Worship: Love of Children

This worship service is designed with several ideas in mind. First, it is designed to be intergenerational.  All ages should be present in this worship service and all ages should be represented in the worship leadership.  Second, it is designed to promote both the agency of children to work with God’s spirit to create a just world for all and ways the church can advocate for the needs of children in the local community and the wider world.  A faith community demonstrates its love for children by worshipping with them, granting them agency and advocating for all children to live in a just world.
This worship service is modeled on the Services of the Word found in the UCC Book of Worship.  However, the parts, pieces, and activities could certainly fit in other worship templates.

Preparation in advance:

-in pews or chairs: 	Post-it®Notes, Fine Line Sharpies® 
Information sheets about your state’s statistics on child poverty 
from Children’s Defense Fund materials
from this link:  http://www.childrensdefense.org/library/state-of-americas-children/

-in Narthex		2 foam-core boards, prepared in advance for the service:
Write “I answer God’s call to love of children by. . .:” 
on each foam core board. 
(These may also be decorated.  Decorating these boards is a good project for your children to participate in during the Sunday prior to this worship service.  Make sure you explain to them these will be used in a special worship service so they understand they are contributing the faith community’s worship of God.)

			2 easels, ready to be set up in chancel or other accessible place up front

			Other books, candles, props to be used in the service

			Several 2-sided signs with some of the statistics from the Prayer/
 Scriptural responses on flip side: 
-1,759 babies born into poverty each day/response
-1 in five children homeless/response
-millions hungry/response
-4 million without health coverage/response
-1,854 children abused or neglected/response
-Each day 8 children or teens are killed by gun violence/response  

Prelude 
This bluesy Tom Waits song is a wonderful introduction to the theme of this worship service.  We’ve included below links to a couple of YouTube videos and links to the lyrics and guitar chords. If your church has a liturgical dance group they could choreograph something to this song to emphasize its impact.  Of course, your church may program its prelude as usual, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-XtfrjvZrs  Take Care of All My Children (Tom Waits)
Lyrics  https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tomwaits/takecareofallmychildren.html
Guitar Chords  https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/tom_waits/take_care_of_all_my_children_chords_997086
Cover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELurIu70Q-8

Call to Worship
One: (adult holding an infant or toddler) God of the infants and toddlers
People: We worship you here.

One: (Older child -4th/5th grade) God of the children, teens, and adults
People: We worship you here.

Adult One: God who welcomes our service and gifts no matter our age
People: We worship you here.

Child One: God who loves all the children and bends us toward justice for them
People: We worship you here.

All: Amen

Processional Hymn
The procession for this worship service should include those who are generally in your procession (Ministers, Deacons, Acolytes, Choir) and other worship leaders of all ages who will carry in items that will be used later in the liturgy. You should include in your procession items that will be used later on in the worship service – props, books, foam core boards, and easels, signs.(See “Preparation in Advance” section) If you do not usually process in your worship service we encourage you do so in this worship service.  A procession offers energy, intergenerational participation, and a taste of what is to come in the service.

Invocation
We are ready, O God.  
Ready to hear your voice.  
Ready to love.  
Ready to  shout with loud voices for those without their own voice. 
Ready to love the children with hands and hearts.  
Come, Spirit of God, Uphold our readiness.  Amen.
Welcome

Prayer of Confession 
One:  Let us offer our Confession:  	
Babies may cry in worship, and we may grumble:  Forgive us, O God!
People:  	Jesus said: “Let the children come to me for they belong to the reign of God.”

One: 		Children may remind us that we are all creatures 
with bodies, imaginations, and questions—
And we may send them off to another space so as not to disturb us: 
Forgive us, O God!
People:  	Jesus said: “Let the children come to me for they belong to the reign of God.”

One: 		Children may confront us with their vulnerability and need, 
          		and we may forget they are able agents of hope and new life: Forgive us, O God!
People:  	Jesus said: “Let the children come to me for they belong to the reign of God.”

One:  		Images of children show us the reality of our world in this time:  
          		Fleeing refugee children, homeless and hungry children, abused children
           		But we may turn our faces from the evidence all around us: Forgive us, O God!
People:  	Jesus said: “Let the children come to me for they belong to the reign of God.”

All:  		Cleanse us from our ignorance. 
Cleanse us from our lack of compassion.  
Come into our hearts, O Holy One, and make us new, like children again. 

Assurance of Pardon 
Give thanks! God forgives our sins. 
We are born from above and all is new again.
With that joyous knowledge in hand 
greet every one of all ages with the Peace of Christ.

Passing of the Peace

Psalm
If your worship service usually uses the Psalter, we recommend you use Psalm 33:1-5. An inclusive version of this Psalm can be found here: http://doubterpsalms.blogspot.com/

“Special” Music
If you have a Children’s Choir they might consider singing one of these songs – as might your adult choir, youth choir, or praise band.

I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-J6w-TAKe4
Whereever Love is – Bryan Sirchio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWPfEgklX4U
Dream God’s Dream – Bryan Sirchio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpsxQi4-8b4
Love God and Your Neighbor: https://www.wearesparkhouse.org/store/product/19445/Whirl-Song-CD

Prayers of the People
If it is your custom to pray for specific needs in your community during this prayer – feel free to incorporate that into this prayer.

Children with signs (see “Prepare in Advance” section) may pop up at the appropriate times in the prayer to illustrate the petitions.

One: 	Good Morning, Gracious God who calls us to many things.
  	For calling us to feast on the beauty of each new day:
People:   We thank you!  

One: 	 For calling us to enjoy the cacophonous menagerie of creation.
People:	 We thank you!   

One:  	 For calling us to friendships and once-in-a-moment meetings.
People: We thank you!   

