Hosted each week by the Faith To Go team in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, David Tremaine, Maya Little-Sana and Charlette Preslar, the Faith To Go Podcast highlight themes from the Sunday Gospel reading for you to take into your faith discussions and reflections throughout the week.
Activity Time: Notes of Gratitude
Supplies: paper, crayons, markers, etc.
Normally, we write thank you notes when we get presents. What about if we wrote notes to people who have made our lives better? Would it be your teacher at school, the mailman who brings letters from grandparents, your neighbor who always lets you pet their dog, or maybe the coach of your soccer team?
Take a few minutes to talk about what it is that person does that makes you feel grateful?
Write a note, or draw a picture to say thank you. Drop it off the next time you see them!
Story Time: Gratitude to Happiness
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1) What do you think gratitude means?
2) Why would we need to practice it?
3) Can you think of 4 simple things you are grateful for today?
4) Can you think of one thing that feels big and important that you are grateful for today?
5) Is it easy or hard to think of things you are grateful for? Why?
Dinner Time: The Experience of Thank You
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 this day! Thank You for the birds and the animals, the flowers and the trees, the lakes and the oceans, and the sun that rises and sets over them each day. Thank You for creating everything we see! Thank You for the life we live, and for making each person different. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Questions:
1) When was a time that someone did something nice for you that you didn’t expect?
2) How did that feel? Did you say thank you?
3) When was a time that you did something nice for someone just because?
4) How did that feel? Did they say thank you?
5) Does it feel different when someone says thank you, even if you didn’t expect them
to? How?
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.
Luke 17:11-19 (God’s Word My Voice)
On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus walked into a village. Ten people who had a horrible ugly skin disease walked his way. They didn’t come close to Jesus though, because they didn’t want him to catch their disease. So they shouted to him, “Jesus, have mercy on us. Look, this disease is eating us alive!”
Jesus yelled back, “Go check in with your priests like you’re supposed to and see what they have to say.” (That’s what you were supposed to do so the priest could see that you were healed and ready to be around people again.) So they went, and sure enough, they were healed and the priests said they were okay again.
One of them, seeing that his skin was clear and knowing it didn’t hurt anymore, turned around before he went to the priests and ran to Jesus’ feet and threw himself on the ground in front of Jesus. “THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I can’t thank you enough, Jesus.” This man was from Samaria, meaning he wasn’t like the others. “Wait a minute,” Jesus said. “Weren’t ten of you cured? Where’s everyone else? I mean, REALLY, you’re the only one who could be bothered to thank God that he’s cured? And you’re not even one of God’s special ones.”
Jesus knelt down and helped the man to his feet. “Go,” Jesus said. “Have a good life. Your body is healed and your faith has made you strong and whole again.”
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: