This half term we are in ordinary time until the 21st November and the liturgical colour is green 21-27 November is Christ the King and the liturgical colour is white 28 November is the beginning of Advent and the liturgical colour is purple. Advent ends on Christmas Eve. Each week we encourage you to: Set up your worship table or centre of the class circle with the ordinary time (green) cloth and take out the Bible, cross and light a candle. Say opening responses If you have school responses or opening words for collective worship say them together or say the following: We take out the Bible – and think about God the Father We take out the cross – and think about God’s Son, Jesus We light the candle – and think about God, the Holy Spirit
If you are using this for class worship, you can choose items to go in a box that are taken out at the beginning of the worship. You might want to have a symbol for the Lord’s Prayer that stays in the box all year. You could also then have a symbol for the theme of the half term. For this half term you could use a set of scales symbol to represent justice. You can then select items and symbols relevant for each week’s story.
Download A4 printable version
You could set up a reflection area this half term using the resource below that provides creative ways for pupils to reflect or pray around the theme of justice. This activity is linked to the Beatitudes and pupils are encouraged to think about things which are unfair, situations where people are treated differently and unjustly. If they want to, they can write an example onto a piece of paper as a hope or prayer for justice, and then add it to the scales. See this Prayer Spaces activity
This half term we are in ordinary time until the 21 November and the liturgical colour is green 21-27 November is Christ the King and the liturgical colour is white 28 November is the beginning of Advent and the liturgical colour is purple - Advent ends on Christmas Eve(find advent material from our online Advent Calendar) Set up your worship table or centre of the class circle with the ordinary time (green) cloth and take out the Bible, cross and light a candle. Say opening responses If you have school responses or opening words for collective worship say them together or say the following: We take out the Bible – and think about God the Father We take out the cross – and think about God’s Son, Jesus We light the candle – and think about God, the Holy Spirit
This week you could include: BibleCrossCandleGreen cloth A symbol for prayer A set of scales for the theme justice A globe and a picture of heaven (for Kingdom of God)
Overview for the teacher Christians believe that when Jesus was born the angels celebrated that the king of the whole world had arrived but that many people don’t recognise Jesus as king because his kingdom is not about palaces and gold, it is about love and justice. In the Bible Jesus says that in his kingdom the first will be last and the last will be first and everyone will be free to enjoy love and peace and hope and joy no matter what their age or gender, how much they earn, or the colour of their skin. God asks people to be part of that kingdom by standing up for justice. In the Bible, Heaven is described as a place where God dwells (Rev 21:3) and it is a place without sickness, crying or pain (Rev 21:4) When Christians pray ‘Your will be done’ they are praying that God’s will, God’s plan on earth to be as it is in heaven so that people can experience God’s world in the world today. Christians believe this part of the prayer is a reminder to live their lives the way God wants them to. Make connections
You could make a connection to our Children of Light festival and being light in our world. Christians believe God asks people to stand up for what is right, even when it takes a lot of courage. Spend a minute quietly thinking about how difficult it can be to choose to stand up for what is right, speak up for justice and not just to do nothing. Light a candle. Think about these questions and what your response might be. Will you be ready to stand up against those who have shown unkind or bullying behaviour? To help those who are treated unfairly? To speak out against what you know is wrong? Ask God to give you the strength to stand up for what is right and against what is wrong
You could use the Examen prayer - it has 5 steps, so you might like to count them on your fingers
You could sing the Children of Light song together
This half term we are in ordinary time until the 21 November and the liturgical colour is green 21-27 November is Christ the King and the liturgical colour is white28 November is the beginning of Advent and the liturgical colour is purple - Advent ends on Christmas Eve(find advent material from our online Advent Calendar) Set up your worship table or centre of the class circle with the ordinary time (green) cloth and take out the Bible, cross and light a candle. Say opening responses If you have school responses or opening words for collective worship say them together or say the following: We take out the Bible – and think about God the Father We take out the cross – and think about God’s Son, Jesus We light the candle – and think about God, the Holy Spirit
This week you could include: BibleCrossCandleGreen cloth A symbol for prayer A set of scales for the theme justice Some small stones
Read 1 Samuel 17 You could use David the Giant Killer in the Lion Storyteller Bible or When my fears are giant-sized in the Rhyming Bible You could use this video to tell the story of David and GoliathYou could use this script to tell the story using percussion
Overview for the teacher Israel’s king, Saul, led his army against their fearsome enemies the Philistines. One of the Philistines, Goliath, challenged the king to send out a champion to fight single-handed to decide who won the battle. Goliath, was a giant of a man, strong and well-armed; understandably nobody was prepared to take him on. David, a young shepherd, was visiting his older brothers with supplies of food. Hearing the challenge he questioned why nobody would fight Goliath, especially when he was ridiculing them and God. Even though he was young and although his older brothers mocked, David offered to fight the enemy champion, believing that God would be his strength. The armour he was offered was too big for him and so, despite the king’s doubts, David set out to fight armed with nothing but his sling-shot. A single round pebble slung hard from David’s primitive weapon felled his opponent. The enemy was defeated. Make connections – justice . . . thy will be done Connect the story to David following God, standing up for justice and doing the right thing You could ask some I wonder questions:
You could ask some I wonder questions
Reflection activity You could have enough small stones for each child or you could have an outline of a pebble. Ask pupils to hold the stone and think about something that feels 'big' to them. It could be a problem they face or it could be something in our world that they feel needs justice. Just like in the story today how the Israelites felt when they looked at Goliath.
