Planning. Lent 1 Lent begins (Orthodox) March Things to keep in mind this week. Planning ahead. Ecumenical Prayer Calendar

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1 Planning SAT 16 FRI 15 THUR 14 WED 13 TUES 12 MON 11 SUN 10 Lent 1 Lent begins (Orthodox) Things to keep in mind this week Planning ahead March 2019 Sunday, March 10 Saturday, March S M T W T F S /31 February 2019 S M T W T F S April 2019 S M T W T F S Revised Common Lectionary (Year C) Deuteronomy 26:1 11 Psalm 91:1 2, 9 16 Romans 10:8b 13 Luke 4:1 13 Liturgical colour: purple If you have Internet access, visit to access Spirit Sightings for connections between current events and the focus passage. Ecumenical Prayer Calendar Myanmar, Thailand 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 Lent Easter

2 Lent, Easter 2019 Deuteronomy 26:1 11 the focus in the age-level materials Psalm 91:1 2, 9 16 Romans 10:8b 13 Luke 4:1 13 Biblical Background March 10, 2019 Journey with us, O God, through this day, through this season. Lead us into that land where we know the fullness of your justice and grace. May we follow your leading and draw strength from your presence. Amen. A Place of Justice and Grace Lent begins in joyful remembrance of the extravagant outpouring of God s love. This is no generic God onto whom we might impose values that give comfort to the status quo. This is the God of Exodus and liberation, who calls us out of empire domination and temptations into a place where the abundance of God s grace feeds all. The experience of God s grace beckons us to open what we have and who we are in thanksgiving to God, and in sharing with a neighbour. Deuteronomy 26:1 11 is a text of community formation and worship that puts itself squarely on the side of those who embrace the God of creation and reject the god of empire and domination. As Wes Howard-Brook notes in his pivotal work Come Out My People, the God of Creation and the god of empire are two distinct theologies competing with each other from Genesis to Revelation. The choice is ever before us in biblical interpretation and everyday life, which God will we follow? Although Deuteronomy as a whole comes down on the side of empire theology, this week s text offers a counter-narrative insisting that the God of Creation revealed in Genesis is a God who calls us out of Egypt (empires, colonization, domination) and invites us into the land of God s abundant freedom and justice. Read through the lens of empire theology, this text has been employed by Christians to marginalize and dominate all who stand in their way, eagerly claiming and embracing the inheritance of land they believe God has given them. This is the theology of white supremacy, gender domination, hetero-superiority and Earth exploitation. Read through the lens of creation theology, infused with the non-hierarchical breath of God, this text tells us that we have been set free from the harsh, oppressive ways of empire with its capitalistic exploitation. The land we inherit is no place and every place. The land we inherit is the Realm of God, the place where God s justice and abundance dwells. It is in this land that we welcome the Levites and the aliens who reside among us. In this land of God s dwelling, all people and all creation enter into God s abundant grace. In the land of God s abundant mercy, grace and justice we are shaped and formed into an alternative community. As a community, we bring our first fruits, the best of what we have to offer, to remember, be shaped by and continue the journey as people living into a new way of life. This is our true inheritance. Psalm 91:1 2, 9 16 asserts that we find our true dwelling place in God who is our refuge and strength. Read through the lens of empire theology this text can comfort all who benefit from systems of domination. It enables the affirmation that God is on our side! Read through the lens of creation theology we are reminded that the place of God's dwelling is the place where God's justice, compassion, and grace reside. The question then becomes, are we on God s side? It is this justice-making, compassion shaping, spirited filled creation theology we encounter in Romans 10:8b 13 when Paul claims there is no distinction between Jew and Greek (10:12). Luke 4:1 13 provides a sharp contrast and direct challenge to the way of empire proclaimed by Rome and the way of life proclaimed by Jesus. Rome s power is rooted in control of commerce (bread), demands for ultimate loyalty (worship), peace through violence (security). Jesus rejects each of these temptations with a counterclaim that requires trust in the ways of God rather than the ways of empire. This week, we remember the journey of the Israelites out of empire and into the desert. We remember Jesus journey into the wilderness where, at the start of his ministry, he faces the temptations of empire. Our own lives reflect those journeys journeys with others. Foremost in our Lenten reflection is the question: How are our lives, individually and corporately, shaped by the values of empire life with its domination and control, and how are our lives shaped by the inclusive, compassion filled, justice-making ways of our creator God? What do our worship practices tell us about the God we choose to follow? 18 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter 2019 Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2018

