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I’ve discerned the encouragement of colleagues, peers, mentors, and friends to pursue this position as the “still small voice” of God.  One of the strengths of our denomination is the intentional balancing of autonomy and community.  When I refer to the “community of faith,” the ideal I embrace is that we are friends, colleagues, and neighbors on a journey in faith who are accountable to each other, learn from each other, practice acceptance, and give voice to the good news of God we have experienced in Jesus, whom we call Christ.  

My experience as an Associate Regional Minister (Pastor) has influenced me. I’ve served in Oklahoma for fourteen (fifteen now) years and on the Kentucky Regional staff for nine years.  My portfolio in both Regions, as well as my time in congregational ministry, has focused on ministry with Children, Youth, Young Adults, Church Camp, and Christian Education.  My time in ordained ministry is characterized as a generalist with a specific set of skills and focus.  Continuing education has increased my skill set and competency in other areas in service to the Church.  Assisting congregations and ministers in the Search and Call process has been humbling and instructive.  It has helped me appreciate this vital role of the Region.  Offering pastoral care and support affirms the need to create space for community among ministers, laity, youth workers, and our congregations.  I’ve managed budgets, staff, volunteers, and pulled both Regions toward incorporating technology in telling congregational stories and, thus, the Region’s and denomination’s story.

Oklahoma Disciples, I’m thankful you and your congregation participate in the covenant we share as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma with your time, talents, gifts for ministry, vision, and financial support.  You will hear me say this or read this often: there is ministry to do and gospel to be in your community that only you and your congregation can do and only you and your congregation can be.  That is true for our Region and this covenant we share. 

Disciples, you are a blessing.

There’s a gathering of spirits
There’s a festival of friends
And we’ll take up where we left off
When we all meet again.

Carrie Newcomer, “A Gathering of Spirits.” 2002.

Hello, Oklahoma Disciples.  I trust you are well.  Our Exec. Committee and Regional Board offer me a “Regional Minister’s Moment” at the meetings.  An edited version of my August words are below.  My September calendar is at the end of this post.

Each morning, I receive a pithy thought from a marketing guy named Seth Godin.  He’s been in the business a long, long time.  On August 6th, I received this thought.

The index is the search bar, the random access to the facts we can look up.
The table of contents, though, that’s a point of view. It’s a taxonomy of how to understand a complicated idea.
It’s the skeleton of the narrative and the pedagogy for learning.
We’re at risk of becoming all index.
The world could probably benefit from your table of contents.

If we imagine the Region as a little book, the title would be: Oklahoma Disciples Love and Serve Like Jesus.  The table of contents: Connect, Equip, Empower.  The index is full of lessons.  There are more chapters to write about the relationships, mission, and ministry of our congregations and the Region as we live into a future that we trust to God’s knowledge and care, who in kind, trusts us with the message and ways of Jesus in our fragmented world.  It won’t be easy, but the one we claim as Christ never said it would be.  We won’t always get it right, but Jesus never said we would.

It’s been a busy first month as I’ve learned the back-of-the-house functions and processes that the Regional Minister manages.  I’ve met with the Exec Committee, the Comm on Clergy Chair, the Regional Board, three congregations and their leaders imagining their future, and four of our five area minister groups.  I attended my first Regional Ministers Zoom, where I met new colleagues, some I’ve known along the way, and many I’ll get to know and benefit from their experience and faith.  Our General Minister and President, Rev. Terri Hord Owens, sends her “Hello and blessings.” to Oklahoma disciples.

All the things that I’ve observed over the years as an Associate when a new Regional Minister is called are happening.  Phone calls, emails, and mail from congregations, clergy, and the General church, oh my.  They are:

• Words of support and congratulations.
• Some are in personal or congregational distress and need to be heard, or are seeking prayer.
• Some are just curious if the new person will respond and how quickly.
• Invitations to fill the pulpit, to speak at a fellowship meal, visit the elders, or attend the next search committee meeting.

My time as Regional Minister begins with celebrations representing our congregations, denomination, and Christianity.  On August 24th, the Church celebrated the ordination of Patrick McKenzie into Christian ministry at New Vessels Christian Church in Oklahoma City.

There are three installations this fall.

• September 14th, First Christian Church in Pond Creek celebrates Rev. Diane Morgan. 
• September 28th, Southern Hills Christian Church in Edmond celebrates Rev. John Bain.
• October 12th, First Christian Church in Moore celebrates Rev. Matthew Ricks. 

Four congregations have ministry anniversaries that we know of this fall.

• I’ll worship with First Christian Church in El Reno on Sept 7th for their 135th anniversary of ministry.
• Waukomis Christian Church celebrates 128 years of ministry on Sept 21st.
• I’ll offer words of welcome and encouragement at In the Spirit Christian Church in Tulsa on October 5th for their 17th anniversary of ministry.
• I’ll worship with First Christian Church in Tahlequah on October 19th for their 110th anniversary of ministry.

Celebrations.  Did you see all the stories of ministry from this summer in the August Regional Roundup?  If not, subscribe today.  Some small changes are on the horizon for the Regional Roundup beginning in October.

The evening of October 5th, I’ll represent the Region at the inauguration of Rev. Dr. Douglas Powe as President of Phillips Theological Seminary.

The Oklahoma Disciples Foundation will celebrate 60 years of serving Oklahoma congregations on November 14th, and celebrate Rev. Kyle Maxwell for his years of service to the foundation and the Church.  I look forward to attending, celebrating ODF’s work, and the ministry Rev. Maxwell. Equipping is an investment.  The Oklahoma Disciples Foundation assists congregations and the Region with financial tools and endowment blessings from a cloud of witnesses committed to doing ministry and being gospel.

Equipping is an investment.  That’s what the Comm for Children, Youth, and Young Adults does through summer camp, retreats, and the Regional Youth Council.  The Comm on Laity is experimenting with digital continuing education this fall that will be offered “free of charge.” Learnings from this first step into digital continuing education will help plot a course for the Commission and for an Associate Regional Minister who will serve alongside the Commission on Laity and the CYYA to vision, create, and support intergenerational Christian education, life-long learning, and fellowship that empowers people to think, collaborate, dialogue, and act as followers of Jesus within the community of faith and as individuals beyond the walls or boundaries of the church.  This is a missional ministry.

All of this and more, from the priorities of our budget to our care for our neighbor, congregations, and clergy could/can empower disciples to love and serve like Jesus, because followers of Jesus do Jesus like things.  In our different contexts, I think that’s how we will recognize and measure goodness, mercy, and faithfulness, by what “we embrace, what we create, and who we include.” [Chocolat, (Miramax Films) 2000.]  

I trust that God will continue to bless us with gospel to be and ministry to do in our congregations and through this covenant we claim and share: the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma.  Thank you for reading.

Disciples, you are a blessing.

Hello, Oklahoma Disciples.  I trust you are well today.  I’m thankful you and your congregation participate in the covenant we share as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma with your time, talents, gifts for ministry, vision, and financial support.

It has been 26 days since I began as Regional Minister. Some people have asked how it is going. As I told the Regional Board during our meeting on August 16th, I am experiencing the same challenges and grace that new regional ministers typically encounter. In many ways, it has been a normal beginning.  My experience as an Associate Regional Minister provided excellent on-the-job training for this new role in the life of the church.

At the start of the search process for a local minister or regional minister, the search committee asks each candidate the same set of questions. During the fall, I will publish my answers to the initial questions to give you a glimpse of my experience and help you get to know me better as we chart a course for the future of what the region can be, probably will be, with help and prayers from you, our congregations, and our clergy.

You will hear me say this often: there is ministry to do and gospel to be in your community that only you and your congregation can do and only you and your congregation can be.  That is true for our Region and this covenant we share.  Disciples, you are a blessing.

What is the role of the Region in helping the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) fulfill its Mission?

When a Region connects people, engages culture in service and dialogue, offers quality education, and challenges congregations and ministers to be good news in their context, it is witnessing to the way of Jesus and encouraging persons to claim his way and his faith in God within the diversity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  It’s welcoming as we were welcomed, which we trust can lead to an experience of wholeness in our fragmented world and, maybe, help bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice.(1)  The Region embraces covenant community, collaboration, and servant leadership.  In my experience, the Region’s role broadly includes:

• Pastoral presence for clergy.
• Interpreter between congregations, Regional ministries, and General Church ministries.
• Nurturer and gatekeeper of the Order of Ministry through the Commission on Clergy.
• Missional Ministry with children, youth, and adults.
• Spiritual Direction
• Content Curator or Creator
• Coordinator (project manager)
• Fundraiser
• Advocate
• Counselor
• Mediator
• Archivist

When a Region is engaged in these things, it is beginning to fulfill it’s role in the ministry and mission of our expression of faith, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Note
1. The phrase, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” was used by Martin Luther King Jr. in several speeches.  It is a paraphrase of a thought by the abolitionist Theodore Parker (1810-1860). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Parker

At our Called Regional Assembly, June 28, 2025, I was invited by the Search Committee and Board to offer a word before the business meeting.  Below is the text of my words.

Hello, Oklahoma Disciples.  It’s good to see you again.

Have you heard the saying, “That wasn’t on my bingo card.” Well, becoming the Regional Minister was not on mine.  I’ve been the youth guy, the camp guy, and a consigliere.  Through the encouragement of colleagues, friends, and people I’ve met along my journey in faith, blended with prayer and silence, I’ve listened and discerned a call to serve.

As an Associate Regional Minister in two different regions, I’ve learned that no matter which bingo card you’re playing or how many, the free space says, “Disciples, you are a blessing.”  When I think back over the years, a few words bubble up that describe what I’ve witnessed and what I’ve experienced about us:
Believe. Inspire. Generous. Nuance. Open-Minded.

From May to December in 1831, Alexander Campbell, one of the founders of our little movement, wrote in The Millennial Harbenger on the theme of cooperation among congregations.  His words, “A church can do what an individual disciple cannot, and so can a district of churches do what a single congregation cannot.”(1)

The world is different from what it was then, but I want to believe Campbell’s words are true today.  We are stronger together.  We need one another for this unique call to connect, equip, and empower Disciples to love and serve like Jesus in our fragmented world.

Randy Kuss, thank you for serving as our Interim Regional Minister.
Susan and members of the search committee, thank you for your work and service.
Madam Moderator, Executive Committee, and Regional Board, thank you for your work and service.

Siblings in faith, thank you for gathering today, both here and in the digital sanctuary via Zoom and YouTube.   Thank you for being a voice of gospel from your corner of Oklahoma into the world.  Look at the person sitting next to you. Turn and look at the people in front and behind you. If you are on Zoom today, look at the people in the squares on the screen next to yours.  If you are participating via YouTube, look closely and pick out someone you recognize.  I am grateful and we are grateful for how you live out the covenant of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma—through your participation, including your time, talents, and financial support.  Your voice is part of a chorus that echoes the mystery of gospel in our time through this ministry covenant we claim and we share.

Jesus of Nazareth met people where they were:
the poor and the rich,
the powerful and the powerless,
the healthy and sick,
the in-group, the outcast, the uncertain, or unaffiliated.
Jesus summarized his understanding of his faith and offered it as a teaching that his followers embraced as commandments.
“Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” And, “love your neighbor as yourself.”(2)

That’s a mysterious gospel to which all followers of Jesus are ambassadors, inspiring neighbors through our service, and inviting them to a life of discipleship and faith in Jesus as Christ.  That’s one of the implicit messages at church camp because your age doesn’t matter.

Disciples remember that God’s grace and peace are not abstract concepts. God’s grace, peace, and God’s very image are present in this world through your faith and your actions. Your individual choices and collective efforts as a congregation have the power to transform the world around you, even if it is just for a moment, and I still believe a moment might be, can be enough.
It’s the way you tend to your neighbors.
It’s the way you tend to one another.
It’s the way you tend to your pastor.
Sometimes, you can sense it.
Sometimes, you can see it.

Usually, you don’t know how kindness, grace, or a supportive word or action can alter the trajectory of a person’s day, week, or their life.  And, it may take some time to realize how that moment affected you.

If called as Oklahoma’s Regional minister, I’ll continue to walk alongside you and your congregation.  I’ll do my best to connect you with Disciples who are doing what I call radically ordinary things: like feeding people—through volunteering or partnering with a food bank, providing a weekly or monthly meal in their building, distributing backpacks of food or school supplies for kids, or stocking non-perishable items in a blessing box on their property.

Last year, one of our congregations used part of a gift from an estate to buy medical debt in their county and forgive it.(3)

Radically ordinary things.  

Like speaking up and acting on behalf of the outcast, the vulnerable, and the marginalized. Like mission trips—to lend a hand, to learn, or simply to be present. Like welcoming as you’ve been welcomed at the table.

Radically ordinary things.  It’s that old old saying attributed to several people, “Preach the gospel at all times.  When necessary, use words.”

There was a time when we wouldn’t have considered any of that radical. We would have just called it being the church.  Similar to a church camp experience, being the church involves a blend of play (fellowship), prayer, study, worship, and service.  It’s the invitation to a journey in faith.  It happens in covenant within your congregation, the Region, and the General Church. 

Community and consistency aren’t easy.  You have to want it and work for it.  That’s why I think that, regardless of how people articulate their faith in Jesus as Christ and their faith in God, the standard is that followers of Jesus do Jesus-like things.  That’s happening in our congregations all around Oklahoma.  We trust in God that it is happening in and through our denomination.

Followers of Jesus do Jesus-like things.  That’s our reminder, our mirror, and our evaluation tool for times like these to manage the essentials of unity, the liberty of non-essentials, and the charity; perhaps ‘grace’ or ‘graciousness’ are better words for what we extend to our neighbors and one another.  That consistency isn’t easy.  The one we claim as Christ never promised it would be.  We won’t always get it right, but Jesus never said we would.  He asked us to love one another and set for us an example.  On this side of eternity, the rest is up to us with the help of God.

Rev. Dr Peter Gomes said it like this at our 2003 General Assembly in Charlotte:

Maybe what it means to be a disciple of Christ is to be reasonable in an unreasonable world.
To be faithful in a faithless world.
To be loving in a hateful world.
To be peace-like in a war-filled world.
Maybe that’s what Paul means when he says this is our reasonable service. To be living sacrifices in a world where nobody is prepared to give up anything for anybody.(4)

We can worry ourselves about being the best-kept secret in town, in the State, in Christendom, or how to hang on.  Or we can decide what kind of ancestors(5) we want to be right now and go be them.(6)  There is ministry to do and gospel to be that only we can do and only we can be in our communities, in our Region, and through the denomination.  I’ve seen it.  I’ve experienced it.  My guess is you have too.

I’m humbled and energized by the opportunity to serve as Regional Minister.  I’m curious about what the future holds for our little movement.  To borrow from the late Pope Francis, “I’ll pray for you.  I ask you to pray for me.”

Disciples, you are a blessing.

Notes
1. Lester G. McAllister and William E. Tucker, Journey in Faith (St. Louis: CBP, 1989), 169. Quote taken from The Millennial Harbenger, 1831, p. 237.

2. Matthew 22:37-39

3. First Christian Church in Claremore worked with Undue Medical Debt (https://unduemedicaldebt.org) to purchase medical debt in Rogers Co. and forgave it for pennies on the dollar.)

4. Rev. Dr. Peter Gomes, speaking to the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Charlotte, NC., October 17-21, 2003.Listen to Dr. Gomes’ complete keynote here.

5. “What kind of ancestors?”  During the 2023 Northeast Area Clergy Retreat, Rev. Cameron Trimble asked the gathering to imagine the world in fifty years.  She asked, “Where does the church fit in that world? What will the church (Christianity) be like in fifty years?”  After some discussion, she asked, “What kind of ancestors do we need to be now for that church (Christianity) to exist?

6. A phrase adapted from The Avett Brothers’ song, “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise.” It appears on their album I and Love and You (2009).  The original lyric, “Decide what to be and go be it.”

Do you remember the first sunrise service or Easter Sunday service you attended as a child?  Can you recall what you saw and heard or the people present?  Do you remember the sunrise service or Easter Sunday service you attended when it was meaningful for you for the first time?  Were you baptized on Easter Sunday? 

Several options for the children’s sermon on Easter Sunday stand apart from the biblical text.  One could choose to talk with the children about what is different in the sanctuary that day (flowers, colors, banners, music, other?) and how that enhances the celebration of Easter.  Is there a particular image that is everywhere in your sanctuary that could be the content of the children’s sermon?

Another option, if there are baptisms on Easter, is to invite the children to come close to the baptistry and to talk with the children about the people who are making a confession of faith and getting baptized that morning.  Scoop out some of the water and let the children put their hands in it.  Whatever your baptism ritual (believer’s or infant), you could talk with the children about what baptism means for your congregation and for Christian faith.

One could close the children’s sermon by asking the children to either touch the container of water (or the water itself) and saying a prayer of blessing for the water and those being baptized that day.  Then, put the water back into the baptistry.

If you choose to begin Holy Week by explaining to the children what your congregation will be remembering this week, be sure to return to this on Easter Sunday as you note the empty tomb and complete the calendar for the children.

As you approach the remembrance of Holy Week, how has God’s love endured in your life?

Acts 10:34-43

• One way to approach the children’s Easter sermon is by telling your story of faith or how you understand Jesus.  This would be an interesting model, as you share a brief bit of this story from Acts with the children.  You might even ask the children, “Today, we remember that Jesus is alive again.  What do you think that means, or (if you have an older group) what does that mean to you?  It falls to all of us, children and adults alike, to talk about our experience of God and of Jesus when asked.  No matter who asks, we are challenged to speak authentically as Peter did.
• This is an opportunity to talk with the children about the theological claim that God shows no partiality between people.  God does not “play favorites” might be a better way to explain the claim to the children.  God wishes for all of us to experience God’s love.  On Easter, we remember that, for many Christians, God’s love is expressed through living the way. 

John 20:1-18

• The children will know why you are in church today and why there are so many in worship, as well.  If asked, “What is today?” they will surely answer, “Easter.”  You may ask, “And what do we remember today?”  You will hear various answers that will demonstrate what is happening in your Sunday school program, in the children’s homes, and how much the children listen during worship.  You will hear different versions of “Jesus is raised from the dead.”  This is an opportunity for you (or another adult) to share your story of encountering Jesus and then share the story about Mary Magdalene talking with Jesus on Easter morning.
• This is also an opportunity to connect the Holy Week events for the children.  Consider gathering the children around the communion table.  Remind them to touch the table, or you could ask them to touch things on the table.  Let’s remember our table manners.  One could talk about what the congregation did on Maundy Thursday and how, each time we celebrate communion (the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist, depending on your tradition), we celebrate Easter by remembering Jesus.
• Consider making the children’s sermon the gospel reading for the day.  Ask the children to help you tell the Easter story to the congregation. This is an opportunity to test what the children know of the Easter story.  You will need to fill in the blanks as you go along.  What a great moment this would be.  Children telling the Easter story among the decorations in the sanctuary.  Keep it moving and build the story from the children’s knowledge.
• This is an opportunity to highlight Mary Magdalene’s importance in the Easter story. Had it not been for her willingness to go and tell what she had seen and whom she had met, how would Jesus’ story have been different? The children could learn from her example.

Look back at your personal thoughts and planning for Lent.  

What did you learn or experience during Lent that was . .

surprising,

comforting, or

challenging?

The journey of Holy Week can be busy in the life of a congregation.  Some choose to offer worship every evening or have the sanctuary or chapel open for prayer each day.  Due to busy family lifestyles and the mobility of those working or retired, some congregations focus on one or more of the traditional days of remembrance: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.   The Lectionary chooses Psalm 118 as a common text for
Palm Sunday and Easter each year.

“O give thanks to the LORD, for the Lord is good;
the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever!”

What is your earliest Easter memory?

As you approach the remembrance of Holy Week, how has God’s love endured in your life?

Psalm 118

• The children probably have heard bits and pieces of this psalm during their lives as part of the call to worship, in prayers, and hymns. One might consider highlighting verses used from this psalm and talk with the children about how your congregation reads or prays the psalms as part of worship.
• One might introduce the children to the Hebrew word, hesed (see below), and talk with them about what it means.  As the adult leader, you might talk about how you have experienced God’s hesed or have a member or two of the youth group (or some adults in the congregation) ready to briefly say how they have experienced God’s hesed.
• Create a “God’s hesed” banner that the children could draw or write on while you talk with them about God’s love for humanity.
• If you created an “Images of God” poster to use with the children, this would be another opportunity to bring it out and add images of God that reflect the concept of hesed to the list.  For example, you might use Hosea’s image of God as a mother bear.

This Hebrew word, hesed, is usually translated as “steadfast love” and is primarily used in the Hebrew Bible to describe God’s attitude toward humanity.  The typical English translation, though, does not quite express the depths of this kind of emotion.  This is a fierce and relentlessly protective love that God feels for humanity.  In the imagery of Hosea, God’s love is like that of a mother bear robbed of her cubs (Hos 13:8).  Rev. Dr. Lisa Davison

Luke 19: 28-40

• Many will retell the Palm Sunday story during the children’s sermon.  If you choose to do this, it would be helpful to talk with the children about the journey of Lent (the last 40 days) and how we have followed Jesus to this moment when he enters Jerusalem.  Today, we remember that, after a long journey, Jesus and the disciples go into Jerusalem.  If you have an older group on the sacred steps, you could talk with the children about Jesus’ traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast, the day when Jewish people remember that God led their ancestors out of Egypt.  Passover helps Jewish people remember an essential part of their story.  Many things will happen this week, to Jesus and to the disciples, that help Christians remember something about our story and the faith of our ancestors.
• Why palm branches and coats? This is an opportunity to talk with the children about how the ancient world recognized leaders. The children have probably seen a parade as a celebration. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was a parade of sorts, as the peasants and his followers welcomed him as they would any important leader.

Psalm 126

• If you have the time in the service, you could create a “Rejoice Banner” with the children, while you tell them this psalm.  Get a large piece of butcher paper or whatever works in your congregation, markers, and crayons, and write these words across the top: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced” (v. 3).  Enlist the help of some of your high school youth to help the children.  Ask the children to draw or write words about the persons or things they rejoice in or are thankful to God.  To do this well, be prepared for a ten-minute children’s sermon.  Ask the youth to help you hang the banner in the sanctuary or take it to the narthex so the congregation can see it.
• Another way to teach this psalm is to use a story from your congregation’s history.  Was there a time when your congregation felt restored, and it was like a “dream”?  Was it moving into a new building, renovating a part of the building, or rebuilding the church?  Was there coverage by the local media, and did people say, “The Lord has done great things for them” (v. 2c)?
• Maybe your congregation helped build a habitat house, and that home helped bring laughter and joy.  Be creative with your present-day telling and remind the children that we have examples of rejoicing from Psalm 126.

Isaiah 43:16-21

• This is an opportunity to talk with the children about the word “exile,” which they may hear during worship or Sunday school from time to time. When a broader understanding of this word is applied, many people may be in exile today. Children experience “exile” through “being left out,” intentionally or unintentionally, at school, at play, in family life, and in congregational life.
• Does your congregation support a refugee ministry or help settle refugees in your state, town, or city?  These persons have fled their homelands for many reasons, but they can also help the children understand the word “exile”.  If you have a refugee family in your congregation, talk with them about joining you on the sacred steps and telling a bit of their story as a way of helping the children understand what this portion of Isaiah might mean for Christians today.
• Another option for this text could be to focus on the broader meaning of “return” or “reconciliation.”  When have the children helped someone be included at school, in their neighborhood, or at home?
• Because the lives of children are a constant “new thing,” this might be a good place to craft a children’s sermon.  Each week, when they come to the sacred steps, odds are they have experienced something new about God, but they may not have “perceived” it.  Their lives, energy, and questions are a new thing for your congregation each week.  This would be a daring question to start your time on the sacred steps, “What new thing about God did you see or learn this week?”
• If you have not taken the time to introduce the children to the prophet Isaiah of the Exile (represented by the words found in Isa 40-55), this is an opportunity to do so.  The Book of Isaiah is a favorite of those who practice the Christian faith.  A children’s sermon could be crafted that introduced Isaiah of the Exile as a character in the bible. You could create a short list of important details that will help the children understand a bit about who this prophet was, his/her (some think this prophet may have been a woman) importance in the First Testament, and in the story of Israel.  A creative way to do this is to think about creating a Facebook page, on paper or a PowerPoint slide, for Isaiah and sharing that with the children.  What would be on Isaiah of the Exile’s profile?

Philippians 3:4b-14

• One way to approach this text could be for the adult or a youth group member to talk with the children about their faith journey or show a faith map.  Paul recounts his journey in faith, and having someone in the present do the same could model for the children a way to talk about their own experiences with God.
• Another option would be to enter the theology of this text by talking with the children about the goal of being more Christ-like in our living.  Paul is working to help the Philippians struggle with these kinds of questions, and maybe this is a place to begin with the children as well.

John 12:1-8

• Talk with the children about the stories that all the gospels have in common.  Make a list, or create a word search, for the children to have.  Are these the most important stories?  That may not be the question to ask.  Another question could be, “Do these stories have a characteristic that makes them relevant to all the gospels, no matter the context?”  Do you have a favorite story that is in all the gospels?  You could share that and encourage the children to learn a story that is in all the gospels, like the one for today.  You could highlight the gospel reading for the day as a reference to talking about the stories that all the gospels have in common.
• If you desire to dip a toe into the perfume of the story with the children, focus on Mary and her recognition of who Jesus is for her.  This moment resembles Peter’s “aha moment” in Mark 8: 27-30.  What do the actions of Mary and Peter tell us about who Jesus was for them?  Can you or someone else in the congregation tell the children who Jesus is for you?  How do the children describe Jesus?  Listen to their responses to recognize that they may see something in Jesus that adults do not.

Psalm 32

• Introduce the children to the word “transgression” or “sin”.  Which word does your congregation use when saying the Lord’s Prayer (transgression, debt, or sin)?  Be prepared to give a definition of that word.  You could talk with the children about what it means to confess our “sins/transgressions/debts”.  Children will relate this to “fessing up” or admitting to having done something wrong or being caught breaking a rule.
• Ask the children to help you understand the “steadfast love” of God.  What do they think this means?  How can we, or how have the children, experienced God’s steadfast love?
• Is there a time in your life when you acknowledged the healing grace of God?  The psalmist tells of her/his experience.  How can you translate your experience for the children in a psalm of Thanksgiving?

