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: Grow in Faith
Supplies: colored construction paper, pencils, scissors, glue
On different colored pieces of paper, draw leaves, a stalk, and petals for a plant. Talk as a family about all of the things you need to grow in faith. Glue the stalk on a piece of paper and write the word FAITH on it. Name other things that you need to grow your faith. Write them on the leaves and the petals and glue them onto your plant.
Story Time: Mistakes
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1. I wonder if you have ever made a mistake? What happened?
2. Were there consequences to your mistake?
3. How did you feel when you made the mistake?
4. Did you learn anything from it?
5. How do you feel about it now?
Dinner Time: What We Need To Grow
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 -
Holy God, thank you for always being there for us. It is so comforting to know that we can lean on You when we are feeling weak or overwhelmed. Remind us that even when we make mistakes, that You are there with us. Help us to say we are sorry and to move forward. Amen
Questions:
1. What do plants need to grow?
2. What happens if they don’t get enough of one of those things?
3. Who is responsible for making sure the plants are taken care of?
4. What happens if they make a mistake?
5. I wonder what would happen if they made a mistake on purpose?
6. Would you still call it a mistake if it was done on purpose?
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 21:33-46 (God’s Word, My Voice)
Jesus said: Here’s another story for you.
A landowner planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, and made a wine press and watchtower. He left the country and leased the vineyard to people while he was gone. When it came time, he sent his people to collect the results of the harvest. But the tenants beat up one of his people and killed and stoned the others. So the landowner sent more servants, and they treated them the same way. Finally he decided to send his own son, thinking, “They’ll have more respect for my son.” When the son came to the vineyard, the tenants thought to themselves, “He’s the heir to this whole operation. Let’s kill him and get his inheritance.” And they killed him.
Jesus then asked, “When the owner himself comes, what do you think he should do to those tenants?” They replied, “We think he should put those miserable crooks to death and lease the vineyard to others who will produce the harvest he expected.”
Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in the scriptures: ’The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? I’m telling you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to those that actually produce fruits of the kingdom. You’d better watch out.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard the stories he was telling, they realized that Jesus was talking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds of people who believed Jesus was a prophet.
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: