// by Shannon Kelly
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And what does Jesus say? The kingdom of heaven has come near. What is this kingdom of heaven and how do we get ready to receive it?
LPTW Epiphany 3, Year A, Younger Children
LPTW Epiphany 3, Year A, Older Children
LPTW Epiphany 3, Year A, Adult
LPTW Epiphany 3, Year A, All
// by Shannon Kelly
The transfer of power: “Behold the Lamb of God!” exclaims John the Baptist. He now knows for sure that this man that he has baptized (his cousin) is the long expected Messiah. John is no longer the lone voice crying in the wilderness. This Jesus is the light to the nations.
LPTW Epiphany 2, Year A, Younger Children
LPTW Epiphany 2, Year A, Older Children
LPTW Epiphany 2, Year A, Adult
LPTW Epiphany 2, Year A, All
// by Shannon Kelly
Power. What power do we call upon to do the work we have been given to do? And where do we defer to a person with greater power? Jesus honors the sphere of John the Baptist’s authority and then accepts the power now clearly his after baptism. He is the beloved.
LPTW Epiphany 1, Year A, Younger Children
LPTW Epiphany 1, Year A, Older Children
LPTW Epiphany 1, Year A, Adult
LPTW Epiphany 1, Year A, All
// by Shannon Kelly
Isaiah knew this day would come: a young woman and a baby — Emmanuel — God With Us. God chooses to dwell in the womb of a woman. A messenger is sent to assure Mary’s fiancé that he should stay with her and help her raise their son. Could it be that this message, God With Us, is not just about what happened then or just what will happen in the future? Could we risk believing: God IS With Us – Now?
LPTW Advent 4, Year A, Younger Children
LPTW Advent 4, Year A, Older Children
LPTW Advent 4, Year A, Adult
LPTW Advent 4, Year A, All
// by Shannon Kelly
John the Baptist has been calling people’s attention to their skewed priorities and baptizing them when they got the message. Now, confined to prison for his preaching that made the authorities uncomfortable, John sends this plaintive question to Jesus: “Are you the one?” How do we answer the question? How do we choose to live out our answer?
LPTW Advent 3, Year A, Younger Children
LPTW Advent 3, Year A, Older Children
LPTW Advent 3, Year A, Adult
LPTW Advent 3, Year A, All
// by Shannon Kelly
The Prophet Isaiah could see the day when “the earth will be full of the knowledge of God.” John the Baptist saw clutter blocking the way to God. John pointed to the truth that through Baptism, we are called to seek knowledge of God, get rid of the clutter, and smooth the path on which we walk.
LPTW Advent 2, Year A, Younger Children
LPTW Advent 2, Year A, Older Children
LPTW Advent 2, Year A, Adult
LPTW Advent 2, Year A, All
// by Shannon Kelly
Keep awake, for you do not know when Jesus is coming back. This message is not intended to cause us to cower in fear. Fear provides a useful warning signal, but it can also have the potential to paralyze us. Instead, we are called to the opposite of fear; we are called to faith.
LPTW Advent 1, Year A, Younger Children
LPTW Advent 1, Year A, Older Children
LPTW Advent 1, Year A, Adult
LPTW Advent 1, Year A, All
// by Shannon Kelly
Scripture: Luke 23:33-43
This Sunday we celebrate Christ the King. We also close the third year of the three-year lectionary cycle. Today we hear a portion of the passion story in which Jesus is hanging on the cross in between two criminals. One is encouraging him to save himself. The other names that Jesus has done nothing wrong and asks that Jesus remember him. Jesus tells him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus’ life on earth challenged those in power because it created a new way of life as Jesus talks about liberation from what we normally know as power. Jesus came to “to spread a revolution of love and grace, which entailed identifying and embodying a new kind of power and priority.” (William Loader)
Download the Lesson Plans for Proper 29, Year C
LPTW Proper 29, Year C, Younger Children
LPTW Proper 29, Year C, Older Children
LPTW Proper 29, Year C, Adults
LPTW Proper 29, Year C, All
// by Shannon Kelly
It’s not about stuff, Jesus is telling us. It is about a new thing God is doing. It is not about buildings, even our churches. Buildings will not last. It is our commitment to God that is the source of our endurance.
LPTW Proper 28, Year C, Younger Children
LPTW Proper 28, Year C, Older Children
LPTW Proper 28, Year C, Adults
LPTW Proper 28, Year C, All
// by Shannon Kelly
Note: This is the lesson plan for All Saints Day/All Saints Sunday. Check with your clergy person about what propers you are using for this Sunday. Some churches use All Saints, others use the Sunday Propers. There are also Lesson Plans for each age group for today.
All Saints’ Day invites us to look way back to the very early days of the Church and at people whose lives are an inspiration for us. It also invites us to remember those whom we love that have gone on through the gates of larger life. It calls us to notice those in our midst who show us a brighter way to live. In some mysterious way we are gathered, now, with all those who have gone before, with those we love who live in different parts of the world, as well as with those in the room with us. From the earliest days, the church has taken this opportunity to celebrate and we are invited to join in the celebration.
