Hosted by the Faith To Go team in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, David Tremaine and Charlette Preslar, and joined the each week by a special guest, the Faith To Go Podcast highlights themes from the Sunday Gospel reading for you to take into your faith discussions and reflections throughout the week.
Activity Time: Baptism Shells
Supplies: shells, permanent markers, string, hot glue gun.
Shells are often considered a symbol of baptism. Many people were baptized as infants, and don’t have actual memories of the event, but we can think about how being baptized makes us feel. Have a family conversation about what it means to be baptized, and how it makes us feel to know that we belong to God. Give each member of the family a shell, have them color it to represent their feelings. Cut a piece of string long enough to be a necklace and attach it to the shell with a glue gun (a parent should do this part). Wear them as a visible reminder of God’s love for us.
Story Time: The Baptism of Jesus
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1. How are people baptized at our church?
2. How was Jesus baptized?
3. Why do you think they are different?
Dinner Time: Happy and Sad
Below is a prayer with which to start your meal and then discussion questions to explore this week’s topic with your family while you eat.
Prayer -
Round this table, here to pray
First we thank you for the day
For our family and our friends
Gifts of grace that heaven lends
Living water, daily bread
Countless blessings our God sends
Thank you, Jesus, for them all
For the great ones and the small
When we're happy, when we're sad
On the good days and the bad
We are grateful, we are glad
Amen.
- Mary Fairchild
Questions:
1. What are blessings?
2. What are some of yours?
3. Can you think of something that is a really small blessing? a really big one?
4. What do you do when you are sad? Do you ever think about your blessings?
Bedtime: Reflections for Children at the End of the Day
During your bedtime routine, invite your children into a time of reflection about their day, maybe by saying, "Did you know that God really wants to know what happened in your day today, and that God is always listening whenever you need to tell God something?" Then continue with these questions:
1) What are some things that happened today that you want to tell God about?
2) What is one happy thing that happened today? What is one sad thing that happened today?
3) Did you see God or feel God with you when those things were happening? Where did you see or feel God when those things happened today?
4) Read to your children this week’s scripture selection, then ask the questions that follows.
Matthew 3:13-17 (God’s Word, My Voice)
Jesus came to John at the Jordan River to be baptized by him. John thought this was a ridiculous idea. He said, “But Jesus, I should be baptized by you, not the other way around!” Jesus said, “Let’s do this because that’s what I should do to follow God’s law.”
“Well, okay then,” said John.
After Jesus was baptized, when he was coming up out of the water, suddenly, the sky opened and he saw God’s Spirit fly out of the clouds like a dove and rest on him. Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my own son whom I love very much, and who pleases me to no end.”
Did the story remind you of anything that happened in your day today?
5) What are some things that you want to tell God that you are grateful for today?
Share some of your conversations in the comments below:
Comments