The lectionary text for this week is John 3: 1-17 where we find a Pharasee named Nicodemus visiting Jesus by night. The Pharasees are the keepers of the law, and Jesus is blowing it out of the water so it's probably best for Nicodemus to slip in to see Jesus under the cover of darkness. They have a conversation about being born of the Spirit. The author of John, as he is wont to do, presents us with an idea that doesn't make a whole lot of sense at first glance. How exactly is one born after growing old? What does it mean to be born of the Spirit? And, why do we read this story in Lent...in preparation for Easter? This passage is also where we find the famous words of John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.")
Godly Play (Dan, Amy, Linda), it is time again for the Faces of Easter. (Amy I can hear you groaning). There are seven Faces of Easter and they are meant to be told one every week of Lent. However, they are very short and very repetitive, and the kids tend to get bored. This year, because of some events in Lent (the Bishop's visit, Rev. Elizabeth's visit to the Sunday School) we've had to condense the Faces a bit. This week, we will do Faces I, II, and III. The Faces go through Jesus' life hitting some of the highlights. Faces I is Jesus' birth, Faces II is the story of Jesus "lost" in the Temple, and Faces III is Jesus' baptism. Each week, you add a new plaque to an underlay that you roll out and each week you review all the stories and then tell the new one. So, this week, instead of stopping at the end of Faces I, you will just continue on to the end of Faces III. You will need three sets of the story cards (Faces I, II, III) or just grab the Godly Play Vol. 4 book. At the end of each story, you will be instructed to invite the children to get an object from the room that adds to the story and to place it next to the plaque. This works just fine if you are in a Godly Play room where children can choose objects from other Godly Play stories. Since we don't have that, it doesn't work so well. There are plenty of objects in the Sprout House classrooms, so you may want to try it anyway. If you'd rather do something else, I suggest you ask a question like, "What was your favorite part of the story?" or "Who is your favorite character in the story?" or "Is there anything that bothers you about the story?" Let me know how it goes.
Please contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you!
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