Worship Tools

Worship Outline

Additional Scriptures

Psalm 133; John 20:19-31 (A,B,C); Acts 4:32-35

Preparation

Prepare to share the audio YouTube version of the song, “Easter People” by Nash Revival, with permission. 

For the Collage as Spiritual Practice element, set up stations around the worship space that includes card stocks, glue, markers, and a wide variety of pictures. Determine the number of stations needed so that 5-6 people are at a station. Designate a display area where the collages can be hung when they are complete, perhaps where people can see it as they exit the worship space at the end.

For the Disciples’ Generous Response, secure a copy of the storybook, Charlie’s Walk, by Francine Inslee, ISBN 0-8309-1073-5. HeraldHouse.org/products/charlies-walk?_pos=1&_sid=4e1fbbc03&_ss=r

Praise

Prelude

Ministry of Music

“Easter People” by Nash Revival, YouTube 

Make sure you have permission to use this recording. 

Welcome

“He is risen!” This is the good news proclamation as we continue the Easter season of the Christian liturgical calendar. Easter includes the fifty days that began last Sunday and continues until we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. 

On the very first day of Easter, the disciples were mourning and confused. The teacher they had followed had been crucified. They lost not only their leader and teacher but their friend. 

Jesus taught love and acceptance. His nonviolent response to authorities was confusing and unexpected. It looked like Jesus was lost.  Further, the hope of the Lord’s Prayer to create “God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven” had seemingly died on the cross with him. 

The disciples’ experience of the Resurrection was not at all like our Easter celebrations. The disciples had more questions than answers. The announcement of the empty tomb was shocking. Although Jesus had foreshadowed the events, the news that he had risen was surprising. I would love to know what the disciples were thinking and doing during this time, but the New Testament only gives us a few glimpses of what happened between day one and day fifty of the first Easter season. 

What will we think and do, as we once again hear the good news proclaimed, “He is risen”? Unlike the first disciples, we expected this celebration even as we started Lent. For us, the importance of the Resurrection might get lost because it is not a surprise that forces us to seek meaning. 

“He is risen” is not just a proclamation of a singular event. This good news invites and sends us. God invites us to shape our lives anew as Easter people. God sends us with the blessing of the Holy Spirit to embody and share the message and ministry of the Living Christ. He is risen when we live Christ’s mission. Today, our focus is on how we, as Easter People, witness to our world. 

—based on Stassi Cramm, Daily Bread, April 17, 2022 

Hymn of Praise 

Use the vocal recording found on Community of Christ Sings Audio Recordings, available from Herald House, to lead the singing. 

“Mfurahini, Haleluya/Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia” CCS 471 

OR “Celebrate, Jesus, Celebrate” CCS 474 

Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own. 

Invocation

Response

Collage as Spiritual Practice 

We will engage in a spiritual practice that might be new to many—the making of paper collages. A collage is an artistic composition of pictures, most often from magazines, but can include original work. This is a practice in which we invite the Spirit to inspire us. The theme of our collages will be “Easter People.” Spend time in prayer and meditation as you consider…What does it mean to be an Easter People? Find or create the pictures or words that express who we are as Easter People, welcoming the resurrected Christ living in and through us. 

When you are finished take your collage to the designated area for display.

Confession

Prayer for Peace 

Scripture Reading: John 20:24-29 

Light the peace candle

Prayer 

Spirit of the unbelievable, 

As humans, it is hard to believe the injustice, the hatred, and the disharmony we witness in the world. We don’t want to believe it is real. We don’t want to believe because it is so painful. We relate to Thomas’s disbelief—his desire that what he sees ought to make sense. Spirit, remind us that despite Thomas’s disbelief, he stayed with his community. He didn’t give up. 

We pray that you would grant us the persistence and hopefulness of Thomas–that in our darkest moments, we might stay the course, pursuing justice and peace even in the face of our own doubts. Resurrection was once unbelievable, and yet we follow a resurrected one. Peace and justice for all seems unbelievable, and yet we follow the path of peace!  In the name of Jesus, the resurrected One, Amen.          

—Tiffany and Caleb Brian 

Proclamation of the Word

Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:1—2:2 

Ministry of Music OR Community Hymn 

“Sing to God as Sings the Ocean” CCS 104 

OR “Restless Weaver” CCS 145 

Homily

Based on 1 John 1:1—2:2 

Commitment

Disciples’ Generous Response 

Oblation 

In services where the sacrament of communion is practiced, we focus th Disciples’ Generous Response on one of our Mission Initiatives, Abolish Poverty, End Suffering, which includes Oblation ministry. 

Story 

Read the storybook, Charlie’s Walk, by Francine Inslee, available from HeraldHouse.org. 

This is the story of a girl who gave all of her money to those in need, leaving her nothing to give during the offertory at church. She is regretting her choice to give freely when her friend, Charlie, reminds her that Jesus has asked us to give to those who need what we have to give…and in her giving, she “walked the talk” of giving to our true capacity. 

OR 

Testimony

Ask someone to share a time when they experienced someone who gave freely. 

After the story/testimony discuss: 

• What does this story/testimony say to you about giving? 
• How does giving at church teach us to give in our everyday lives? 
• How do we, as Easter People, show through giving that Jesus lives in us? 

Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes 

Hymn of Generosity to be sung as the offering is received

“Can We Calculate Our Giving” CCS 617 

OR “God Who Cares for All Creation” CCS 14 

For a four-part arrangement of this tune, see CCS 198. 

Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper 

Communion Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 

Communion Talk

OR 

Video 

Show one of the “Witness the Word” videos based on 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. 

Dale Luffman: YouTube

Carlos Enrique Mejia: YouTube

Natalie Harper: YouTube

Jane Gardner: YouTube

Hymn of Preparation 

“In the Quiet of This Day” CCS 161 

OR “Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive” CCS 215 

OR “You Satisfy the Hungry Heart” CCS 531 

Invitation to Communion

Blessing and Serving of Bread and Wine 

Pastoral Prayer 

Hymn

“To Be Your Presence” CCS 351 

OR “For Such a Time” CCS 376 

OR “Go Forth” sing twice CCS 654 

Sending Forth: Doctrine and Covenants 162:3a-b 

Postlude

Sacred Space: Small-Group Worship Outline

Gathering

Welcome

Today is the second Sunday of the Easter season. The Easter season lasts fifty days and concludes with the Day of Pentecost.

Prayer for Peace

Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.

Creator God, embrace on this day, O God, those without power. Protect them from the whims of the world. Give them the courage to stand for the right to separate themselves from a world that offers no hope. Shine the light of your goodness in front of them and guide them into your vision for them. A vision of joy, satisfaction, and sharing in a world community of love. Help each of us spread this good news as we travel through our own lives. Amen.

Spiritual Practice

Centering Prayer

Centering prayer is a method of meditation used by Christians to sit in silence with God. This prayer helps us experience God’s presence within us.

This Easter Day we will focus on the word rejoice.

Slowly read the following instructions:

Sit with relaxed posture and close your eyes. We will spend three minutes in centering prayer.

Breathe in a regular, natural rhythm. As you breathe in and out, say the word peace in your mind.

Breathe in and out, focusing only on your word.

When we are done, we will sit for two minutes in silence, eyes closed, listening to the silence.

When time is up, share these closing instructions:

Offer a brief word of thanks to God, take a deep breath, and open your eyes when you are ready.

Sharing Around the Table

1 John 1:1–2:2 NRSVue

1 We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— ³ what we have seen and heard we also declare to you so that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; ⁷ but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, ² and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

—1 John 1:1-2:2 NRSVue

Time marches on. Easter comes, and Easter goes, and the question of the disciple is “How long Lord?” The first-century author of 1 John has not seen the unfolding of history and the thousands of Easters that followed the first. Yet we sense that the evangelist is coaxing his readers to remember that he tells only what he has seen, heard, and touched in Christ.

John asks readers to remember the sense of communion they experienced, the bond with each other and God. The early church knew this as koinonia, a oneness of community in Christ. In the light of this memory, we are challenged to renounce and walk away from the behaviors that separate us or destroy the communion that God has created in Christ and by the Holy Spirit.

The sacraments of Community of Christ are tangible ways that we come to understand koinonia. Each marks, in the life of the seeker and disciple, a significant aspect of our life together in Christ. The Lord’s Supper, practiced on a regular basis, is a time to examine ourselves, to adjust to our lives, and to better reflect the light we follow. John says there is no darkness in God, and that if we claim fellowship with God, then we must allow the light of Christ to shine into all the corners of our lives.

The Lord’s Supper uses two consumable emblems that symbolize that we are one, having eaten from the same loaf and having drunk from the same cup. We recognize the life of Christ in us, and we celebrate the movement of the Spirit in our community that binds us as one.

This text is reflective of the prayer of Jesus in John’s Gospel (chapter 17) in which he prays for the unity of his followers that we all may be one in him. Just as they are one. In the text today, the author challenges the reader not to bail out on our fellowship by instead participating in sinful behaviors that destroy relationships and faith. He shares that joy is the outcome of the life of faithful discipleship and that we should take joy, too, that when we fail and fall short of the mark, Christ is there to advocate for us and keep us in koinonia.

Questions

1. Share a time when you felt a deep connection with the community of faith.
2. Are you currently longing for that experience of koinonia?
3. How can the church’s sacraments strengthen the bonds of the community?
4. How has repentance changed your life?

Sending

Generosity Statement

Beloved Community of Christ, do not just speak and sing of Zion. Live, love, and share as Zion: those who strive to be visibly one in Christ, among whom there are no poor or oppressed.

—Doctrine and Covenants 165:6a

The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing, small-group ministries as part of your generous response.

This offering prayer for the Easter season is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response:

God of rejoicing, we share our gifts joyfully and with thanksgiving in response to the generous gifts you have given us. May the offerings we share bring joy, hope, love, and peace into the lives of others so they might experience your mercy and grace. Amen.

Invitation to Next Meeting

Closing Hymn

Community of Christ Sings 576, “Sing a New World into Being”

Closing Prayer

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Optional Additions Depending on Group

Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

—1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NRSV

Communion Statement

All are welcome at Christ’s table. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacrament in which we remember the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. In Community of Christ, we also experience Communion as an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and to be formed as disciples who live Christ’s mission. Others may have different or added understandings within their faith traditions. We invite all who participate in the Lord’s Supper to do so in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.

We share in Communion as an expression of blessing, healing, peace, and community.

In preparation let’s sing from Community of Christ Sings 522, “Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ.”

Thoughts for Children

Ask participants: Have you ever been left out from something? How did it make you feel? (Affirm all answers.)

Have you ever been invited to something? How did it make you feel? (Affirm all answers.)

Say: Being left out doesn’t feel good, and being invited and included can make us feel really good. The author of the letter in today’s scripture knew it was important to invite and include others. This author is telling people what he knows about Jesus so they can fellowship together.

Today, I want us to think about ways we can be more inclusive and make sure everyone is invited to participate. Close your eyes and imagine yourself somewhere you spend a lot of time. Maybe you imagine school or practice for a sport. Wherever you are, imagine the other people you would see there.

Now, look around you and try to notice if any people in your place are being left out, not being included. Imagine walking to them and inviting them to whatever you are doing. What does their face look like when you invite them? Show me, using your face.

When you are ready, open your eyes. On the count of three, we are going to whisper at the same time the name of the person we thought of, the person we are going to try to include more. Then we’ll head back to our seats.

1…2…3…(whisper at the same time the name of the person).

Send children back to their seats.

Sermon Helps

Exploring the Scripture

The author of John’s first letter reminds us of God’s generous grace revealed in Christ Jesus and our call as disciples to live ethically. Faithful interpretation and responsible application of this text invite exploration of the frame of reference of its first hearers and the environment of Christ-centered communities today. Some recognize the second Sunday of Easter as Low Sunday, because it was thought the lesser of two Sundays within the eight festival days of Easter, the greater being Resurrection Sunday. One might argue that after the hallelujahs of celebration fade from Resurrection Sunday, the work of Easter begins.

John, the Beloved Disciple, is credited as the author of five New Testament writings, including the fourth Gospel, three letters, and Revelations. While scholars affirm John’s first letter, written in the late first century, was not written by the same author as John’s Gospel, it mirrors the evangelist’s theology and language. First John is written in letter format but is not addressed to a specific congregation.

It is written from a community, likely a group of authorized teachers in the Johannine tradition, to the broader Johannine community. Using “we” in the introduction reflects the group closely connected with John, the evangelist. In contrast, using “we” throughout the body of the letter refers to the common faith shared with the faith community.

Various forms of Docetism divide Christian communities today. The letter addresses a community divided by differing beliefs about Jesus. Some believed the life and ministry of Jesus set a moral standard to be followed. Others argued believing in the Word was enough.

