April 29, 2018 Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 8:26 40 Ps. 22:25 31 1 John 4:7 21 John 15:1 8 Philip and the Ethiopian Goal for the Session Third- and fourth-graders will discover the power of the Holy Spirit to break down walls that divide, like the ones between Philip and the Ethiopian. n PREPARING FOR THE SESSION Focus on Acts 8:26 40 WHAT is important to know? From Exegetical Perspective, Paul W. Walaskay Luke tells us a great deal about these two men. Philip is one of seven Greek-speaking Jewish Christians appointed to tend to the needs of others (Acts 6:1 6). The Ethiopian is in charge of the treasury of the Candace, the official title of the queen mother, head of the government in Ethiopia. That he travels by chariot attests to his status. That he possesses a scroll of the prophet Isaiah attests to his wealth. Moreover, we are told that he is a eunuch, a not unusual situation for one whose life is devoted to serving in the queen s court. As a castrated male, he would not have been granted access to the temple (see Deuteronomy 23:1). WHERE is God in these words? From Theological Perspective, Karen Baker-Fletcher Notice the text s description of how the Spirit of God moves Philip to act and teach. When the messenger of God says to Philip, Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza (v. 26), Philip immediately gets up and goes. Upon seeing the Ethiopian eunuch, Philip runs to the chariot where the eunuch, in charge of the queen s treasury, is sitting. He immediately asks the eunuch if he understands the passage from Isaiah (53:7 8) that the eunuch is reading aloud. SO WHAT does this mean for our lives? From Pastoral Perspective, Thomas G. Long As the gospel moves into the world, it gathers under the wings of God s mercy more and more of those who have been lost, pushed away, and forgotten. What is to prevent me from being baptized? asked the eunuch. Absolutely nothing, whispered the Spirit. So the eunuch commanded the chariot to stop, and he was baptized right on the spot. Walls of prejudice and prohibition that had stood for generations came tumbling down by the breath of God s Holy Spirit, and another man who felt lost and humiliated was found and restored in the wideness of God s grace in Jesus Christ. NOW WHAT is God s word calling us to do? From Homiletical Perspective, Barbara Brown Taylor It is Philip s grounding in his tradition that enables him to recognize God s leading even when it leads him places no human authority has told him he may go and to act in the power of the Spirit. If we were to surrender control of our own travel plans for even an hour, where might the Spirit send us? How many of our accidental encounters with other people are really divine appointments? How can we learn to tell the difference between the two? 1
Philip and the Ethiopian FOCUS SCRIPTURE Acts 8:26 40 Focus on Your Teaching Third- and fourth-graders have experienced barriers to their participation they may be considered too young, too short, too inexperienced; they may have seen activities restricted to boys or girls. While they may not have personally experienced barriers of tradition, ethnicity, or religion, they have heard of such things in the news. These life experiences will help them begin to explore how the Holy Spirit cannot be contained by human-made divisions and to grow in their understanding of God s inclusive love. Mighty God, empower me to reveal the amazing power of the Spirit of Christ at work in my life through faith. Amen. YOU WILL NEED white cloth white batterypowered Christ candle gold streamers or ribbons Singing the Feast, 2017 2018; CD player Color Pack 18, 19, 32, 34 Bible copies of Resource Sheet 1 props: necklace, rolled paper scroll, blue tarp or sheet, white scarf or towel, 3 chairs For Responding option 1: copies of Resource Sheet 2 on card stock, unsharpened pencils with erasers, scissors, markers, pushpins option 3: refrigerated crescent rolls, pretzel rods, baking sheets, spatula, oven n LEADING THE SESSION GATHERING Before the session, if you are doing option 3 in Responding, preheat the oven according to instructions on the package of crescent roll dough. Greet each learner by name. Invite learners to arrange the white cloth in the center of your meeting space, arranging the Christ candle and gold ribbons or streamers on top of it. Light the Christ candle. Remind the children that the church celebrates Easter for seven Sundays. Join together in a song of praise for the Easter promise of new life that is ours because of Jesus resurrection. Form two groups to sing Hallelujah! Praise Ye the Lord! (Color Pack 32; track 10 on Singing the Feast, 2017 2018), with one group singing Hallelujah and the other singing Praise ye the Lord. Have children wave the gold streamers or ribbons as they sing. Pray: Risen Jesus, be our light today as we learn more about being your followers. Amen. Place the streamers or ribbons back on the cloth. Invite a conversation about feeling excluded by asking: P When have you felt like you were being left out? (If possible, tell about such an experience from your childhood.) P When have you felt like you were being included? Encourage the children to listen for examples of being included and excluded in the Bible story today. 2
Philip and the Ethiopian Hallelujah! Praise Ye the Lord! Hal - le - lu, hal - le - lu, hal - le - lu, hal - le - lu - jah! Hal - le - lu, hal - le - lu, hal - le - lu, hal - le - lu - jah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Some children are not comfortable talking about feelings or personal experiences in front of a group. Honor this and find other ways for them to express themselves, such as movement, art, or music. For children, the fact that the Ethiopian official was a eunuch is not essential to the focus of the session. However, if children hear this word in worship and ask about it, offer the information from the What is important to know? section on page 1 of this session. EASY PREP EXPLORING Open your Bible to Acts 8:26 40, and tell the group that today s Bible story is about something that happened in the early days of the Christian church. Distribute copies of Resource Sheet 1 (Philip and the Ethiopian Official). Ask for volunteers to play Philip, the Ethiopian official, and the Spirit. Ask an able reader to be the narrator or take the part yourself. Pass out the props: give the necklace and scroll to the Ethiopian; put the white scarf or towel around the Spirit s shoulders. Place the blue sheet or tarp near three chairs arranged as a chariot. Perform the play, telling actors to use their bodies and words to tell the story. As time allows, perform the play a second time, with different actors. Show Color Pack 18 and 19. Invite learners to retell the story as they look at the pictures, identifying things in the pictures that remind them of their play and things that are different. Discuss the story: P How did Philip know where to go? What did he find when he got there? P What do we know about the Ethiopian official? How is he different from Philip? (Responses may include: rich, from Ethiopia, powerful government official, doesn t follow Jesus.) How is he like Philip? (Responses may include: male, believes in God, studies Scripture.) P What does God s Spirit do in this story? (Responses may include: gives instructions, encourages, gives insight into Scripture, opens hearts.) P What happens to the Ethiopian at the end of this story? What do you think he did the day after his meeting with Philip? P What happens to Philip at the end of this story? What do you think he did the day after his meeting with the Ethiopian official? P Why was it important for Philip to go to the Ethiopian? Why do you think that God wants everyone to know about Jesus? (Responses may include: have more joyful lives, receive salvation, be one body in Christ.) Point out that the Holy Spirit is still at work in the lives of Jesus followers today helping us understand the Bible, helping us pray, helping us love one another, and helping us use our talents and skills to serve. Ask: P Who do you think might feel left out or afraid to come to our church? P In what ways might the power of God s Spirit help us include these people in our church activities? RESPONDING Mark the activities you will use. 1. Spirit Pinwheels Wind is a symbol of the Spirit s power to move and change lives. Invite a conversation about the things that wind power can do. Review how the Spirit was at work in Philip s life. Brainstorm words that describe the Holy Spirit, such as: power, wind, fire, love, joy, miracle, mystery, teacher. Distribute copies of Resource Sheet 2 (Spirit Pinwheels), and have learners follow the instructions there to make pinwheels. As they try out the pinwheels, discuss: How does the Spirit work to open hearts and change minds today? How might the Spirit be trying to use you? 3
Philip and the Ethiopian 2. Chariot Races Connect with the excitement of this story by enjoying a chariot race. Form groups of three. Within each group, two will cross arms and grab each other s wrists to form a seat and the third child will be the rider. Let two teams at a time race across the meeting space to retrieve the scroll used in the play. After the races, wonder how Philip felt when the Spirit first spoke and sent him to the Ethiopian. Ask: To whom might the Spirit be leading you? Talk together about what you and the learners might say to tell a friend or neighbor about Jesus. When preparing the bread, be mindful of any food allergies the children may have. We Are Dancing in the Love of God of God, of God, We are dancing, we are dancing, ooh, We are dancing, we are dancing, ooh, kwenkhos', kwenkhos', Siyahamba, siyahamba, ooh, Siyahamba, siyahamba, ooh, 3. Baked Scrolls Making these pastry scrolls is a physical reminder of how the Spirit worked through the Scriptures to bring Philip and the Ethiopian together. After washing hands, open the cans of crescent rolls, give each child a rectangle of dough (two crescents), and give these instructions: Pat the seam closed. Place a pretzel rod at each of the narrow ends. Roll the ends to the middle. Place the scrolls on cookie sheets and bake according to package directions. (Note: The oven needs to be preheated. If time is tight, children could assemble the scrolls in Gathering, bake them during Exploring, and eat them during Responding.) As you enjoy the snack, wonder about how reading the Scriptures brought Philip and the Ethiopian official together. Think of times when talking about a book or a movie has helped you get to know another person. How might the Bible do that? Tell how Christians all over the world read the same Bible stories in their own languages, and how the Holy Spirit can help us learn from the stories and from one another. CLOSING Gather around the Christ candle and invite learners to tell what they have learned about the ways that the Spirit works. Sing We Are Dancing in the Love of God (Color Pack 34; track 23 on Singing the Feast, 2017 2018). Lead this echo prayer, asking children to repeat each phrase: Dear God, / thank you for creating each person. / Help us to listen to the Spirit / and learn new ways / to welcome everyone / and tell them how much you love them. / Amen. Form a circle to extend a blessing to one another. Begin by placing a hand on the shoulder of the child to your right as you say: (Name), God bless you and fill you with the Spirit. Amen. 4
April 29, 2018 Philip and the Ethiopian Grades 3 4 Resource Sheet 1 Spirit: Spirit: Spirit: In the early days of the Christian church, the disciples started to travel in the area around Jerusalem. They told many people about Jesus. One day, God s Spirit spoke to Philip. (waving scarf) Get up, Philip! Go south to Gaza. Follow the wilderness road. (walking around) Well, OK, but there aren t many people living down that way. That same day, an Ethiopian official was on his way home from Jerusalem. (Ethiopian official takes a seat on the three chairs and reads the rolled paper scroll.) (waving scarf) Go over to that chariot! What? Look at that expensive chariot! Look at that expensive scroll! I m not like that man. We re too different. What could I possibly say to that powerful man? (waving scarf) Go and talk to him! (walking toward Ethiopian official) Hi! I m Philip. What are you reading? Ethiopian Official: Hello, my good man. I am reading the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. I have been to the temple in Jerusalem to worship the one true God. Sadly, though, I am an outsider. I was not allowed to take part in all the worship activities. That s too bad. So, do you understand what you re reading? Ethiopian Official: How can I ever understand all this? Explain it to me. So Philip climbed into the chariot. He listened to the Ethiopian official read about a lamb that was treated unfairly and then killed. Ethiopian Official: Who is the prophet talking about here? Let me tell you about Jesus. It s really good news! Jesus is the lamb, God s promised savior. He was killed, but God raised him from the dead. Jesus gives us life with God forever. Just then they drove up beside a stream. Ethiopian Official: Look, here is some water! Can I be baptized? Of course! Philip and the Ethiopian Official So the two men went into the water. As Philip baptized the Ethiopian official, the Spirit made him one of Jesus followers. As soon as they came out of the water, the Holy Spirit snatched Philip away to tell about Jesus somewhere else. The Ethiopian official went on his way, rejoicing. 2018 Westminster John Knox Press
April 29, 2018 Philip and the Ethiopian Grades 3 4 Resource Sheet 2 Spirit Pinwheels Directions: Cut out the square. Use markers to write words about the Spirit beside the stars. Turn the square over and draw swirling lines. Starting at each corner, cut carefully almost to the center. Gently curve each corner with a dot to the center of the square. Poke a pushpin through all four corners and the center. Push the pin s point into the side of a pencil s eraser. Adjust as needed so that the pinwheel spins when you blow on it. 2018 Westminster John Knox Press