3 Reflection and Focus March 10, 2019 Lent, Easter 2019 Reflecting on the Word Adapt and use for youth and adult studies, sermon seeds, lay worship teams. The Abundance Mentality, on the other hand, flows out of a deep inner sense of personal worth and security. It is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody. It results in sharing of prestige, of recognition, of profits, of decision making. It opens possibilities, options, alternatives, and creativity. Connecting with life Think of the values and gifts you have inherited from family, educators, friends, church. Which of those values and gifts are a source of life? Which are a source of separation, division, and alienation? Scripture Deuteronomy 26:1 11 emphasizes a remembering of God s guidance that leads to places of life. When and where in the life of your congregation do actions of remembering and responding to God s provision come to life? Which of these actions do you find meaningful? Indigenous people are often recognized for their creationoriented spirituality, a sense of oneness with the earth, a spirit of generosity, gratitude for the wisdom of ancestors; values that have much in common with the creation theology of Scripture. They are often seen as the other (alien) in our midst, but by embracing their communal wisdom, we as Christians may be reawakened to the values and faith that give life for our journey, celebrating the bounty that God has given us. Luke 4:1 13 In this week s gospel reading, we find Jesus in an environment with few distractions, one where he would have little option but to confront himself. How does being in the wilderness change and shape us? The idea of first fruits is not familiar today. In today s world, we can live with a scarcity mindset often giving last. In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes: Most people are deeply scripted in what I call the Scarcity Mentality (empire theology). They see life as having only so much, as though there is only one pie out there. And if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everybody else. The Scarcity Mentality is the zero-sum paradigm of life. People with a Scarcity Mentality have a very difficult time sharing recognition and credit, power or profit even with those who help in the production. They also have a very hard time being genuinely happy for the success of other people. receive? Focus for Worship, Learning, and Serving This week s text from Deuteronomy holds a beautiful loop of anticipation, remembering, and thanksgiving. Within it, we are invited to connect with the wonderful expectation of abundance held in the arrival into the land of promise and the importance of not forgetting the struggles and challenges that made it possible to be where we are today. This text holds instruction for the specific language and actions expected of a people who have striven long and hard to be free and have finally attained that freedom. It affirms the fact that God was with the Israelites and thus will be with us, through the harshest of treatment at the hand of the Egyptians, as well as along the exhausting journey through the desert. Connecting scripture and life Lent is a season of journey. It reminds us that life is never static and continually puts before us choices about the type of people we are becoming. Some of those choices are about temptations between practices that are life-giving and those that rob us of life. Other choices have to do with our openness to those who are alien to us and our generosity in all of life. Who are the ancestors that remind you to make choices that are life-giving? Who are the strangers you might experience as alien and what is required of you and your congregation to be fully welcoming? What do you need to let go of so that you might Lent is a journey, and to embody this reality, consider creating a visual reminder of that journey. Lent begins, to an extent, with remembering: the Israelites remember their times of exile and wandering in the desert before arriving at the land flowing with milk and honey. And we remember Jesus time in the desert at the beginning of his ministry. This Lenten season, you are invited to help your congregation experience the progression from exile and the wilderness, to belonging and returning home by having it represented on your worship table, where flowers or other symbols might typically be placed. Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter

4 Prepare Music Suggestions Worship Outline March 10, 2019 A Place of Justice and Grace NOTE: All of these suggestions are mere starting points; adapt, delete, and add according to your local needs. Recruit volunteers needed for worship. Bring a song such as Guide My Feet (Seasons Songbook, Choose an option for hearing Deuteronomy 26:1 11. For vol. 2, #34 on Seasons Music CD, vol. 2. Printed music the Bible story, arrange for a storyteller to present the and recording also available at Seasons MP3 Downloads, story Learning How to Give on p. 24. For the reflection, choose the questions you might bring to the reading. Set stations as described on p Bring items for setting the worship space. Consider creating a visual reminder of the Lenten journey. Help the congregation experience the progression from exile and the wilderness to belonging and returning home by having it represented on your Communion table, where flowers or other symbols might typically be placed. Begin with the desert itself by creating a sandscape on or in front of your worship table barren and dry. Resist the temptation to add anything too alive stay with sand, and perhaps a rock. Invite the experience of wanting there to be more, where there is nothing the experience of thirsting, and longing, and even a little discomfort. Option: prepare to project images of the desert, or other dry places as people enter, or during key moments of worship. Option: at key points in your service, you might project images of refugees or migrants who literally journey in the wilderness. You might choose to print the art image Cuerpo de arena en el fuego de la noche on or in your bulletin (in the Images to Project and Print folder). For background to the art and artist, see Connecting with the Art on p. 8. God Is Our Shelter Chris O Hara; Seasons Songbook, vol. 8 Rest and Wait Trisha Watts; Seasons Songbook, vol. 8 We Sing of Your Glory Traditional Latin American; Seasons Songbook, vol. 8 We Give Thanks Monica O Brien, Trisha Watts; Seasons Songbook, vol. 5 Guide My Feet Traditional African-American; Seasons Songbook, vol. 2 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah William Williams Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Joachim Neander I Want Jesus to Walk with Me African American Traditional O God, How We Have Wandered Ken Nichols,(Bach s Passion Choral) 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. Processional Lent is a season of journeying. You might choose a song such as Guide My Feet (Seasons Songbook, vol. 2), which is easily sung, as an introductory song each Sunday as people enter the worship space together. Thus embodying an actual journey. Be sure that everyone gets to move past the desert worship table and around the space in general before taking their seats. Call to worship One: Today, we begin our journey of Lent a journey of following the Christ into the desert, and then into Jerusalem. Right: We join in remembering the struggle and the strife Gather of Jesus, who stood up for love, even when it meant persecution and death. Left: We join in remembering the challenges of the Israelites as they journeyed away from slavery, through the desert, toward a new beginning. One: We join in remembering and honouring all who would teach us what it means to bear witness to God s love, through action and deed, and to reject the ways of empire. Right and Left: We join in a journey together toward justice, wholeness, and peace. One: Come, friends and loved ones, let us welcome this season and this journey as we take our first steps together in this Lenten worship. 20 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter 2019 Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2018

5 Worship Outline March 10, 2019 Opening prayer One: A wandering Aramean was our ancestor, and we too are a wandering people. Jesus went into the desert wilderness, Holy One, and we too find ourselves in desert times. Travel with us as we take this journey; stride next to us as we place one foot in front of the other toward a new day; sit with us as we reach into ourselves for the internal resources we need to be your people. May this journey through the Season of Lent be a journey of meaning and purpose. All: Guide us to a place of vitality and hope, we pray. Amen. Prayer of confession We have not always been a grateful people. We do not always remember the struggles that have made the moments and realities in which we live possible. We live Opening the word Psalm 91:1 2, 9 16 When they call on me, I will answer. This is a psalm of praise for the protection of God from all harm. In this psalm, we find images of shelter and refuge; of being guarded by angels and protected from all harm. How do you and the people of your congregation experience God s protection and shelter? In what ways might they be offering protection and shelter? How might you help them to connect to the fact that they might be the arms and hearts of God by these actions? Many churches are striving to be sanctuary or sanctuary supporting churches. This psalm is a powerful affirmation that such actions are godly actions. Lifting this up can give the congregation courage for continuing on this part of this Lenten journey. Romans 10:8b 13 Paul seems to indicate that we have a knowing in our hearts before we have even been able to admit what we know. In this case, Paul refers to the truth of the gospel of love. Paul also affirms, however, that when we can state what we know, we are made whole. This knowing, in one interpretation of this text, extends to the knowledge that we all have about the equality of all people no exceptions. How might you invoke in your congregation a celebration of this powerful truth that all of God s children are equally loved, and that love itself is what heals and makes us all whole? What other kinds of inner knowing can you affirm and expand? Luke 4:1 13 It is tempting in this day of material abundance to imagine that we