Rebecca S. Ramsey's Blog, page 12

A Counselor Who Is Always There

This children’s sermon was given October 11, 2020, during our global pandemic, so it was experienced at the Peace Center and virtually rather than by children in our sanctuary. I’m posting it here in hopes that it can be helpful to someone.

Good morning girls and boys! Would you wave at me so I can see you? There you are! I’m so glad you’re here and here watching us online! I have a question for you. How many of you have a counselor at your school?

Counselors do important things: come to your class to teach about self-control and peace when we disagree.  Help when hard things come, when you have friend trouble or are feeling sad.

Did you know you have your very own counselor who is there whenever you call? It’s God’s spirit, and God’s spirit is always there in your heart and mind. The more we pay attention to God- the more we think about God, talk to God and listen to God, – the more we can feel and hear God’s Spirit guiding us. And the more God’s Spirit can grow good things in us. Things like what we call the fruits of the spirit.

I heard you‘ve been talking about it in Music and Missions. Do you remember what the fruits are that God’s spirit helps grow in us? If you can name some of them, whisper them to an adult near you.

The fruits of the spirit include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These things are all easy to say, but sometimes they’re hard to do. But our counselor, God’s spirit, can help grow them stronger, just like in the Bible.

I brought some items in my bag that might help us remember stories in which God’s spirit helped people grow in these fruits.

Remember this little money bag? It reminds me of the story when Jesus takes disciples to temple. Rich people are putting in lots of money- sounds like this. But along comes a poor widow who puts in 2 small coins. Jesus said she gave more than anyone else. God’s spirit helped her be the most generous.
 See this rock? It reminds me of when Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days to discover more of who he was before he started his work. He heard a voice tempting him to change a rock into bread. He showed self-control.
 Remember this coat? Who does this remind you of? Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery. Years later, when Joseph had helped Pharaoh understand dreams and Pharaoh put him in charge of things, the brothers came back and didn’t recognize him. God’s spirit gave him the peace and love to forgive his brothers and be close to them again.

I’m so glad we have our very own counselor. I want to make sure that every day I’m taking time to pay attention to God–thinking about God, praying, and listening for what God may be saying to me, so all those good things can grow.

Let’s pray: Dear God, thank you for your spirit, your counselor, living in us. Help us pay attention to you every day. We love you, God. Amen.

The post A Counselor Who Is Always There appeared first on beckyramsey.info.

The Story of Ruth

Welcome to the story of Ruth, the Godly Play story scheduled for this Sunday, October 18, based on the book of Ruth. You can find the script for the story in the pink Enrichment Presentations for Fall book, p.66-71.

Since we’re in the middle of a pandemic, we’re sharing the story over Zoom. So that means we spend time greeting the children, share the story, ask the wondering questions, and then suggest ways that they might celebrate the story at home with their parents. This could be by retelling it to their family, or by making a gift for God in honor of the story. Teachers are welcome to talk about project ideas with the children, such as the ones below.

World Communion Sunday 2020

 

This children’s sermon was given October 4, during our global pandemic, so it was experienced virtually rather than by children in the sanctuary. It uses language from a Godly Play lesson by Jerome Berryman on the good shepherd and World Communion Sunday. I’m posting it here in hopes that it can be helpful to someone.

Good morning, girls and boys! I’m so glad you’re here with us today.

This is a special day in churches all over the world. Do you know what is special about today? If you. don’t know, you might figure it out with what I brought to share today. It’s a story we share in Godly Play and this is how it starts…

There was once someone who did such wonderful things and said such amazing things that people wondered who he was.

Finally, they just had to ask him. And he said, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know each one of my sheep by name and they know the sound of my voice. When I take them sheep from the sheepfold they follow me. I walk in front to show them the way. I show them the way to the good grass. We all gather there.

This is the table of the good shepherd.

Here is the bread and the wine of the good shepherd.

Sometimes someone comes to the table, someone like Pastor Camille, and they read or say the words of the Good Shepherd and to give us the bread and the wine.

Sometimes the people of the whole world come to the table. And even the children come.

