5th Week of Lent, Wednesday

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus."

(Antiphon of the Gospel Acclamation)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

In Lent (the time of preparation for Easter), when we greet the Gospel we use some special words. There are a few different ways we say it, but they are all praising Jesus. Today we have, "Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus."

Do you know what it means to praise? 

When we praise someone, we say good things about them. Can you think of an example of praising someone? (eg. You were very helpful with looking after your sister today; You worked really hard on that picture; you are beautiful; whatever you think of.)

Usually we praise someone because we are impressed by something they did, or because we love them. Why might we praise Jesus? (Yes, you've pretty much just given them the answer, but they need to make the connection themselves - it's certainly less obvious to children than I expected!)

What sorts of things could we say in praise of Jesus? (He is wonderful; He loves us; He is beautiful; He looks after us etc.)

(If you have a Bible handy, open it to the book of Psalms.) The Psalms are songs that a special King in the Bible wrote - King David. Many of them are songs of praise. Some of the things King David says in praise of God are:

• Psalm 8: "O Lord, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth! You have set your majesty above the heavens...."
• Psalm 9: "I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous deeds. I will delight and rejoice in you; I will sing hymns to your name, Most High.
• Psalm 34

(If the children seem interested, you can find more. Focus on the parts that a purely praise - ignore the parts about enemies and sin etc if children are under six or seven - this will have no meaning yet for them and may distract them from what is beneficial to them.)

Lord, it is so wonderful to have this time with You. Thank you for calling me by name to come to You.

(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."