Communion – Darrow Woods: Writer of Things

Worship for Sunday, March 21, 2021

Learning Time: Giving Thanks for Food, and for Life, even, especially now

Video: The Carrie Newcomer song “Room at the Table”, with some poignant pictures.

We’ve used this song other times as we’ve prepared to celebrate the sacrament of communion. I really like the basic message, because here at Harrow United Church we keep an open table, at which we make room for everyone. The song is by a folk singer and song-writer name Carrie Newcomer.

The official music video her record company issued was filled with joyful images of people of many different backgrounds, ages, shapes and sizes, dancing, eating, enjoying their time together.

I’ve since discovered a few variations, including one by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, which shows images of hungry people around the world being fed. I think Carrie Newcomer would approve.

I found this version we just viewed a few days ago. It struck me as powerful in different ways. Some of the images make me feel incredibly sad, because the people look like they are suffering, and others leave feeling a bit envious, because the people are enjoying themselves in large, joyous gatherings.

Can you remember when we could get together in a big room full of people, and eat, and drink, and visit, and listen to several conversations all at once? The simple fun of hearing and seeing a room full of people happy to be together without masks, and without the need to keep the length of a hockey stick apart.

We have been living with the pandemic, officially, for just over a year. It was on Saint Patrick’s Day last year that my wife and daughter drove to Waterloo to pick up our son, because his university residence was being locked down.

It’s been a tough year, for many. The virus has taken millions of lives, and disrupted the lives, and the livelihood of billions of people. I am hard pressed to think of a place in the world, or an aspect of life that has not been touched.

When I watched this “room at the table” video, I thought about those who are struggling with food security these days. It was touching to see the images in which hungry people were being offered love and care, and food.

I am grateful, that my family has what we need, and we have the means to help others. I remember times when the family I grew up in did not have what we needed. I also remember what it is like to be on the receiving end. I remember times when what was given came freely, and other times, when I could see the strings of expectation and obligation, and judgment.

There is a powerful spiritual connection between gratitude and generosity. Being thankful makes me more inclined to give, which in turn leaves me feeling even more grateful, because I am able to give. It’s a good cycle to be caught up in!

I am also very grateful to be part of a faith community that places a high value on helping make sure that people do not go hungry, especially in these tough times.

If you want to help others with donations of food, or money, let us know, and we will make sure your generous gifts are put to good use. If you or your family are in need, let us know, and we will do what we can to help you directly, or to connect you with others who can help. Harrow United Church supports the Harrow Food Bank, the Windsor Downtown Mission, and we have a good relationship with the Harrow Community Pantry, which also helps make sure families do not fall through the cracks.

Food is such a basic part of our human experience. Our bodies need fuel to function, and we literally are what we eat- our bodies are built from the nutrients we take in. More than that, we use food to show hospitality and welcome, to celebrate, to commiserate, to console, to reward.

Most of us have been so used to gathering around a table, and sharing a meal. It has been a strange year, in which opportunities for such gatherings are limited, and have changed. Have you had a Zoom or Facetime meal yet? Opening a lap-top or a propping up a phone so that the person on the other end can see through your camera lens, who is with you at your table, and what you are having?

Our son Joel, who has returned to university in Waterloo, lives in the residence run by the historically Mennonite college, Conrad Grebel. One of many things we like about Grebel is an ongoing practice they have in their cafeteria, called “fill the table”. The understanding when you come down for a meal, is that when you have your food, and you go to sit down, you do not go to a new, empty table, if there is a spot open at another table. If it works out that everyone has been seated, and one person is going to be on their own, diners will pick up their tray, to form a new group. No one is left out.

They have had to adapt their practices for COVID, with plastic shields in place, and less diners at each table, but the community building rule is still in place.

I think Jesus would like that. Jesus lived his earthly life that way. He sought out the company of people that no-one else wanted to be with. I use the word company on purpose. It is made of two words. “Com”, which is also one of the roots of the word community means “with”, and the “panion” part is from the word for “bread”, which is panis. A companion is literally someone with whom you share bread.

