Small Church November 10, 2024

Conversation Guide for November 10, 2024

Becoming Present to God

While lighting a candle to remind you of God’s Presence, have someone read the candle prayer.

Starting Conversation

Take a moment to mark Remembrance Day. Do you generally observe the day? If so, how?
If you can, watch the small church video. It is longer than usual as it is a bit of Bible lesson and marks the end of the book of Jeremiah.

Video

Conversation Questions

What strikes you from the teaching, from the text(s)?
What do you make of the connection between Jeremiah and Lamentations?
What might some of the reasons be that stories like this are told so vividly in the Bible?
What do you think about the structure of Lamentations?
How does the realization that the hope at the centre of the book is surrounded by loss act as consolation?

Blessing One Another

As one person reads the final blessing, let it be something you all offer and receive from one another as the candle is blown out.

This fall CapKids will be learning all about the Psalms in a series called “Make a Joyful Noise”. Click here to download the guide for this week or scroll down.

Introduction

This week we are exploring how God feels about justice. Justice can be a hard thing to conceptualize, so we focused on the concept of fairness in our activities at All Church. Fairness tends to resonate with children, as they have personal experience with how it feels when things are fair and when they are not. On a larger scale we recognize the unfairness of poverty and war, and we can also feel this tension on a small scale in our own daily lives. We also acknowledge that what is deemed fair can vary between people; What someone values may be different than someone else. We really want to focus less on fixing things or stirring up action plans for our kids to participate in social justice issues. These are important, but maybe the starting place should be understanding how God feels about injustice. Jesus’ ministry and death informs us of how God desires to address injustices. We also know from scripture that God is using us to bring about justice in this world, which is slow and messy, but also blesses our lives in the process.

Psalm 146

Praise the LORD!
Let all that I am praise the LORD.
I will praise the LORD as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The LORD frees the prisoners.
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down.
The LORD loves the godly.
The LORD protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
The LORD will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.
Praise the LORD!

God is a God of justice. God is a fair God, a God who cares about people and things that are often forgotten about. The Bible was written a long time ago, so it often has context clues that made sense to the people hearing the stories in biblical times. When I think about God being a God of justice, I think about a God who wants fairness with race, sexual identity, the earth, or abilities. If God is a God of justice, God cares about each of us equally regardless of anything on that list.

Wonder Questions

The Psalmist names many things God does. What are they? I wonder how God does those things?
Can you remember a time you got to be a part of bringing justice about the world? Or have you participated in a social justice project with school or as a family?
What’s one thing right now that seems unjust to you in your life or the world? Do you have an idea of what you could do to participate in bringing about justice?
(I think for God to have a role in this a great starting point should always be starting with sharing our concerns with God – praying about it/ or I wonder what God says about this in scripture? – are there any stories, parables or teachings that talk about this issue. How can we teach kids to follow their passions and curiosity’s to discover God’s heart and act on opportunities to join in with others in bringing about justice in the world)

Activity

Follow your child’s curiosity to learn about organizations, opportunities to get involved, or history surrounding a justice issue in the world right now. It could be anything; Do your best to listen to your child and allow them to steer you in the direction they are invested in. Stay curious and see where it takes you.

Below is also a great resource from the Peace Table Bible that lists ways we can approach conflicts, disagreements, or injustices with an intention for peace. It would be great to read these with your child and could help inspire some creative ideas on how we can address the daily injustices in our world with grace and peace.

Book Resources

Race Cars

This book is such an amazing book to engage conversations about privilege, but ultimately wrestles with concepts of fairness. I especially like how it shares the experience of how friends navigate unfairness that affects something they love. This book also focuses on race cars which really engaged my two boys, even at a very young age. It will spark so many possible discussions with your kids and hopefully provide a deeper insight into your own life and privilege. It gently invites us into how we can have a role in speaking up on issues of injustice. Recommended for Ages 6-9

Maddi's Fridge

Food insecurity is an issue facing many children in the world and in our own community. With rising food costs you can imagine that this has implications for children and families on the North Shore. This story teaches about the value of paying attention and knowing when to break a promise. It also gives a great example of how kids can and should come to their parents when navigating how they can best help others in need. Loving our neighbors could be supporting your local food bank or organizations like www.backpackbuddies.ca. Recommended for Ages 5-7

Hello, Mister Blue

This story explores the reality of homelessness through the curiosity of a child. The story is written from the perspective of a little girl, as she witnesses her grandfather's friendship with a fellow musician and friend who also happens to be homeless. This story presents a difficult, universal topic with sensitivity and warmth for the youngest of readers. Recommended for Age 4-8

Change Sings

This book felt like an important one to include as it's written as a poem or song similar to the Psalms we have been learning about. It was written by the presidential inaugural poet and activist Amanda Gorman. The book says that anything is possible when we join together with others, reminding readers “they have the power to make changes—big or small—in the world, in their communities, and most importantly, in themselves.” Recommended for Ages 5-10

The Good Garden

Maria’s family are Honduran farmers, growing barley enough to eat. There is a new teacher, who is also Honduran and from a community like Maria’s, who teaches Maria’s family about sustainable farming practices and helps them feed their families. The news spreads throughout the community and the suffering lessens. It’s important to help our children who are mostly white, see service and mission that doesn’t place them as the “saviours”. These stories are important because they highlight ways in which indigenous and minority populations advocate for themselves, raise awareness, and provide solutions. Our church has a long history with Food for the Hungry and I would recommend reading some of their resources and seeing how they are empowering communities through a local context. Recommended for Ages 8-12

CapKids Playlist

Looking for some music to enjoy with your kids? Check out this curated playlist that Janine and Mikaila have put together. Each week they’ll be adding more songs to the list.