Pastor Johnold Strey has written a new Children’s Christmas Worship program that is available at NPH. You might want to check this out if you are looking for Christmas materials as his writings and worship pieces are always nicely done. You can view samples of the service and listen to sound clips here:
Archive for Children
Christmas Children’s Program
Music for Holy Trinity Sunday & How to Transpose
On Trinity Sunday, I have chosen the song ”Father I Adore You” as a song choice. Many congregations use this on Trinity Sunday. There are other good contemporary song choices, such as “Glorify Thy Name”, but I chose ”Father I Adore You” because there is a portion of our congregation that normally does not sing, but they will be singing this song. I’m talking about our smallest children, and more importantly, those too young to read. At our church, this age group knows this song from previous VBS and other children’s activities. I think it’s important for us as worship planners to include a song that they can join in on every once in a while.
“Father I Adore You” was written by Terrye Coelho Strom, many of us WELS types know it as LAPPY # 67.
Last week, during our monthly contemporary service, a teen in the congregation approached me after worship and offered to play her guitar in future services. Apparently she has been taking lessons and is ready to use her gifts. I am very excited about this because it’s a teen showing an interest in participating in worship which for some reason is an age group that we find to be difficult to get involved.
But here’s the problem. “Father I Adore You” is written in the key of F and includes the chords: F, Gm and C. Not a big deal for most guitarists, but for a beginner, the F and Gm chords can be difficult. Here’s the solution: transpose.
In this instance, usually the best thing to do is to transpose down to a more guitar-friendly key, then use your CAPO to lift the pitch back to the original key. For example, let’s transpose this song down to the key of D. To find the new chords, we need to write down both of the major scales (F and D) as follows:
Original Key: F G A Bb C D E F
New Key: D E F# G A B C# D
Next, find the original chords in the original key (upper row), then read the new chords, in the new key directly beneath the original chords. For example:
F becomes D
Gm becomes Em
C becomes A
The new chords are now D, Em and A which are all very easy to play.
The last thing we need to do is to find the CAPO position. Remember that we lowered the key from F to D, which is 3 half steps (just count the number of frets between the F and D note on any one string). This means that we need to raise our pitch by 3 half steps so the CAPO needs to go at the third fret.
And here’s a neat trick; if you have two guitarists, let one play in the key of F and have the second guitarist play it in the key of D at the capo 3 position. This will add some color and different chord voicings to your music. Also, check your guitar tuning with the CAPO in place as this will sometimes throw your tuning off.
For future reference in transposing, here are all the major and minor keys:
MAJOR SCALE R - 2 - 3 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
C maj.: C - D - E F - G - A - B
Db maj.: Db - Eb - F Gb - Ab - Bb - C
D maj.: D - E - F# G - A - B - C#
Eb maj.: Eb - F - G Ab - Bb - C - D
E maj.: E - F# - G# A - B - C# - D#
F maj.: F - G - A Bb - C - D - E
F# maj.: F# - G# - A# B - C# - D# - (E#)
G maj.: G - A - B C - D - E - F#
Ab maj.: Ab - Bb - C Db - Eb - F - G
A maj.: A - B - C# D - E - F# - G#
Bb maj.: Bb - C - D Eb - F - G - A
B maj.: B - C# - D# E - F# - G# - A#
MINOR SCALE R - 2 b3 - 4 - 5 b6 - b7 -
A min.: A - B C - D - E F - G -
Bb min.: Bb - Cb Db - Eb - F Gb - Ab -
B min.: B - C# D - E - F# G - A -
C min.: C - D Eb - F - G Ab - Bb -
C# min.: C# - D# E - F# - G# A - B -
D min.: D - E F - G - A Bb - C -
Eb min.: Eb - F Gb - Ab - Bb (Cb) - Db -
E min.: E - F# G - A - B C - D -
F min.: F - G Ab - Bb - C Db - Eb -
F# min.: F# - G# A - B - C# D - E -
G min.: G - A Bb - C - D Eb - F -
G# min.: G# - A# B - C# - D# E - F# -
Children’s Messages
I’ve been leading children’s messages on a monthly rotation with four other gentlemen in our congregation for almost four years now. These messages are enjoyed by all, not just the children. Why? I’m sure that the Holy Spirit has a lot to do with this, but here’s some pointers based on lessons we’ve learned through the years:
- We do these messages every Sunday, in the middle of worship, and right in the main sanctuary, so everyone can watch and listen.
- The children come up to a reserved row of front pews for the message. Depending on the message, they are sometimes invited to sit on the floor in front of the presenter.
- Don’t always rely on the Pastor for this. Give your children some variety. Get a monthly rotation going with four or five volunteers, one of which is the Pastor.
- Pray for help as you prepare and right before you deliver the message.
- Start off on the right foot. Be positive, smile, say “good morning children” or “how’s everybody doing?” If it’s a small group, you might even want to walk in front of each of them and give each one a “high five.” Have an “ice breaker” moment before getting into God’s word.
- We always base the message on one of the day’s scripture readings.
- Keep the message short; no longer than 5 minutes.