have enough power as individuals not to Engage in abundance now but can forget for the challenges of scarcity that our ancestors knew. We live in privilege in so many ways but can forget the suffering that made our ways of life possible. The fruits of life surround us, but we can be slow in offering true thanksgiving. Instruct us again, Loving God. May our words and actions show we are a people of true thanksgiving. May we be ever mindful of your generosity and deliverance. Amen. Words of affirmation One: God has instructed us to remember and to act. All: We bring the first of the fruit of our lives that God has given. We bring our contrite hearts, our love, and compassion. One: Be assured that these are the fruits that are pleasing to our God. Be assured of God s pardon, and God s love. need one another. It is tempting in this day of information overload to imagine that we do not need to listen carefully and deeply to one another. It is tempting, in this day of immediate gratification to not allow ourselves to hunger or want for anything and to believe this is our entitlement. All of these are reflections of the world of empire in which we live the world of overabundance, hyper-individualism, and wastefulness. Jesus journey into the desert is an invitation for us to also journey into the world of less; the world of simplicity; the world of need; and the world of experiencing struggle. We are asked not to fear this invitation, but to honour and enthusiastically embrace it. Deuteronomy 26:1 11 the focus scripture for age-level materials in ENCORE Choose from the following: Bible story Have a storyteller present the story Learning How to Give (p. 24). Reflection for after the reading, choose from the questions below, which best fit your context. What are the indications around you that suggest people might need help to remember the journey undertaken to arrive at the privilege and comforts of today? What are the symptoms of overabundance that show up in your community, and what are the fruits that we are invited to bring to God? Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter

6 Worship Outline March 10, 2019 Or Who are the wandering Arameans of your congregation? What is the long story of that salvation journey you re-begin today? What is the justice toward which you all might be moving together? Or What stories do we have to tell of claiming a land inheritance that may have already been the home and heartland of another people? Is there a way, in your context, that this story has been used to justify the ordination of a behaviour or moment in history that might need attention or confession? 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 Guide My Feet as people gather together again (Seasons Songbook, vol. 2, #34 on Seasons Music CD, vol. 2. Printed music and recording also available at Seasons MP3 Downloads, Prayers of the people Based on Psalm 91:1 2, 9 16 One: From slavery and deserts we have been retrieved; Many: and God has been our refuge and our strength! We pray, Holy One, for forgiveness for the ways we may have been the cause and source of bondage and captivity ourselves. (silence) One: From starvation and thirst, and the temptations of power and might, we have been delivered. Many: We pray for all who hunger and thirst today, whether for food and water or justice and peace. And we pray for forgiveness for the ways we may have contributed to the hunger and thirst of others. (silence) One: Before we have even spoken it, we have known the love of God. Many: And the grace and mercy of God have been our salvation. We pray for all who do not know peace within their hearts whose spirits are confused by Stand where the sandscape is visible. Let us journey together into this desert time. Let us have the courage of the Israelites who remembered God s deliverance. Let us have the wisdom of Paul, in confidence of a Respond Bless greed, power, or self-centred ambition. (silence) One: We are neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free; we are neither rich nor poor, neither are we favoured or rejected; Many: for we are all simply children of God, and stewards of what we have been given, called to love and be loved. We are a people on a journey to healing and wholeness, and toward living together in justice and peace. One: Help us, Gracious Creator, to recognize our imperfections and the ways we participate in the forces of empire. Help us to free ourselves from such slavery and appreciate this journey we begin as an opportunity to claim new life. All: As we begin this journey together, we claim our call again to worship God, and God only. We claim our place next to Jesus, the Christ, our guide for the journey of life. Amen. Prayer of dedication or offering prayer In unison Today, we dedicate our thirst to your renewing heart. We dedicate our hunger to understanding the hunger and need around us. We dedicate our fear and vulnerabilities to the promise of God s love and protection. And we dedicate this worship to the journey ahead a journey toward greater union with our loving God. Amen. knowing heart. Let us carry the song of the psalmist with us and celebrate God s protective grace. And let us be with the Christ in our longing for the wholeness of Creation and community alike. Amen. 22 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter 2019 Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2018

