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: Do What I Say, Not What I Do
Supplies: just yourselves
This is a full body activity, so best to play it standing in a circle. The first person starts by saying something they are doing, but making no motions. for example, “I am fishing”. The person to their right has to do that motion, but then says they are doing something else.
For example: their body is making the motion of casting a fishing pole and they say, “I am dancing like a ballerina.” Keep going around the circle with each person doing the motion said by the person before them and then saying they are doing something else until you get back to the first person so that they have a motion too. Each person should be doing their motion continuously.
Challenge: instead of going around the circle, you could call one person’s name to transfer the motion. This will up the challenge of trying to keep track of who is supposed to be doing which motion.
Story Time: The Parable of the Two Sons
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1. What did the father want the sons to do in the story?
2. What did the first son say?
3. What did he do?
4. What did the second son say?
5. What did he do?
6. Which son do you think did the right thing?
Dinner Time: Doing What We Say
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, please help us to keep our word to each other and to You. Remind us that our words are important, and we should choose words that reflect what is in our hearts. Help us to say we are sorry when we make a mistake and try to do better the next time. Amen
Questions:
1. If you tell me that you will pick up your toys, is it important that you do?
2. How would I feel if you didn’t do it?
3. How would you feel if you didn’t do it?
4. What happens when you make a mistake? (say sorry)
5. After you say you are sorry, what should you do? (try to do it differently the next time)
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 21:23-32 (God’s Word, My Voice)
When Jesus entered the temple, the priests came while he was teaching and said, “Who gave you the authority to do what you’re doing?” Jesus said, “Let me ask you this question. If you know the answer, then I’ll answer your question. Did the baptism that John the Baptist did come from heaven or did he do that all by himself?” They argued with each other. “If we say ‘from heaven,’ then he’ll say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘of human origin,’ we’ll be in trouble with the people because they believed John was a prophet.” So they said, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Then I’m not going to tell you by what authority I do what I do.
“What do you think about this? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ The son said, ‘No, I don’t want to go.’ But later he changed his mind and went to work. The father told the second son to go to work in the vineyard. That son said, ‘Sure, I’ll go,’ but then he didn’t. So which of the two did what the father wanted?”
They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the sinners are closer to the kingdom of God than you are. John the Baptist came to you and you did not believe him, but people you call sinners believed him. Even when you saw how they were changed, you didn’t bother changing your minds to believe.”
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: