Jesus Without Language

Psalm 22 is usually quoted nearer Easter than the second week of lent, but in the readings for year B we see the other end of the Psalm. Here is not the opening, where the cross bound Jesus cries the first verse about ‘God forsaking him’, but the place the psalm ends. Like the first line of a hymn, I wonder if people couldn’t help sing the whole song in their heads as they walked away from the cross. It’s a song of torment that lifts at the end into a song of praise not just by the psalmist but by all the families of nations. These games concentrate on the idea of families uniting in praise.

Wipe that smile off your face

The first person pulls their silliest smile and directs it at each child in the circle, trying to make someone giggle or laugh. On the leaders’ mark, they use one hand to literally “wipe” the smile off their face, and hand it to the next person, and on it goes. This can get silly rapidly.
Link: passing on God’s praise to the next generation

Praising family traits

A simple identity game where whomever is speaking names a trait and all those it applies to shout “Praise God!” Wearing a colour, rolling your tongue, liking ice-cream, any trait qualifies.
Link: all will eventually praise him

Psalm Beat

Using a small section of words from the Psalm as lyrics, have the youngsters make up a tune or a beat to sing the words. Add percussion instruments and work in pairs.
Link: Psalms were songs sung, not read.

The big band

Turn your group into a band, if you have no instruments, use pots pans, plastic bottles, containers to shake.
Link: This Psalm/song ends in praise.

 

Psalm 22 starts with the cry that one day Jesus will echo on the cross but the end of the psalm comes with joy as ‘all the families’ recognise God and joining together to worship him. As the three crafts for this lesson are all very simple I’ve popped them all into one post, all focus on the end of the Psalm.

 
…continue reading

 

The Psalm lessons each have two colouring pages in place of the usual Hero Resources.
These will print on either A4 or US letter sized paper as they are made slightly bigger than both.

The images are displayed small here, click on the image you wish to have, then save the image that loads.
(These images are not copyright free, they are for personal/classroom use only.)

 

I wonder when you sing songs?
Do you ever sing songs on journeys?
We know that Jesus’s friends and family would have sang songs as they travelled.

Imagine a big crowd, moving slowly, the old ladies wobbling on their old legs, the young men carrying the heavy bags, the kids running back and forth, the babies crying. Then someone in the back of the crowd calls out a line from a song, and another voice responds.
(If possible, get two voices to read this psalm, the second reading the words in bold)

23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere him!

25 I will give praise in the great assembly because of you;
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear you.

26 The humble will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him.
May your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations will bow down before you,

28 for kingship belongs to the Lord;
he rules the nations.

30 Their descendants will serve him;
the next generation will be told about the Lord.

31 They will come and declare his righteousness;
to a people yet to be born
they will declare what he has done.

This is such a joyful song about every generation. God loves his people, no matter how old or young they are, and they can all praise him.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.