2nd Sunday Lent Cycle A
Welcome children to their worship space.
Ask them to get their carpet squares and sit down in a circle.
Introduce yourself and your helpers.
Introduce
Ask: What is the color we use during the season of Lent? <purple> It reminds us of the very serious and special feast that we are getting ready for. Can anyone tell me what that feast is? <Easter> Easter is a very happy feast. Can anyone tell me why we are very serious and thoughtful as we prepare for it? What happens before it? <Christ is put to death>
Ask: Does anyone remember what our symbol was for last Sunday? <show the apple>
Explain: We learned what temptation is and what we need to do about it.
Introduce symbol
Say: Today’s symbol <hold up the symbol> is a tent.
Explain: What does a tent make you think of? <travelling, camping out, etc.>
Say: A tent is a kind of shelter that is not permanent. It provides a home for us when we have no other home. It looks like it might not be sturdy, but it is. It protects us from the weather. God is sometimes like a tent. When he asks us to do something, he takes care of us. Sometimes it might not seem like he will take care of us, but he always does. Today we are going to focus on how we need to depend on God.
Say: Let’s look at today’s poster. What does it say? <Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.> This is our Responsorial Psalm for today. The Responsorial Psalms also come from Scripture, from the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.
Ask: What is another word for ‘trust’? <belief> In order to depend on God, we need to believe in him.
Introduce readings
We have two readings today.
Say: Let’s light the candle to show that we are ready to listen to the Word of God.
Say: Today’s first reading is from the Old Testament book of Genesis. (Gen 12: 1-4a) In this reading, God asks Abraham to do something amazing. Listen closely to hear what God asked and think about how you would feel if you were Abraham.
Have the reader read the first reading.
Ask: What did God ask Abraham to do? <leave his home to create a new nation> If you were Abraham, how do you think you would feel? Even if you were excited about creating a new nation, would it be easy to leave your home behind?
Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm. Your part is to say:
Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Say: Today’s Gospel reading comes from the book of Matthew. (Matt 17:1-9) This reading is about a time when Jesus showed his closest friends, Peter, James and John that he really is God. He wants them to have total faith (or trust) in him. Pretend that you are one of these men, Peter, James or John, and followed Jesus to the mountaintop. Try to imagine what you would feel.
Say: Let’s stand and get ready to hear the Gospel
(hold up card) Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Have the reader begin: “a reading from the holy gospel.....”
Read: Read the Gospel
Ask: What did the Apostles see? <let the children discuss> Do you think they understood what they saw? <no> What did Jesus ask them to do? <not to tell anyone until after he had been raised from the dead>
Say: At this time, they didn’t know anything about Jesus dying and being raised from the dead. To obey Jesus meant that they had to keep silent for a long time, maybe forever. They were asked to trust in Jesus and depend on him.
Hand out the cut-outs (tents) and ask the children to put their names on them for the poster. Collect them as the children finish.
Hand out the symbols to color (The symbol is a tent).
Explain: Color this symbol of the tent and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!) to show what we have learned about trusting in Jesus.
Ask the older children to write one thing that they will do this week to show that they trust in Jesus.
If there is time, ask questions and go over the lessons one more time to help the children remember.
Give out stickers and hand-outs as they leave.
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| Use this same graphic for all 3 needs: SMALL for the light-colored poster cut-outs, MEDIUM to create the banner symbol, and LARGE for the black-lined coloring sheet for Offertory symbol |
Parent Letter
Second Sunday Lent A
Dear Parents,
Today is the Second Sunday in Lent. The children listened to two of the same readings you did: Genesis 12:1-4a; Matthew 17:1-9.
Symbol: Tent
To reinforce at home:
Today we heard about Abraham being called from his home and how he had to trust in God even if he was uncomfortable with what God asked of him. In the Gospel, we see Jesus’ closest friends, Peter, James and John, faced with the same problem. On the mountaintop, they witnessed undeniable (and unbelievable) proof that Jesus is God and they were asked to believe in him and obey him.
Today we are also asked by God to make choices that may be uncomfortable for us. We need to depend on him to guide and care for us.
Activities to do at home:
*Share with your child a decision that you have made that was difficult but you knew that God asked you to make. How did God take care of you?
*Set up a pretend tent in your living room by spreading a blanket over the top of a small table or some chairs. Pretend that you are Abraham placing your trust in God. Pretend that you are leaving your home behind to live in the desert and see how it makes you feel.
*During Lent, we are asked to spend some time growing closer to God. Some ideas are: Establishing a weekly family time to share prayer, writing letters to people you haven’t been in contact with in a while, or saying the rosary together and meditating on the sorrowful mysteries.
Thank you for sharing your children!
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