We come together and we remember the Good Shepherd. And the Good Shepherd is there with us too.

I wonder if you know what’s special about today? It’s World Communion Sunday.

I wonder if you’ve ever come close to this table, if you’ve ever come close to the bread and the wine. You know, not all families with kids do communion the same way. In some families, the tradition is for children to wait to have communion until they’ve been baptized. That’s a good choice.

In other families, parents choose for children to have communion as soon as they want to. That’s a good choice, too.

Everyone is welcome at God’s table, whether you wait to eat and drink or not. You can still remember Jesus, and Jesus will be with you, whatever your family chooses.

I like that the word communion means what it sounds like. Come! Union! Communion! Be together, with God.

Let’s pray.

Dear God, thank you for communion and for the Good Shepherd who leads us there. We love you, God. Amen.

The post World Communion Sunday 2020 appeared first on beckyramsey.info.

Beginnings and Endings – God’s Timeline

This children’s sermon was given September 27, during our global pandemic, so it was experienced virtually rather than by children in the sanctuary. It uses language from a Godly Play lesson by Jerome Berryman on the church year. I’m posting it here in hopes that it can be helpful to someone.

Good morning girls and boys! I sure enjoyed seeing many of you in Zoom Sunday School. I have a question for you today. Do you have a favorite shape?

I do. I brought something to give you a hint. It’s my laptop computer, but look closely. It’s kind of a trick question.

You might say it’s a rectangle, and you’re right, that’s the shape of my laptop, but the clue is what’s on my cover. What do you see? It’s a tree, but it’s not just any old tree. One part of the tree is in winter. Do you see the bare branches? One part has pink blossoms. It’s the tree in spring. Up here we have the green leaves of summer, and now comes my favorite time for the tree- fall, what we’re beginning now. What looks like an ending (FALL-WINTER) is really a beginning (SPRING) This reminds me of all the seasons, and how we go winter spring summer fall, around and around. What shape is this pattern? You’re right- it’s a circle!

The church loves circles too. If you’ve been in Sunday school at our church very long, you know about this. Do you remember when we’ve talked about the church year? We talk about how time is like a line. Here is the beginning, the newest part, just being born. It gets older. The part that was new is now getting old. I wonder how long time goes. Does it go on forever? Could there ever be an ending? It ended. Look, there’s the ending. The beginning that was so new at the beginning is now old. The ending is the new part now. We have a beginning that is like an ending and an ending that is like a beginning.

I love what the church did with this. They tied the ending that was like a beginning to the beginning that was like an ending. So we will always remember that for every ending, there is a beginning. And for every beginning, there is an ending. And this is how it looks. Remember this? [Show the Godly Play church calendar] It’s our church year calendar. See, here is Christmas, which certainly feels like a beginning, and there is Easter- which feels like an ending at first- but then turns into a beautiful beginning! And there is Pentecost. We walk through this circle of beginnings and endings over and over- throughout our lives, don’t we?

It’s so important to remember who holds this circle in their hands. Who is that? It’s God! God is with us when things end, and when things begin, the whole circle long. That’s why I like circles. I’m glad you’re in my circle too. Let’s have a prayer together.

Dear God, thank you for being with us through all our beginnings and our endings. We love you, God. Amen.

The post Beginnings and Endings – God’s Timeline appeared first on beckyramsey.info.

The Ten Best Ways

Welcome to The Ten Best Ways, our Godly Play story for this coming Sunday, October 4. You can find the story in Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:1-21. The Godly Play script can be found in the 14 Presentations for Fall book (the orange one), p. 73-80.

Since we’re in the middle of a pandemic, we’re sharing the story over Zoom. So that means we spend time greeting the children, share the story, ask the wondering questions, and then suggest ways that they might celebrate the story at home with their parents. This could be by retelling it to their family, or by making a gift for God in honor of the story. Teachers are welcome to talk about project ideas with the children, such as the ones below.

The Exodus

Welcome to our lesson for Sept 27, The Exodus, found in Exodus 11:1-15:21. The Godly Play script is in the yellow (Fall) book, p. 65-72.