Docetism upholds the distinction between spiritual and material and denies the spiritual Christ took on human form. John’s first letter challenges this belief by reinforcing the Incarnation, the Word becoming flesh, central to John’s Gospel. The opening verses affirm the Incarnation through the direct connection of seeing, hearing, and touching; the Living Word is God’s revelation. This letter serves to unite the community by reinforcing who Jesus is, what God has done in Christ, and the importance of living as a Christ-centered community.

Light is an important symbol in John’s writings. In John’s Gospel, light is Jesus as God’s revelation. “…What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people” (John 1:3–4). In 1 John, walking “in [God’s] light” refers to ethical conduct (v. 7). Such conduct is what Jesus revealed and modeled as God’s light in the world. Walking in God’s light involves personal choices and conduct.

This passage upholds the importance of understanding ethics and relationship to God through relationships in the community. Verses 5–10 use light to symbolize holiness in the community. It stands in opposition to 1) those who walk in darkness, 2) those who claim to be without sin, and 3) those who deny sin as a human condition. This passage points to the universal nature of sin, as both an individual act and a human condition, and the universal nature of God’s forgiveness. While theologies of atonement are diverse, John’s theology affirms Christ Jesus as the one who deals with the problems of sin for the whole world. As in John 3:16, the universal nature of God’s love is obvious in this passage. Christ is an advocate for the whole world.

The invitation is to walk in God’s light by embodying Jesus, the peaceful One, in Christ-centered communities of justice and peace on and for the Earth. We understand the counsel in this opening passage of 1 John through the lens of revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 163. Jesus Christ embodies the light of God and invites all to receive divine peace, forgiveness, and wholeness.

“…That our joy may be complete” (v. 4) expresses the importance of oneness in community. Koinonia is a Greek word that expresses the mutuality of contributing to, and receiving from, a community of oneness. The joy of life as disciples is most fully realized in a loving and inclusive community living the ethics of Christ’s peace.

Central Ideas

1. The Incarnation is central to understanding who Jesus is, what God has done in Christ, and what it means to live as communities of Christ.
2. Sin as an act and a human condition is universal, but so is God’s grace.
3. Relationship to God is best understood through relationships in the community. To walk in God’s light is to live the ethics of Christ’s peace through communities of oneness, generosity, justice, and peace.

Questions for the Speaker

1. Where do you see examples of beliefs about Jesus dividing your community?
2. How does living the ethics of Christ’s peace (embodying Jesus, the Peaceable One) bring light to conditions of darkness in your community?
3. What does the work of Easter look like, as disciples and communities walk together in the Resurrection’s light?

Lessons

Adult Lesson

Focus Scripture Passage

1 John 1:1—2:2

Lesson Focus

Walk in the Light.

Objectives

The learners will…

• consider how different ways of knowing affect sharing and receiving testimony.
• understand God as light and how conditions of human sin need Jesus as our advocate.
• engage in the spiritual practice Prayer of Examen.

Supplies

• Bible
• Community of Christ Sings (CCS)

Note to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for 1 John 1:1—2:2 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament (with focus on the Letters), pp. 67–69, available through Herald House.

Gather

Read or sing together “God, the Source of Light and Beauty” CCS 593.

• What words describe attributes of God?
• What words of challenge are present?

Offer a prayer for enlightenment as the class continues to explore 1 John.

Engage

The author of 1 John wrote near the end of the first century. His concern was how his community understood the gospel because members continued to sin, and some sought to deceive the community. His writing has three main themes:

1. Fellowship with God and one another within the Christian community
2. Sin and its deceptive power
3. Christ’s sacrifice that atoned for our sins

Read 1 John 1:1—2:2.

In verses 1–4 the author declares a sensory knowledge of the truth of God’s word and work. The text points to aspects of hearing, seeing, and touching the “word of life” that was revealed. Because of this knowledge, the author can boldly testify to it and declare what was seen and heard.

• What difference does having “sensory knowledge” of something make in how you receive someone’s testimony or in how you share your testimony?

Verse 5 declares, “God is light and in [God] there is no darkness at all.”

Charles B. Cousar points out this light is “not a cosmic or intellectual symbol, but is clearly an ethical one” (Feasting in the Word, Year B, Volume 2, p. 397)

James D. Freeman writes that verse 5 points to God’s glory. “Everything hinges on this gracious truth and revolves around this light that emanates from God. The light most visible…is the light of the resurrection, still fresh in our minds and still causing us to blink as we adjust to the new reality it reveals” (Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2, pp. 394, 396).

