In this week’s Monday Mission Act of Worship, we began by listening to the song “When I needed a neighbour”. It reminded us that there are always people for whom we can care.
The Year 1 children gave lots of examples of people who care for them: parents, brothers, sisters, best friends and teachers.
On Wednesday, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, so that is the scripture we heard today:
The time came for Joseph and Mary to perform the ceremony of purification, as the Law of Moses commanded. So they took the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: “Every first-born male is to be dedicated to the Lord.” They also went to offer a sacrifice of a pair of doves or two young pigeons, as required by the law of the Lord.
At that time there was a man named Simeon living in Jerusalem. He was a good, God-fearing man and was waiting for Israel to be saved. The Holy Spirit was with him and had assured him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s promised Messiah. Led by the Spirit, Simeon went into the Temple. When the parents brought the child Jesus into the Temple to do for him what the Law required, Simeon took the child in his arms and gave thanks to God:
“Now, Lord, you have kept your promise,
and you may let your servant go in peace.
With my own eyes I have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:
A light to reveal your will to the Gentiles
and bring glory to your people Israel.”
Luke 2:22-32
We talked about how we could care for others just as Mary and Joseph had cared for Jesus and how God cares for us all.
The children came up with some people who could really use someone to care for them: the elderly, the sick, the homeless and the poor. These echo the words of Pope Francis:
We discussed ways in which they could care for these people. Ideas included:
- Collecting items for the local foodbank
- Looking after our parents when they are poorly by getting them a drink
- Giving money to charity
- Taking time to call their grandparents or to make them a card
- Giving someone a paper dove or heart to show that you care for them
This week’s mission is to care for those in our community. Let us know how you achieve this mission in the comments below.
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Year 5 had lots of ideas this week about how to care for others and our communities. We spoke about giving away things that we own but no longer need or play with. We also spoke about giving away the clothes that we have outgrown so that others can benefit. Year 5 also discussed that caring is not just about people but caring for our world and environment. This inlcuded limiting the amount of ‘one use’ plastic objects that we buy and recycling as much as we can (at home and in school).
In year six this week we have shown care by helping friends when they are stuck or need help, for example scribing for friends who can’t write at the moment and talking to new people if they need us. At home we show care by helping around the house, preparing meals for loved ones, planting in the garden and spending time with our family. We said that caring for each other is simple and we can do it in our lives to make the world a better place. We can show care for our world too by planting trees, recycling and being good stewards of creation. We feel happy to know that God cares for us as it’s nice to know there always someone to talk to who is looking out for us.
Year 4 have had a discussion on how to care for others and the communities that we belong to. We decided that we could give unwanted clothes and toys to charity so that others might be fit from them. We also talked about our environments and how we can care for them by picking up litter, using less plastic and not wasting water and food. We then thanked God for our communities and the wonderful world he gave us.
The children in Year 3 talked about times in the Bible when Jesus cared for the sick,the lonely and the outcast. They discussed ways that they could live this out by looking after the elderly,making sure they have food,offering to do their shopping and helping them do jobs around the house.They also talked about how sometimes when we care for others it could be that it is just spending time with someone or listening to them.
The children in EYFS talked about how we can help each other in the classroom. They can show they care for their friends by playing nicely and saying kind words. They also talked about how it is caring to make sure we all help at tidy up time so that it is fair. The children thought of lots of different ways they can show they care at home by helping their mums and dads. Helping to set the table or tidy up were two very thoughtful suggestions.