It’s hard to think of a more tangible way to show basic concern, acceptance, support, hospitality and love for a person, than to be willing to break bread with them- even if it is not bread. One of my favourite books from seminary was a book of theology from Asia called “God is Rice”.

As we are reminded in today’s Gospel story, Jesus broke bread and shared it, with crowds of people, many of whom were hungry, lonely, frightened, discouraged, weighed down with sadness, or guilt, or shame. The physical hunger they felt at meal time may only have been a part of the need they felt. To be welcomed to a meal, with a host who was genuinely happy to see them! How wonderful!

In this year of changes, and losses, I have talked with many people about grief. I have been reminded that so often grief is the flip-side of love. We miss who, and what we have loved.

We can’t really grieve losing a person that we didn’t know and love, and every time we risk knowing and loving someone, we take the risk that at some point later on, we will grieve losing them. Grief, and gratitude are intimately connected.

Often, I think, when our hearts are hungry, for the way things once were, for time with our loved ones, our hunger is also flavoured with gratitude, for what we have once tasted. So I have this idea that to some degree, we can be grateful, even for our hunger, because it reminds us of what we have had.

When we share from the blessed bread and cup today, whether in person, or virtually, it gives us just a taste, perhaps enough to help us remember, to long for, to be grateful for, all the ways we are fed by God. Amen

Celebrating Epiphany and Home Communion Jan 3, 2021

Our first worship service for the New Year is an opportunity to ponder the story of God offering the Magi “another way” to get home after their visit to Jesus, which allows them to avoid having to report back to King Herod.

“Another Way” is a theme of this worship service. In the grip of a pandemic, and under lockdown rules, we are all finding ways to adapt to circumstances. We can celebrate communion in a new way.

Back during the first lockdown, in March and April, I adhered carefully to the guidance offered by the General Council Executive of the United Church of Canada, that “virtual communion” could happen, if the video of the worship service was livestreamed to those watching on their own devices. We were discouraged from having a recorded service. The idea was to retain the sense that we are all “together”, while still being safely apart.

I still agree with that idea, and also think that it is impossible to limit God. God existed before time started, and some theologians say that God is present in all moments of time, simultaneously. So who is to say that God can’t be with each person, at each moment, while they watch the communion video, and ask God to bless their bread and cup?

We do the best we can, and find “another way”.

Our service includes some beautiful music, old and newly recorded, as well as a lyric video of the James Taylor song “Home by Another Way”, and a clip of Naomi Woods reading “Refuge” by Anne Booth and Sam Usher.

Here is the text of the Learning Time: “Going by another way”

I remember going to a hardware store in Windsor with our landlord, a wise, practical, chain-smoking, hard-working, big-hearted wiry little old Ukrainian man.

John and I were looking for a kit to install an air conditioner in an attic window. The store clerk had trouble understanding what John wanted, and maybe couldn’t get it all through his accent. It was a frustrating conversation, and we ended up leaving the store, to look elsewhere. As we walked away, we heard the clerk mutter “stupid bohunk”.

John was such a good man. He must have read my face, because I really wanted to go back and have words with the clerk. John shook his head, and gave a look that seemed to express both gratitude for my indignation, and resignation to the cruelty and ignorance of some people.

John said, “Whaddaya gonna do?”

We went on with our mission, picked up what we needed at another store, and installed the air conditioner. It was one of those times when an elder’s wisdom won out.

John was right, I think, to have us walk away from the guy in the hardware store. Who knows why the clerk spat out his racial hatred in that moment. As the Scottish theologian Ian McLaren wrote, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

People are facing all kinds of hard battles these days. We have all the usual things like racism, and misogyny, and homophobia. We have poverty and its related diseases and issues. People struggle with mental health, and addictions. People live with the cruel legacies of childhood neglect and abuse.

