Planning. 16th Sunday after Pentecost 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Proper 18 (23) Al Hijra (Islam) Holy Cross Day. September 2018

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1 Planning SAT 15 FRI 14 THUR 13 WED 12 TUES 11 MON 10 SUN 9 16th Sunday after Pentecost 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Proper 18 (23) Sunday, September 9 Saturday, September Things to keep in mind this week Planning ahead Revised Common Lectionary (Year B) Rosh Hashanna begins (Judausn) Proverbs 22:1 2, 8 9, Psalm 125 James 2:1 10, (11 13), Mark 7:24 37 Al Hijra (Islam) Holy Cross Day September 2018 S M T W T F S / August 2018 S M T W T F S October 2018 S M T W T F S Seasons of the Spirit is based on semicontinuous readings of the Revised Common Lectionary. Liturgical colour: green This session provides material for all ages. You may choose for all ages to come together for worship, learning, and serving, or meet in agespecific groups. If you meet in age-specific groups, these pages can be customized for different settings. If you have Internet access, visit to access Spirit Sightings for connections between current events and the focus passage. Ecumenical Prayer Calendar Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Republic of Macedonia (Skopje), Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia Based on In God s Hands: Common Prayer for the World, ed. By Hugh McCullum and Terry MacArthur (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 2006). Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost

2 Pentecost Focus scripture Mark 7:24 37 Additional Scriptures Proverbs 22:1 2, 8 9, Psalm 125 James 2:1 10, (11 13), Season of the Spirit is based on semi-continuous readings of the Revised Common Lectionary Biblical Background September 9, 2018 Hear us when we call to you, O God. For if we cannot turn to you, where can hope be found? Sharpen us to hear when you call, especially in the voice of a vulnerable one. For if others cannot turn to us, where will faith be found and lived? Amen. Be Opened Change for the good may come when we listen with care, speak with compassion, and enact our faith. Such wisdom sees that the persistent practice of mercy, like love, comes as gift and calling from God. As we continue in the Season after Pentecost, hear the invitation to be open to the welcome God extends to all by responding to the presence and needs of others. Focus scripture: Mark 7:24 37 Geography plays an important role in Mark s gospel. The first half of Mark is set primarily in Galilee. This text relates a trip into the Gentile region of Tyre. When verse 31 speaks of Jesus later going from Tyre by way of Sidon to Galilee, it means heading due north in order to travel southeast. The trip to Sidon takes Jesus and the disciples deeper into Gentile lands. Such directions hint at the ongoing influence of Jesus encounter with the woman Jesus ministry crosses boundaries both geographical and religious. The context of Jesus encounter with the woman in Tyre presents several ways to understand the text. First, the tension between Jesus and this woman may have economic origins. The inland farmers of Galilee were relatively poor compared to the coastal Phoenician exporters. Such differences aggravated the hostility between them as Jews and Gentiles. In times of food shortages in Galilee, the economic need to export harvests may have spurred further resentments. Second, resistance in the early church to including Gentiles may contribute to Mark s harsh tone at the start. The change in Jesus toward this woman and his ensuing journey to Gentile towns like Sidon and the Decapolis may speak to the church s later opening to Gentile Christians. Some interpreters soften Jesus response to the woman. One detail often cited is that the word Jesus uses for dogs is closer in meaning to puppies. But is comparing a child at risk with a puppy still not a callous insult? This remains a radical text. This woman s words of advocacy for her daughter spoken to Jesus provoke his openness. Jesus connects this woman s words (wisdom) with her daughter s healing. The second story relates another opening. Mark records the Aramaic command ephphatha ( be opened ) in this healing. It parallels the Aramaic talitha cum in Mark 5 when Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus. Aramaic was the native tongue of Jesus and those to whom he ministered. It would later be the tongue of Palestinian Christians, who may have formed part of Mark s original audience. These Aramaic phrases remind us that Jesus spoke the language of the people. God s open and unfailing love to those in need is a consistent theme in the additional texts. So, too, are their counsels for us to go and do likewise. The wisdom of Proverbs 22:1 2, 8 9, reveals that God pleads the cause of the poor. Those who would follow such wisdom in their own lives receive God s blessing for their generosity. Psalm 125 offers its benediction upon those who do good. Such blessing can be trusted for the psalmist affirms God s protective shelter. The epistle of James, like Proverbs, is a work grounded in the wisdom tradition. James 2:1 10, (11 13), insists that faith reveals itself in works. Faith here is shown in actions that welcome and care for those who are vulnerable. These texts also bring an implicit promise of God s response and compassion to all who find themselves in need. The Season after Pentecost continues as we journey with the Body of Christ toward living in wisdom. When we open ourselves to one another, God breaks open possibilities for change, healing, and welcome. How might these passages influence the ways we become open to others, especially those who may be viewed as outsiders? Who relies on us to be a persistent advocate for their needs and how might that advocacy take shape? 42 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2017

3 Reflection and Focus September 9, 2018 Reflecting on the Word Pentecost Adapt and use for youth and adult studies, sermon seeds, lay worship teams. Connecting with life Think about how many of the wars and conflicts around the globe have to do with racial and tribal hatred. Do you think that racism and tribalism are different aspects of the same thing? What is needed for racism and tribalism to flourish and become the dominant way of seeing the other? To what extent do you think racism is inherent to being human? Scripture Mark 7:24 37 Was Jesus a racist? It s an important question in relation to the reading in Mark. The author of that gospel spells out in detail that Jesus is in foreign country speaking not only to a woman (in Jesus day for a man alone to speak to a woman alone was very problematic), but a non-jewish woman and one from not only a decadent place (according to many in the more socially conservative Galilee region) but a place that economically dominated and drained the farms of Jesus home. In this environment, is it understandable that Jesus might have some preconceived notions about the woman with whom he speaks? Is it right that Jesus speaks so harshly to her (to call someone a dog in the ancient near-east was a very grave insult)? What do we do with the fact that Jesus seems to display such prejudice? On the surface the story of the Syrophoencian woman and the second story (Mark 7:31 37) are linked in terms of geography. At a deeper level these two stories are linked by the actions of people on behalf of another. What connections do you see between the actions of the woman and of the friends? The word ephphatha means to be opened. Who or what needs to be opened in each story and how does it happen? Proverbs 22:1 2, 8 9, 22 23, Psalm 125, James 2:1 10, (11 13), These additional readings beckon us to consider God s open and unfailing love to those in need, and our response. After each reading pause and consider, and or discuss: To what or to whom does this passage invite us to be opened? How does the reading speak of what is good? What connections do you perceive between this text and the encounters in Mark 7:24 37? Connecting scripture and life We do not know if Jesus was testing the woman in the Mark text to see if she was willing to break out of the stereotyped role she may well have been trapped in by the Jewish community, or if Jesus himself was unthinkingly operating out of those prejudices. Perhaps those of us who don t acknowledge that we often fear difference and are often prejudiced with respect to others are in the greatest danger of excluding others without, even being aware that we are doing it. How can we make ourselves more aware of our presumed or assumed prejudice? James 2:1 17 offers straightforward teaching about not showing partiality in the church. How do these words speak to the reality of your community? Focus for Worship, Learning, and Serving Have you ever said something that you came to regret? Has anyone ever challenged you in a way that caused you to rethink an attitude or belief, and, consequently, change your perspective? It would be unusual for those who gather for worship, learning, and serving to say no to either of these questions. Worship, fellowship, serving, and even administration can try our willingness to be open to something or someone new. It may not be easy to listen to someone who speaks a word that challenges some conventional wisdom we and others have carried for a long time. It may also not be easy to speak such words when they are needed, even when the needs of one who is vulnerable are at stake. This week explores the importance and example of being opened. How might you set the space, and prepare the worshipping community to be opened anew to the movement of God s spirit? Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost

