Children, Jubilee, and Communion
This Sunday is Communion Sunday in our congregation. We are looking at the Parable of the Unjust Steward. How can we talk about this to children?
We have shifted Communion to early in the service, so that adults can talk about the hopes of Jubilee after children go out to Sunday School.
Children's Story.
Props: A nice rich fruit loaf from Baker's Delight, + an Apricot Ring (Rich luxurious fruity bread loaf)
Arok is our oldest child, tall and strong. He will be the farmer, and we will "assign" someone to be his wife and give them 5 or six chldren. We will say :he is very poor and has to grow enough wheat to have a loaf for his family each day. I will give him the loaf.
Then I will take the loaf back.
I will cut off half
• 50% of the harvest is paid as rent to the land owner,
I will cut what remains in half
• 25% would go in taxes to Rome and the Herodian nobility,
I will cut what remains, almost in half again!
• 10% went to the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem,
and then I will cut off another third
• 3% would go to the village.
then I will give him what remains
• Thus, each farmer realized only about 12% of his harvest,
which had to be spent both on the family’s annual income and next year’s seed.
and we will talk about what that will leave him and his family to survive on.
Point:
God is angry when this happens.
God wants us to be honest and fair, and for everyone to have enough to eat.
God intends the world to be good and invites us to be part of making the world good.
Communion
Communion is a symbol of what God wants life to be. Today we have a rich ring loaf
to eat plenty
as a reminder of God's love for us.
Words of institution:
On the night on which Jesus was betrayed....
Great Prayer:
Dear God you have been good to us.
In the beginning you gave us a garden
a place called Eden, in which to live.
You gave to all humanity
lands of milk and honey
lands of plenty
food to eat
clean water to drink
enough to live
a world for us to spread across
as we desired.
Yet always we have been greedy.
Always we have attacked and invaded
and sought power
and destroyed crops and taken slaves
and lorded it over
even our own tribe and family
as though they were there for us.
Always we have hoarded while others have gone hungry.
Always we have wanted more...
instead of trusting you.
Your prophets have come
calling us back to your justice
warning us of the danger
reminding us of the foul harvest
which comes from growing greed.
Yet so often, we have not even paused to listen.
Jesus has been with us,
standing crying aloud
for the freeing of those imprisoned
those who are enslaved
those who are hungry.
He gave his life
standing with those who were powerless.
And we have seen...
body broken for us
blood shed for us
God and justice on display
life as it should be
for all to see.
Dear God, let us not do less.
May we eat the bread and drink the wine today
as sign that we too
are people of God
a people of justice and Jubilee
tasting and showing a new life,
life as God meant it to be. Amen
Fraction:
This is the body of Christ...
Serving: (There will be enough for everyone to really feast on the bread)
Let us eat together.
Let us eat plenty.
The world is meant to be good
full of milk and honey.
Let us serve each other.
Prayer after Communion
Dear God
at times we barely know you
and struggle to understand what you have given us
and done for us.
Let us take this meal
and this fellowship
in both hands
and rejoice in the love we find.
Let us take it into our world
and give it to others. Amen
Andrew Prior Sept 2010