Explain to pupils that sometimes our problems or events in the world feel too big for us to handle and we don’t know what to do. Sometimes sharing your problem with someone you trust can help. David trusted God and knew that God would help him to defeat Goliath. If you want to you can leave your stone (or write or draw on your stone outline and leave it) in the reflection area to show that you are leaving the problem with God and asking him to help you or that you are going to find another person you trust to help you.
You could sing the Children of Light song together You could use the LIGHT Prayer You could invite pupils to say the Lord’s Prayer together and do the sign language together You could invite pupils to sing the Lord’s Prayer using the song resource shared in the introduction
This week you could include: BibleCrossCandleGreen cloth A symbol for prayer An outline of giving hands to represent the theme of service and charity An outline of 2 fish and some loaves or some real bread which you can break up
Read John 6:1-15 You could use The Marvellous Picnic from the Lion Storyteller Bible or Rumbling Tummies in the Rhyming Bible You could use this video to help tell the story For younger pupils you could use this video Overview for the teacher Imagine the scene . . . you have climbed up the hillside along with thousands of other people to hear Jesus speak. It is so exciting hearing him talk about how much God loves us and how we can be his friends but there comes a time when your tummy rumbling is starting to get louder than Jesus’ voice. You see Jesus talking to the disciples who are looking around nervously and you realise that they are hungry too. Then you have an idea – give Jesus the small picnic you have brought with you. At least he won’t be hungry. What happens next is extraordinary. Jesus takes your lunch with a grateful smile, thanks God for it and then shares it. Not just with the disciples. Not just with the people sitting closest to him, but with every single one of the thousands of people there. There were even twelve baskets of leftovers. You could use this collective worship from Cafod
You could ask some I wonder questions:
You could explore what it means to share what we have with others linking to the theme of service. How did the little boy serve others? How can we serve others? You could have an outline of a loaf of bread and encourage pupils to write down or draw how they might serve others this week. Encourage pupils to put this in the reflection area as a reminder.
Invite pupils to listen to the words of this prayer Dear Godthank you for all that we have. Help us to think of those who don’t have everything they need. Help us to remember that nothing is too small to be shared with others. Help us to serve others and help others this week in small ways and big ways to the best of our ability. Amen
You could invite pupils to say the Lord’s Prayer together and do the sign language together You could invite pupils to sing the Lord’s Prayer using the song resource shared in the introduction
This half term we are in ordinary time until the 21 November and the liturgical colour is green 21-27 November is Christ the King and the liturgical colour is white28 November is the beginning of Advent and the liturgical colour is purple - Advent ends on Christmas Eve (find advent material from our online Advent Calendar) Set up your worship table or centre of the class circle with the ordinary time (green) cloth and take out the Bible, cross and light a candle. Say opening responses If you have school responses or opening words for collective worship say them together or say the following: We take out the Bible – and think about God the Father We take out the cross – and think about God’s Son, Jesus We light the candle – and think about God, the Holy Spirit
This week you could include:Bible, cross, candle, green or white cloth A symbol for prayer An outline of giving hands to represent the theme of service and charity A map (you could use this one ) You could include Lego figures or images to tell the story
Read Luke 10:30-37 You could read The Good Stranger from the Lion Storyteller Bible You could use this video to tell the story Overview for the teacher The gospels tell us how Jesus often used stories to explain great truths. These parables, often about everyday things, seem to be aimed at getting people to think for themselves. Jesus told this story in response to a trick question. The tale concerns a traveller who was set upon and robbed as he journeyed between Jerusalem and Jericho. As he lay there helpless, three different people came by. A priest followed by a Temple assistant, both of whom chose not to help. The third was a despised Samaritan; for centuries there had been enmity and distrust between Jews and Samaritans, but he stopped to help. Not only did he deal with the victim’s injuries but took him to a place of safety where he paid for his care
You could explore the idea of who is my neighbour
You could display the verse Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength . . . and love your neighbour as yourself
You could encourage pupils to think about how they will ‘love your neighbour’ as yourself this week? You could link it back to the loaves outlines they put in the reflection area last week and talk about how easy or difficult it is to serve others
This half term we are in ordinary time and the liturgical colour is green - each week we encourage you to Set up your worship table or centre of the class circle with the ordinary time (green) cloth and take out the Bible, cross and light a candle. Say opening responses If you have school responses or opening words for collective worship say them together or say the following: We take out the Bible – and think about God the Father We take out the cross – and think about God’s Son, Jesus We light the candle – and think about God, the Holy Spirit
This week you could include: BibleCrossCandleGreen cloth A symbol for prayer An outline of giving hands to represent the theme of service and charity
Overview for the teacher This week we encourage you to make connections with a charity your schools supports. You could use some of the series 2 faith at home resources that focus on different types of injustice to support your planning Faith at Home - Series 2 Make connections with today’s Bible verse from Micah 6:8 ‘. . . and what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ You could explore what it means to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly. Pupils could think about and suggest ways each of us can do this today.
You could display the phrases: - act justly- love mercy- walk humbly in your reflection area Pupils could be given an outline of serving hands and write ways they can act justly, love mercy, walk humbly as an individual, as a class, as a school this week.
