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: Plant Press
Supplies: Natural colored or white clay, rolling pin, paints (optional)
Go on a nature walk, either in your yard or someplace else. Cut a few interesting leaves and flowers. Make sure you don’t cut neighbors flowers without permission! Roll small balls of clay, about 1 inch in diameter. Flatten the balls with the palm of your hand. Place a leaf or flower on each disc of clay.
Gently roll with a rolling pin to press the leaf into the clay. Allow to dry completely (follow instructions for air drying on package) When dry, gently peel the leaves from the clay.
Optional: You can use paint to fill in the outline where the leaves were in the clay.
Story Time: How To Properly Pull Weeds From Your Yard
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you like to help in the yard?
2. Have you ever pulled a weed?
3. Do you pull it from the top or from the bottom?
4. Why do we need to pull from the bottom?
Dinner Time: Making Mistakes
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 -
Dear God, thank you for giving us Jesus. Help us to grow more like him everyday. When we make mistakes, help us to say we are sorry and not to make the same ones again. Help us to learn and grow to be the best version of ourselves that we can be. Amen
Questions:
1. What is Jesus like?
2. How are you like Jesus?
3. What happens when you make mistakes?
4. How do we say we are sorry?
5. Is there something else we need to do after we apologize? (ask how we can make it better)
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 13:24-30. 36-43 (God’s Word, My Voice)
Jesus told the crowd another story:
God’s kingdom is like someone who planted good seeds in his field. While everyone was sleeping, someone came and planted weeds in the wheat and snuck off. When the plants grew, the weeds grew as well. The workers came to the owner of the field and said, “We thought you planted good seeds. Where did all these weeds come from?”
“It must be my enemy who did this,” he said. The workers asked if he wanted them to pull out the weeds. The owner said, “No, because if you pull the weeds up, the wheat would get pulled up too, and it’s not ready. Just let them both grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll have you collect the weeds to be burned, and gather the wheat into the barn.”
Jesus left the crowds wondering what that meant, and went into the house.His disciples caught up with him and asked him to explain what he was talking about.
Here’s what he said:
The one who planted the good seeds is the Son of Man. The field is the world and the good seeds are the children of God’s kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one who planted them. The harvest will come at the end of the age, when the angels gather up the crop. At the end, the angels will gather up the evil and throw it into the fire. And the harvest of the children of the kingdom will shine like the sun. Better pay attention to what I’m saying!
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: