Over the next 4 weeks or so, the whole church (adults and children) is looking at and learning about various aspects of Holy Communion: what it is, why we do it, signs, symbols, stories and liturgy. At the end of the series, we will have a special celebration where I will preside at communion for the first time and one of our children will take her first communion. It is actually quite exciting to all be learning together!
We have set up a 'treasure chest' for children to role play with during the service, using an old box we found in an antique shop.
This is what we put inside...
Handkerchiefs in the 4 liturgical colours (plus extra white ones for children to use as purificatory to wipe the cup with), wooden crosses and doves.
A felt book of church symbols (see a future post on this!)
Some metal cups and plates found for a bargain price in a charity shop, some wooden bread, hearts, battery operated candles and a globe ball.
We put it out for the first time last week and the response was fascinating! Some of the children, completely unprompted, were acting out giving the bread and wine to each other and to their parents and even used the white cloths to wipe the cup after each sip. We warned the congregation that there was likely to be clinking of metal, but that we welcomed that because it meant that the children were getting involved. In just one service we learned how much even the youngest children observe and process that symbols and actions they see happening around them!
This is amazing! I love this idea so much. I cant wait to read more about your series!
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