7 Poetry and Prose March 10, 2019 The 40 Days of Lent Lent is part of the rich history of the Christian church, dating back to the third century CE. The season began as a mere 40-hour fast of preparation for those who were going to be baptized on Easter, to coincide with the belief that Jesus spent 40 hours in the tomb. Over the years, it was expanded to include all the faithful and was lengthened; the church finally settled on a 40-day Lenten fast, beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding the Saturday before Easter. (Sundays are not included in the count, as each Sunday is a little Easter, a weekly reminder of the Resurrection.) The number 40 was chosen for its significance in the Bible, most notably that Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. The story of Jesus 40-day sojourn in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry is the traditional gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent each year. Today, few Christians observe a fast for 40 days. Instead, Lent has become a period of introspection and selfevaluation. People tend to spend more time in prayer, Bible study, and personal or private meditation and reflection. Often, people will give up something for Lent, or take on a discipline or activity. Many churches take special offerings for hunger and world development during this season. Lent s liturgical colour is purple, associated with repentance from ancient times. Some have likened Lent to a wilderness time, recalling other biblical wanderings and times of trial and repentance: the 40 days and nights of rain that destroyed all the earth but Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark; the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness; the 40 days Moses spent fasting on the mountain before he received the Law. Wilderness times can be wonderful, positive times as well: the time the Israelite wandered in the wilderness formed them as a nation; the 40-day journey of Elijah to Mount Horeb, honestly seeking God s presence and discovering a call to prophetic ministry. It was in the wilderness where Hagar found spiritual renewal where John baptized, and where Jesus fed the multitudes. And while the gospel passage for the first week of Lent is traditionally on Jesus temptations, it is important to note that Jesus was strengthened by this wilderness time. Thus, Lent can be a time, not so much to focus on guilt and shame, but a time of growing profoundly in our faith, strengthened by an assurance of God s presence, which empowers us to face the truth of Good Friday, and then rejoice in the glory of Easter. Lent offers us the opportunity to slow down, enter our own wilderness to reflect, pray, and find ourselves renewed in God s presence. Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter

8 Learning How to Give Based on Deuteronomy 26:1 11 The people of Israel didn t have a place to live. For years and years, they had been wandering around, looking for a place to stay. Then, one day, God led them to a land that looked like a wonderful place to live. This will be your country, God said. This will be your new home. So, the people of Israel moved into their new country. They brought their tents and their sheep and their goats and their camels. They brought everything they had. What a beautiful country, they said. There s lots of grass for our animals to eat. There is good ground to grow nice gardens. There are big trees with figs and other fruit we can eat. How can we say thank you to God for our new home? they wondered. We should say the words, thank you when we pray to God. But we also should do something. We should do something that will help us remember how good God has been to us. Then someone remembered what Moses had said to them. When the people of Israel were wandering around in the desert, Moses, their leader, had told them how to say thank you to God. Whenever you grow something in the ground or pick something off a tree, give the first part of it to God. Bible Story March 10, 2019 The first melon from the garden. The first fig from the tree. The first wine from the grapes. The first baby sheep and the first baby goat. The first part of everything. But how can we give it to God? they wondered. God is everywhere. God isn t like a person you can hand something to. When we want to give something to God, what do we do with it? They puzzled and puzzled until someone remembered what else Moses had told them. Take those first fruits to the place where you worship God. That s a good idea, they said. And then we can use those things to help people who are poor and who don t have enough to eat. That would be a good way to give things to God. And so from then on whenever the people of Israel gathered the first harvest from their gardens or picked the first fruits from their trees, they always said, The first melon goes to God, or The first of the wine from the grapes goes to God. Lectionary Story Bible: year C by Ralph Milton. Copyright 2009 Wood Lake Publishing Inc. A recording of this story is available in MP3 format in the Audio Stories folder. Bible story Materials recording of today s story Learning How to Give, player, paper, crayons, pencils, a copy of the directions displayed where all can see; alternatively, arrange for a storyteller to present the story The practice of storytelling 1. Listen to the story Learning How to Give. 2. Use the art supplies to draw and write your response to the story. 24 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter 2019 Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2018

9 Stations March 10, 2019 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. For your convenience, instructions are formatted for printing and available in the Stations folder. The article Connecting with the Art on page 8 provides some background to the two posters for Lent, Easter and some art engagement ideas for individuals and groups. You might choose to add an Art Engagement station each week and choose one of the art engagement ideas. Journey with us, O God, through this day, through this Lenten season. Cairns Materials Bibles, some small- and medium-size stones, a few being flattish ; a board on which to build the cairn; one or two picture books of cairns (such as Cairns: Messengers in Stone, David B. Williams. The Mountaineer Books, Seattle WA. 2012, Rhoda s Rock Hunt, Molly Beth Griffin. MN Historical Society, St. Paul Make Your Own Inuksuk, Mary Wallace. Owlkids Books, Toronto. 2001); access to the Internet (optional); copy of the directions displayed where all can see Suitable for all ages The practice of building community For thousands of years, people have used rock piles to mark their paths and find their way home. These rock towers came to be called cairns. The rocks carefully balanced atop one another withstand changing seasons and weather. Cairns are artful messengers from the builder to the unknown passersby. See examples of cairns depicted in books or described online. 1. Read Luke 4:1 13. What is this story about? 2. Imagine that Jesus has built a cairn in the wilderness. The cairn symbolizes Jesus dependence on God. Its message says, One does not live by bread alone. What do you think this means? 3. Gather the stones and together build a cairn. This is a marker to show the way for all those on the Lenten journey. Place the cairn somewhere in the church. Write the meaning of this cairn for all who pass by. Include this message in the bulletin throughout the Season of Lent. Journey through the neighbourhood The practice of gratitude Materials notebook and pen for one recorder per group, refreshments for after the hike, leader(s) to guide a minute walk through the neighbourhood; copy of the directions for the guide(s) Suitable for all ages walking together 1. Assure that there is adequate supervision for children. Multiple small groups may be necessary. Design the walk route to include a variety of subject matter. Plan a route that it is accessible to the abilities of all participants. 2. Journeys begin with a single step. Even with a map or a guide, what we encounter has elements of surprise and wonder. As a small group, take a meandering walk throughout the neighbourhood. During the walk, note a few of the following and jot down comments: What do you see, having walked by it hundreds of times before, you now notice? What gets your attention? Is it sound, visual, smell, or feel? Practice walking in silence for one block or a designated distance. How does this impact what you see, hear, or feel? 3. If you encounter a neighbour, introduce yourselves. Learn something new. 4. Journeys can take us out of our comfort zones. Are walkers feeling out of their comfort zone? Are you? How? 5. Once back at the church, discuss discoveries over a snack. Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter

10 The land we inherit Materials video clip of beautiful scenes in nature, computer or tablet to play the video, newsprint or board with markers, The Message Bible, copy of the directions displayed where all can see Suitable for all ages working together Stations March 10, 2019 The practice of thankfulness Read Psalm 104:1 13, The Message translation. Read Genesis 1:1 8, 24 25, then Deuteronomy 26:1 3. Let us enjoy watching examples of God s greatness, goodness, and gifts. 1. Play the video clip of beautiful scenes. List God s gifts seen in the video. 2. How is God giving us gifts like or unlike gift-giving from a parent, children, or partner? Note the responses of the full group on a sheet of newsprint divided into two columns of alike and different. 3. Tell about a favourite gift you have received. How do we say thank you? How do we express thanks to God? 4. Conclude with prayer of thanks. Then and now, the land of our ancestors The practice of discovery Materials biblical era map(s) of Middle East and current map(s) of the same area. If possible, bring Middle East maps that depict different features such as topographical maps, road maps, and globe. The internet has several historical Old Testament and modern resources www. biblestudy.org Suitable for ages 9 adult 1. Display biblical map(s). Point out familiar landmarks and review stories associated with them. Discuss possible routes people could have travelled to get from point A to B. For example, a land and a water route from Mt. Carmel to the Sea of Galilee. 2. Display contemporary maps of the same region. How have things changed? What has disappeared? What is there today that wasn t in ancient biblical times? Discuss possible routes now available from point A to B. The Journey: a story Materials storybook The Journey by Francesca Sanna. Flying Eye Books, 2016 Suitable for ages 6 9 The practice of compassion The Journey is a story that is more sad than happy. It is about a family who is forced to leave their home because war has come to their town. This book is based on true stories from refugees in the news today. Description: In this beautifully illustrated book, a young girl s life goes from peace and comfort to turmoil and tragedy as war envelops her home and forces the family to flee. As they seek out a place of safety, the family must make decisions that are difficult for kids to imagine, but critical to understanding the experiences of the millions of children caught up in the current refugee crisis. At the same time, simple comforts like books and storytelling help the family stay strong through their journey. While the ending isn t a true resolution, it is tinged with hope and optimism. The journey has been grueling, but soon, perhaps, they will find a place to call home again. 1. Have someone read the book The Journey. 2. Discuss what the listeners heard and felt in this story. What things made you sad, mad, and glad? What might Jesus ask us to do about this situation? What are things our church, both local and national, is doing to help refugees? How can we participate in this love? 3. Conclude with prayer. 26 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter 2019 Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2018

11 4 4 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter 2019 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent, Easter 2016 Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc God has given us so many good things. On paper hearts draw pictures of things for which you would like to thank God. Decorate with glitter or other decorative materials. Punch two holes at the top of each heart. As each heart is completed, thread yarn through the two holes to create a garland. Hang the finished garland in the worship area at church, or in special place at home. You will need 15 cm/ 6 in plain paper hearts, glitter or decorative material, yarn, scissors, hole punch. create Thanksgiving garland. 1 1 And that is just what happened. The people found new homes, planted new gardens, and cared for their animals. And every year they would bring baskets of fruits and vegetables to a special place to thank God. And they would remember the story of how Moses led them away from the powerful and cruel king and brought them to a new land. Afterwards there would be a big party. Everyone was invited. It was a wonderful way to say thank you to God. Our journey together is finished. It is time to build your homes in this new land. Look after your animals, plant seeds, and care for them. Take the first fruits and vegetables that you pick and put them in a basket. Put this basket in a special place and remember the many ways that God loves you. This is a special way of saying thank you to God. Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent Easter 2019 Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Lent, Easter 2016 Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Copyright Wood Lake Publishing Inc Then one day when they were almost there, Moses said to the people, We have wandered around for a long time, looking for a place to stay. Moses led the people. Step, step, step mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers walked with Moses. Step, step, step girls and boys walked with Moses. Clippity-clop, clippityclop sheep, goats, cows, and donkeys walked with Moses. All the people and animals walked with Moses. It took a long, long time to get to their new home. And all the time, the people knew that God was taking care of them. A long, long time ago, the people of Israel did not have a place to live. A man named Moses had led them away from a powerful and cruel king. I will be with you, God promised. Based on Deuteronomy 26:1 11 story time Remembering God's Love Children s Activity Leaflet March 14, 10, 2019 Children s Activity Leaflet February 2016

12 activity You will need a photocopy of this sheet, markers, crayons, pencils, scissors. Seasons Easter Seasons of of the the Spirit Spirit SeasonsFusion SeasonsFusion Lent Lent, Easter Copyright Copyright Wood Wood Lake Lake Publishing Publishing Inc. Inc Instructions When the people of Israel came to a new land, they grew beautiful flowers, and delicious fruit. There were beautiful birds, healthy animals, and yummy honey. All these things reminded them that God was looking after them. Decorate the pictures with crayons, markers, or pencils. Cut around the pictures and place them around the building; maybe in books, or on tables and chairs where people will find them and be reminded that God is still looking after us all today just as God has always done. 22 Thank You, God Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion Seasons of the Spirit SeasonsFusion SeasonsFusion Lent Lent, Easter Easter Copyright Copyright Wood Wood Lake Lake Publishing Publishing Inc. Inc