This morning we talked about waiting, and about waiting to be chosen. Most of us have had times when we were waiting and hoping to be chosen for special things or important jobs... like class leader, road patroller, teacher's helper, speaker in assembly, or for a part in a play.
After careful consideration and a bit of waiting... Jillian chose some people to help her with this morning's drama. Richard was a young Chinese boy, Ping and I was the Emperor. Others were chosen to play the 'young people'. The story of Ping and the Empty Pot (Jillian's version) showed a different way of how someone was chosen for a special job.
In the bible story today we learnt that Jesus uses average, ordinary, un-famous disciples (like us) to do important work... such as spreading the Love of God in the world.
We painted pots and planted in them a mystery bulb... we shall have to wait to see what grows!
On Mothers' Day our Awesome Kids made cards and bead necklaces and bracelets, which they presented to their mums in church.
In this
week’s story from the bible, Jesus calls his followers his friends. There are
no grades of friendship, no rules, everyone is in. It’s that simple. That is the message; the
community of faith is a shelter and a home for everyone, no questions asked.
Jesus wants
us to live in his love and share God’s love and friendship with other people.
In the bible
stories there is lots of ‘inviting’. What are the ways people invite others? Perhaps
a fancy invitation to a wedding, or a birthday party might appear in your
letterbox.
What about
other ways? A phone call to come and play with me? A verbal invitation to come
and sit with me? Would you like to dance with me?
What is
similar about all invitations is that they reach out to a person to be sure
they are included.
To be a
good inviter you need to pay attention to people who need to be included and to
people you want to include.
Being a
good inviter is one way we love others as Jesus asked us to.
Jesus’s
friends remembered Jesus talking about what it meant to be a true friend. Jesus
knew that when people are true friends who love and care for each other they
are connected in a special way. When we share God’s love we help to create a
huge web of friendship that includes Jesus, his friends and followers, and each
of us.
We also heard one of my favourite stories from the wonderful Joy Cowley, The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate. This is a modern-day parable about friendship, accepting people and caring for one another.
It is a fun, feel-good story and the illustrations in this book are just beautiful.
So, the next time you are looking for someone to sit next to or play with at school, just remember to be a good 'inviter' and you can find surprising friends in unexpected places. Be like Jesus and pay attention to people who need to be included.
What does
the Bible, Pharrell Williams and joy germs have in common?
Does anyone
know?
Carol had this to share last Sunday, during Awesome Time.
Who knows who
Pharrell Williams is?
His song
“Happy” is a great hit and there are lots of different videos on YouTube and
here is one that I particularly like…
It was made
in Ethiopia and this week’s story in the Bible is about a happy Ethiopian. This is how it goes…
Philip was
one of Jesus’ followers and one day he felt that God was asking him to start
walking down the road from Jerusalem to Gaza.
So he set out- not sure why he
was going.
Philip
noticed a cloud of dust coming down the road and saw it was a horse pulling a
chariot. In the chariot was the driver
and a person wearing fine clothes who was obviously an important person. This person was reading a scroll as he was
riding along.
Philip
watched the chariot get closer and closer and somehow he knew that this man was
the reason that God had told him to go to this place. Philip began running along beside the chariot
and called out to the man, “Hello friend!”
The chariot stopped and Philip introduced himself.
The man
explained that he was an official from the court of the Queen of Ethiopia. Philip knew that Ethiopia was very far away
and wondered why this important man had come all the way to Jerusalem.
The man explained
to Philip that he had gone to Jerusalem to worship. He said he was reading the works of the
prophet of Isaiah and said that he didn’t really understand them. So Philip climbed up on the chariot and for
the next few hours they talked together.
Philip told the Ethiopian man about how God’s love was shown in a
special way when Jesus taught and healed and cared for people.
The
Ethiopian was very interested in the news about Jesus and God’s love. “I want to be a follower of Jesus too,” he
said. He told the driver to stop and
they were beside a river. He asked
Philip, “What’s to stop me from being baptised right now?” So they went down to the river and Philip
baptised the Ethiopian man. When the man
came out of the water he felt the love of God inside him and all around
him.
Then the
Ethiopian man was in a hurry to get back to Ethiopia – his home country. He wanted to tell his friends and family
about the good news of God’s love in Jesus.
This
Ethiopian was really happy and began spreading the joy of God’s love to the
people in Ethiopia – and Philip went on to another place called Caesarea and so
the message of God’s love for everyone was spreading many new places.
So there is
the link – the Ethiopian was so happy he was being a joy germ and spreading the
good news of God’s love to Ethiopia and Philip was being a joy germ and
spreading the good news of God’s love to Caesarea.
Thanks to Sue for this week's Awesome Kids' update:
Who doesn’t love to be loved? It makes me feel very happy and special
to know that someone loves me. God’s love is extra special – he loved me
before I was even born! And regardless of what I do or say – NOTHING I
could do could ever stop God from loving me. So now I really need to
share what I know about God, so that everyone else can know that very special
love for themselves.
On Sunday, our Awesome Kids made JOY GERMS. These special little critters were created to spread joy. They had a message attached: 'God Loves You'.
The poppy reminds us of sacrifices made – both past and present. Poppies were the first flowers that grew in the battlefields of Flanders in Belgium during World War One and are a symbol of remembrance and hope.
Our Awesome Kids made felt poppies to wear and enjoyed some scrumptious Anzac biscuits.
Check out Hamish's amazing creation!
All experts at sewing on buttons now!
Mmmmm... Anzac biscuits with a difference - chocolate! Thanks Aunty Bee!
This Sunday we will be celebrating Earth Day. Join our Awesome Kids for some fun discussion and activities on conservation and looking after our amazing planet!
This morning our Awesome Kids made paper cranes. The origami crane has become an international symbol of PEACE. Some of our children made doves - which are also a peace symbol.
In our story from the Bible today, Jesus made a surprise visit to his friends and said, "Peace be with you."
On Easter Sunday we transformed some plain, ordinary hats into unbelievably fabulous creations. Milliners in the making, all of us!
This was followed by an Easter Egg Hunt in the garden outside.
Do you like surprises? I do! On Easter Sunday we had quite a few surprises. I will post some photos in the next day or so, of some surprising hats which went through quite amazing transformations, but in the meantime read about one of our surprises in church:
First, I scoured the congregation for someone dressed in their Easter best (it was Mr Mardon), and brought him up the front. He looked very dapper in his black and charcoal striped shirt, and shiny grey tie.
I had the congregation shut their eyes (except for the children) and something rather unbelievable happened. When the adults opened their eyes, the eye-witnesses (the Awesome Kids) tried to convince the adults that I had cut Mr Mardon's tie in half. Of course, they wouldn't believe that - as if I would do such a thing! It sounded ridiculous! Outrageous! UNBELIEVABLE!
We shared the Easter story from the bible. God is proven the most powerful being in the universe.
On Friday the bad
guys thought they had won. They had killed Jesus and sealed his dead body
in a guarded tomb. On Easter Sunday, Jesus totally surprised them and blasted
out of that tomb proving that God and God’s ways are the most powerful power in
the universe. It is the ultimate good guys beat the guys story. It
might sound pretty unbelievable, but WE know the truth.
And the tie?
Now, back to Mr Mardon. Had I cut his tie in half? It sounds pretty unbelievable, really. And yet... when Mr Mardon turned around, the truth was revealed...
Blessed are those who have NOT seen and yet believe.
This morning, Carol led our Awesome Kids, for our Palm Sunday celebrations: This is what Carol had to say:
PALM SUNDAY – A ROCK CONCERT
The same Palm Sunday story is in Luke and it
has a little bit more detail of the story and this is how it goes…
As Jesus rode through the streets
there were crowds lining the streets and they were shouting out "Blessed
is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the
highest!"
They were creating quite a stir
and some of the religious leaders didn't like it. They asked Jesus to keep his
followers quiet. Jesus answered them and said,
"If they remain silent, the stones would immediately begin to cry
out!"
Did you catch that last
line? What did Jesus say when the religious leaders got upset with all the
people calling Him the Messiah? He said, “If the people
didn’t praise Him on that day, THE ROCKS WOULD CRY OUT.”
How many of you believe
those rocks lying there on the ground would have really cried out that day if
the people didn’t praise Jesus and recognize Him as the Messiah? On that day the rocks
didn’t cry out, do you know why that was?
It was because the
people worshipped Jesus and recognised Him as their Messiah.
So Palm Sunday is the
rock concert that never happened!
Neti got us some rocks from the
Chapel Street site of our new church and I wonder what these rocks would cry
out this morning? One might tell how a little
shepherd boy named David used a small stone to slay a giant to show that we can
do anything when God is with us!
Another might tell how the
prophet Elijah used stones to build an altar to God. The altar was used to
offer a sacrifice to God to prove that He is the one, true God.
This rock might tell how Solomon
had used stones to build a beautiful temple for people to worship God.
Still another rock might remind
us that Jesus once told a story about a wise man who built his house upon a
rock. When the storms came, the house on
the rock stood firm.
Upstairs, during Awesome Time, we let those rocks cry out – we had a rock concert and to get us in the
mood we sang a rock song, complete with air guitar and air
drums. Rock on!
This morning we had an Easter hat party... there were some fabulous creations as you can see in the photos below! We enjoyed some hot cross buns and Easter eggs for morning tea, and had a very special visit from Cookie the Bunny! So cute!
This morning we talked about waiting, and about waiting to be chosen. Most of us have had times when we were waiting and hoping to be chosen for special things or important jobs... like class leader, road patroller, teacher's helper, speaker in assembly, or for a part in a play.
After careful consideration and a bit of waiting... Jillian chose some people to help her with this morning's drama. Richard was a young Chinese boy, Ping and I was the Emperor. Others were chosen to play the 'young people'. The story of Ping and the Empty Pot (Jillian's version) showed a different way of how someone was chosen for a special job.
