Gather

Adult & All Age

Gather

Use the activity and prayers to gather the group and introduce the theme

Use the Jump menu on the right to find Prayers and other resources.

All age act of worship Session

When it’s hard to hope

Explore together that sometimes it can be easy to hope for things, e.g. a gift at Christmas, and we can just place our hope in somebody else to do what we hope for. Sometimes it can be hard to hope for things, e.g. an ending of a war, and this may feel futile to hope for.
Divide the room in half and invite the people on one side to think of things that are easy to hope for. Invite the people on the other side to think of things that may be hard to hope for. Share ideas with the whole group.
Explain that in today’s readings we’ll hear about the hope that God brought to a nation of disillusioned people – people who struggled to hope, or had even lost hope, after many years of difficulty. We’ll also reflect on the hope that God gives us through Jesus.

First impressions

You could also use the image and following questions to help introduce the theme.

Click on the image to view a larger version
or use the Jump menu to go to This week's images.
For artist's details, see this issue's illustrators.

Questions

What are you hoping for?
How would you like Jesus to meet with you in the coming week?
How might you bring the hope of Jesus to others?

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Children & Youth

CHILDREN

Very young childrens Session

Gathering song

Sing: I Hope You Have a Wonderful Day,
Jack Hartmann

Childrens Session

What do we hope? W

Explain to the children that at the beginning of the year, people often think about what they hope for in the year ahead. Sometimes these are big hopes and sometimes these are small ones.
Give each child the chance to share any hopes they have for the coming year. Some of these will be fabulous, unrealistic or things over which they have no influence.
Talk about a hope you have that is something you can achieve or influence during the year (e.g. learn a new skill, clean your room every week). Ask the children to think about something that they could hope to do this year and challenge them to see if they can do it.

Run to corners game W

You will need: four A4 paper signs saying Hope, Love, Joy and Trust; water, jugs and cups.

Place the signs in the four corners of your room where they can be seen clearly. Place water and cups on a table near the Hope sign.
Check that the children know what the words say and then explain the game i.e. that you will say a word and they will run to that corner.
Call out the words in quick succession sending the children running between the signs. Send them to Hope most, but do not mention or share out the water. As they tire, they will want a drink and will want to go to Hope. For a couple of times don’t send them there or let them stop there. End the game by sending everyone to Hope.
Ask: Anyone hoping for a drink?
Pass out the cups of water and talk briefly about how the hope of a drink made them feel and how the actual drink refreshed them.

YOUNG PEOPLE

Young people Session

Tenacious, patient, resilient W S

You will need: self-lighting candles.

Light the candles and ask the group to talk about their hopes for the future.
Explain that sometimes hope can seem to be extinguished, but that God can refresh our hopes when they appear to go out. Blow out the candles and watch them relight.
Ask: What hopes or promises may seem to have been extinguished in our lives? How might we see them refreshed?

First impressions

You could also use the image and following questions to help introduce the theme.

Click on the image to view a larger version
or use the Jump menu to go to This week's images.
For artist's details, see this issue's illustrators.

Questions

What are you hoping for?
How might this everyday image convey the idea of Jesus bringing light and fresh hope?
What spiritual refreshment can we offer people this week?

Spiritual styles abbreviations
W Word E Emotion S Symbol A Action
Read our Spiritual Styles articles