• What understandings of Christ’s resurrection cause you “to blink” as you experience new aspects of God’s light?

Verses 6–10 recognizes a paradox concerning the reality and mystery of sin, part of which is its power to deceive and the human inclination to hide and cast blame for their sin beyond themselves.

The world…is sharply divided between those who live in the light and those who live in the darkness, between those who know the truth and live it and those who are liars. To have fellowship with this Christ, who according to John’s Gospel, is himself the light of the world, is to walk in the light, and to walk in the light is to not sin…

…while Christians should not sin, they continue to do so, and their continuing sinfulness belies what they confess with their lips…. They are caught in a vicious cycle of self-deception from which there is no escape. To be self-deceived is to be unable to recognize one’s own deception and to be unable to recognize the truth about oneself.

—George W. Stroup, Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2, 2008, p. 396

In his commentary on the Basic Belief of Sin, Tony Chvala-Smith states, “Ultimately, the reality of sin touches every human being. …Sin and redemption are not simply personal matters. They have social and cosmic dimensions” (Exploring Community of Christ Basic Beliefs: A Commentary, pp. 12–13).

Review the church’s Basic Belief about Sin from Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, p. 34:

Sin

God created us to be agents of love and goodness. Yet we misuse our agency individually and collectively. We take the gifts of creation and of self and turn them against God’s purposes with tragic results. Sin is the universal condition of separation and alienation from God and one another. We are in need of divine grace that alone reconciles us with God and one another.

Form the class into pairs and consider the following:

• In his theological essay (Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2, pp. 394–398), George W. Stroup writes about sin as both an act and a condition (state of being). People cannot extricate themselves from their self-deception or deny their responsibility for it. They depend on something or someone to free them. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
• To say we are sinless is deceptive. But to understand that through Christ sins are forgiven and washed away, brings light. This light is not a gift for us alone, but for the world. How do we “walk in the light?”

In 1 John 2:1–2 the author identifies Jesus Christ as “the atoning sacrifice for our sins…also for the sins of the whole world.” Because of this, Jesus is our advocate.

• In what ways have you experienced Jesus as advocate?

Respond

Spiritual Practice: Prayer of Examen

The Prayer of Examen invites us into sacred review by searching our memories and seeking God’s presence in all things. Through this prayer, we become aware of the Spirit’s presence and invitation in the entirety of our human experience.

Pray for Light: Begin by taking a few deep breaths and imagining yourself in God’s gaze of unconditional love and grace. Pray for the light to illuminate the spaces in your life where God is seeking to be revealed.

Offer Gratitude: For what are you grateful this day? Where have you been most aware of the presence of God?

Review Memories: Allow memories to surface within you (of the past day, week, or month) regardless of whether they seem mundane or significant. Pay attention to how you felt as you engaged in the different aspects of your day, spent time in relationships, and carried out responsibilities.

Confess and Reconcile: Gently and honestly notice the places in your memories where you felt most disconnected from God’s presence. What patterns of thought or behavior restricted your response to God’s call? What situations or relationships need reconciliation? The aim of this movement of the prayer is not to induce shame, but to stoke our awareness of thoughts and actions contrary to our deep desire for connection with God, others, and creation.

Discern the Future: Take a few moments to consider your future. Anticipate the circumstances and decisions that lie ahead. Imagine what life could look like as you become more available to God’s invitation in every moment, in all things. Close your time of prayer by offering your life, and your future, to God.

—Exploring Community of Christ Basic Beliefs: A Commentary, pp. 18–19

Send

To experience the light of Jesus, one must understand Jesus. What we know of his actions and teachings are primarily in the New Testament. Through studying history, documents, scroll fragments, geography, and more, scholars give depth and breadth to Jesus’s life. His community, the political and religious climates, and the Torah provide insights to Jesus’s teaching.

Exploring Jesus through commentaries, reliable books, and reading the New Testament draws us closer to the life and light of Jesus.

This week, take time to delve into Jesus’s life. How does it bring you light? How will you share this with others?

Bless

Sing or reread the words of “God, the Source of Light and Beauty” CCS 593.

Close with a prayer asking for help as we learn to walk in the light of God’s love.

Youth Lesson

Focus Scripture Passage

1 John 1:1—2:2

Lesson Focus

Walk in the Light; shine light in the darkness.

Objectives

The learners will…

• understand that Christ is the light of God in the world.
• engage in the spiritual practice Prayer of Examen.
• recognize times in their own lives where God’s light is present.
• understand that they can choose to be a light for others.

Supplies

• Bible
• A flashlight for each student (it can be a phone with a flashlight function)

Note to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for 1 John 1:1—2:2 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament (with focus on the Letters), pp. 67–69, available through Herald House.

Gather

Activity: “Shine Some Light!”

Note to teacher: Is there a place where you meet that has very little light and dark corners? You might do this activity in that space. If not, just turn off the lights in your classroom space for this part of the activity.

Give each student a flashlight. Go to the dark space or turn off the lights in the room. Instruct them to keep their flashlights off. While it’s still dark, ask: What does it feel like to be in the dark?

After several responses, invite students to turn on their flashlights and shine light into the darkness. They can walk around and find dark corners where they can shine their light. Once they have had some time to do this, invite them to come back to the group.

• What did you notice during this activity?
• How did those spooky, lonely, uncertain feelings change once there was light in that space?
• Is it better to walk and move around in light or darkness? Why?

Engage

The author of 1 John wrote near the end of the first century. His concern was how his community understood the gospel because members continued to sin, and some sought to deceive the community. His writing has three main themes:

1. Fellowship with God and one another within the Christian community
2. Sin and its deceptive power
3. Christ’s sacrifice that atoned for our sins

Read 1 John 1:1—2:2.

In today’s passage we learn that God is light and in God there is no darkness. The author of the scripture tells us that as followers of Christ we should “walk in the light.” Our challenge is to discover what that means for us today.

Sometimes when we find places, people, or situations that seem “dark” (scary, depressing, bad), those are the places where God is calling us to shine some light. Darkness might show up in situations where you feel uncomfortable, scared, upset, sad, or angry. These can be ways our heart tells us that there is a need. For example: a person doesn’t feel loved and cared for; someone is being picked on for being different; a person is being excluded; or someone is ill.

• Think about your home, school, neighborhood, church, sports teams, etc. Where is there darkness?

Our scripture passage for today reminds us that Christ is God’s light. Helping to shine light in the darkness is what Jesus did for others. If we model our lives after Jesus’s teaching, then we too must find ways to bring light into darkness. God’s promise that Christ is in the light helps us to know that we are not alone when we step into these situations.

• How have you felt God’s love for you in your life?
• What can you do or say to bring Christ’s light into situations that feel “dark”?

In Community of Christ, one of our practices of discipleship is sharing our story of God’s love. We are walking in the light when we find ways to share our own stories of God’s love with others.

• If you wanted to share your story, what story would you tell someone?
• What parts of the story do you think would be most meaningful? Why?

Respond

Spiritual Practice: Prayer of Examen

Discuss briefly why spiritual practice is important. The Prayer of Examen is a great practice to do at the end of the day; at dinner time or bedtime. It helps us reflect over our day (or week) and pay attention to where God “showed up” for us.

Begin by inviting them to sit in a comfortable position and take a few calming breaths. They can close their eyes if that is comfortable for them. Allow for plenty of quiet pauses during this process.

• Think back to last week; remember the places you went, the things you did, and the people you saw each day. Pause while they reflect.
• Was there a time last week when you felt happy? Think about that time and what made it special for you. Maybe this was a moment where you felt connected to someone else or a moment when you felt joyful.

Say a silent prayer of gratitude to God for that moment. Pause.

• Was there a time last week when you were unhappy? Maybe it was a difficult moment, or a time when you felt sad or lonely. You might think of this as a time in the past week when you felt distanced from God.

Say a silent prayer asking God to be present with you in your difficult moments. (Allow time for them to contemplate these steps before moving on.)

• End by offering a prayer of gratitude for this experience.

Send

Discuss:

• What moments or events from the past week came up for you during this practice?
• Why might it be important for us to pay attention to the times in our lives when we notice God?
• Watch for moments this coming week where God “shows up” in your life. Notice those moments and say a quick prayer of gratitude for them when they happen or when you remember them.

Bless

Close by reading or singing stanzas 3 and 4 of “Prayer of Peace” CCS 164.

Children’s Lesson

Focus Scripture Passage

1 John 1:1—2:2

Lesson Focus

Walking in God’s light involves doing what we can to shine light in the darkness we find.

