3 Ways Into Sunday’s Stories for Children: Everything A Gift

The Fifth Sunday of Easter

In Acts 11:1–18, Peter has a dream about animals of all kinds descending from heaven on a blanket peacefully together — animals who are usually predator and prey to each other, or animals who were considered unclean and forbidden by the strict Jewish laws. But he heard a voice tell him that everything of God’s creation is a gift, and there is no good reason to reject anyone. 

Read the story of Peter’s vision and new friends. 

1. Sing and Dance

We’re all different, and God loves us all the same. Let’s sing and dance with this song: One Love. 

2. Play and Pray

Play “Same!” with two or more players. Each round, choose a category of feelings or experiences (e.g., things that you’re afraid of, things that make you LOL, skills that are hard/easy for you, times when you’ve felt left out, etc.) Everyone writes one down on a piece of paper with or without their names. Place them all together and mix them up. Take turns reading them. Everyone who has had the same experience or feeling says, “Same!” 

Pray (and practice): For every year that you are old, think of someone or something, different from the other, who you can pray for. They could be someone you know, or a person or group that you know of, like a teacher or all teachers, a person who is sick, or healing in general. You could start each prayer with something as simple as “God bless…” or “God be with…”

3. Create

Make a set of prayer beads to use with the prayers. On a ribbon or pipe cleaner, add a bead for each year you are old. If you use a ribbon, tie the bead on with a knot or, on pipe cleaner, add a different sized or color bead in between. Hold one bead for each prayer and move from one bead to the next for each prayer. In Children’s Time, we will be making different kinds of prayer beads.