People get sick from things in the air, the water, the soil. Sometimes there is help for them.

People live with grief, and regret, and loneliness, and fear. Some people are so weighed down by debt and obligation they never want to answer the phone. Some people have made big mistakes, or little ones, in relationships, and feel like life is spinning apart, leaving them in pieces.

Parents worry about children. Children worry about their parents, while at the same time trying to find a way to be themselves.

Hospitals and care facilities are filled with folks who struggle with illness, and aging. Families face tough decisions about the care of loved ones. Ailments, accidents, diseases, and illnesses come upon people, and cause devastation with little warning.

We get old. We get sick. We think about death, or try not to think about death. All of this just comes with being human, being alive, making our way in the world.

Then a pandemic comes along, and adds whole new layers of complication, crisis, limitation and sometimes desperation. Businesses, and jobs, and our basic patterns of life are all threatened. Things we have taken for granted have been taken away, or drastically limited, changed, under lockdown.

There is so much that seems beyond our control, that just happens to us.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

One of the problems we face is that even though we may feel like we are fighting a hard battle, there may not actually be anyone to fight.

Who should we get mad at, because the pandemic has led to a lockdown? Does it help to call our leaders names, or pass on weird conspiracy stories that claim to explain the secret reasons we are all wearing masks, and waiting for vaccine shots?

When the guy in the hardware store was so stupidly rude and cruel to my friend John, a part of me wanted pick up something sharp or heavy- it was a hardware store after all, and explain things to him. As if that would change anything, make anything better. John’s “Whaddya gonnna do?” reminded me that there has to be another way.

The wise men, or magi, or as James Taylor calls them, those guys, had an encounter with King Herod, who personifies evil in this story. He wants the magi to pay him a call on the way back from meeting the newborn, to tell him how to find the baby. Herod does not want this little one to grow up to be a rival to his power. His invitation to the magi to come back and see him was an offer they were not supposed to refuse.

After having successfully followed the Bethlehem Star, the wisemen are warned in a dream to go home by another way- to avoid a confrontation with Herod. I love this story about God using stars and dreams to guide them, and offer them another way.

Jesus was born into a world in which rich and powerful people make decisions that cause poor people to leave their homes, and seek shelter against the cold night. It is a world in which an evil ruler can hatch plots against real or imagined enemies. It is a world in which violence is perpetrated against innocent and defenseless children. It is a world in which it is possible to feel insignificant, helpless to make things better. In other words, it is our world.

The gospels bring the Good News about God’s love for all people, and were written for people like us, living in a world in which there are many hard battles, often against faceless, nameless enemies.

Epiphany is the English word that comes from ancient Greek words “Epi-phanos”, which translate roughly as “manifestation” or “appearance” or “making known”. It means that something previously hidden has been revealed. A sunrise is a kind of epiphany, a moment when darkness is sliced open by light, and everything changes.

The word epiphany gets used in non-religious ways to point to the moment in which something suddenly becomes clear. A good example is when the apple fell on Isaac Newton, and he had a sudden insight into the existence of gravity. There is a similar story about Albert Einstein struck as a young child by being given a compass, and realizing some unseen force was making it move.

In the Gospel according to Thomas, an interesting, and strange, and mystical text that did not make it into the New Testament, Jesus is quoted as saying, “I’m the light that’s over everything. I am everything; it’s come from me and unfolds toward me. “Split a log; I’m there. Lift the stone, and you’ll find me there.”

That is a way of expressing the startling news of the Incarnation, the claim the Christian church has made almost from the beginning, that one of the things we learn from Jesus is that God is not distant, and uninvolved, looking down on us from some lofty height. God is with us in the midst of this reality.