One:  	You call us – old, young and in-between.  
Your call has no age limits. Your call does not expire.
Like the young Samuel you call us in the middle of the night 
or, maybe, at a worship gathering.
And you call us to serve, to live justly, and speak for those without a voice.
Today, we ask you to help us to hear your call.
Today, we ask you to help us to understand your call.
Today, we ask not to doubt your call to others in our faith community.
Today, we ask for your help in doing that which you’ve called us to do.
We ask for curiosity, and wisdom, and courage as we embark on the adventure of your call.
Each day the specifics of your call to us might be different. 
But, today, Creator God, you call us to the children in our midst 
and the children outside our walls.
You call us to honor the talents, words, and initiative 
of the children you’ve given this faith community. 
You call us to not just work for them but to work beside them.
People: We will answer this call.

One:  	Advocate God, you call us to stand with and advocate for 
the poorest age group in the United States of America – our children. 
You call us to give voice to all the babies born into poverty each day in our country.
People: We will answer this call.

One:  	Fierce God, you call us to protect the homeless children.
People: We will answer this call.

One: 	God of Abundance, You call us to feed the millions of children who are hungry,
and provide for those lacking adequate health care.
People: We will answer this call.

One:  	Vulnerable God, each day many children are confirmed as abused or neglected 
in our towns and cities. 
Each day children or teens are killed by gun violence.  
You call us to protect these children.
People: We will answer this call.

One:  	Challenging God, answering this call is not easy. 
Saying “yes” to the agency of the children in our midst 
and to sustained advocacy for children everywhere is a risky promise to make. 
We need your help. 
We need your Spirit to uphold us 
and to show us where to send our love, resources, voices, and feet.  
We need energy and courage.

People: Provide for our needs, O God as we provide for these children. 
Stand by us and work through us.

All:  Amen

Hymn	  Suggest using Star-Child p.174 Sing! Or here is a link to a version on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keD5ZjQ0fII. You may want to change “Christmas” in the chorus to “Justice.”

Reading of Scripture
1 Samuel 2: 18-21; 1 Samuel 3: 1-20  (An inclusive rendering of this text can be found in this resource: https://www.amazon.com/Inclusive-Hebrew-Scriptures-Prophets-II/dp/0759107637/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521118873&sr=1-2&keywords=the+inclusive+hebrew+scriptures&dpID=41CFYP9P7WL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch)

Sermon
Below are a variety of ideas for the sermon time. 
God calls children – can call us all to advocate for all the world’s children
This link suggests a way for the children to tell the story of the call of Samuel: http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2011/12/year-b-2nd-sunday-after-epiphany-2nd.html
To celebrate the power of children to answer God’s call share stories like one from a recent Keeping You Posted: (http://www.ucc.org/news_little_girl_in_north_carolina_lives_into_great_love_of_neighbor_01092018) 
or ones  from your own church.  If you are sharing stories of the agency of children from your own church the stories would be most powerful coming from the children themselves.
The links below will send you to several children’s books detailing stories of children who took it upon themselves to fight for a just world.  Using one of these books could help link the story of young Samuel’s call to more modern day “calls.”
https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Garden-Peter-Brown/dp/0316015474
https://www.amazon.com/Youngest-Marcher-Audrey-Hendricks-Activist/dp/1481400703
https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Smell-Roses-Angela-Johnson/dp/1416953612
https://www.amazon.com/Rons-Big-Mission-Rose-Blue/dp/0525478493
If you choose to preach a customary sermon on this text please remember that children are present and work to, perhaps, make the sermon shorter or more interactive or more visual than usual.

Commissioning  - Congregational Response

One: 	God calls us to a life of love. 
And Jesus especially calls us to a life of love for the “least of these.” 
Anyone of any age can answer this call and put love of children, 
love of neighbor into action.  
Surrounding you are information sheets from the Children’s Defense Fund 
outlining the needs of children in our state, Post –it® Notes, and Sharpies®.  
Gather together with those surrounding you and read the information. 
Meditate, pray, and ask what you or what our community can do in the next months 
to embody the Love of Children.  
Write those ideas, prays, dreams and commitments on the Post-It® Notes 
and bring them up front and stick them on these boards on either side of me. 

Note:  Depending on the configuration of your meeting space placing these boards directly up front may not work for you.  If not, place them in a space that works. 
Use background music while people are reading, talking, and moving to the boards.
Close this time with prayer after it seems that most have finished moving to the boards.
After the worship service move these boards to a public space – Fellowship Hall or Narthex so people can view them after the worship service or as they come and go in the building during the week. Work with your leadership to find ways to respond to the response of your church to the love of children.

Offerings
The offering can be taken at the usual spot in your order of worship.  Churches might want to consider some type of special offering on this day for a local children’s justice or advocacy group or designate part of the regular offering to such an organization.

Recessional Hymn
This recessional can be used to remove the boards and easels from the meeting space and place them in the designated public space.

Benediction
Use any fitting benediction or this one, adapted from the Book of Common Prayer by the editors of the UCC Book of Worship. Another suggestion is to offer the Benediction as a call and response allowing the children to bless the “going forth” of the community.

Go forth into the world to serve God with gladness; 
be of good courage; 
hold fast to that which is good; 
render to no one evil for evil; 
strengthen the fainthearted; 
support the weak; 
help the afflicted; 
honor all people; 
love and serve God, 
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The grace of Jesus Christ, 
the love of God,
 and the communion of the Holy Spirit 
be with you all. Amen.

Postlude

3 Great Loves:  Love of Children Worship Service was written by the Rev. Dr. Ivy Beckwith, Minister and Team Leader of the Faith Formation Ministry Team, UCC.

Copyright © 2018  United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH  44115-1100.  Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education.  All publishing rights reserved.