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Following in His Footsteps - Household Activities

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Following in His Footsteps: Household Activities

by Milo Thornberry xxx

INTRODUCTION

These activities are designed to facilitate learning experiences in which the meanings of the scripture passages are opened up and their implications for discipleship more readily discerned. They are not devices to entice younger members of the household to participate. They are intended for both individual and group use, including intergenerational groups.

Some of the activities are adaptable for use with children and some are not. Select from each week's activities one or more that seem appropriate to your needs and interests.

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PREPARATION

Before Ash Wednesday read through the suggested activities for each week. Begin to think now about how the activities need to be modified or adapted to your particular situation. Be sure to see what materials will be required for each session so that they can be gathered ahead of time.

Some of the activities will have more meaning if advance preparation is done with a Bible dictionary, and perhaps a visit to your church or public library.

It will be helpful if each person in the group can use a modern language translation of the Bible. If children are involved in the activities, it is especially important to use a translation that is easy to read and understand.

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ASH WEDNESDAY

Self-Denial Without Self-Congratulations

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

1. Consider, alone or in a group, Jesus' warning not to make "a show of religion." (vs. 1) How did people make such a show in Jesus' time? How is it done in our time? What's wrong with "making a show?" If children are involved, they might pantomime the story. This is a good time for children to learn the meaning of "hypocrisy."

2. Recall television or magazine ads - including public service announcements - you have seen encouraging regular exercise for healthier living. Do we also need "spiritual exercise" for spiritual health? What is "spiritual health?"

3. Decide to undertake some new "spiritual exercises," or disciplines, during Lent. Consider one or more of the following:

Write the discipline(s) you select on a piece of paper. Put the paper away and take it out once during each week of Lent to remind yourself of your commitment.

If you are doing the activities in a family or group setting, discuss with each other undertaking such disciplines during Lent. Persons may choose disciplines to be done alone, or they may choose to do something with other persons. With more than one person participating, persons should fold their paper and put their names on the outside of their paper so that their discipline(s) can remain private. When two or more people are sharing a discipline, their names will all be on the outside of their paper. The papers can all be placed in a box (a shoe box or some other container). Once a week during Lent open the box so all persons can look at their disciplines. Put the papers back into the box until the next week. Except in the case of persons sharing a discipline, or with children who may need the help of an adult, the disciplines are to be kept private. (Remember the dangers of "making a show.")

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FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT

Temptation as Preparation for Ministry

Matthew 4:1-11

1. Think, or talk with others, about the temptations of Jesus. Why did he go to the desert? How was he tempted? What's wrong with meeting one's material needs, having power, and being famous? Do these become "gods"? Was Jesus stronger for having resisted? Now ask yourself the same questions. You may want to write down your answers.

2. Act out the story of the temptations. While keeping to the theme and setting of each temptation (food, power and fame), encourage those participating to expand and paraphrase the devil's temptations and Jesus' responses. You might, for example, give a full minute for the devil to appeal to Jesus to take his offer of turning stones to bread. ("You're hungry, Jesus. How long has it been since you have eaten?" etc.) You might have different persons for each temptation and response.

3. Take time to look at the paper where you have written the discipline(s) you are undertaking for Lent. Did you do what you set out to do?

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SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT

Mountaintops and Ministry

Matthew 17:1-9

1. Recall Old Testament stories where God was revealed on mountains. With children, or in a group setting, some of these stories might be retold. Conclude with reading, or telling, the story of the transfiguration. Why is a "mountain" a symbol associated with God's presence? (Was God not present in the desert?)

2. What is the significance of the presence of Moses and Elijah? Was their presence meant to show that the whole force of Jewish tradition (the "Law" and the "Prophets" represented by Moses and Elijah respectively) was in support of the ministry of Jesus? Or, was their purpose to offer comfort and encouragement to Jesus as he prepared for the suffering ahead of him? (See vss. 10-13, and Luke 9:30-31.) Based on what you know about them, try to imagine what they might have said to Jesus.

3. The voice from the cloud repeats the words said at Jesus' baptism. Were they repeated here so that the three disciples could hear God's affirmation of Jesus' ministry? Why did Peter want to stay on the mountain?

4. On April 3, 1968 - only days before his assassination - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to striking sanitation workers and their supporters in Memphis, Tennessee. He responded to concerns expressed about new threats on his life while in Memphis: "We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop, and I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life; longevity has its grace. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will." Imagine how Dr. King's experience may have been influenced by the story of the transfiguration. Have you had a similar experience that helped to prepare you for a difficult time?

5. Take time to took at the paper where you have written the discipline(s) you are undertaking for Lent. Did you do what you set out to do?

6. FOR NEXT WEEK: Read the newspaper and/or watch your usual television shows - news, movies, dramas, sit-coms - with a special eye to seeing persons who are discriminated against. You may want to make notes as you read and watch through the week. Be sure to include who, what, where, when and why. If children are participating you may want to watch with them to help them with their observations. (If you gave up watching your "usual" television shows for Lent, you may want to make an exception this week so you can do the assignment.)

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THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT

The Inclusiveness of Ministry

John 4:5-26

1. Why was the Samaritan woman surprised when Jesus asked her for a drink of water? With children, or in a group setting, explain the role and status of women in Jesus' day, as well as the enmity between Jews and Samaritans. Imagine - and then act out - how those around the scene must have reacted (the woman herself, other women at the well, Jesus' disciples). By acting as he did, what was Jesus saying about his ministry?

2. Recall what you read in the newspapers and/or saw on television during the past week. Who are today's "Samaritans"? Did you see any suggestions of discrimination against women? Do you think what you saw on television reflects reality? Then, recreate in your mind the scene of Jesus at the well as it might happen today. Where do you see yourself in this scene? Make some decisions about things you will do to resist discriminatory attitudes and practices.

