Faithful Families Resources May 29 2011

Weekly Inspiration

This week, prior to Pentecost, we remember and celebrate the ascension of Jesus. This is a really great time to reflect on what it means to have Jesus authority on earth delegated to us. As disciples we are the hands and feet of Jesus in the kingdom. If we are serious about being faithful with our family, then role modelling this will be a priority. Your children will discover who they are and whose they are by looking at the everyday things you do. Christianity is a faith which is mediated through everyday things, such as bread, wine, water, light and through the everyday activities of serving, growing, sharing and celebrating.

 I wonder what your children might learn about being a disciples from watching you? How do you take seriously the call of Jesus to be a witness; to proclaim repentance and forgiveness, to go and make disciples?

Here are some resources, that you might be faithful with your family. We cannot make our children have faith, we can only be faithful with them.

Story

With your family read Acts 1.6-11: Jesus Ascends

Questions for Discussion:

• What did Jesus says the disciples would receive when the Holy Spirit came?
• What job where the disciples given by Jesus?
• Why do you think the disciples stood looking for so long after Jesus ascended?
• How do you think the disciples felt about Jesus leaving them? 

The King’s Banquet

There was once king who invited his subjects to a royal banquet. The king told each guest to bring a flask of wine, explaining that all the flasks would be poured into one large wine vat, from which the banquets beverages would be drawn. One of the king’s subjects thought, “What will my small flask of wine mean? Instead of bringing wine, I will bring a flask of water. When my flask of water is added to all the wine, it will blend right in, and no one will know the difference.?” On the night of the banquet, all the king’s subjects assembled around the food-laden tables. The king welcomed his guests, and then summoned his servants to serve the wine from the one large vat. The glasses were all filled – with water. For every one of the king’s subjects had brought water, not wine, reasoning that one little flask of water would blend right in with all the wine, and no one would know the difference.

At the ascension, the message Jesus gave us was: “its over to you guys now.” Jesus has placed into our hands the responsibility of working in the kingdom of God. We are now expected to be active participants in growing and building the kingdom. Of course the promised helper, the Holy Spirit is with us with gifts and power for the job. We however have been handed the authority to do the work of Jesus on earth.

Prayer and Celebration

A really great way to pray with your family this week might be to use some balloons. Get enough balloons for a week or a couple of days. Write or draw your prayers on pieces of paper and place them in balloons, blow the balloons up and tie them somewhere in your house. Each day might have different themes: I thank God for things he has done for me. I thank God for things he has made. I ask God for help for others. I ask God for help for myself. I say sorry to God.

Family Closeness

One way to develop family closeness is to have an intentional family night. A pattern may be used such as this:

Game

Sharing

Story with Discussion/Questions

Activity

Prayer

Using the resources provided above and below would enable you to have a family night once a week.

Game:

Using the alphabet letters, choose words that start with that letter, like the list given below, and act it out. Allow them to make up more as you go to add to the choices.

A = alligator (alligator crawl), around, airplane scale

B = bounce, bend, bear walk

C = cat arch, catch, crawl, crab walk

D = lame dog, dance, duck walk, dribble

E = elephant walk, egg roll

F = freeze, fall, frown, frog jump

G = giggle, gallop, giant steps

H = hop, hiccup, headstand

I = inchworm

J = jump, juggle

K = kick

L = log roll, leap

M = march, mop, mule kick

N = nod, neck rolls

O = Octopus (2 players stand back-to-back and walk sideways, waving their arms and legs), on, off, over

P = point, paint, pose

Q = quiver, quiet

R = run, rake, roll

S = skip, sit, sweep, smile, seal crawl, stretch

T = tiptoe, throw, tripod, tuck, type

U = upside down, under

V = vault (leap frog), vacuum

W = walk, wiggle, wink

X = flex, wax, mix

Y = yawn, yell

Z = zigzag, zip, zzzzzzzzzz

(GameCentralStation.com)

Sharing: 

• Have you ever been asked to do something and then had the person who asked you to do the job hang around and watch you the whole time. Have you ever had someone ask you to do a job and then before you could do it they went ahead and did it anyway. How did you feel?
• Would you rather never play or never win?
• Would you rather be able to fly or breathe under water?
• What things do you volunteer to do that helps others?
• What might you volunteer to do this week to help others?

Bonus Family Activity

Paper Doll Activities

For each family member draw an outline of a person on a separate large piece of paper. (If you have large enough paper, lie down on it and trace around your body.)Each person adds drawings, words and/or magazine pictures to tell about him or herself. As family members work, comment, "As a child of God, you are special! The drawings, words, pictures on your outline show some of the ways God has made you special."

Well, we hope you found these resources useful. Have a fantastic week as you grow in loving and sharing with your family. May the joy and love and peace of Christ fill your home. 

Stephen Harrison (This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison & Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning