Feast of Christ the King   Cycle C

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

              Explain: Today is the feast of Christ the King.  This is the last Sunday of the church year.  Next Sunday we begin the season of Advent and a new liturgical year.  “Liturgical” is a big word that you can use to surprise some adults.  It means church year or the calendar of feasts that we celebrate in our church.

Ask: Does anyone remember the symbol for last week?  <the stone with sun rays>  We remembered that keeping our faith strong is what will get us into heaven.

Introduce symbol

Say:  Today’s symbol is a crown.  What do you think of when you see a crown?  <a king or ruler>  Today we celebrate that Jesus is our king.

Ask:  What does that mean?  <that Jesus is in charge of all of us, that we need to listen to Jesus and do what he tells us, that we trust him to help us make good choices>

Say:  Let’s look at the poster.  What does it say? <God is king of all the earth.>  This is our Responsorial Psalm for today.  The Responsorial Psalms also come from Scripture, from the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.

Ask:  Is Jesus king or is God king?  <remind the children about the Trinity>  Jesus is God – therefore, Jesus is King and God is King.

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 second book of Samuel, (2 Sam 5:1–3).  Much of what happened in the New Testament (which is all about Jesus’ life) was similar to things that happened in the Old Testament. There was a king in the Old Testament who is often compared to Jesus.  He was a humble shepherd boy who became a great king of all of Israel.  Listen to this reading and see if you remember who he was.

Have the reader read the first reading.

Ask: Who was the king?  <David>  When Jesus was born, he was born from Mary, a descendant of King David. He was raised as a carpenter in a little town.  Do you remember anything else about King David?  <the story of David and Goliath- that he defeated enemies who seemed to be a lot stronger than he was>

Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm.  Your part is to say:

God is king of all the earth.

Say:  Today’s Gospel reading comes from the book of Luke.  (Lk 23:35-43) This reading from Luke is one that we have heard already during the Lenten season.  It is a reading that clearly tells how Jesus is our leader and our God.  Listen closely to see if you remember the story.

Say:  Now we will stand to get ready to hear the Gospel

(hold up card)  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Have the reader begin: “a reading from the holy gospel.....”

Read:  Read the Gospel

Ask:  Do you remember the story? When did this story take place?  <at the crucifixion>   People were making fun of Jesus as he was dying on the cross. 

 

Say:  One person believed Jesus.  Do you remember who it was?  <the thief>  What did Jesus promise that person?  <eternal life – or heaven> 

Ask children to add their names to the cutouts (crowns) provided.  Remind the children that we are making a poster for each Sunday and that they will sign a cutout and glue it on when they are here.

Hand out the symbols to color and cut out. (The symbol is a crown). 

 

Explain: Color this symbol of the crown and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!)  to show that we have learned about believing in Jesus our King.                        .

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.

 

Use this graphic for the small poster symbols

Use this graphic for the mid-sized banner symbol and the Offertory gift symbols

Parent Letter

                             Feast of Christ the King  C

Dear Parents,

            The children listened today to two of the same readings you did: 2 Samuel 5:1-3, and Luke 23:35-43.

Symbol: Crown

To reinforce at home:

Today’s feast marks the end of the liturgical year.  Next week, Advent begins.

The feast of Christ the King is a feast where we are reminded that Jesus is our King.  We hear about King David in the Old Testament and how his life foreshadows that of Jesus. 

The Gospel reading is one that we have already heard this year during Lent.  It marks a time when Jesus proved that he is king. 

Activities to do at home:

*Make a list of traits of a good king.  Share how Jesus models those traits for us.

*Read a story about King David.  Remind your child of his history and show the comparisons with Jesus’ life.

*Make a cake this week and celebrate Jesus’ kingship!

Thank you for sharing your children!