Year C

Begin Again

A Start-Up Session

Use at the Start of Your Fall Program

Luke 12: 32-40

Background

This session is intended for the Sunday before you begin your first unit of the Fall program. Since some school systems begin in August, and some do not begin until mid September, you will need to choose the Sunday that is closest to your “begin again” time. Using the Scripture for Proper 14 the purpose is to convene the community, get re-acquainted, notice what your community is being called to do, and have some fun. The title: “Begin Again” is on loan from those who follow the Benedictine Way and have recognized through the years that “always we begin again.”

Before: Choose the activities that fit your timeframe and your situation and gather the supplies you need for each activity. If possible have information on the various parish programs starting up (Sunday School and who is teaching what, committees, Bible studies, etc.) and invite the people involved to introduce themselves and what they are going to be doing. An outreach project is suggested. Be aware of opportunities in your own community such as a food bank, a homeless shelter, volunteering in the school, etc.

Lesson Plan

Gathering: Invite each person to think of something new in their lives since you were last together and either write it on their name tag or draw something to give a clue. Ask people to find another person, preferably not from their own family, to talk to and share each other’s new thing.

Pull chairs into a circle and ask the pairs to sit together. Invite people to introduce each other and describe a new thing that has happened in each person’s life.

Preview: Tell the group what you have planned for this session: beginning and ending in prayer, hearing and reflecting on today’s passage with a few questions and selected activities. Let them know what time you expect to be finished and answer any questions.


Opening Prayer: “Thank you, God, for all the new things you are doing in our lives. Amen.”

The Story: Luke 12: 32-40.

Invite someone to read the passage or tell the story in your own words. Here is a suggested way to tell the story:

Jesus is trying to help the disciples get their priorities in order. The world they live in is much more than they have noticed.

“Don’t be afraid”, Jesus tells them. (To get scared is one thing. To stay stuck in being afraid is not a good thing.)

“God wants to give you the kingdom.” Hmmm.

We don’t know a lot about kingdoms anymore. Maybe if Jesus were telling this story to us today he would say, “God wants you to be a part of God’s cosmos. God is in the center of all that God has created and each of us is invited in.”

Here is what else Jesus is trying to help them understand. Pay attention to what is really important. Things that are important to you will hold your attention.

Pay attention. Great things can slip past you if you are not noticing. Be prepared. Stay alert. Jesus said, “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit.”

Questions:

Can anyone think of a time you were trying to explain something and the person you were talking to was having trouble getting it? (Explaining to a child that the new baby brother or sister has not replaced them; Explaining to a friend that you still like them but want to play with another friend, etc.)

Jesus said God wants to give us the kingdom. What do we think God wants us to do with the kingdom (the cosmos)? (Care for each other and the earth we live on. Get along with each other. Love each other, etc.)

What are some important things we do in our church? (How do we help people who need our help? How do we help people in our town? What do people who belong to our church do to help other people?)

What are some good things we might miss if we were not paying attention? (Someone who wants to be our friend? Someone who needs our help?)

Most of us do not carry lamps around with us. What do we think Jesus might say to us now? (Maybe take a break from your I-pod, have times when your cell phone is turned off, etc.)

Our Response: If your group is small, work together to produce a skit on this passage, setting it in your town, in today’s world. Then, act out the skit.

If your group is large, ask for volunteers to develop the skit while the rest of you make signs with slogans such as “BE Alert!”, or a “do not be afraid” sign using the familiar sign:

Game: What’s Missing?: Ask the group to file past the table, noticing all that is on it. Then tell them to go back to their chairs and close their eyes while you remove at least one item. Then, invite them to file past and see if they can figure out what is missing.

If time permits, and people are enjoying this game, ask them to again return to their seats, close their eyes, and you add a couple of items.

They then file past to see if they notice what is new.

Draw Our Church: Working in pairs, ask the group to “draw” the inside of your church – from memory. No peeking! It is not about artistic ability, but remembering. Example: what is behind the altar? How many windows do we have in our church, etc? When the group has finished, gather in the church and see what was accurately captured and what is missing.

Suggest that as people leave today, they see what they can notice on their way home that they might have missed before. What color are the street signs? What is growing in people’s yards? Etc.

Noticing Blessings: Invite people to choose new partners or stay with the partner they had before. One will scribe, or both can take notes. Think up and share with each other blessings in your lives. Maybe it is, “I caught a fish yesterday,” or “my tomato plant has ripe tomatoes on it.” When the groups have made lists, reconvene and ask for volunteers to share items from their lists. Someone can write all the blessings on a large Blessings List. You may need more than one sheet of paper!

What Are We Called To Do?: Ask for volunteers to describe places they are volunteering or places they are aware need volunteers.

Brainstorm with the group something you could do as a church community. It might be choosing to collect non-perishable food items for a food pantry. Perhaps the group would choose to collect coins to benefit one of the Millennium Development Goals. See: (www.e4gr.org or www.er-d.org).

Blessings To Go: Families can work together and single people can work in pairs to think up and then create Refrigerator Signs to take home. Some theme ideas to get the group started: “Notice Today’s Blessings” “Thank you, God” etc. Suggest people either post their signs on their refrigerators or another place they prefer.

Prayer Partners: Ask each person to write their name on a piece of paper, and if there is something they want prayed for, to list it. For example: Connor: pray for me as I learn to read this fall. Then either put all the pieces of paper in a basket and have people draw out a paper and commit to pray for the person named or suggest that people swap the pieces so each person leaves with the name of another person to pray for this fall.

Closing Prayer: “Thank you, God, for all the blessings we have noticed and for the new ones we will discover in the week ahead. Amen.”