Joshua 5:9-12

• God provided manna in the wilderness for the Israelites and safe passage into the Promise Land.  One could talk with the children about how God provides for people today.  How does God provide for the children?  For the Church?  For the Earth?  Are there ways that the children can help God provide for others?
• This is another opportunity to introduce the children to Joshua, as a character in the bible, and help them learn a few facts about him and his relationship to the story of the Israelite people.  Did you create a “Bible Character” list for the children?  If not, this would be a good time to start so that when you do introduce a new character, you can pull out the list to help the children remember who they have met in the biblical stories.  Today, you could add Joshua to the list.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

• Introduce the children to the word “reconciliation,” which is one of those “big church” words that children often hear.  Be ready to give them a simple, but not oversimplified, definition of reconciliation.  This is an opportunity to talk with the children about the different ways your congregation does the work of reconciliation.
• Has your congregation ever received a grant to support your reconciliation work?  In the Disciples of Christ tradition, congregations can apply for “reconciliation grants” to further their work of being communities of reconciliation.  If you received a grant, talk with the children about how that money helped your work or project.
• Talk with the children about reconciliation by telling stories about what you have witnessed the children doing that meet the definition of reconciliation.  This will help the children recognize what they are already doing and how they participate in your congregation’s mission of reconciliation.
• Many will talk with the children about being ambassadors for Christ.  If you choose to do this, I encourage you to give the children concrete ways they are representatives of Christ.  For example, a person is an ambassador of Christ by helping people make peace on the playground or standing up for someone being teased or bullied.

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

• You could talk to the children about how Jesus told parables.  You could introduce the word “parable” to the children and talk about what a parable is supposed to do.  You could highlight these parables in Luke and then talk about your favorite parables with the children.
• Children will understand the idea/feeling of being lost.  You may have your own story about being lost and found, as well as of searching for something or someone lost.  This is one way to approach these texts that invite the children to express feelings and consider that God seeks or looks for each one of us with the same urgency that they did when trying to find something that was lost.
• These texts lend themselves to another “images of God” children’s sermon.  If you created a chart or page listing all the images of God that you discover with the children from the bible stories, it is time to get that out.  If not, you might want to create one and begin with these parables.
• Another option would be to talk with the children about where we would find Jesus today.  Can they name the food bank, homeless shelter, emergency rooms, with those seeking work, with migrants, immigrants, refugees, or those suffering with illness?  If you have an older group, you might talk with the children about who is considered “untouchable” or outside the boundaries of grace or acceptance in our culture.

Sit in silence for 15 minutes.

Psalm 63:1-8

• One might talk with the children about being thirsty.  What is that like?  Is anyone thirsty right now?  Though I am not fond of object lessons, it might help children think about how God can be present in them by talking of God as the water that helps them when they are thirsty.  Bring some water to share at the end.
• You might take this opportunity to talk with the children about how the Psalms have inspired many hymns, secular songs, and art.  Spend some time with your hymnal and see how many of your congregation’s “favorite” hymns are based on a psalm.  You could talk to the children about that list.
• One could have the children help create a prayer based on this psalm. Do a simple word- game with the children to create a prayer.  Roll out some paper on the floor.  Ask the children to draw a picture or write a word they think of when they hear the phrases: “walk in your ways, praise you, follow you.”  Create your own words or phrases from Psalm 63.  Post the banner somewhere in the sanctuary or church building.  If you or the preaching minister is a quick thinker, this prayer of words and pictures from the children could be part of the morning’s pastoral prayer.

Isaiah 55:1-9

• This is an opportunity to talk with the children about knowing what is good for us versus what may be bad for us.  You may want to choose one or more of the commandments and talk to the children about how they help us all live together and with God.  If your congregation is following a Lenten theme, you could incorporate this into learning what is good.
• One could set a table (maybe the communion table) and invite the children to join you there.  The conversation around the table could focus on God’s kingdom being like a place where all the food and drinks are free.  What would that be like?

I Corinthians 10:1-13

• Talk with the children about what the biblical story is for you and your expression of Christian faith.  These stories are supposed to help us know something about God.  Do you have a favorite story or two?  Do the children have a favorite story?  What do those stories teach?
• Talk with the children about what it means to be an example for others.  You may have had this conversation with the children earlier, but it is a common biblical theme, and it is the responsibility of Christians to be examples in our living.  Thus, it cannot be visited too often with children.

