Taking on and Giving up Worship Theme

HOOK: Have someone stand at the front of the space with a hula-hop around them. The person should be in the center of the circle. Slowly, begin to add things into the circle with the person. Soon, there will be so much stuff in the circle that you can either not see the person (bury them under the stuff) or they are pushed out of their comfortable circle. The things that are added should be things that take up our time, even if they are “good” things. You could also label the “stuff” or the things that take up our time, even the ‘good’ things, on sticky notes and place the sticky notes all over the person so that all you end up seeing is sticky notes and barely any of the person.

THEME: Giving up and Taking on. This theme centers upon self-care and healthy boundaries.

SCRIPTURE: Ecclesiastes 3.1-8

EXPERIENCE: We know self-care/healthy boundaries includes: eating a healthy diet; exercising; getting enough sleep; balance of work and play; knowing how to say no; etc. How does God fit into a self-care equation? This would be a great time to lead the congregation in a guided meditation. You could also lead the congregation in centering prayer. Also, for an out-of-the-box experience, you could open the space and have various types of prayer experiences set-up for the congregation, such as a labyrinth, a reading corner with various books on prayer with such authors as Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr. etc., maybe have mandalas to color, maybe have a place to create prayer beads, etc. Be creative! The point is to have various ways that people can intentionally take time to connect with God and maybe learn a new way to stay connected daily with God.

SENDING:
God, bless us with the courage to care for ourselves. Be with as we learn new ways to be intentional about caring for our bodies, our time, our boundaries and our relationships, including intentionally carving out time to be in communion with you. Amen.

-By Becky Jones, Pastor