Paul Gives Thanks. Focus on 1 Thessalonians 1:1 10. n PREPARING FOR THE SESSION. WHAT is important to know? WHERE is God in these words?

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1 October 22, 2017 Proper 24 Semicontinuous Exod. 33:12 23 Ps. 99 Complementary Isa. 45:1 7 Ps. 96:1 9, (10 13) 1 Thess. 1:1 10 Matt. 22:15 22 Goal for the Session Children, following Paul s example, will thank God for their congregation. n PREPARING FOR THE SESSION Focus on 1 Thessalonians 1:1 10 WHAT is important to know? From Exegetical Perspective, Annette Weissenrieder In verse 1 Paul expands a typical recurrent Greek letter formula: Grace to you and peace. In 1 Thessalonians 5:3, Paul refers to peace in the phrase peace and security, which is clearly a political slogan ascribed to the realm of the Roman Empire. Paul points to the coming of the day of the Lord as an event that will shatter the false peace and security of the Roman Empire. When Paul prefixes grace to it, the peace becomes uniquely Christian: grace and peace is the Pauline answer to peace and security. WHERE is God in these words? From Theological Perspective, David Burrell The personal encounter with the Lord Jesus that irrevocably altered Paul s life filled every other personal encounter with unimagined expectations: we always give thanks to God for all of you (v. 2). The fellowship that marks followers of Jesus comes laced with the unexpected, much as the advent of this Son of God into our world: remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 3). Theirs would be a service of free human beings, not of slaves, and so a service in faith, hope, and love. SO WHAT does this mean for our lives? From Pastoral Perspective, Jill Y. Crainshaw Congregations are to be bonded to one another in Christ by a spirit of thanksgiving for one another. What are the gifts of such a spirit? A spirit of thanksgiving can motivate us as believers to be more intentional and thoughtful in all of the ways we communicate with one another. A spirit of thanksgiving can motivate us toward greater communal intimacy. A spirit of thanksgiving can motivate us to forgive and seek forgiveness, especially as each of us works to be understood and to understand. NOW WHAT is God s word calling us to do? From Homiletical Perspective, Nathan Eddy This is a powerful passage on the life of the church. God here is active, empowering, encouraging, and persistent in the lives of those who have turned to God. God in the Holy Spirit is especially active in this passage. Paul has seen not simply a cooperative spirit, but the Holy Spirit in their life: something beyond Paul s doing or theirs. The message of the gospel comes not in word only, but in power in the Holy Spirit (v. 5). Empowered action is not incidental; it is central to the cooperative way God works in the world. The Holy Spirit builds people to take action, together. 1

2 FOCUS SCRIPTURE 1 Thessalonians 1:1 10 Focus on Your Teaching Children who are welcomed to the church building will have good feelings about the congregation. Although they may not know the names of adults, they probably admire members whom they see leading worship, giving a Minute for Mission, or helping them take part in a mission project, as well as teaching church school. If you find that the children feel disconnected to the congregation, consider how you can advocate for the inclusion of children in more of the congregation s life. YOU WILL NEED Christ candle matches small table green cloth offering basket Bible Singing the Feast, ; CD player Color Pack 1, 14, 27, 28 Resource Sheet 1 rolled as scroll For Responding: option 1: newsprint or board, marker, stationery, pencils or pens option 2: Color Pack 14 and 15, copies of Resource Sheet 2, pencils, children s resource materials about Paul option 3: glass votive candleholders, votive candles, permanent markers or glass paint markers option 4: Singing the Feast, ; CD player God, who brings us together in congregations of your people, open my eyes to ways my congregation can celebrate the presence of children as Paul gave thanks for the church in Thessalonica. Amen. n LEADING THE SESSION GATHERING Before the session, print the gathering litany on newsprint or poster board, if necessary. If you are using Responding option 2, gather children s Bibles, Bible dictionaries, and other appropriate materials and place bookmarks where the information about Paul is found. As you greet the children, chat with them what they like to do at school. Have the group help you arrange the green cloth on the small table to create the worship table. Place on it the Christ candle (white pillar candle with a symbol of Christ etched or drawn on it), an offering basket, and a Bible open to 1 Thessalonians. Gather the group at the worship table. Ask a volunteer to point to the season of Ordinary or Common Time (or Season after Pentecost) on Color Pack 1. Wonder together why the church uses the color green to remind people to grow as Jesus followers. Light the Christ candle. Invite the children to explain that this candle represents Jesus the Christ and the light he brings into the world. If you wish, have a child gather the offerings. Sing together Bim Bom (Color Pack 27, track 2 on Singing the Feast, ). Recall that the words bim and bom have no meaning, but the words Shabbat shalom are Hebrew for peaceful Sabbath. Invite an older child to be the Leader in this gathering litany: Leader: Loving God, be with us today. Children: We have come to learn about you. Leader: Teacher Jesus, we want to follow your teachings. Children: We have come to learn what you teach. 2