Luke 13:1-9

• Talk with the children about what the parables of Jesus are.  You could introduce the word “riddle” to the children and talk about what a riddle is supposed to do.  A couple of classic riddles that sound like children’s jokes. 
  1)  Where is the ocean the deepest?  [the bottom] 2) What does an invisible person drink? [evaporated milk]
• You could highlight this parable in Luke and then talk about your favorite parables with the children.
• This is an opportunity to introduce the children to the words “repent” and “repentance.”  Be ready with a simple, but not an oversimplified, definition to give them.  How does your congregation speak of repentance?  Is it a one-time change in heart, attitude, or behavior, or do Christians practice repentance daily?  One option would be to talk to the children about the last time you “repented” or felt “repentance.”  How is your example a teaching story that helps the children on the sacred steps think about times when they “repented” or felt “repentance?”

Fast from judgment, Feast on compassion 

Fast from greed, Feast on sharing 

Fast from scarcity, Feast on abundance 

Fast from fear, Feast on peace 

Fast from lies, Feast on truth 

Fast from gossip, Feast on praise 

Fast from anxiety, Feast on patience 

Fast from evil, Feast on kindness 

Fast from apathy, Feast on engagement 

Fast from discontent, Feast on gratitude 

Fast from noise, Feast on silence 

Fast from discouragement, Feast on hope 

Fast from hatred, Feast on love 

What will be your fast? What will be your feast?
(Unknown Author, “Ash Wednesday.”)

Psalm 27:1, 4-9

• This is an opportunity to talk with the children about how the Psalms have inspired many hymns, secular songs, and art.  Spend some time with your hymnal and see how many of your congregation’s “favorite” hymns are based on a psalm.  You could talk to the children about that list.
• One could have the children help create a prayer based on this psalm. Do a simple word game with the children to create a prayer.  Roll out some paper on the floor.  Ask the children to draw a picture or write a word that they think of when they hear the following phrases:  “One thing I ask of God,”; “The Lord is my light,” and “Teach me your way.”  Create your own words or phrases from Psalm 27.  Post the banner somewhere in the sanctuary or church building.  If you or the preaching minister is a quick thinker, this prayer of words and pictures from the children could be part of the morning’s pastoral prayer.
• Another option would be to talk with the children about your pastoral prayer time.  Do you ask the congregation to voice concerns or joys?  Do you have a list of names in the bulletin that are a “prayer list”?  Your pastoral prayer probably follows the form of this psalm somewhat (i.e., containing both joys & concerns).  This week, ask the children to list their prayer concerns and have them repeat v 1 after each child’s prayer request.  
• If you have not introduced the children to the Psalms, this might be the week to do so.  This is a “mixed-type” psalm that represents many human emotions. During the children’s prayers, they may also express many emotions.  Is there anything you can’t say to God in prayer?

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

• Talk with the children about what a covenant is or what the word “covenant” means.  This story is just one example of God’s many covenants with an individual, nation, or even all creation.  (Think about the Noah story.)  Be ready to give a simple definition for the word covenant, and since it is Lent, invite the children to make a covenant with you and each other to serve at your church in whatever you think is appropriate for them to covenant to do.
• What does it mean when another covenant is made?  Is the last covenant forgotten, or does it become non-binding?  In children’s speak, you are asking if one promise cancels out another.  In the 1st Testament, this is not how it works. God makes and keeps countless covenants at the same time.

Philippians 3:17-4:1

• Talk with the children about what it means to be an “example” for someone.  Can the children name someone they think is a good example of living like Jesus did?  You will want to be ready to provide an example or two of such “persons” to get them started. Since it is the Lenten season, one might ask the elders or other adults in your congregation to be an example for the children on the sacred steps by talking with them or allowing them to shadow them if they have specific responsibilities in the congregation.  
• If you are going to take the “goal” path in this text, be careful.  One could talk to the children about becoming more like Jesus.  How does a person do that?  I would stay away from questions about eternity and heaven.  Please keep it simple with the children but not oversimplified, and have those conversations with your adult peers.

Luke 13:31-35

• This is an opportunity to introduce the word “lament” to the children.  There will be times when they will lament for someone, themselves, or something.  Sometimes, a lament may be just sharing our feelings, and your congregation is a place where the children can do that.  A lament may help us keep from doing what we know is wrong.  When would the children have heard the word “lament” in church?  How does your congregation lament, and what have you done or left undone based on your lament?
• Has your congregation “lamented” for someone or something in your community and then decided to do something?  Maybe you lamented the poverty or hunger in your community and worked to help ease that in your community.  Perhaps some have felt sorrow for your congregation’s shut-ins and decided to help by visiting them.
• For an older group, one might consider talking with the children about how they live “in the name of the Lord.”