We don’t wait until we die and depart this existence to meet God. God is in the apples, and compass needles, and in the light, and in the split logs, and in the vulnerable child of Bethlehem, and in you and I. This is not to say that you are God, or that I am. The poetry of the Incarnation says to us that God is here, with us. God is with us, and there is hope of another way. Amen

Worship for April 26, 2020 from Harrow United Church

Worship Video for April 26, 2020

Above is the link to our worship offering for this week. The video opens with a praise song with a great message for the time we are living in, that ties in beautifully with the Gospel Lesson, and the Learning Time.

Beth Graham read John 20:19-31 for us, the passage that tells the story of the mysterious encounter two followers have with the Risen Christ, while walking the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. The anthem for this week, “Stay With Us Through the Night” was inspired by that story.

The Learning Time (sermon) is called “At Home with Jesus”, and is followed by pastoral prayers and the Lord’s Prayer. The text of the learning time and the prayers will follow below.

Our hearts are with all those who are suffering, and enduring the COVID-19 pandemic.

We especially hold in prayer the victims of the horrendous crimes in Nova Scotia, their families and friends, their communities, and the first responders, and law enforcement officials who are dealing with the aftermath.

John Woodbridge and Larry Anderson recorded a moving, prayerful tribute to all those folks, and others touched by this horror. Nova Scotia Strong!

Please keep watching for the announcements at the end of the video.

Learning Time and Prayers:

“At home with Jesus”

Just three days after watching Jesus suffer a cruel death on the cross, two of his followers walked ten kilometres from Jerusalem to their home village of Emmaus. 10 kilometres is a long walk.

I have been out walking with my wife a few nights each week, but we rarely go for more than 4-5 kilometres. Most people we see on the streets respect the rules about physical distancing that are part of our new normal. We cross the street when it looks like we might get too close.

These days, we would not think of doing what the two friends did while walking the road to Emmaus. They met a stranger, walked with them, and entered into a lengthy, and deep conversation.

The two travelling companions were heart-broken at the death of Jesus. They’d heard about Jesus having appeared to some of his followers, but did not know what to make of those stories.

It’s good to remember that when we hear the Good Friday story each year, we do so knowing what we will hear on Easter Sunday. These two followers of Jesus, did not know then, what we know now.

They were, in their time, a bit like we are right now. We are in the middle of this big story that is new for everyone, and we are waiting, and hoping for good things, and praying for a good outcome. We are on a journey, not really knowing where we are going.

The two friends walking from Jerusalem to their home in Emmaus took comfort in talking with the stranger they met, who became a new friend, and who seemed to know a lot about Jesus, and his God-given mission. He helped them see meaning and purpose in it all, and they began to feel better.

It seemed natural to invite their walking companion home for supper. (That used to be something we could do!) During the meal, the stranger took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Luke’s Gospel says that was when they recognized that Jesus was with them. An ordinary moment at the supper table became sacred.

That sounds a lot like communion, one of the sacraments of the Christian church. A sacrament is a special moment when God’s grace, God’s mystery, God’s love, touches us.

I have wonderful memories of standing at the communion table in the sanctuary of Harrow United Church, usually with kids gathered around the table, helping with the prayers, with the blessing, with the sharing of the bread and cup. When will we get to do that again?

I have had some preliminary conversation with our worship committee about how we can have a communion service via the internet. My strong preference is that we wait until we can do it as a livestreamed worship service, so we could all break and eat, pour and drink, at the same time, each in our own safe places.

“Communion” comes from the same latin word family as “community”. The “com” part means shared, or with, or joined. The “union” or “unity” part means one. So communion literally means joined as one. In the word “companion”, the “pan” part refers to “panis”, which means bread. A companion is one with whom we share bread.

During this time when our faith community is not able to meet in person, it seems especially important to hear today’s story. The Risen Christ was present with ordinary folks like you and me, gathered at a table in their own home, to share a meal.

I believe that God is always with us, and that there is potential in every moment of life to feel God’s presence. Any moment can be a holy moment, in which we can know that we are loved, and that we are not alone.

One of the blessings I am noticing during this strange time, when a lot of what I have taken for granted can’t easily happen, like getting a hair cut, or shopping just for fun, is that I am even more grateful for what I can do, what I do have. I am also a little clearer in my own mind and heart about what is actually important in life.

As I heard one wise person say, it doesn’t matter who has the nicest car, when you can’t really go anywhere. A lot of things that might have seemed important just a few weeks ago, are losing their glamour.

Most of us are so very fortunate, even now. We have food, and shelter, and safety. We have people who love us, who look out for us, who care what happens to us. We may get lonely, or bored, or feel stuck in one place, but we are mostly okay.

If you are feeling over-whelmed, or alone, or just need to hear a friendly voice, please, please don’t be afraid to reach out. If you send me a text, or email, or facebook message, I will be happy to give you a call, just to chat. I have had some amazing, beautiful conversations in the past few days, some with folks I had never talked with before.

We have people in our local community who are doing simple, beautiful, kind and generous things, to help other people, in this hard time. They have keyed in, consciously or unconsciously, to the basic human truth, that a very good way to cope better with our own challenges, is to help someone else. It may not lift our own burdens, but it gives us something else to focus on, to think about. It also restores our hope, because we are able to do something, even a small thing, to make a difference.

I have had great fun this week, working with my daughter Naomi, to create ShoeBox Sunday School, which we are offering to families as an interactive way for kids to keep learning about God’s love. Volunteers delivered shoeboxes containing crafts and lessons to homes on Saturday, and on Sunday morning, children will meet with Naomi in an online classroom

There are folks out there who are not as fortunate as most of us. There are people who may not put it this way, but who crave tangible signs that they are not forgotten, that they are loved, needed, noticed, remembered. There are also far too many people who are physically hungry and thirsty, and who are just trying to survive, day to day.

Harrow United Church is doing another “Drive Thru Food Drive on Friday, May 1, 2020, from 10 am to 12 noon. We will have a pickup truck in the church parking lot, ready to receive your donations of food for Windsor’s Downtown Mission. We will also accept cash and cheques made out to the Mission.

The first time we did this, a week or two before Easter, we collected over 500 pounds of food. An unexpected bonus was that some folks dropped by with special donations to support the work of our church.

We can’t do everything, but we can do something. In the spirit of the two friends who invited a stranger to join them for a meal, we can share from what we have. Amen

Prayers for April 26, 2020

Loving God; We have so many causes for prayer.

We begin with a moment to hold in the prayer the victims, the first responders, the family and friends, the communities of those in Nova Scotia who have been devastated and shocked by the murderous actions of a serial shooter.

We hold in prayer all victims of violence, and all those who live in fear.

We pray for those who struggle at this time of huge uncertainty;

for political leaders faced with unforeseen challenges, uncharted ways, difficult decisions,

We pray for those in situations never before experienced.

We pray for moms and dads who struggle with having children at home all day.

It is difficult to find new activities; it is hard to stay creative.

We pray for those whose day is radically different.

We pray for those who must leave their usual workspace,

for those breadwinners who must work at home.

We pray for those who have lost their jobs

We pray for those whose financial security has gone,,

who have anxiety around paying rent or providing for family needs .

We pray for those who have been affected by the Covid 19 virus.

Those who are sick at home and those who have been hospitalized,

in their suffering, and in their fear.

This prayer we offer in the name of Jesus Christ, and we continue in prayer with the words of the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory

forever and ever. Amen

A Holy Week Scavenger Hunt for Your Family

This post is the work of the Rev. Lexie Chamberlain, based on an event she created for the Sunday School and congregation she served for many years in Oakville, St. Paul’s United Church.

When our children were younger, they loved scavenger hunts. Some were designed with clues they had to solve, which gave them directions to the next clue, and the clues would ultimately lead to a reward at the end. Others required them to hunt for, and gather special items.

One storm day, when school was cancelled because of a layer of ice, I created a scavenger hunt for which I gave the children my phone and they were tasked with taking photos of items of interest in the neighbourhood. (e.g. swing set, dog, nearest stop sign).

I thought it might be interesting to offer a scavenger hunt based on the events of Holy Week. You might work with one story each day from Palm Sunday until Easter, or you could do all the stories in one day, perhaps as your Good Friday devotion time.

Palm Sunday

There is a version of the Palm Sunday in each of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) but they are not all the same. If you asked four people to write a story about an event, each person would have their own style and approach.

One interesting example is that in Luke’s gospel, there is no mention of Palms. Instead, people took off their cloaks and lay them on the path ahead of Jesus. You might want to read the story in all four gospels. You can find them here:

If you are doing this with children, don’t read all four gospels to them! (that would be a little much and since this is the first lesson you want to keep their interest!) I suggest you stick with Matthew’s story. If your children enjoy reading and you have a children’s Bible at home, you could perhaps read the story of Palm Sunday there. If you do not have a children’s Bible, then here is a link to The International Children’s Bible which is found on BibleGateway.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A1-11&version=ICB

Today’s “Scavenger Hunt” Challenges:

Young Children: Set up a parade picture with Lego, Little People, or some other toys. See if you have a donkey, if not improvise! You could also colour or cut out palm branches to be place in the picture.

Older children and adults: pose or create a picture representing humbleness, kindness.

(Here is the video Rev. Lexie and Rev. Darrow made last year)

Monday: Jesus in the Temple

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke (which if you want to impress people, you could call them the Synoptic Gospels) the Palm Sunday story is followed by the account of Jesus going to the temple and “shaking things up”. This story offers a glimpse as to why some people found Jesus challenging. We often think of Jesus as being calm and gentle but this story shows that Jesus had a whole range of emotions, and sometimes he may have gotten frustrated.

In this story, you will hear the word temple. The temple was where the Jewish people went to worship but it was also a center of all kinds of activities. During Jesus earthly life, people thought they needed to offer animal sacrifices to God because their prayers would go up to God with the smoke from the sacrifice. It may sound silly to us now, but that was part of their tradition from a long time ago. People would travel long distances to get to the temple, and when they arrived they would have to buy animals to make their sacrificial prayers. It was acceptable to buy and sell animals in the temple. Jesus objected to people taking advantage of others. You had to have Jewish shekels to purchase animals at the temple, and the money-changers charge high rates of exchange for the Roman coins most people carried. They were money gouging! If you are reading this story to children, I would suggest reading it from Matthew’s gospel. You can find the story here:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A12-15&version=ICB

Today’s “Scavenger Hunt” Challenge:

Take a photo of someplace you collect coins in your house. i.e. drawer, piggy bank; jar.

Tuesday: Preparing the Passover Meal

Jesus was a Jewish person who grew up with the traditions and customs of his culture. Each year, Jewish people would celebrate the Passover. Families and friends would come together for a special meal and remember the story of how God had helped their ancestors a long time ago. The story of Jesus celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples is found in all four gospels. You can find the story in these places

Today we are only going to focus on a part of the story. Today, our focus scripture will be Luke 22:7-13. Here is a link to that story:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+22%3A7-13&version=ICB

Today’s “Scavenger Hunt” Challenge:

Take a photo of a dinner table set for either a meal or for tea.

Wednesday: The Last Supper

We are going to continue the story of the Passover meal, which is the basis of our Christian tradition of communion. As Jesus was eating with his disciples he took bread and wine and shared it with them. In most of the gospels the story says that Jesus spoke of how the bread represents his body and the wine represents his blood. When we share in communion we use bread and wine as symbols to remember God’s love for us. God’s love nourishes our souls; God’s love helps to quench the deep thirst for love and meaning within our lives.

Today, we will read about the last supper here: Luke 22:14-20.

Today’s “Scavenger Hunt” Challenge:

Take a photo of bread and juice/wine.

Thursday: Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is a special day set aside to remember the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet. This story only happens in the gospel of John. The way John tells the story, Jesus was having his least meal with his disciples when he decided to wash their feet. Read the story as found at this link: John 13:4-17.

A little later in John’s gospel, Jesus gave his friends instructions of what they are supposed to do. Some people might say that this is the Christian Mandate. Mandate means command, or rule to follow. The word Maundy, for Maundy Thursday, comes from the same Latin word. The Mandate Jesus gave his disciples is this:

“I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” (John 13: 34-35)

Today’s “Scavenger Hunt” Challenges:

Younger children: Take a photo of washing your feet or washing someone else’s feet

Older children/adults: Take a photo to represent “Love one another”.

Good Friday

This is a difficult day because the story of Good Friday is a sad story. It is the story of Jesus dying. Many people have asked why this day is called “Good” when it is actually a challenging day. Some people will answer that question by saying that “the good” represents God. Some people might even think that it was God’s plan for Jesus death to happen, but I don’t read the story that way. The good that I can see in the story for today is that Jesus was willing to be a good follower of God’s way, even when the world was being mean. I don’t think it was God’s plan for people to be mean to Jesus. I don’t think God wanted people to hurt Jesus so badly that he died. I think that God is love and that God wants us to show love to others. Jesus didn’t lash out and hurt others when they were being mean to him. Jesus didn’t say mean things when others were being rude. Jesus continued to be faithful to God. He continued to show love. Jesus faced challenges with dignity.

This is a hard story to read and it is a long story. The story of Jesus death is found in all four gospels. All of the stories are long and I think they would be very disturbing for young children. Before you read the story to a child make sure you read it yourself and decide if it is something you want to read with your child. If you are comfortable, I would suggest reading from Mark’s gospel. It is a shorter version. You can find it here:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark+15%3A6-47&version=ICB

If you find the story too difficult to read to your child then I might suggest you talk to your child about this story. I have also written a “child-friendly” version:

Jesus was a teacher who taught people about God’s ways of love and justice. He taught that all people were loved by God. Rich people, poor people, sick people, healthy people, old people, young people, everyone is a wonderful child of God and loved by God. Jesus also taught that we are to help one another. Jesus was always going around helping people and he taught his followers that we were to do the same. This sometimes challenged the leaders of his time because they liked to keep their own power and their own wealth. Jesus teachings were so radical, that some people thought it would be better if they silenced him.

Jesus knew he was challenging some people but he would not stop talking about God’s love. After he had had the special supper with his friends, Jesus went to a garden to pray. While he was praying, some soldiers came and arrested Jesus. They took him to the place where the Roman governor Pilate lived. People saw Jesus being taken to Pilates place, and they started to yell at Jesus. Some people were so mean, they called out “kill him”.

Pilate spoke to Jesus and Pilate couldn’t understand why the people were so upset. He went out to the crowds of people who had gathered and said, “I don’t see anything wrong with this person. He has done no wrong.” The crowds would not listen. They wanted Jesus silenced. They were loud, and mean and Pilate listened to them instead of going with his own judgement. Pilate decided to please the crowds so he told some soldier to take Jesus out to a hill and to crucify him.

The soldiers took Jesus and hurt his body. They placed a crown of thorns on his head, they hurt his hands, his feet and they put him on a cross. Jesus was so badly hurt that he died.

After he had died, some of Jesus friends took his body off the cross and they put it in a cave. Sometimes we say the cave was a tomb. They put a great big rock in front of the entrance to the cave. Jesus friends were very sad, and they were very scared. It was a very awful day.

Today’s “Scavenger Hunt” Challenges:

Take photos of brokenness and sadness. If this is too difficult for younger children you might ask them to draw a picture of what makes them sad.

Thank you for doing this Holy Week Scavenger Hunt with your family. Please take time to post your photos on Facebook, or send them to me at: revdww@gmail.com