Welcome to ROOTS at home for 7 June 2020

Worship at home resources for everyone linked to Matthew 9.35-10.8(9-23)

ROOTS is a partnership of denominations and other Christian organisations and has been publishing lectionary-based worship resources online and in print since 2002.

Go to: Resources for families; Resources for adults

Copyright

You are welcome to copy this material for use in your own resources e.g. printed sheets or web pages including audio/video recordings. If you do so, please include this acknowledgement to ROOTS:
© ROOTS for Churches Ltd (www.rootsontheweb.com) 2002-2020.
Reproduced with permission.

The world ablaze:
Prayers for difficult times

For families

Introduction

There are lots of things which might make us feel uncomfortable in this passage as Jesus calls and commissions his disciples in a challenging situation. But despite the challenge, it is good news that they are sent out to share. While we may not be able to ‘go out’ in the same way there are many ways that we can share the good news with others. Use your time of worship to inspire you about how you might do this in a new way.

Gather

Use this prayer as you begin your time of worship together. Nominate a leader or all join in together.

Encourage everyone to move in different ways e.g. run, hop, skip around the room. Each time everyone returns to the start, ask them to shout: The kingdom of God is near.

Where is the kingdom of God?
The kingdom of God is near.
Amen.

You may wish to play the following song during this time of prayer: Get up and dance, Hillsong Kids on Jesus is my superhero

Read

Share the Bible story using the idea below to help you explore it together.

Bible story

Open the Bible at Matthew 9.35–10.8,(9-23): Jesus’ friends go out to share all that he has taught them with the world.

You don’t need that!

Display six large boxes. Ask for a volunteer and pile all the boxes into their arms. Explain that in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus sends the disciples out to tell people about him. Ask everyone: how might they prepare for this task?

Read the Bible passage and, when you get to ‘you won’t need gold...’, take one of the boxes away. Continue to read what they won’t need, removing a box with each item. When you get to the end of the story, remind everyone that you don’t need anything to go out on Jesus’ mission; instead, Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to help us.

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Jesus gathered his twelve disciples and sent them out. He gave them these instructions:

‘Don’t go to Gentile or Samaritan towns. Instead go to the people of Israel, for they are like a flock of lost sheep. Tell people the good news about the kingdom of heaven. Cure the sick, raise the dead, heal those
with skin diseases, send out demons. You have been given all this freely, for no payment. Now you must help others without being paid.’

Jesus reassured them, ‘You won’t need gold or silver; don’t take a travelling bag or an extra shirt; don’t take sandals or a walking stick. When you go into a town, find out who the good people are and stay with them until you are ready to leave. If you enter a home, bless it with your peace, but if it is not worthy, take the blessing back. If someone doesn’t welcome you or they won’t listen, leave at once, shaking the dust from your feet.

‘I am sending you out like sheep into a pack of wolves,’ he said, ‘so you need to be as wise as a snake and as innocent as a dove. Because of me people will hand you over to those in power and have you beaten. You will be dragged before kings and leaders. But if this happens, don’t worry about what to say – you will be given the words at the time. It will be God’s Spirit speaking.

‘Because of me there will be unrest in families,’ Jesus said sadly. ‘Brothers will turn against brothers. Fathers will turn against children. Children will turn against parents. Many will be hated because of me. But if you remain with me until the end you will be saved. If they persecute you in one town, run to the next. I promise that before you have been to all the towns of Israel, the Son of Man will come.’

Glossary

Gentile the name Jews give to non-Jews; Samaritan a person who lived in Samaria and worshipped God differently from Jews. Jews and Samaritans hated each other; demons spiritual forces that trouble people – could be interpreted as mental illness; Son of Man a title from the Old Testament Book of Daniel, used by Jesus to describe himself.

Activities

You may wish to use these additional resources to worship together and/or the activity sheets for children.

Job description

Discuss what type of person the tasks in Matthew 10.5-14 would require and what skills they would need. Challenge everyone to write a job advert for the position. Talk about how each member of the group might be a good fit for the job.

Stepping out

Think about stepping out of our comfort zone

You will need: coloured paper, pencils, scissors, pens.

Doing things for God can often involve stepping out of our comfort zone and may make us feel uncomfortable. But God is with us at these times. Make some ‘stepping out feet’ as a reminder.

Invite everyone to take their shoes off and draw round both feet on the paper and cut them out. They can write ‘Do not worry’ on one foot and ‘God is with me’ on the other.

Ask everyone to stand with their paper feet in front of them and pray: ‘Sometimes we have to step out and do things we don’t find easy.’ Step onto first footprint. ‘Help us to remember, God, that you are always with us.’ Step onto second footprint. Amen.