4 Be Opened Prepare Worship Outline September 9, 2018 NOTE: The following suggestions are mere starting points; adapt, delete, and add according to your local needs. Recruit volunteers needed for worship: one for the James reading, two for the blessing. Choose an option for hearing Mark 7: For the Bible story, arrange for a storyteller to present the story Pleas for Help on p. 47. For the dialogue, arrange for three readers. Bring items for setting the worship space. Prepare to project, close-up images of faces of diverse ages, nationalities, socio-economics, genders, for the prayer of confession. Prepare to project or display a map of the world, or a map of your region for prayers of the people. Bring song Friend to Friend (Seasons Songbook, vol. 7, #28 on Seasons Music CD, vol. 7. Printed music and recording also available at Seasons MP3 Downloads, www. seasonsonline.ca). Set stations as described on p Call to worship The earth is God s and the fullness thereof. The universe comes from God and everything that is, lives in God. The glory of God will cover the Earth as the waters cover the sea. Nothing that happens, happens outside of God s love. Everything is in God. Everything is one in God. Everything is one. Opening prayer God, we thank you for life. For the blood flowing well, for hearts pumping faithfully, for lungs breathing even when we are not paying attention. For the everyday miracle of our existence, we thank you. Today, may we be reminded that everyone we meet is like us; a living miracle. Amen. Gather Music Suggestions Come and Seek the Ways of Wisdom Ruth Duck; Seasons Songbook, vol. 7 Friend to Friend Eduardo P. Hontiveros; Seasons Songbook, vol. 7 Reach Out Gina Ogilvie, Monica O Brien; Seasons Songbook, vol. 7 Let Us Put On the Clothes of Christ Bret Hesla; Seasons Songbook, vol. 1 We Give Our Hands to You/Reamo Leboga Daisy Nshakazongwe, Andrew Donaldson; Seasons Songbook, vol. 1 A Touching Place John Bell, Graham Maule Holy Spirit Go before Us Elizabeth J. Smith The Spirit in Me A chart that shows the licence holder(s) for each song in each of the 9 Seasons of the Spirit Music Volumes can be found at Click on Library; Seasons Music Information. Please contact a licence holder for permission to duplicate. Prayer of confession If possible, project close-up images of faces of people of diverse ages, nationalities, socio-economics, genders and invite people to view the images in silence. Toward the end of the projections, read the following prayer. Prayer God, we know only too well how it feels to be assessed and judged because of age, gender, nationality, or appearance. And we confess that we have too readily done the same to others. We confess that we have damaged others by grouping them based on external criteria, on our own assumptions and prejudices. We confess that we have often found it easier to assign people to categories than we have to get to know them for who they are. Forgive us we pray. Amen. Words of affirmation You are a unique, glorious and unrepeatable work of art, handcrafted by the creator and sustainer of the vast universe. You are loved, forgiven, and always welcomed into the arms of God. 44 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2017

5 Worship Outline September 9, 2018 Engage Opening the word James 2:1 10, (1 13), Have someone read from various parts of the space and in various stances, depending on the way the text goes. For example, if you have a traditional worship space, have the reader begin behind the pulpit or from one of the chairs at the front; stand in a prominent position, or sit on the floor, or in the back as the text requires. Moving into the focus scripture Invite the people to think about times when they have asked someone for help, or someone asked them for help. Ask for volunteers to tell what kind of help was needed. Try to include examples of both asking and giving help in the conversation. Respond Mark 7:24 37 Choose from the following for hearing the focus story. Bible story Have a storyteller present the story Pleas for Help on page 47. Dialogue Have two readers sit at a café table sharing coffee while they read (or say if they can memorize) the dialogue between Jesus and the woman in Mark 7: Have another reader act as the narrator. As Jesus leaves the table to continue the journey, the narrator reads Mark 7: After the focus scripture Invite children, young people, and all who wish to move to the stations. Others will remain seated for proclaiming the word. After proclaiming the word, you might invite those who have not already done so to move to and around the stations, taking ten minutes or so with a chosen practice. Sing or listen to a song such as Friend to Friend as people gather together again (Seasons Songbook, vol. 7 and #28 on Seasons Music CD, vol. 7. Printed music and recording also available at Seasons MP3 Downloads, Prayers of the people Project a map of the world or a map of your region and invite people think of people on the margins of society. Invite them to use the map as a prayer focus, perhaps choosing a country of which they know little, and in the silence listen to the voice and challenge of the people. With each prayer, invite them to say silently, or aloud if they choose, I will listen, I will understand. Affirmation of faith Invite the congregation to say together the following creed written by the late Catholic cardinal Basil Hume: alhumecentre.org.uk. We believe that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God and possesses a dignity and value which can never be taken away. We believe that as children of the one God we are one family with mutual responsibility for each other. Prayer of dedication Source of all goodness and compassion, move us this day to be generous in our giving and care. May we not hold back in fear or self-protection but give so that others might find renewed meaning and hope in this life, in this time. In Christ s name we pray. Amen. Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost

6 Bless Worship Outline September 9, 2018 Have two readers reader alternate lines of the blessing Different genders Many nations Different ages Skin in a thousand hues One community One God Amen. Special Days Commentary September 9 11 Rosh Hashanah (Judaism) Rosh Hashanah is the celebration of the Jewish New Year that occurs every year in September or October. Before you get ideas in your head about Jewish people breaking out the champagne and noisemakers and staying up until midnight on some school night in September or October, it s not exactly that way! Rosh (which is the Hebrew word for head ) Hashanah (which is the Hebrew word for year ) is the beginning of a holy period of ten days called the Days of Awe. These ten days are a time for Jews to go for a spiritual checkup. Instead of a checkup for the body, it is a checkup for the soul. And instead of going to someone else for the checkup, Jews are expected to examine themselves. What do we examine? We examine the choices we have made, how we have treated other people, how we have acted to make the world a better place. All of us have some things we have done well, but all of us have things that we need to improve upon. For those things, we ask for forgiveness and work toward being better and making the world a better place. Rabbi Adam Morris lives in Denver, Colorado, USA, and serves as a consultant to the Seasons of the Spirit editorial team. He also answers questions posed to Ask the Rabbi at September 12 Al Hijra (Islamic New Year) This day is a remembrance of the migration (or hijra) of Mohammed and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. This event marked the beginning of the growth of Islam into a world faith. It is not a holy day for Muslims, and as such there is no required, religious ritual for the day. The Qur an uses the word hijra to mean moving from a bad place or state of affairs to a good one. On Al Hijra, Muslims may contemplate how their faith helps them leave behind bad habits or unhealthy ways of living in order to achieve a better life. September 13 Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindu) This is the celebration of the birth of one of the major Hindu deities, Ganesh, who has the head of an elephant. As the god of success, Ganesh is invoked at the beginning of all new undertakings. September 14 Holy Cross Day Several traditions are connected with this observance. One focuses on St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine. While Helena was overseeing some evacuations in Jerusalem she found what was believed to be Jesus cross. On September 14, 335 CE, a basilica was dedicated on the site of Jesus tomb, the Shrine of the Holy Sepulchre. Other traditions claim that Constantine himself found the cross. 46 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2017

7 Bible Story September 9, 2018 Pleas for Help based on Mark 7:24 37 When you tell two stories that take place in different places, take a few steps or make some other indication that the second story is in another place. Jesus was busy, very busy, journeying from here to there. Teaching people on the shore, healing people in the towns. On this day he had just come to the region called Tyre. He wanted nothing more than a time to rest. He went into a house there, thinking that no one would notice him. But, of course, that was not possible. A woman whose daughter was sick heard that Jesus was in the town. Now this woman was not Jewish, so it is a bit surprising that she would come to Jesus for help. But she was desperate for help for her daughter. The woman walked into the house where Jesus was. She bowed down at his feet. Please, please, she said, make my daughter well. The other people in the room expected Jesus to ignore her because she was not Jewish and had certainly not been invited. And Jesus said to the woman, I am here to help the Jews, that is why I was sent by God. The woman did not give up. She continued to plead for help. Finally, Jesus said, Go home, you are right to ask for my help. Your daughter is well. The woman had convinced Jesus to open his heart to her. After a few days, Jesus went toward the Sea of Galilee by way of Sidon to the region of Decapolis. Some people brought to him a man who could not speak or hear. Just like the woman in Tyre, they begged for Jesus to heal the man. Not wanting to make a big fuss, Jesus took the man away from all the people. He touched his fingers to the man s ears. Then he spat and touched the man s tongue. Then Mark records that Jesus did something that is nowhere else in the Bible. Jesus pointed a finger up to the heavens and said, Ephphatha! This means be opened. In an instant, the man s ears were opened and he could hear the wonderful sounds around him. At the same time, his tongue moved and he could speak to his friends. Jesus told everyone not to tell what had happened. However, the people were so excited that they couldn t keep this good news to themselves. Look, they said, Jesus can make a deaf man hear and a man who cannot speak to speak. In this healing, Jesus opened the man s ears and mouth. For help on how to pronounce Ephphatha, go to e-words/ephphatha-pronunciation/. Click on the little Play button beneath the first row of books to hear it pronounced aloud. A recording of this story is available in MP3 format in the RCL Audio Stories folder. Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost

8 Living, Learning, Growing as Disciples The following stations might be set up around your worship space or in other places around the church. Choose one or more practices, depending on your space and numbers. Display the directions. See also Age Group ideas on pages Stations September 9, 2018 For your convenience, these instructions are formatted for printing and available in RCL Stations folder. Bible story Materials recording of today s story Pleas for Help (available in MP3 format in the RCL Audio Stories folder), player, paper, drawing pads, crayons, pencils, a copy of the directions displayed where all can see; alternatively, arrange for a storyteller to present the story that is on page 47 The practice of storytelling Directions 1. Listen to the story Pleas for Help. 2. Use the drawing pads, paper, pencils, and crayons to record your response to the story. Suitable for all ages Building community Materials as many Lego building blocks (or other building blocks) in as many sizes and shapes as you can find (include people and animals, if possible), a copy of the directions displayed where all can see The practice of forming community Directions 1. Just as children build with blocks of different colours and shapes, so community is built. 2. Together build a structure that represents your hope for community. 3. Pray as you place each block for people of all backgrounds. Suitable for all ages Opened to art Materials newspapers, magazines, sheets of newsprint, markers, glue, scissors, poster board or construction paper, variety of art materials, a copy of the directions displayed where all can see Suitable for all ages The practice of expressing creatively Directions Open up the special term in Mark 7:34, Ephphatha, through art. 1. Search the newspapers and magazines for images of openness (such as open doors and windows, open faces, open arms ). 2. Create a large group collage on newsprint under the title Ephphatha. 3. Make a sign, like those next to art work in galleries: print the names of the artists, list the materials used, and say a word about the art, including a reference to Mark 7:24 37, and a description of how we might experience and extend Jesus open, healing love. 4. Display this work where all can see. 5. If returning to worship, help the congregation learn the word Ephphatha (see p. 51). 48 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2017

9 Stations September 9, 2018 Only the crumbs Materials bread rolls, table, tablecloth, a copy of the directions displayed where all can see Suitable for all ages The practice of prayer Directions 1. Take a bread roll and slowly tear it. 2. Silently watch the crumbs fall. 3. As the crumbs fall, pray in silence for those who get only the crumbs, who are denied full personhood, pushed to the periphery of society, are without friends, without family to support. Profiles of persistent women of faith The practice of telling stories of faith Materials blank index cards, pens, copy and cut apart Profiles of Persistent Women of Faith (see RCL Extra Resources section) Suitable for all ages Directions 1. Have each person at the table take one or more of the profiles. 2. Read about the woman on your sheet and introduce her to the rest of the group. 3. If you wish, you might write the name of other persistent women of faith and introduce them to the group. Journal Materials pens and paper, invite people to bring personal journals; a copy of the directions displayed where all can see Suitable for all ages The practice of reflection Directions Openness to change, even for the good, may require a change of heart and mind. 1. Consider a current situation you feel is calling for or leading to a change of heart or mind on your part. What is this experience opening you to consider or to do? What wisdom might the Syrophoenician woman and Jesus healing the deaf man bring to your deliberation? 2. On sheets of paper or in your personal journal, write your response. 3. Use your journal entries to guide times of personal reflection and prayer during the coming week. 4. Who might be able to help this journey of turning? Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost

10 Age Group Ideas Resource Sheet September 9, 2018 The following are offered in addition to the activities described in Stations on pages You might adapt according to your needs. Ages 3 12 (and can be adapted for older age group) Gently ring the bell, or sound a singing bowl as a signal to gather at the worship table. Give time for silence to settle. Unfurl a green cloth as you say: As we place the green cloth on our worship table, we remember that we come here to learn about living in God s way day by day. As you place the Bible say: As we place the Bible on our worship table, we remember that we come here to hear the wise stories in it. Ages 3 5 Jesus walked from place to place, teaching people. People came to Jesus with sick friends and asked for Jesus help. More and more people heard that Jesus could help, just like the mother in our story today. I have to get help for my little girl, said the mother. She can t rest at night. Her bad dreams wake her again and again. She doesn t laugh or play anymore. I must find help. Jesus is in town. Jesus could help, said the grandmother. I ll go to find Jesus, said the mother. Are you sure Jesus will help? said the aunt. Maybe Jesus only came to help the people he knows best. Maybe Jesus is tired and trying to rest. GATHERING TOGETHER THE STORY God s Love Welcomes Everyone Based on Mark 7:24 30 As you place the offering bowl say: As we place our offering on the table, we remember that we will share our ideas and our stories, too As you light the candle play a song such as: Light of Christ (Seasons Songbook, vol. 7 and #6 on the Seasons Music CD, vol. 7. Printed music and recording also available at Seasons MP3 Downloads, Prayer God of life, God of wisdom, God of friendship, thank you for your love. Amen. Jesus, Jesus, please, please help my little girl. She can t rest and sleep. She no longer laughs and plays. Please, you need to pray. Jesus was tired and trying to rest. Lots of people come to me for help, said Jesus. But, it s my daughter. She s a child who needs your help. You have enough love to help everyone, Jesus! You are right, Jesus said, God s love welcomes everyone. Thank you for coming to get help for your daughter. God s love will go with you. Go on home and you will see your daughter resting peacefully. So the mother went home. We have to get help. Surely Jesus will help, said the mother. And she set off to find Jesus. Walking, walking on the road. (Walk fingers on palm of opposite hand.) Knocking, knocking at the door. (Knock on palm of opposite hand.) Running, running on the road. (Run fingers on palm of opposite hand.) Rushing, rushing through the door. Shh, (place finger to lips) said the grandmother. She s sleeping peacefully. Shh, (place finger to lips) said the aunt, When she wakes, she ll run and play. 50 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2017

11 Resource Sheet September 9, 2018 Ages 6 11 Use the story Pleas for Help on p. 47. Older children might also read directly from the Bible. Ages Discussion questions Are you surprised by Jesus response to the woman? Why? What caused the woman to challenge Jesus response and press forward in her request? The woman would not be silenced. What change did this bring? How were Jesus assumptions challenged and changed? What do you think Jesus learned in this encounter with the woman? Decapolis was also Gentile territory. How is Jesus attitude toward the deaf person, also a Gentile, different from his attitude toward the woman? Why do you think this is so? For whom might you be an advocate today? Ages 3 5 Welcome card copies of activity sheet Welcome Friend (p. 52), very small construction paper shapes, markers, crayons, scissors Demonstrate how to cut and fold the activity sheet into a card. Decorate the card with markers and crayons. Glue on paper shapes. Read the words on the card front together and help the children print their names on the lines. Explain that the card can be taken home and given to a friend who comes to play. Ages 6 8 Welcome Banner light-colour flat bedsheet, fabric markers. Outline the word Welcome on the bedsheet with fabric markers. When Jesus gave the one who couldn t hear some time away from the crowds to help and heal him, the man felt welcomed by Jesus. Invite the children to create a welcome banner. Decorate the prepared bedsheet with words of wel- RESPONDING TO THE STORY come, smiling faces, and waving hands. Print your names on the banner. Display in a prominent place in your learning area. Ages 9 11 Placemats regular sheets of coloured paper, clear adhesive covering or portable laminating machine, markers, colour pencils The setting for the first encounter in today s story begins as an exclusive dinner party. Invite the children to create paper placemats for a welcoming table. What colours, pictures, and words convey the idea that everyone is welcome to the healing love of Jesus? Cover the finished placemats with clear adhesive covering or laminate, so the mats can be wiped clean. Consider planning a shared meal, featuring the placemats, with people who might need a special sense of welcome. SENDING OUT Litany: To be opened Start with hands on eyes, then on ears, then on mouth. One: God, help us to be opened to see people in need. (Hands off eyes.) All: Ephphatha! One: God, help us to be opened to hear people who are crying. (Hands off ears.) All: Ephphatha! One: God help us to speak a word of welcome to everyone who feels left out. (Hands off mouth.) All: Ephphatha! For younger children do not include the response Ephphatha. For help on how to pronounce Ephphatha, go to com/bible-pronunciation/e-words/ephphatha-pronunciation/. Click on the little Play button beneath the first row of books to hear it pronounced aloud. Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost

12 Welcome Friend Activity Sheet September 9, 2018 From Welcome Friend 52 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFUSION Pentecost Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2017