Hello All,
My vision for “note catching” or “sermon doodles” is to help us connect more deeply with worship. Discussion does that too. What children are REALLY hungry for is to know you and to see what role faith plays in your life. They may not act like it! Real conversations are messy – don’t expect it to look like a sweet, focused time you’d want recorded….at least that’s how it is in my house.
To that end, I’ve thought of some things to discuss based on MY experience of the worship service. You may have something else to discussed because your experience is different. GREAT! Heck, I’d love to have you respond with your own notes, doodles, or questions.
To get the most out of this:
- Consider “modeling” before asking kids to participate much. That is, ask the kids to join you (maybe with a snack or coloring book) and have an adult conversation about this. Over time, slowly start asking kids their thoughts. Just set the expectation that kids join you and don’t derail the conversation. Have preschoolers? Even 5 minutes of adults discussing the sermon with each other is a powerful model (even if they don’t understand the discussion).
- Try to be authentic. You can just discuss without teaching. It’s fine to disagree or wrestle with content or Kat‘s interpretation. It’s so much more helpful to children to see adults authentically engage than to turn messy topics into neat morality tales.
- Don’t try to get to everything in one sitting….or at all! Maybe adults take turns choosing a question to discuss. If kids are old enough, maybe cut questions apart, fold them and place them in a bowl. Perhaps when dinner conversation flags, have family members take turns pulling out a question to discuss.
- Consider pulling up Kat‘s note catcher – visuals help some people focus.
Digging Deeper Questions July 26th:
- What music did you connect to the most?
- In kid’s zoom, we discussed what we WISH about Jesus. What do YOU wish about Jesus?
- This week, Kat saw love in Kathy Lindholm. Kathy gives so much time to church. Where do you spend your time? If someone looked at your schedule, what would they think YOU value based on how you spend time?
- Kathy sings beautifully. Grace and Paula play beautifully. Paula’s children all gift us their bell ringing even though they don’t live in Boulder. What talents do you have?
- Have your family brainstorm how those talents could be gifted to our church family.
- Saul hunted followers of Jesus. YIKES. He wanted HIS version of following God to be the ONLY version. Have you ever experienced someone who tries to control how other people worship God? Have you experienced people who try to decide who is in God’s kingdom and who is out? Tell about that experience.
- Chad reminded us that we are sometimes called to give someone extra love, care & support. He called that an Ananias moment.
- Have you ever felt called to extra love for someone? What was that like? Was it an email? A big booming voice from heaven telling you exactly what to do? No? What WAS it like?
- Ananias had to be BRAVE and forgiving. I don’t think I would like Saul very much. Have you ever felt called to be loving to hard-to-love person?
- Saul didn’t earn Jesus healing and forgiveness. Jesus and Ananias helped him when he was AWFUL. Have you ever felt loved and cared for when YOU were being awful?
- Saul was blind for 3 days. Imagine how that felt. Have you ever felt lost? Did it change you for the better or worse? Why?
- Is there anyone in your life who is like Saul right now? Someone who is terrible? Have you given up hope that Jesus can change them? Ask your family to help pray for that person.
- Chad’s duck story was hilarious. It reminds me of a beautiful quotation from The Talmud: “We see things not as they are, but as WE are.” In COVID times, most of us are full of stress and anxiety. That’s probably why the woman walking with her husband heard “DUCK!” and threw herself on the ground instead of looking for a foul creature. She saw things through fear. Brainstorm as a family this week: How can you fill up on love this week? If you fill up on love, you’ll be more able to see things through eyes of love.
In Kid’s Zoom we asked kids what they wish about Jesus. They all wished to be able to see or hear him. I, too, wish for a more tangible Jesus. Walking by faith can be so hard.
We followed Callie’s art lesson for “ghost prints”. (This is still available)
I made my own ghost print of a heart. I wouldn’t show them my shape, but I showed them the print left behind.
Jesus is like this. We can’t see him directly, but GOD IS LOVE. We see evidence of that all around us. Where do you see evidence of God’s love around you?
We also recited this Christina Rossetti poem:
Who Has Seen the Wind
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow done their heads,
The wind is passing by.
Jesus is like the wind. We can’t see him directly, but we can see evidence of Him in love and beauty.
(Another example: I wish I could see dinosaurs! I can’t. But I can learn a lot about them from the evidence left behind. I can learn a lot about Jesus from the evidence: The Bible, prayer, worship, love…)
IF you’re still reading, GOD BLESS YOU! I am impressed.
Let me know what if any part of this you use!
I love you all so much. You’re in my heart and in my prayers.
Kat
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