Children
Children’s Ministry for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Curated children’s ministry resources and sermons (object lessons) for Sunday Readings from SermonWriter, Ministry-to-Children, Religion Teacher and other sources.
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26th Sunday of Year B
Use your own judgment in adapting these sermons when including them in your children’s ministry.
CATHOLIC KIDS BULLETIN
Teacher and mom, THERESA, creates Kids’ Bulletins, a resource for Catholic kids about the readings for Sunday’s Mass every week. More resources from Theresa can be found at Teachers Pay Teachers website. Click on image/text to download entire bulletin for your children.
MINISTRY-TO-CHILDREN
“Salty Christians” Mark 9:38-50
Salt has a lot of wonderful purposes. It adds flavor, preserves freshness, changes chemistry, and more! How does this relate to our Christian faith? Jesus calls us to dedicate ourselves to God and to one another. In more than one Bible passage, He refers to the importance of having “salt” in our lives as Christians. We can flavor and preserve things in the world with our examples and outreach. This message reminds children that we can give “flavor and freshness” to others, praying for wisdom and guidance in our lives.
This lesson was prepared by Kristin Schmidt, who serves at the Epiphany Lutheran Church in Castle Rock, CO. She has shared her teaching gifts through Ministry-To-Children since 2014 and now serves as lead curriculum writer.
FEATURED VIDEO
BEING PART OF JESUS’ TEAM
SERMONS 4 KIDS
AGAINST US OR FOR US?
Objects suggested: Book: A cap, t-shirt, a pin, or any object that shows that you belong to or support some organization.
Do you belong to a club? There are a lot of clubs that boys and girls can join. Some of you might belong to a club such as Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts that teaches you to become a better person and encourages you to help other people. There are Bible clubs like Awanas that help you to learn how to better love and serve Jesus. You may belong to a reading club that encourages boys and girls to develop a love for reading. I am sure that many of you belong to a club or group that encourages participation in a sport such as gymnastics or soccer. One thing I have noticed about these clubs is that most of them have a cap, a t-shirt, or something similar which boys and girls can wear to let other people know that they belong to that club. All of these clubs do much good and it’s great to belong to a group that does good things, isn’t it?
The early followers of Jesus belonged to what they thought was a very special club – and it was. There were only twelve in that first group that followed Jesus. They felt very good about being part of Jesus’s team. In Jesus’ name they healed sick people and taught them about the Kingdom of God. One day the disciples saw someone who was not a member of their group doing good things in Jesus’ name. You would think they would be happy to see other people doing good things, but were they? No, they told them to stop what they were doing because they were not a part of their special group.
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SOURCE: SERMONS 4 Kids – All Rights Reserved; Video added by SermonPrep.org
FEATURED VIDEO
ARE YOU A BUILDING BLOCK OR A STUMBLING BLOCK?
SERMON WRITER
STUMBLING BLOCKS
For today’s sermon you will need a large piece of cardboard or some other item behind which you can conceal your hand from the children’s view.
Today I thought we’d play a game. Here are the rules: I’m going to hold up a certain number of fingers and I’d like you to count them and tell me how many I’m holding up. Easy enough? Let’s try it. (Hold up fingers in 2-3 combinations allowing children to name how many you’ve raised.)
OK…let’s keep going. (This time use the cardboard to conceal the number of fingers you’re holding up.) How many now? Can you tell? Why not?
Oh, is the cardboard a problem? Makes it hard to follow the rules anymore, doesn’t? I’m doing my part, but you can’t do yours, because I’ve put a problem – a barrier – in your way.
Do you know that word? A barrier is something that blocks something from happening.
Some barriers are good. On the road you might notice that sometimes there are barriers (walls or cables) between the cars going one direction and the cars going the other. And there are barriers at the zoo aren’t there? Dangerous animals are kept in cages or behind glass to block them from getting out or hurting anyone.
But sometimes barriers make it hard to follow the rules and do what’s right. We sometimes call those “stumbling blocks” – because they trip us up and keep us from doing what we’re supposed to.
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SOURCE: Sermon Writer: Children’s Sermons – All Rights Reserved | © 1997-2020 Richard Niell Donovan; Video added by SermonPrep.org
SUNDAY CONNECTION
WHOEVER IS NOT AGAINST JESUS IS FOR HIM
Materials Needed: None
Imagine that you see your little brother or sister [or a younger child] trying to do a chore that you usually do. He or she is trying to be helpful but is not quite getting the hang of the chore and is making a bit of a mess. Ask: What would you do? Would you tell the child he or she was doing it wrong and do the chore yourself? Or would you be encouraging and show the child how to do the chore? Why? (Accept reasonable answers. Invite children to see that being kind and helpful to the child, who is trying to do a good deed, lifts up the child and lets him or her know that he or she could learn.)