3. Take time to took at the paper where you have written the discipline(s) you are undertaking for Lent. Did you do what you set out to do?

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FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

Knowing Our Blind Spots

John 9:1-41

1. Imagine what it is like to be blind. Have someone tie a blindfold over your eyes and spend 5-10 minutes with that person walking with you around the inside and outside of your home. Then exchange places and repeat the exercise. Talk about what it felt like not to be able to see, even for a short time and in a controlled situation. Try to imagine how the man in the story, who had been blind from birth, must have felt when Jesus cured his blindness.

2. Try to account for the Pharisees' reaction to this incident. Was it simply that Jesus violated some religious law by healing on the Sabbath? Consider the words of Professor Walter Brueggemann on the meaning of Jesus' compassion: "Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism for it announces that the hurt is to be taken seriously, that the hurt is not to be accepted as normal and natural but is an abnormal and unacceptable condition for humanness. Thus, the compassion of Jesus is to be understood not simply as a personal emotional reaction but as a public criticism in which he dares to act upon his concern against the entire numbness of his social context." (Prophetic Imagination)

3. According to the Worldwatch Institute, in this decade alone in the developing countries, two million people have been blinded by trachoma, a disease preventable with hygiene and curable with inexpensive antibiotics. Investigate what is being done about this problem. Make some decisions about what you will do to help restore sight to blind people.

4. Take time to look at the paper where you have written the discipline(s) you are undertaking for Lent. Did you do what you set out to do?

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FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

A Glimpse of the Kingdom

John 11:1-54

1. Imagine how you would produce this story as a play. Into how many scenes would the play be divided? Jot down some notes about how many scenes your play would have and what the script for the scenes might be. If you are in a group, act out the play, assigning different persons to each scene. Let the persons assigned to a particular scene decide how to interpret it. After the last scene, talk about the meaning of the play and the relation of the different scenes to each other.

2. Think about the tension between God's love for the world and the fact that illness and suffering are still so much a part of that world, remembering especially that every day more than 40,000 people throughout the world die from deprivation. Begin your reflection with Martha's first words to Jesus: "If you had been here my brother would not have died." You may want to write down your thoughts.

3. Jesus did not wait until the last day (vs. 24). He offered a glimpse of the kingdom to come by raising Lazarus. The petition of the Lord's Prayer "Give us this day our daily bread," may also be translated "Give us today a taste of the heavenly banquet to come." It may mean something like "Let us see in this day a glimpse of God's will being done on earth." Would the one million lives saved each year by vaccines be such a glimpse? When have you had "glimpses" of the kingdom? What actions have you taken that might give such a "glimpse" to someone else?

4. Take time to look at the paper where you have written the discipline(s) you are undertaking for Lent. Did you do what you set out to do?

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SIXTH SUNDAY IN LENT

Palm Waving and the Cost of Discipleship

Matthew 21:1-11

1. Read the prophecy Jesus was acting out when he entered Jerusalem. (Zechariah 9:9-17) What was Jesus saying by this action? How did his followers understand it? How did his enemies understand it? (See Luke 19:39-40) If his manner of entry was not a deliberate challenge to the authorities in Jerusalem, was Jesus guilty of sending the wrong message to his followers?

2. In a group setting, after the passage has been thoroughly discussed, have participants draw a mural of the scene on butcher paper with colored magic markers. Before the group gathers, you may want to rough in the physical setting (a walled city at one end with a long road leading to the city gate). Invite participants to draw the different people present, perhaps using balloons to include what they might be saying. Stick figures are fine. Include the whole range of people who were probably present: Jesus, his followers, the populace, Pharisees, Roman authorities and soldiers, etc. This project can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose to make it. Finally, think about which of the characters in the mural you would be.

3. Take time to look at the paper where you have written the discipline(s) you are undertaking for Lent. Did you do what you set out to do?

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HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SUNDAY

Resurrection as Commission

John 20:1-18

1. After the entry into Jerusalem, Jesus cleansed the temple. (Matthew 21:12-17) The heart of the Christian "hope" is that God's will will be done on earth as in heaven. As you think about Jesus' actions in the temple, consider what St. Augustine called "two lovely daughters" of Hope: "Anger" and "Courage" - anger so that what cannot be, may not be, and courage so that what must be, will be. Anger and courage, not passive optimism and wishful thinking, are the issue of hope. Relate this meaning of "hope" to Jesus' act in the temple. What does "hope" mean to you?

2. On Maundy Thursday evening, observe the Passover Seder with family and/or friends. (Copies are available from Alternatives. Instructions are included in the Seder.)

3. On Easter Eve try to spend at least one hour alone in meditation and prayer. Take time to look at the paper where you wrote the discipline(s) you undertook for Lent. Did you do what you set out to do? What have you learned through these spiritual exercises? What disciplines do you want to undertake on a regular daily basis?

4. Just before breakfast on Easter Sunday morning - or perhaps before lunch if there is to be a special meat then - read the Easter Seder from Alternatives. Be sure that there are copies for all present and that readers have been given an opportunity to read over their part beforehand. If at all possible, see that every person present gets to read a part.

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About the author

Milo Thornberry, former Director of Alternatives, serves a United Methodist congregation in Oregon.

Get to know Milo at Post #181.

For more free resources (some in Spanish) for Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, weddings and other celebrations visit SimpleLivingWorks.org - "equipping people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly."
©Creative Commons (originally Alternatives) - Resources for responsible living and celebrating since 1973.

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GRAPHIC: Worship Alternatives #1528

Page updated 14 Jan. 2014

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