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: Work it Out
Supplies: Paper, pencil or pen, scissors
Make a list of possible conflicts children might encounter at home, school, activities. Pick 10 of the items and write them on the paper (spread out). Cut into strips or squares.
Put all of the strips in a container. Break into partners and then have a team pull a slip out of the container. They get one minute to brainstorm, and then they need to act out the conflict on the paper. (note: they do not have to resolve the conflict, just act it out)
Have everyone talk about what they saw, identify the cause of the conflict, and then come up with ways to solve it. After the discussion, the team can have one more minute to come up with a way to act out the conflict and the resolution they decided on. Then they share it with the group. Repeat the process with additional teams.
Story Time: Conflict
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you know what the word CONFLICT means?
2. Have you ever had a conflict?
3. How did you handle it?
4. What are some things that make solving a conflict hard?
5. Lets see if we can come up with a strategy for when we have conflicts.
6. What should you do if you can’t resolve a conflict yourself?
Dinner Time: Big Feelings
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 -
God, please give us hearts filled with patience and calm. Guide us when we are in conflict with each other. Help us to see each other as you see us, to listen to each other to hear how we are feeling, to respond with compassion. Bless us with Your peace, which passes all understanding. Amen.
Questions:
1. In this week’s story, what was Jesus talking to the disciples about?
2. What do you think about what Jesus said about conflict?
3. Do you think that is easy or hard to do? Why?
4. When you think about talking to someone with whom you have a conflict, how do you feel?
5. What helps you listen when someone comes to you about something you did that made them feel bad?
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 18:15-20 (God’s Word, My Voice)
If you have a problem with another member of the church, talk to them about it when the two of you are alone. If that person listens to you, that’s great; if they don’t listen, find one or two other people to go with you to talk, so you have witnesses. If the other person still refuses to listen, let the church know. And if even that doesn’t work, just let them go.
God will honor what you do here on earth if you do it in Jesus’ name, like putting things together or taking them apart. If you ask for something, God will do it for you. Know that whenever two or three of you are together in my name, I will be right there with you.
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: