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Amos 5.6-7,10-15; Psalm 90.12-17; Hebrews 4.12-16; Mark 10.17-31

Share the Word

Adult & All Age

Share the Word

Ways to present the readings

All age act of worship Session

Amos 5:1-15

Present the reading – Judging unfairly

Use this as preparation for the reading and to set the scene.

You will need: Judge (behind a desk with a gavel or something to represent a gavel, with wig if available), defendant with a bag of money

 

Script

Judge [in a booming voice] : To sum up, the defendant stands accused of artificially boosting the price of wheat, selling it with dust and straw sweepings added in, and using loaded scales to get more money for less.

He stands accused of having done this in the full knowledge of the poverty of his customers, with the intention of pushing them into debt so that he can force them into slavery.

I have heard from eight witnesses who can testify to this, and evidence has been shown of the scales in question, and of the quality of wheat sold which has been added to by up to 50% chaff. Has the defendant any further information to add in his defence?

Defendant: Yes your honour.

Judge: You may proceed.

Defendant: May I have permission to approach the bench?

Judge:  Yes, you may come up.

[Defendant approaches the judge and pretends to whisper in his/her ear]

Judge [in a quieter voice]: How much? … Hmmm…. Double that, and it will go well for you. …

[Defendant hands over bag of money to the judge]

Judge: You may resume your seat.

[Defendant returns to his/her seat]

Judge [in a booming voice again]: The verdict is not guilty. The defendant is acquitted. Court is adjourned. [Bangs gavel; rubs hands together in glee.]

 

(NB This drama was written by a subscriber and was submitted and published online on 19 October 2021.)

 

Hebrews 4.12-16

Present the reading using three readers, standing left, centre and right at the front of the worship space.
Reader 1 speaks from a lectern with a large Bible on it.
Reader 2 stands beside a free-standing but portable cross, from the opposite side.
Reader 3 is in the middle and begins the presentation by reading verses 12 and 13.
Reader 1 picks up the Bible and carries it to the Communion table, places it on the table, then reads verses 14 and 15.
Reader 2 picks up the cross, carries it to and places it on the table, then reads verse 16. All three readers gather in front of and facing the table, then kneel or bow heads (as if approaching the throne of grace). After a pause, they all quietly return to their seats.

 

Mark 10.17-31

Accompany the Gospel reading with the YouTube video (sound on mute). The reader will need to rehearse this to get the timing right. Or you could use the video ‘as is’ with sound (and music).

If you cannot show the video, you could prepare a mime.

You will need: a narrator, Jesus, some disciples, a rich man and his friends.

The narrator needs to convey the different voices and pause as necessary for the mimed action to take place. ‘Staging’ can be very simple, e.g. Jesus and his disciples entering from one side, the rich man and his friend from the other. After verse 22, the rich man and friends leave the same way they came, while Jesus remains ‘centre stage’. Towards the end, during or after verse 28, Jesus and the disciples start to walk on, leaving on the opposite side to where they entered.

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Children & Youth

Share the Word

 Ways to present Mark 10.17-31

Activities marked with an asterisk  next to the activity title are in addition to the resources in the Ready to go sessions. Suggested timings for these activities are also shown. NB The inclusion of additional activities varies from week to week.

 

 A version of the story for very young children

Very young childrens Session

 Create a story bag with objects (or pictures) inside: a play figure, toy coins, a sad face, toy camel, and a plastic needle. Tell the story, taking out each one as shown in brackets.

(figure) A man came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to get to heaven.
(some coins) Jesus answered,
‘Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor.’
(sad face) This made the man sad.
(more coins) He was very rich.
(camel) Jesus said, ‘It is easier for a camel,
(needle) to go through the eye of a needle,
than for a rich man to enter heaven.’

 

FOR CHILDREN

Childrens Session

Read the story and pause at the  to share these points with the children (see Stop and share below). Then use the activity to explore the passage together. (10 mins)

Click on the image to view a PDF.

 

 Stop and share

  • Eternal life means fullness of life in God’s presence, both now and after death.
  • Use the illustration to show what Jesus meant, how small the eye of a needle is compared to a camel.

 

Read and respond                                                         W E

  • Each time the following words are mentioned, ask the children to shout the phrases and do the action:
    Jesus  - put hands on heart and shout ‘Give it away!’
    Young man  - pretend to cry and say ‘Oh dear!’
    Disciples  - put hands up as if questioning and say ‘We don’t understand!’
    Camel  - crouch down in a ball and say ‘I don’t fit!’
  • Practise these together before you read the story through slowly, allowing space and time for the phrases and actions.

 

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Young people Session

Read and rewrite15 minsW E

You will need: video clip

  • Read the passage together. Then, split the young people into small groups and ask each group to rewrite the passage in a modern-day context. Watch the video for inspiration and to show that this can be humorous.
  • Encourage the groups to consider the following: What characters would you include? What would be a modern-day example of the rich young ruler?
Spiritual styles abbreviations
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