Since we’re in the middle of a pandemic, we’re sharing the story over Zoom. So that means we spend time greeting the children, share the story, ask the wondering questions, and then suggest ways that they might celebrate the story at home with their parents. This could be by retelling it to their family, or by making a gift for God in honor of the story. Teachers are welcome to talk about project ideas with the children, such as the ones below.

The Story of Moses (The Beginning)

Welcome to our lesson for September 20, The Story of Moses, found in Exodus 1:8-17:7, 19:1- 40:38. The script is adapted from the story found in the pink Enrichment Presentations for Fall book, p.58-65.  Sunday school teachers, I will emailed you a copy of the adapted script. If you’d like a copy and you’re not at FBG, feel free to email me and I’ll try my best to send it out to you.

 What an exciting story- and one children always love. Perhaps as we think about Moses’ humble beginning, our children will reflect on their own beginnings and know that they can be used by God to do great things for God’s kingdom as well. Most all of us can identify with not feeling up to the task or equipped to serve God. Moses’ story shows that willingness is all that it takes, that God will take care of the rest.

The timing of this story works well too with our story schedule, since we will cover the Exodus story next. This adapted script ends right before Moses goes to talk with the Pharaoh, so the Exodus story can be shared as written in its Godly Play script. Be sure to end this story helping the children enjoy the suspense for next week’s lesson. It would be wonderful for them to go home asking what happens next, and reflecting on the story of the day.

Here are some wondering questions, to help them process the story:

1.       I wonder what was your favorite part of today’s story?
2.       I wonder what was the most important part?
3.       I wonder if Moses ever made bad choices.  I wonder if God can use people who sometimes make mistakes.
4.       I wonder how Moses felt when God told him that God wanted Moses to set the people free from slavery.
5.       I wonder what Moses did to get ready to speak to the Pharaoh about setting the people free.

Since we’re in the middle of the pandemic and are meeting on Zoom instead of in person, we won’t have our normal art response time. Please encourage our kids to respond on their own there at home by making something for God as a gift honoring the story. Below are the ideas we often suggest as starting points:

1. Children can recreate the Moses in the Reeds scene, as shown here. (Scroll down to the part showing Moses in an Egg Carton Cup) Children can make their own basket and baby Moses using an a cup cut from an egg carton or paper bag- and whatever they like to make Moses (paper or a cotton ball for a head, felt for a blanket, etc). Blue construction paper could be the river and green for the reeds. They could even make the rest of the materials in the Godly Play story basket: a paper chain, a shepherd’s crook, the burning bush.

So that they get more invested in their work, allow them to make as many choices as to how they create the scene as possible.

I’ll have egg cartons, cotton balls, felt, and construction paper on hand on the cart at the end of the hall. Be sure to take photos of their work! [image error]

A Generous Hug

This children’s sermon was given September 13, 2020, in the middle of our pandemic. We were able to meet in a large space, the Peace Center, in Greenville, SC, socially distant and masked. I’m sharing it here in hopes that it is helpful to someone.

Good morning kids! Could you stand up where you are, just for a moment! I’ve been missing seeing you in worship and I just want to see you! Thank you! You can sit down now, but please put your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right shoulder and give yourself a generous hug for me.

What does it mean to give a generous hug, rather than just a plain hug?

It’s a good time to think about that because today we’re talking about generosity- being generous. I brought some things in my bag to remind us about when people in the Bible were generous.

*Bread and fish- boy who gave his food to disciples when Jesus was teaching. Shared to make others ok

*The woman who was about to have stones thrown at her because a crowd said she had broken a law, and Jesus stopped them, and said, the only ones who can throw a stone are ones who’ve never made a mistake. He was giving her care that he didn’t have to, to make sure she was okay.

We live in 2020, not back in Bible times. How can we be generous?

*Fruit- we’re having a fruit drive next Sunday on Pastor Jim’s birthday, for United Ministries. We give fruit we are helping others be okay. That’s being generous.

*Masks- when we wear our masks, we are helping others be okay. We don’t think we’re sick, but if we are and we don’t know it, wearing a mask helps us keep our germs to ourselves. That’s being generous.