3 Bim Bom Bim bom bim bim bim bom Bim bim bim bim bim bom. Bim bom bim bim bim bom Bim bim bim bim bim bom. Shabbat shalom! Shabbat shalom! Shabbat, shabbat, shabbat, Shabbat shalom! Leader: Holy Spirit, we look for your help. Children: Amen. Extinguish the Christ candle. For the children to appreciate fully the fondness Paul had for the congregation in Thessalonica, they need to recognize how your congregation is a church family for them. Invite the children to name people they know in the congregation. Ask: P Who do you know in our church? Other children? Young people? Adults? P How did you get to know them? Tell the group that the Bible story is about a congregation of long ago. EXPLORING Show the group the map on Color Pack 14. Perhaps older children will recognize the area from school studies of ancient Greece. Ask: P What do you recognize on this map? Invite them to point to places they have heard about and tell what they know about them. Draw their attention to the city of Thessalonica. Explain that the Bible story today involves the people in the church in that city many, many years ago. Tell the following story before unrolling the scroll, Resource Sheet 1 (A Letter to the Church in Thessalonica): A man named Paul traveled throughout this part of the world telling people about Jesus the Christ. He traveled with friends, Silas also know as Silvanus, Barnabas, and Timothy. Paul and his friends went to Philippi and Corinth. (Point to the cities on Color Pack 14.) Travel was not easy, but the paved road, the Via Egnatia, certainly was an improvement. He also went to Thessalonica, where he helped them begin a church. Paul has good memories of the new Christians in Thessalonica. He is probably in Corinth when he decides to write a letter to the church in Thessalonica. This is how it begins. Paul likely wrote 1 Thessalonians around 50 CE, about twenty years after Jesus death and resurrection. It is the earliest known piece of Christian writing. Explain that when you raise the scroll Resource Sheet 1 (A Letter to the Church in Thessalonica) above your head, they are to say together, We thank God for you! Practice it with them before reading the scroll aloud. After the letter, ask: P How does Paul feel about the Thessalonians? P What has made him so proud of them? P Paul s letters always teach something about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. What did you learn about them from this part of the letter? P How do you think the church in Thessalonica felt when they got this letter? Why? P If you were writing a letter to this congregation, what would you be proud of and want to say? 3

4 After they have expressed some ideas about their congregation, they are ready to move to the Responding options you have selected. RESPONDING Offer at least two options so children have a choice. One might be more challenging to interest older children who can work on their own. 1. Thank You Letter After answering the question in Exploring about what makes them proud of their congregation, the children are ready to write a letter to the congregation as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. Have them recall the good things about their congregation as you print them on newsprint or a board. Then help them put their ideas in a letter form. They can write one letter together, some can write and everyone can sign, or they can write several individual letters. You can follow Paul s format or use a conventional contemporary letter format. Decide together who should receive the letter (pastor, church board or session, newsletter). EASY PREP Invite a church member with good Bible knowledge to be a resource person and helper to the children in More about Paul on Resource Sheet More about Paul Some children may be interested in learning more about Paul and how he helped begin so many churches. Provide them with copies of Resource Sheet 2 (More about Paul), pencils, Color Pack 14 and 15, and resources you marked in advance. Suggest that they may want to tell what they learned about Paul to the others in Closing. 3. Shining Lights Paul noted the work of the Holy Spirit in the Thessalonian believers. The Spirit is active in the church today, too. Ask the children to think of people in their congregation who are good examples of Christian discipleship. Invite them to make a Shining Light gift for those persons. Decorate a glass votive candleholder with permanent markers or special glass paint markers. Decorations might be a cross and the words Let Your Light Shine. Place votive candles inside the candleholders and set them aside to dry. Talk together about how the children will deliver their gifts. 4. Song One symbol for the Holy Spirit is the flame, which gives off light. Encourage the children to think about how they can be an active part of the congregation. Ask: P What do you do or what would you like to do to be an active part of our congregation? (If necessary, remind them of the mission projects they have helped.) After they understand how they are also what makes the congregation one to be proud of, sing the song This Little Light of Mine (Color Pack 28, track 22 on Singing the Feast, ). 4

5 This Little Light of Mine This little light of mine, This little light of mine, This little light of mine, I m gonna let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Everywhere I go, Everywhere I go, Everywhere I go, I m gonna let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. CLOSING Gather at the worship table and light the Christ candle. If the children made Shining Lights, set them around the candle, but do not light them. If some children learned more about Paul, invite them to tell the group what they discovered. Sing This Little Light of Mine (Color Pack 28, track 22 on Singing the Feast, ). Conclude with a brief benediction, having learners pass it around the circle by speaking it to the person next to them: Let the light of the Holy Spirit shine in you this week. Tell learners you will pray for them this week, and invite them to pray for you. Jesus gave it to me, Jesus gave it to me, Jesus gave it to me, I m gonna let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. 5

6 October 22, 2017 Multi-Age Resource Sheet 1 A Letter to the Church in Thessalonica 1 Thessalonians 1:1 10 From Paul, Silas, and Timothy. To the church in Thessalonica, the people of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God will be kind to you and will bless you with peace! 2 We thank God for you and always mention you in our prayers. Each time we pray, 3 we tell God our Father about your faith and loving work and about your firm hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Raise scroll above your head.) 4 My dear friends, God loves you, and we know he has chosen you to be his people. 5 When we told you the good news, it was with the power and assurance that come from the Holy Spirit, and not simply with words. You knew what kind of people we were and how we helped you. 6 So, when you accepted the message, you followed our example and the example of the Lord. You suffered, but the Holy Spirit made you glad. (Raise scroll above your head.) 7 You became an example for all the Lord s followers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 And because of you, the Lord s message has spread everywhere in those regions. (Raise scroll above your head.) Now the news of your faith in God is known all over the world, and we don t have to say a thing about it. 9 Everyone is talking about how you welcomed us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God. (Raise scroll above your head.) 10 They also tell how you are waiting for his Son Jesus to come from heaven. God raised him from death, and on the day of judgment Jesus will save us from God s anger. (Raise scroll above your head.) Numbered Scripture verses are from the Contemporary English Version Westminster John Knox Press

7 October 22, 2017 Multi-Age Resource Sheet 2 More about Paul Paul was also known as. (See Acts 13:9.) Paul is the Greek form of his name. Barnabas, who was with Paul in Thessalonica, was set apart with Paul at the church in Antioch. What happened there? (See Acts 13:1 3.) Look at the map. Find Antioch. Where did Paul and Barnabas go next? (See Acts 13:4.) Find the places on the map. Wherever Paul went, he preached first in the Jewish synagogue. Why do you think he went to the synagogue first? Hint: who was waiting for God's messiah to come? Many Bibles have maps, often at the back of the Bible. Is there a map of Paul s journeys in the Bible you have? The large names are countries. The smaller names next to black dots are cities. What are some countries where Paul went? What are some cities where he preached about Jesus? Did you find the city of Thessalonica, the church who received the letter you heard today? What else can you learn about Paul from the materials you have? 2017 Westminster John Knox Press