In our lives as Christians, we are called to be helpful and kind and to lift one another up on our faith journey. That’s what we will learn about in today’s Gospel. Jesus’ disciples have seen someone who is healing others in Jesus’ name. The disciples tried to stop the man because he was not a follower of Jesus. They thought he was doing something wrong and that only they should be able to heal in Jesus’ name. Listen to hear what Jesus’ said to the disciples…
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SOURCE: SUNDAY CONNECTION (LOYOLA PRESS) – All Rights Reserved
THE LITURGY CENTRE
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
8-12 Year Old Children
- Have you ever felt jealous of someone else, maybe even complained to your parents about them? Maybe you feel that they think they are better than you?
- Sometimes people only want to hear their own side of the story, and they think everyone else has got it wrong.
- It can be easy to exclude others so that we can belong to the right group – how does it feel to be left out?
- How do we know the difference between doing right and wrong?
- Jesus wants us to learn to be tolerant of both other’s faults and their gifts – that means celebrating their successes and forgiving their failings. Being tolerant can sometimes be tough. (If using the full Gospel reading, it might pay to ensure the children understand Jesus’ figure of speech regarding avoiding sin – it is like the saying “I’d give my right arm for…” Explain that Jesus means that we should concentrate on always doing what is right first)
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SOURCE: the Liturgy Centre, Catholic Diocese of Auckland
26th Sunday of Year B
Use your own judgment in adapting these sermons when including them in your children’s ministry.
Society of Christian Doctrine
Speak, Lord — Sunday Worksheet
SDC is a society of lay catechists that started in Malta in 1907. Worksheets can be downloaded and printed for use during Sunday Mass or handed out to children at school prior to the weekend. They are also used by parents who download them to use with their children at home.
DIOCESE OF SALFORD
Wordsearch
Feel free to copy and paste it into your parish publications.
Clipart © McCrimmons used with permission. All rights reserved; Text © 2018 Diocese of Salford Office for Liturgy
CATHOLIC MOM
Catholic Kids’ Bulletin
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26th Sunday of Year B
Ministry to children – Kristin Schmidt
Craft Ideas: Salty Christians from Mark 9:38-50
What does it mean to be “salty Christians”? Jesus wants us to faithfully add flavor and freshness to the world. He calls us to dedicate ourselves to Him, and when we do that, we serve and love others. These crafts remind children that being “salty” as disciples is actually a good thing! Have fun making salt dough, and decorate art work with texture and color when you “salt paint”!
This lesson was prepared by Kristin Schmidt, who serves at the Epiphany Lutheran Church in Castle Rock, CO. She has shared her teaching gifts through Ministry-To-Children since 2014 and now serves as lead curriculum writer.
Word Sunday – Larry Broding
Suffering for Doing Good
CHILDREN’S READINGS
In the story for the first reading, Ryan got in trouble for helping a friend with his homework. Is that fair? Was it fair for God to give his Spirit to whomever he pleased?
In the story for the gospel, Sam and Rossani became friends after a simple act of kindness. Their friendship became a cause for rumor and scandal that hurt both children. Jesus warned against scandal caused by rumors.
The Turn Around Game
The opposite of selfishness is sharing. To make that point with your family members, play the “Turn Around” game.
SOURCE: Word-Sunday.com All materials found in word-sunday.com are the property of Larry Broding (©1999-2021). Viewers may copy any material found in these pages for their personal use or for use in any non-profit ministry. Materials may not be sold or used for personal financial gain.
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
Family Activities
Choose one of the following activities as a way to further reflect on the Sunday readings:
- Jesus tells us that God cannot be limited. How do you limit God in your own life?
- As a family, share your experiences of God. Discuss the following questions: Who is God for you? What brings you closer to God? What pulls you away from God?
- Take a drive. Look at the places of worship in your community. What do you see? How are they alike? Unique?
- The World Peace Prayer is used by people of all religions to create a chain of positive thought and prayer throughout the world. It is based on the belief that the power of prayer can change people’s hearts, so that all people can learn to live in peace. Begin to use the following World Peace Prayer as part of your family prayer. Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth. Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust. Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace. Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe.
SOURCE: Our Sunday Visitor: Lifelong Catechesis
ADORERS OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST – SISTER MIRIAM RAU
Children’s Liturgy
The Religion Teacher – Jared Dees
Lesson Plan and Activities
SOURCE: The Religion Teacher
RECOMMENDED: Resources for Catholic Educators
26th Sunday of Year B
You Are Special
You Are Special by Max Lucado read aloud by Diane Hobbs. This classic story by Max Lucado is read aloud as a bed time story by Australian Kids and Youth worker Diane Hobbs. It’s a great story that is read aloud and a wonderful kids story now on video. It’s also a great example of Christian stories for kids and Christian Stories for kids.
RELATED: READ ALOUD BY PAT TSAGALAKIS
Virtue of the Week
Inclusiveness
Being an inclusive Christian means that one respects, honors, and holds fast to one’s traditions, but is also respectful towards the faith of others. Doing anything less is not Christian.
First Reading
In today’s reading from the Book of Numbers, we hear about God bestowing the spirit upon the elders. It is only God’s choice to give or withhold the spirit—it is a free gift that cannot be held by one individual. Moses understood this and saw that God was seeking an inclusiveness that would move people away from a sense of status. Moses not only affirmed the liberty and unpredictability of God’s actions, but wished that everyone could be so gifted. God draws a circle to include people, but through human arrogance and pride, we often draw circles that exclude others instead.
Second Reading: Numbers 11: 25-29
This letter of Saint James continues to challenge the human weakness of divisions and specifically speaks to those who have become wealthy by making others poor. He pleads with the community to be connected and inclusive. This letter is written in a time that was thought to be the end of the world. Saint James warns the rich that even though they have stored up treasures for the last days, the end times that are coming will reverse all of their hopes. Time and again, the Scriptures advise us to be inclusive.
Gospel: Mark 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48
In this passage from Saint Mark’s Gospel, the disciples are annoyed that one not of their company was doing good works in the name of Jesus. The complaints from the disciples indicate that they wish to have such people excluded, but Jesus will have none of this. Jesus, like Moses in the first reading, is not threatened by another person doing good works in his name. Rather, he is grateful and instructs the disciples not to interfere. His message is inclusiveness.
SOURCE: Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University; “Build. Plant. Grow.” = a free faith formation resource which aligns with the Liturgical Year of the Roman Catholic Church. The accompanying video is NOT associated with Markkula Center.
ACTIVITY of the Week
Reversible Musical Chairs
Step One: The objective here is to show children that they can turn exclusive situations into inclusive ones. Begin with a classical game of Musical Chairs. Place chairs in a circle so that there is one fewer chair than there are students. Play music and have the children walk around the chairs. Instruct the students to find a seat as soon as the music stops.
Step Two: Once this has occurred, there will be one student without a chair. Challenge the students to find a way for everyone to have a seat in the circle of chairs. Have them come up with ideas for this inclusion, such as by having two students share a chair, having a student stand on the rungs of two chairs, or sitting in another student’s lap.
Step Three: Continue the process for a few rounds with the removal of a chair from the circle each time. Every time the music stops, have the group accommodate someone who would normally be excluded. At the end of the game, compliment the students on their creativity and willingness to make sure that everyone was included.
SOURCE: Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University; “Build. Plant. Grow.” = a free faith formation resource which aligns with the Liturgical Year of the Roman Catholic Church. The accompanying video is NOT associated with Markkula Center.
Related Videos
PHILLY VISION
Catholic Religious Education — Inclusion
PHILLY VISION (1:31) – Meet Lizanne Magarity-Pando and her daughter Jenna Pando. Watch as they explain how they used inclusion to better educate Jenna in the Catholic Faith.
CURRENTS NEWS
Catholic Academy Focuses on Inclusion
CURRENTS NEWS (2:12) – Students at Our Lady Of Grace Catholic Academy started their day by simply saying hello to their fellow classmates, teachers, parents as the NYPD police band put on a concert to kick off the new school year.
NEW HOPE CHURCH
Don’t Put People in Boxes
NewHope Church (4:24) – When we label people and put them in different boxes, we don’t see PEOPLE for who they truly are. This video proves that we have a lot more in common than we think and we should keep that in mind when we encounter anyone who might seem different than we are. Credit to TV2Danmark for inspiring us to make this.