- Use props, signs, pictures, gestures, singing, computer images, anything you can to make an impression and to grab their attention. Once for Transfiguration Sunday, I brought in one of my son’s Transformer toys to help describe the change that Jesus went through.
- Refrain from reading to them. Memorize passages if necessary. Maintain eye contact with them as much as possible. Don’t rely on anything written on paper. Have everything in your head. “Internalize” the story that you are telling.
- Use language and words that they understand. Define big “churchy” words if you have to use them.
- Involve them. Ask questions of them, ask for volunteers when needed to help with a skit, talk to them by name.
- They will get bored quickly if you just talk to them. At least be animated. Let the text drive your spirit; talk slowly or fast, loud or soft, high pitched or low pitched and use facial expressions.
- Act out the story as much as possible. If Elijah is using his cloak to part the Jordan River in your story, then wear your coat, take it off in front of them and slap the ground with it, swinging it way up over your head as you tell the story.
- Involve other people when needed. For example, at Pentecost, I had a volunteer play a wind sound WAV file on our sanctuary PC sound system when the sound of wind was discussed in the Acts 2 account.
- And lastly, here are two WEB resources to give you some ideas for most of the popular lectionary texts:
http://www.childrensermons.com/sermons/lectionary_archive.htm
You took the fall, and thought of me, Above All!
Above All
This Sunday we will be singing “Above All” by Paul Baloche and Lenny Leblanc. I once used the song as the basis for a children’s sermon. I explained the meaning of the word “all” to the children and told them that it means “having no exceptions.” Now, read through this song, with that meaning in your head, and see how powerful this song is:
Above all powers above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began
Above all kingdoms above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth,
There’s no way to measure what You’re worth.
Now, I suppose the song could have ended, and it would have been yet another contemporary praise song, soon to be forgotten. But no, the inspired writers were moved to capture the Gospel, the mystery of Christ, his dual-nature and then they did something powerful. They personalized the message. Another favorite line of mine is the use of the trampled rose metaphor. Read on…
Chorus:
Crucified, laid behind a stone
You lived to die, rejected and alone
Like a rose, trampled on the ground
You took the fall, and thought of me,
Above all
CCLI Song #2672885
© 1999 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music / LenSongs Publishing
Lenny LeBlanc / Paul Baloche
From the lips of children…
Different Religions – Physical Expressiveness
I came across this list of physical expressiveness for various Christian denominations. I suppose that its comical. As a Lutheran, especially a WELS Lutheran, I can vouch for the fact that we are very stoic and reserved in our worship expressiveness. But this past Sunday; something happened. See what happened during our worship after reading the following:
• If you’re Lutheran, you don’t show anything, but you move your toes in rhythm with the music lest anyone find out that you really do have a beat.
• If you’re Reformed Church in America or Christian Reformed Church, you can do anything you want to with your hands with one unbreakable rule: No hands above the waist.
• If you’re Roman Catholic, you make the sign of the cross.
• If you’re Episcopalian, you thrust your hands nervously in your pockets and dig, scratch, or scrape.
• If you’re nondenominational, you clap.
• If you’re Wesleyan or Evangelical Free, you cry.
• If you’re Nazarene, you laugh.
• If you’re Seventh-day Adventist, you sway slightly with eyes shut.
• If you’re United Methodist, you extend your hands, palms upward, but arms are never raised above the belly-button.
• If you’re United Church of Christ, you stand erect with arms crossed and face scowled.
• If you’re Presbyterian, you place one hand under the chin, a la Rodin’s The Thinker.
• If you’re Unitarian Universalist, you go on and pretend nothing has happened.
• If you’re Southern Baptist, you hold hands with people across the aisle.
• If you’re American Baptist, you tap your feet.
• If you’re United Church of Canada, you clasp your hands behind the back.
• If you’re Salvation Army, you lift your hearts to God and your hands to whoever’s around you.
• If you’re Quaker, you get real quiet.
• If you’re Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), you raise one hand to the heavens as if you’re hailing a bus or waving a hankie.
• If you’re Pentecostal, you lift both hands high above the head and make the wave. (By the way, do you know how they vote at Pentecostal conventions? They put their hands down.)
• If you’re postmodern, you’ve done all of the above at one time or another.
Source- unknown
Well this past Sunday was a wrap –up worship service to conclude a week long Vacation Day Camp (VDC). To our utmost joy, a few visiting families with children, who attended our VDC, showed up at worship. During the week, these children learned several contemporary Christian songs and really got into it – hand motions, clapping, stomping, etc. During worship, our Pastor showed a clip of the children singing “Lord I Lift Your Name on High.” And us stoic, conservative, traditional, liturgical Lutherans watched as a young girl, perhaps 4 or 5 years old, in the front of the church, lifted her arms in praise as she was taught during VDC. And the funny thing was that the Mother (who was also a visitor) realized that this was a bit out of place for us; so she tried to stop the little girl – but the girl was persistent! Mom would put her hands down, and up they came again and again. Arms up in a WELS service; who would have guessed!
“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” Psalm 134:2
“From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Ps. 8:2
