you know what Lent is? It's the forty days before Easter. During these forty days we're trying to walk with Christ as he walks to death on the cross and through his resurrection. It's a very special time where we look at our lives prayerfully, asking God to show us the things that aren't right in our lives, and asking God to help us make changes. So even if the black cross isn't on our foreheads, it can be on our hearts. In fact, that's the most important place it can be.
Closing Prayer: God, be with us in these forty days, as we carry your mark in our hearts and on our lives. Help us to see areas in our life that need to be changed and help us to bring healing and love to our families and friends. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this lesson at home or in a classroom setting, we're going to illustrate carrying God's mark on our hearts, through the use of paper hearts. You will either need to provide hearts or give the children a chance to cut a heart of their own out of paper. (If you want to be particularly committed to the Lenten theme, use purple paper.) Give the children a chance to think about the blessings in their lives that they're grateful for, and write a few words about these blessings on one side of a few hearts. Next encourage the children to think of things in their lives that aren't so Christ-like -- things they need to change. Examples might be being grumpy in the mornings, fighting with siblings, not eating vegetables at dinner, forgetting to feed the family dog or cat, and so forth. Once they have some ideas, have them write a few words about their need for change on one side of the other hearts. Next we will mark the hearts. Provide the children with a dish of olive oil and a dish of ashes and invite them to put their finger once in the oil, then in the ash. (Make sure you have some wet wipes available for clean-up!) One by one invite the children to make an ash cross on the back of each of their hearts. Explain to them that during Lent these hearts will represent very special prayers of thanksgiving and of petition (asking for help). The crosses on these hearts remind us of the crosses on our own hearts, which remind us that we belong to God and that God will help us. You might suggest that during the season of Lent they can keep these hearts near their beds at night for prayer time. Or you might decide to set up a special Lenten tree for your classroom and hang the hearts there for your class reflection time in the weeks ahead. You can conclude the lesson by offering to mark the children's foreheads as well, if you would like. If you decide to mark the children's foreheads, you can say a simple prayer over each child, something like "God, be with (child's name), and give her courage and strength for her journey."