*Give an offering. When we give an offering, we give some of our money that we could spend on ourselves, because we want to make sure others are okay. We want to make sure the church building is okay, that church bills are paid, that the church has money to help people who need help. That’s being generous.

So, back to hugging. What’s a generous hug? It’s giving one in a big way, making sure others feel it. Even though we’re not touching each other, I hope you feel generously hugged by your church family today.

Dear God, you are so generous to us. Thank you for being close to us and caring that we’re okay. Help us to be generous like you, God, to care and serve others. We love you, God. Amen.

The post A Generous Hug appeared first on beckyramsey.info.

Each Kindness – Or a Lack Thereof

This children’s sermon was given September 6, 2020, during our pandemic, so it was experienced virtually. The preaching minister asked that I speak to how Jesus asks us to treat each other, so it was the perfect time to share this wonderful book. 

Good morning, girls and boys. I’m glad you’re with us today!

I brought a book to share. It’s called Each Kindness, and it’s by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis. You may remember that Jacqueline Woodson has come to speak at our church before. She wrote Brown Girl Dreaming and she spent some of her growing up years just a mile or so from our church!

I’m going to read you this picture book, and as you listen I hope you’ll listen for something else too. I hope you’ll listen for what God has to say to you through this story. What message is God saying to you?

[Read complete story.]

So did you hear God saying anything to you? I hope you’ll talk with your family after worship about the children in this story and what you’re thinking about. I bet we’ve all been Chloe sometimes. And maybe we’ve felt like Maya too.

Let’s pray.

Dear God, thank you for the power of kindness and how it ripples out into the world. Thank you for your kindness to us. We love you, God. Amen.

 

The post Each Kindness – Or a Lack Thereof appeared first on beckyramsey.info.

Getting the Gold Star with God- Or Not

This children’s sermon was given August 30, 2020, during our global pandemic, so it was received virtually. I’m adding it here in case it can be helpful to someone.

Good morning, girls and boys! I hope you’re doing well, now that school has started. I bet school looks a lot different than usual, huh? But somethings don’t change. Sometimes we get answers right and sometimes we make mistakes. Have you made any mistakes this week? Mistakes are part of life. We can’t always get the gold star at school- or even in our faith—how we think about God.

This makes me think of a story. Jesus took the disciples to Caesarea Philippi where people worshiped a Greek god named Pan, and he asked, “Who do people say that the son of man is?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,[c] the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said, Blessed are you, because God must have told you that! And I’m going to build my church with you and give you the keys of the kingdom…he gushed on and on! Peter must have felt so good! Jesus was giving him a gold star! It feels so good when you have the right answers, doesn’t it?

But in today’s scripture, later in the very same chapter, something different happens. Jesus is telling the disciples hard things. He was going to have to go to Jerusalem, where he would suffer. He was even going to die, and then be raised to life. Peter was shocked and pulled him aside, and said something like, “No never, that can’t be true. This won’t ever happen to you!”

Did he get the gold star then? No. Jesus told him he was wrong. He even called him Satan. Peter had wanted Jesus to always be the winner- never to have bad things happen to him. I understand that, don’t you? Jesus said that he would indeed have to go through suffering, doing hard things.

And that’s not all. He said WE would have to too. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must take up their cross and follow me.”

What do you think that means? To take up your cross? To me it means to look around and see what needs to be done- what people need. Then do the hard work to take care of them. It isn’t always easy or fun. We have to be brave and strong to do hard things. Do you remember the verse from VBS? Be brave and strong. Don’t be afraid, for God will be with you wherever you go.

We won’t always get the gold star, at school or in our faith. All we can do is to keep listening and learning, and doing the best we can. Our teachers will help us when we get things wrong. And in our faith, God will help us – through the Bible, the people around us, or maybe God speaking into our hearts.

It’s all we can do, and it’s enough.

Let’s pray: Dear God, thank you that even when we make mistakes in our faith, you are there to guide us back. Help us to be brave and to always listen for your truth. We love you, God. Amen.

The post Getting the Gold Star with God- Or Not appeared first on beckyramsey.info.