Finally! Here is our Paper Plane Project | We Are Together. Our young people share God's message of LOVE and PEACE with one another, from home to home, around Christchurch.
Think about a time in your life when you reached an edge. When you had to make a choice, pick a path to follow, or make a really hard decision.Who or what helped you make the decision? The scriptures today were about hard decisions. Sometimes you know in your heart what the right choice is, but our friends might be telling us something different.
We are starting the season of Lent, which is all about making choices. Lent is also a bit like a journey. Imagine a journey along an edge... a physical edge like a beach, lakeside, rooftop, mountainside - or an edge within our community, maybe differences in cultures, backgrounds or ways of thinking or doing things.
We heard the story of Jesus and his friends on the mountain. The story is called The Transfiguration. Transfiguration means when something is changed in an amazing way. In this story, Jesus' appearance was changed dramatically and mysteriously. It was when it was revealed to some of Jesus's disciples that Jesus truly is the Son of God.
In Hot Chocolate Club, we shared our Mountaintop Experiences... times when we were either literally on top of a mountain, or metaphorically. Times when we felt on top of the world. Times when we felt super close to God. Times when we felt full of wonder and awe. Times when we felt the love and peace and comfort of God flood over us.
We talked about ways we can reflect God's awesome light and love, in our daily life. We thought that every time we had a choice to make, if we stopped to think about what Jesus would do... what God would want us to do... it would help us to make the right decision.
Sometimes, when we have a choice to make, a big decision on our minds... it feels a bit like we are on the edge. We remember that God is with us through our journey, every step of the way, we just have to stop and let God guide is in our choices.
In pairs, we did a Lego-person photo shoot, going on a hunt for photos of our wee model living on the edge. It was a reminder that wherever we go, whatever choices we make, God is with us, loving us always.
Flashback to pre-Christmas... here are some of our team hanging out on a Sunday morning. Church is a great place to make new friends and strengthen existing friendships.
This morning in Awesome Time and in Hot Chocolate Club, we learnt about Jesus the King... but not a normal king... Jesus the Servant King. Jesus came to serve the lowly, the poor, the lonely, the sick, the frightened, the sad. He is a kind, caring and loving king. He didn't have lots of money, a flash castle or wear a shiny crown.
Our Awesome Kids planted petunias in little pots, to gift to the king... and gave them to people in the church.
Our Hot Chocolate Club talked about what it means to be a good leader... here are some of the qualities they look for in a good leader:
Someone who is fair
Someone who does not discriminate
Someone who shows kindness and is caring
Someone who leads by example, not by bullying
Someone who recognises the gifts and strengths of others and gives them opportunity to use them
Someone who gives clear instructions, without being bossy or trying to take over
Someone who is supportive and encouraging
We then offered someone the chance to step up and be a leader, to create a game or challenge for us all and lead us in that. It was proven that it is not easy to be a leader and uphold all of those characteristics we listed!
We are grateful to have Jesus as our Leader, who is all of those things and more.
This morning we read Psalm 145 from the Bible, which was all about giving thanks to God for all the amazing, wonderful, splendiferous things in the world!
Last Sunday we started Hot Chocolate Club. This is a group for those in years 6 and up. We meet out in the Reese Room, during Awesome Time and have a chat about the bible, school, family, friends, stuff to cheer about and stuff that bugs us. Oh, and of course, there's hot chocolate. Or, cold chocolate milk when the weather's hot!
We had a game where we had to eat or drink the contents of a cup, to reveal a letter or number at the bottom. When we unscrambled all the letters/numbers, we worked out what the bible verse was.
We chatted about people who were difficult to get along with, times we've been picked on or bullied, and brainstormed ways to deal with problems like that.
This Sunday we are offering The Hot Chocolate Club, for youth in years 7 and up. Although, if you are in year 6 and you'd like to check it out you are most welcome. We will chat about the bible story, share our views, ask questions, discuss stuff that's important to you, play a game and of course, drink hot chocolate.
In Awesome Time, we will be making some enemy pies! I wonder what disgusting ingredients might be in an enemy pie? Come along and find out with Rev Anne and Monica!
