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: A Plateful of Prayers
Supplies: paper plates, a variety of colors of tissue paper or construction paper, glue Give each family a sheet of tissue/construction paper. When everyone has a piece, talk about how sometimes giving God things that are hard for us feels really good. Ask each person to think of something that is challenging them, or that they need to repent from, and then to tear up their pieces of paper. Put all of the paper in a pile in the middle of the table.
Shift the conversation about how prayer can help us connect to God and put things back together in a new way. Working with the glue and the colorful paper, create a design on the plate from the torn up scraps of paper. Share your creations with each other and then display them somewhere you can see them.
Story Time: God's Story - Prayer
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1. What is something that we could praise God for?
2. What is something that we need to ask for forgiveness?
3. What would you like to ask God for help with?
4. How do you get quiet and listen to what God is trying to tell you?
Dinner Time: Seeing God
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 -
Day by day, Dear Lord, three things I pray: to see thee more clearly, love you more dearly, follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen
Questions:
1. Where do you see God?
2. How do you show you love God?
3. How do you follow Jesus?
4. How does it feel to know how much God loves you?
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.
John 17:1-11 (God’s Word, My Voice)
I know my time has come. Give me your glory so that I may show your glory to everyone who sees me. I ache to give these people eternal life -- that means knowing you deeply. I’m done now with the work you gave me. I’ve made your name known, and people know that you and I have been working together. Take me again to yourself. And when I leave them soon, I ask you to please, please protect them. Help them work together just as you and I work together.
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: