3rd Sunday Lent Cycle B
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
Say: This the 3rd Sunday in Lent. What is the great feast that will occur at the end of Lent? <Easter> Does anyone know how many more Sundays we have until Easter? <there are 2 more Sundays in Lent, then Passion Sunday, and then Easter>
Ask: What are we learning about this Lent? <promises> And what are we spending our time trying to do during Lent? <get closer to God>
Let’s take a minute to be quiet and ask ourselves how we are doing. Ask yourselves if you are doing a little better being good and remembering to pray each day.
***Stay quiet for just a moment***
Introduce symbol
Say: Today’s symbol is something that many of you might recognize. Can anyone tell me what this symbol is? <let the children answer – the 10 Commandment tablets> What are the 10 Commandments? <laws that God gave us to help us become closer to him>
Say: Let’s look at today’s poster. What does it say? <Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.> This is our Responsorial Psalm for today. The Responsorial Psalms also come from Scripture, from the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.
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 Exodus. (Exo 20:1-3, 7-8, 12-17) The reading today tells us about a man named Moses. Can anyone tell me anything they remember about Moses? <led the Israelites to the Promised Land, 10 commandments, parted the Red Sea, etc.> God gave Moses the laws we call the 10 Commandments.
Have the reader read the first reading.
Ask: The 10 Commandments are part of a promise between God and us. How would this work? <discuss> We follow the Commandments – and what will God do? <reward us with eternal life – which is another word for? <heaven>>
Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm. Your part is to say:
Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
Say: Today’s Gospel reading comes from the book of the Apostle John. (John 2:13-22). The gospel today tells us about a time when Jesus was in a temple. Can anyone tell me what a temple is? <like a church – the Jews go to a Temple> Jesus became very angry at some of the things people were doing in the Temple. Listen closely with your hearts to see if you can understand what Jesus’ message is for us.
Say: Now we will 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: Why do you think that Jesus got angry with the people in the Temple? <discuss> The things that the people were doing were not against the law. Jesus was angry because the people were not acting out of love or respect for God. God wants us to follow his rules because we love Him. He wants us to think about what we do and always act out of love.
Hand out the poster cut-outs of leaves so that the children can write their names on them for the poster. Remind the children that by participating in Liturgy of the Word, they are helping bring new Spring growth (the leaves!) to their worship space
Hand out the symbols to color. (The symbol is the commandment tablets). Ask the older children to write one thing they can do this week to follow a law of God’s.
Explain: Color this symbol of the commandment tablets and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!) to show that we have learned about becoming closer to God by following his laws.
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 leaf in light green for the small poster cut-outs |
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| Use this graphic for the mid-sized banner symbol and the full-size Offertory symbol |
Parent Letter
Third Sunday Lent B
Dear Parents,
Today is the Third Sunday in Lent. The children listened to two of the same readings you did: Exodus 20:1-3, 7-8, 12-17; John 2:13-22.
Symbol: 10 commandment tablets
To reinforce at home:
Our focus this Lent is the promise that exists between God and us. One of the most important ideas of “promise” that we are covering is the idea that there are two parts to a promise. There is someone making a promise and someone is accepting it. Another word for promise that is used often in the Old Testament is “covenant”.
In Exodus today, we hear about the story of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments – the laws God asks us to live by – are a promise to us. If we follow these laws, we will go to heaven. This is the promise that we enter into with God at Baptism.
In John, we hear about Jesus entering the temple and becoming angry with the merchants who are buying and selling. These merchants were well within the law as they understood it – BUT clearly violated the spirit of the laws that God asked them to follow. In later Scripture readings, Jesus clarifies God’s laws of love for us.
Activities to do at home:
*Evaluate your Lenten experience. Are you celebrating it as a family or has time gotten away from you? It’s okay to begin this week to talk about Lent as a season and make decisions about what you want to do together.
*Find something to DO this Lent rather than to GIVE UP. Give up some time to visit a homebound or sick person.
*What is your church project this Lent? Many parishes have programs to collect money for the hungry, etc. Make a family pledge to participate.
Thank you for sharing your children!
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