Objectives

The learners will…

• understand that Christ is the light of God in the world.
• recognize and notice the times in their own lives where God’s light is present.
• understand that they can choose to be a light for others.

Supplies

• A flashlight for each child (it can be a phone with a flashlight function)
• Children’s Bible

Notes to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for 1 John 1:1—2:2 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament (with focus on the Letters), pp. 67–69, available through Herald House.

Gather

Note to teacher: Is there a place where you meet that has very little light and dark corners? You might do this activity in that space. If not, just turn off the lights in your classroom space for this part of the activity.

Give each child a flashlight before you begin. Make sure they know how to turn it on and off. Remind them that it is very uncomfortable to shine bright light in others’ eyes and ask them to be careful not to shine their flashlight in anyone’s face.

“Shine Some Light!”

Go to the dark space or turn off the lights in the room. Have the children keep their flashlights off.

Ask: What does it feel like to be in the dark?

Invite them to turn on their flashlights and shine the light into the darkness. They can walk around and find dark corners where they can shine their light. They can shine flashlights behind furniture and doors. Once they have had some time to do this, invite them to come back to the group. Collect the flashlights and turn on the lights in your meeting space.

• What did you notice during this activity?
• How did those spooky, lonely feelings change once there was light in that same space?
• Is it better to walk and move around in light or darkness? Why?

Engage

Read 1 John 1:1—2:2.

In our scripture passage today, we learn that God is light and in God there is no darkness. The author of the scripture tells us that as followers of Christ we should “walk in the light.” Our challenge is to discover what that means for us today.

Sometimes when we find places, people, or situations that seem “dark” (scary, depressing, bad), those are the places where God is calling us to shine some light. Sometimes the idea of “shining a light” means we name the problems we see. We tell others about it so that something can be done to fix it. Situations where you feel uncomfortable, scared, upset, sad, or angry can be ways our heart is telling us that there is a need. For example: a person doesn’t feel loved and cared for; someone is being picked on for being different; a person is experiencing homelessness or hunger; or someone is ill.

• Think about home, school, your neighborhood, church, sports teams, etc. Where are places that need to have God’s light?

Our scripture passage for today reminds us that Christ is God’s light. Helping to shine light in the darkness is what Jesus did for others in his life. If we model our lives after Jesus’s teaching, then we too must find ways to bring light to others. God’s promise that Christ is in the light helps us to know that we are not alone when we step into these situations.

• How have you felt God’s love for you?
• What can you do or say to bring Christ’s light into situations that feel “dark”?

In Community of Christ, one of our practices of discipleship is sharing our story of God’s love. We are walking in the light when we find ways to share our own stories of God’s love with others. This can be very simple. Sharing our stories doesn’t have to be complicated.

• If you wanted to share your story, what story would you tell someone?

Respond

Spiritual Practice: Prayer of Examen

Discuss briefly why spiritual practice is important. The Prayer of Examen is a great practice to do at the end of the day; at dinner time or bedtime. It helps us reflect on our day (or week). By doing this, we can pay attention to where God “showed up” for us.

Begin by inviting the children to sit in a comfortable position and take a few calming breaths. They can close their eyes if that is comfortable for them.

• Think back to last week; remember the places you went, the things you did, and the people you saw each day. (Pause for reflection.)
• Was there a time last week when you felt happy? Think about that time and what made it special for you. (Pause for reflection.)

Say a silent prayer of gratitude to God for that moment. You can just say, “Thank you God for this moment of joy.” (Allow for plenty of quiet pauses during this process.)

• Was there a time last week when you were unhappy? Maybe it was a difficult moment or a time when you felt sad or lonely or distanced from God. (Pause for reflection.)

Say a silent prayer asking God to be present with you in your difficult moments. You can say, “God be with me even when I don’t feel joyful.” (Allow time for children to contemplate these steps before moving on.)

Teacher: Offer a prayer of gratitude for this experience.

Send

Discuss:

• What moments or events from the past week came up for you during this practice?
• Why might it be important for us to pay attention to the times in our lives when we notice God?
• Watch for moments this coming week where God “shows up” in your life. Notice those moments and say a quick prayer of gratitude for them when they happen or when you remember them.

Bless

Invite the children to repeat after you for the following closing prayer.

Jesus Christ is the light of God. (children repeat)

God calls me to walk in the light. (children repeat)

Walking in the light helps me notice God. (children repeat)

I can be a light for others, too. (children repeat)

Amen.