Sunday, November 15, 2015

Faithful Families Resources November 15 2015


The Family - “That dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to.”
-Dodie Smith

Family Closeness
Game:
King of the Table
Everyone at the table gets an empty plastic  cup and places it to the side of them – this is their throne. Screw up some pieces of soft paper into small balls that will fit inside the cups (cotton balls could also be used as an even gentler option). Make sure you have plenty - maybe ten each.  On the count of three everyone begins throwing their paper trying to get it in each other’s cup. The cup can’t  be defended. As soon as someones cup has paper in it they must turn it over. Whoever is  the last to have their cup filled is the King or Queen of the Table.

Sharing:
Questions for stimulating discussion in your family. 
  • What would be the best thing about being king or queen?
  • What would be the worth thing about being king or queen?
  • What would a good king or queen be like?
  • What would a terrible king or queen be like? 

Story
This Sunday is celebrated by many churches as ‘Christ the King’. It is the last Sunday in the church’s year before the season of Advent, a special time of waiting and preparation for the birth of Christ and his return. Apart from the reading listed below, you might like to read some of the other passage where Jesus uses the image of a king in his parables. Try Matthew 22.1-4 and Luke 19.11-26
  
With your family read John 18.33-37
(for a way of explaining/talking about this reading with children look at http://www.sermons4kids.com/crown_him_king.htm

 Questions for Discussion:
  • What do you think Jesus meant by “my kingdom is not of this world?”
  • What did Jesus say people who “belong to the truth” do?
  • What kind of king is Jesus?

Prayer and Celebration
Praise to the King
In this week when we celebrate Christ the King focus on prayers of praise and adoration. Have your family think of all the wonderful things they would want to say about God and put these in a prayer. In 1st Chronicles 29:10-13 King David prays a prayer of praise to God.

“Praise be to You, O Lord,
      God of our father Israel,
      from everlasting to everlasting.

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power
      and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
      for everything in heaven and earth is Yours.

Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom,
      You are exalted as head over all.

Wealth and honor come from You;
      You are the ruler of all things.

In Your hands are strength and power
      to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God, we give You thanks,
      and praise Your glorious name.” (NIV)

Family Time
King or Queen for a Day

This might best be done in the holidays when there is some time to spend. Let each of your family members, including parents, be king or queen for the day. This might begin with a crowning in the morning along with breakfast in bed. The king or queen doesn’t have to do any chores on this particular day, the rest of the family look after them. Let the regent choose what games and activities the family might engage in for the day as well as what food they might eat. It is important that some family guidelines are set for this so that it remains a fun game and not something that might turn children into “bossy little emperors”. At the end of the day during dinner talk about the experience of being king or queen for the day. What was good about it, what wasn’t so great.

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

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