Ecumenical Bible Week 2017 – 4 th to 11 th June

Resource for an Ecumenical

Ecumenical Bible Week is an exciting and successful venture which is

now in its fourth year. It includes parish-based events around Dublin and surrounding areas.

For 2017, our topic will be “Faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ”. There’ll be debate, talks, music and (we hope) lots of participation.

For more information visit www.bibleweek.ie

We encourage you to use this suggested resource with Pupils, Sunday Schools, Children’s Liturgies, etc. either in the lead up to or during Ecumenical Bible Week.

Feel free to adapt, adopt, change and bring your own creativity to it!

WELCOME

You are all very welcome to our service this morning. We are holding this service as part of

Ecumenical Bible Week and thank God that we can celebrate our Christian faith together. We

would especially like to welcome …… (name any visitors/school groups as appropriate).

As we begin to worship God, we are going to hear a Bible reading. The theme of the week

comes from these verses.

BIBLE READING (Romans 10:8-10, 14, 17)

Child 1: This is what the Scripture says: “God’s teaching is near you; it is in your mouth and

in your heart.” That is the teaching of faith that we tell. 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus

is Lord,” and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from death, then you will be

saved. 10 We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we declare with

our mouths to say that we believe, and so we are saved.

Child 2: 14 But before people can trust in the Lord for help, they must believe in him. And

before they can believe in the Lord, they must hear about him. And for them to hear about the

Lord, someone must tell them.

Child 3: 17 So faith comes from hearing the Good News. And people hear the Good News

when someone tells them about Christ.

SONG

“Our God is a Great Big God” from CD Great Big God: Vineyard Kids

Lyrics and guitar chords are available. If song is unknown to group, teach actions first (can be

found on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-424MpB_pd0 )

INTRODUCTION TO STORY

At this time of the Church year, we are thinking about how the early Churches started up and

grew. People were so excited about the message of Jesus dying on the cross to forgive our sins,

and then coming to life again that they couldn’t keep it to themselves! As more and more people

heard this good news of Jesus Christ, they also believed and told others. Their faith grew

stronger and the Church grew bigger.

We’re going to look at a story Jesus told to help people think about how our faith in God can

grow.

BIBLE STORY

Need: 4 buckets/pots/tubs each with a different type of soil; a) hard compact earth, b) rocky

soil, c) soil with lots of weeds growing in it, d) good soil / compost. Alternatively use pictures

attached. Picture of a bird and a sun, cut out and stuck onto wooden skewers.

A parable from Mark’s gospel chapter 4

- A farmer went out to sow his seed. In those days, they didn’t have machines, so he would

have had a cloth bag on his shoulder with the seed inside and walked up and down his

field scattering the seeds by hand [make motions].

- As he threw the seeds on the ground, some fell along the path at the edge of the field.

[Show bucket/picture with hard ground] The ground was too hard for the seeds to go

down into and birds came along and ate them all up! [Show bird]

- Other seeds fell onto rocky ground. [Show bucket/picture with rocky ground] The soil was

shallow, so the plants sprang up quickly. However, when the hot sun shone, [show sun]

the plants were scorched because they didn’t have deep roots giving them enough water

in the shallow soil. Sadly, they withered and died.

- More of the seeds fell into thorns. [Show bucket/picture with thorny ground] As the plants

grew, the thorns and weeds choked them and they couldn’t survive or bear any grain.

- Some of the seeds fell on good soil. [Show bucket/picture with good ground] These ones

sprouted up, grew big and produced a wonderful crop – some multiplying thirty, sixty or a

hundred times. The farmer was very pleased with this.

- Now, that was a fine story, but Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand what the hidden

meaning really was, so later, in private, Jesus explained:

- The seed is the Word of God. We can read what God says in the Bible.

- The different types of soil are like people’s hearts.

- If our hearts are hard [Show bucket/picture with hard ground], like the path, then God’s

Word can’t get inside us to make a difference in our lives. Satan (like the birds), comes

and snatches it away so we don’t even think of it any more.

- Some people, like the rocky soil, [Show bucket/picture with rocky ground] get excited

when they hear the good news of Jesus. They want to follow God but they don’t take the

time to really let His Word go deep down into their hearts, and when things get hard, or

people make fun of them because of their faith in Jesus, they give up.

- Still more people hear about Jesus, but they are more interested in being popular, having

all the latest trends and cool clothes, getting fit, thinking about their future or making lots

of money. All these thoughts crowd God out and so they don’t let God’s Word change

them or make them grow. Just like the weeds and thorns [Show bucket/picture with

thorny ground]

- Lastly, the good soil [Show bucket/picture with good ground] is like people who hear

about what Jesus has done for them and they accept His free gifts of love and

forgiveness. They learn what God says through the Bible and obey Him. Their faith grows

and great things happen through their lives.

REFLECTION

I wonder what kind of soil you would say best describes your heart. Let’s take a moment to be

quiet and think about what we’ve heard. Maybe you know that your heart is not as you and God

would like it to be. Talk to God now, in your own head, about how you feel.

[Allow a few moments for children to respond inwardly]

PRAYER

[Have the children repeat each line after the leader]

Father God,

We thank You that we can talk to You in prayer.

Thank you for the Word of God, which teaches us the good news of Jesus.

When our hearts get hard, we feel like giving up, or get caught up in other things, help us to

remember that You want us to grow.

Help us to love You and live for You.

We pray in Jesus’ Name,

Amen

OBJECT LESSON

Need: Length of paper (green/ brown and green would be good for idea of growing) approx. 2m

long and 50cm high, Sharp scissors, marker, elastic band.

Note: If you want to save time you could write the words on in advance.

Practice the trick beforehand. Some sheets of newspaper stuck together work perfectly.

- Ask the children what sort of things can help our faith in Jesus to grow. Write appropriate

answers in large writing on sheet which two volunteers are holding up, or you have

pinned to a board.

o Prayer

o Reading the Bible

o Obeying (God, parents, etc.)

o Attending Church services, Sunday school, kids’ clubs, etc.

o Trusting God

o Talking to others about Jesus

- Roll up the banner into quite a tight roll while recapping over the suggestions. Secure with

elastic band in the bottom half of roll.

- Make three vertical cuts, nearly half way down

- Bend the flaps outwards and down

- Stick your finger into the centre and pull upwards.

- Your “tree” will grow as you pull. Reinforce idea of our faith growing because of all these

things.

SONG

“Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed” from CD Whoopah Wahey by Doug Horley

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xECxevPcRBs )

Introduce song with: Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from there to here,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

REINFORCEMENT

Give out packets of seeds (flowers/herbs/vegetables) to each class (or child, if using with a

small group) to take away with them, plant and watch grow as a reminder of how our faith can

grow.

CLOSING READING Philippians 1:9-11

9 This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have

knowledge and understanding with your love; 10 that you will see the difference between good

and bad and choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of

Christ; 11 that you will be filled with the good things produced in your life by Christ to bring glory

and praise to God.

ALL: Amen

Give them the EBW prayer Bookmark

to take away with them (maybe give

them a few each and ask them to spread

them amongst their friends) and to finish

encourage them to go out now, thankful

for the gifts and talents they have, aware

of the Holy Spirit who gives them courage and to make a difference, being the Good

News of God’s love to others.

Prepared by Rhoda Tutty – St John’s

National School, Clondalkin Dublin 22.

A few Practical Resources

Songs:

Our God is a great big God

Our God is a great big God

Our God is a great big God

Our God is a great big God and He holds us

in His hands

(Repeat)

He's higher than a skyscraper

He's deeper than a submarine

He's wider than the universe

And beyond my wildest dreams

He's known me and He's loved me

Since before the world began

How wonderful to be a part of God's

amazing plan

Our God is a great big God

Our God is a great big God

Our God is a great big God and He holds us

in His hands

Intro: D G Bm Em A D A D G A Our God is a great big God D G A Our God is a great big God D G Bm Our God is a great big God Em A D A And He holds us in His hands (Repeat) A He's higher than a sky scraper G D And deeper than a submarine A He's wider than the universe G D And beyond my wildest dreams Bm F#m And He's known me and He's loved me G D Since before the world began G D How wonderful to be a part of Em A A7 God's amazing plan D G A Our God is a great big God D G A Our God is a great big God D G Bm Our God is a great big God Em A D And He holds us in His hands

Faith As Small As a Mustard Seed by Doug

Horley

©1999 Thankyou Music

Faith as small as a mustard seed Will move mountains, move mountains Faith as small as a mustard seed will move mountains by the pow'r of God.

(Repeat)

Believe what Jesus said was true. Believe He meant it just for you. Wait and see what God will do as you pray, as you pray.

Faith as small as a mustard seed Will move mountains, move mountains Faith as small as a mustard seed will move mountains by the pow'r of God.

D A/C#

Faith as small as a mustard seed

G/B Bm/A A

will move mountains, move mountains

D A/C#

Faith as small as a mustard seed

G/B A A7 D

will move mountains by the pow'r of God.

(Repeat)

G D

Believe what Jesus said was true.

G D

Believe He meant it just for you.

G D

Wait and see what God will do

A A7

as you pray, as you pray.

D A/C#

Faith as small as a mustard seed

G/B Bm/A A

will move mountains, move mountains

D A/C#

Faith as small as a mustard seed

G/B A A7 D

will move mountains by the pow'r of God.

A huge choice of pictures are available online

Here are a few suggestions – Just copy, paste and resize those you would like to use!