Tag Archives: Christmas

Magi Midrash

Book Review, Children's Ministries, Resources, , , , ,

As I was driving back home last night after a long day of working the election polls I saw my first holiday lights near by neighborhood. White lights hanging from the gutters along with windows outlined in white lit up the night, even brighter than the now waning full moon. It’s only November 9th!

But it reminded me that I am overdue in sharing my thoughts on a children’s book I recently received with a request to offer a review. Reading about the wise men in October was not exactly high on my list. However, this latest book would make a wonderful Christmas (or Epiphany) book for preschool or early elementary children. Nicely bound in hardcover with a dust jacket, the illustrations pop right off the page and will surely engage a child at home or in church.

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Planning Intergenerational Formation

Discipleship, Resources, Seasonal Ideas, Trends, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Four of the volumes of my Faithful Celebration series books.

Many of the formative experiences in life happen when several generations are together. Think about it – when were you fully engaged in learning about Jesus or living out your Baptismal Covenant? Surely it wasn’t when you were alone. Perhaps it was in serving others or immersed in a worship service. Most likely there was more than one generation present. In our society we tend to separate people by age mainly for education and employment. In the recent past, Christian formation programs have made the same separation of generations, but more and more formation educators are offering programs in which adults and children learn together. It is a way to pass on faith – generation to generation. Old learn from young, and young learn from old.

While Sunday mornings may still sadly be the most segregated time in our country (at least for mainline church-goers), it is the most generationally diverse time many of us experience all week. Our worship involved young and old, and every age in-between at worship.

My colleague Eduardo Solomón Rivera recently shared his 7 Steps Toward Intergenerational Discipleship in the Episcopal Church Foundation’s March 2019 newsletter. He shares:

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Part of God’s Story: A Christmas Pageant

Children's Ministries,

Here’s a wonderful, refreshing Christmas Pageant from Adam Thomas, rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Mystic, Connecticut. While it may be too late for this year – perhaps 2018!

Where the Wind...

This is the script for a new Christmas Pageant written for Advent 2017. At St. Mark’s we have an abundance of small children (under 4), so this pageant is written with them in mind. Seeing them jump up excited when it was their turn to run up on stage was so wonderful!

If you’d like to hear a monologue version of this from the early service, please click here.

Narrator is seated on a stool slightly stage right of central entrance. Children are all seated on the floor in front of narrator, speaking characters are in the sacristy.

In the beginning, God had a story to tell: the greatest story ever told, the story of Creation. And God began that story with four simple words: “Let there be light.” Everything God created was a character in the story: birds and bugs, land and lizards, fish and flowers, mammals and…

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Faithful Celebrations: At Church, Home, or School

Children's Ministries, Curriculum, Resources, Seasonal Ideas, , , , , , , , , ,

I’m always encouraging “my” authors to promote their books on their blogs and social media. Well, I need to take my own advice – so I’m pleased to share that the first book in a new series that I have been working on has just been published! All books are available at Church Publishing Incorporated as well as Amazon – and I’d love you to write a review on this page!

“The events and seasons of the church year are powerful faith forming experiences for all ages in the congregation and for families at home. Faithful Celebrations helps churches and families make these events central to their faith life with flexible ideas and activities to celebrate the seasons. Churches can use Faithful Celebrations to gather families and all the generations to learn, pray, and celebrate each season, and to equip families to celebrate the seasons at home. This resource is a great way to introduce or enhance family-centered and intergenerational experiences at church.” ––John Roberto, Author, Reimagining Faith Formation for the 21st Century 

Faithful Celebrations is a series of five books for families and congregations to “Make Time for God” at various times of the year. With a combination of sacred and secular holidays and seasons covered, each book offers something for all ages to do (mostly) together. From recipes and craft projects, to prayers and liturgies with Bible stories, each “chapter” focuses on a particular event such as Advent, All Hallow’s Eve, or Valentine’s Day. The ideas can be put together for an intergenerational all-church event, a family celebration, or a block-party in your neighborhood. Continue reading Faithful Celebrations: At Church, Home, or School →

Full Circle Back – To Advent

Adult Formation, Christianity, Jesus, Resources, Seasonal Ideas, , , ,

CircleofChurchYearNext Sunday begins a new year – in the Christian Church, that is. It is the First Sunday of Advent and I’m beginning to prepare the Godly Play lesson I’ll be sharing at St. Matthew’s in Wilton – the Circle of the Church Year. It’s always a good reminder of where we have come and where we will continue to go. God’s love, like the Advent wreath, is circular, never-ending, and full of mystery.

As I write on my Prayer Book Guide to Christian Education website (based on my book with the same name), each time we journey through the church year we are different. Over time the seasons transform us. As we pass through each day, each season, the end of one journey positions us to step into the beginning of the next. The seasons of this calendar allow us to return again and again to the expectancy of Advent or the solemnity of Lent, to reconsider our lives and the way in which we are living them.

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