Jesus Christ

Lutheran Advent Season: Daily Reflections

December 4, 2017 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Why Am I Starting a Lutheran Advent Season Series?

As Christmas approaches it is easy to lose focus on the birth of Jesus Christ get wrapped up in the commercialism of the season. The insert Lutheran Advent Season reflections in my church mailbox gave me an idea. It was copied and printed on black and white copy paper, nothing fancy and yet it is so simple.

Each day is outlined with a specific reading and lesson to reflect on the meaning of the Advent season. As I started reading so many things came to mind.

You see I teach Sunday School and have for over 25 years. I always look for inspiration, ideas, and ways to teach my fourth and fifth graders in a way they can relate and understand the Bible and the Gospel message.

Right now we are practicing for our Christmas Eve program and I am the piano accompanist. So I’m craving some eye-opening teaching time.

Hopefully, this series will inspire, teach and prepare you for Christmas in a way you never considered. I will include the Daily reading, hymns, music, and a summary of the Reflection of the Day. A link to Trinity Lutheran Church online sermons will also be provided.

I encourage you to comment below, for a couple of reasons. God wants you to ask questions. By asking questions you learn and understand.

The First Sunday of Advent

Today’s Reading: Matthew 21:1-9

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 9:8-10:11; 1 Peter 5:1-14

Jesus is coming!! He is “the coming ONE”

This, in a nutshell, is the Christian meaning of Advent. Advent is all about Jesus coming to you. He’s not coming to condemn you, He’s coming to save you. He will take upon Himself all your sins and give you everlasting life.

So what are you going to do to make yourself ready?

Nothing. There is nothing that you can do that will make Jesus love you any more than he already does. He alone makes you ready. He delivers His coming to you in His gifts.

Hymns: First Sunday Advent

Hymns during Advent are anticipatory and lead up to Christmas and the anticipation of the birth of Baby Jesus. Many songs people think of as Christmas music are actually Advent hymns. O Come, O Come Emmanuel is what I would call an anthem for Advent.

Oxford Hymn Settings for Organists: Advent and Christmas: 38 original pieces on hymns and carols Seven Preludes on Advent Hymns O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Willis Music O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Early Inter Level) Willis Series by Carolyn C. Setliff

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO7ySn-Swwc[/embedyt]

The Piano Guys O Come, O Come Emmanuel is one of my favorite renditions of this popular Advent song. I do scour YouTube for Advent hymns and will be sharing my favorites in the month to come.

A more traditional version of O Come, O Come Emanuel YouTube edition is the performed by a traditional choir.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xtpJ4Q_Q-4[/embedyt]

I like both. Which is your favorite?

Links to follow the Lutheran Advent Season of Reflection

Higher Things: Dare to Be Lutheran – The First Sunday of Advent
Trinity Lutheran Church: First Sunday of Advent Sermon (listen to audio here)

Tomorrow I will share another of my favorite hymns for Advent Season: Savior of the Nations Come.

Glory Laud and Honor, My Favorite Hymn for Palm Sunday

April 13, 2014 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Palm Sunday Traditions
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Sometimes I think I look forward to Palm Sunday more than Easter. It’s when I get to sing my favorite hymn Glory Laud and Honor.

I have very fond memories of my Godmother and growing up in a small country church in Connecticut. The significance of Palm fronds on Palm Sunday represents Jesus Christ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.

Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week for Christians and the celebration of His coming. This is a marked difference in how Christ was treated just a few days later on Good Friday.

Church Traditions on Palm Sunday

At my small country church of Grace Episcopal in Broad Brook Connecticut we would be handed palms.

The whole church would parade around the church waving palms and singing Glory Laud and Honor. The windows in the church would be open and the organ would echo the full refrain in celebration.

My Godmother, Alice Turcotte, would hold my hand and smile at me as if this was the most wonderful moment in her life. She often told me this was her favorite hymn, and it has held a special place in my heart ever since.

Below you can listen and sing along with the words to the traditional hymn All Glory Laud and Honor, YouTube edition. You can believe that’s it’s on my YouTube Hymn Playlist.

All Glory Laud and Honor Lyrics

I get chills whenever I hear All Glory Laud and Honor. It is such a majestic hymn sung is the very popular key of C, which is very easy to sing. I enjoy it all year, not just on Palm Sunday.

All glory, laud, and honor
To You, Redeemer, King,
To Whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.
You are the King of Israel
and David’s royal Son,
Now in the Lord’s name coming,
The King and Blessed One.

The company of angels
Is praising You on high;
And we with all creation
In chorus make reply.
The people of the Hebrews
With palms before You went;
Our praise and prayer and anthems
Before You we present.

To You before Your passion
They sang their hymns of praise;
To You, now high exalted,
Our melody we raise.
As You received their praises,
Accept the prayers we bring,
For You delight in goodness,
O good and gracious King!

Lessons from my Godmother

Granny Turcotte was a wonderful person. After her husband died she was a foster parent to over twenty special needs kids and raised a brother and sister with muscular dystrophy from infant to adulthood. The new people and crowds on Easter morning made it difficult to bring Mary and James to Easter service.

The regulars in the congregation knew them, didn’t stare, and thus made Palm Sunday service easier and welcoming. She would often skip Easter service and attend Palm Sunday service as she got older. She celebrated life as if every day were Palm Sunday. With Shouts of joy and thanksgiving!

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She was the epitome of what a Godmother is supposed to be and took her role seriously.

We went to her church where I went to Sunday school and repeated the lessons to her after church, she helped me learn the Lords Prayer and I recited my confirmation lessons and memory work after church.

She gave me my first Bible and was there when I was confirmed. She died in 1988 and every Palm Sunday when I sing Glory Laud and Honor I get a lump in my throat as I remember her and the impact she had in my life.

Grace Episcopal Church, Broad Brook Connecticut

Palm Sunday story kids — Small country church in Broad Brook CT

I have been a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Murdock Nebraska for over twenty years. Every morning when I woke the first thing I think of is hearing and singing Glory Laud and Honor.

The tradition at Trinity is to hold the youth confirmation ceremony on Palm Sunday, and how appropriate it is to celebrate the newly confirmed members of the church.

Sheet Music for Glory Laud and Honor

It never fails, every Palm Sunday I come home, find my All Glory Laud and Honor sheet music and sit at the piano and smile. I would like to think my dear Godmother is looking down from me from heaven and smiling. I hope she knows how she greatly influenced my life.

All Glory Laud and Honor: Sheet Music for String Quartet Hymn All Glory, Laud and Honor Sheet Music Hal Leonard All Glory, Laud and Honor (An Organ Suite for Holy Week)All Glory, Laud and Honor: Hymn Arrangements for Solo Piano (Moderate)PROCESSIONAL ON Palm Sunday All Glory, Laud and Honor: Organ Expressions for Palm Sunday Through Eastertide

What memories of Palm Sunday do you remember most?

How do you celebrate Holy Week and Easter?

Palm Sunday Bible Story Books for Kids

It is easy to find Easter story books for kids, but it’s harder to find Palm Sunday Bible story books. Here are a few books to for a Palm Sunday Bible Story lesson.

The Littlest Donkey: A Palm Sunday Story Humphrey’s First Palm Sunday The Little Donkey: A Palm Sunday/Easter Story for All Ages The Colt and the King

Day 139/365: Rose of Jericho, Resurrection Plant, A Sunday School Lesson

April 22, 2011 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Grow a Resurrection Plant for Lent and Easter

I love teaching Sunday School. I especially when I have a visual aid that gets the kids excited. Kids Sunday School lessons are always more fun, engaging and memorable when you kids can relate everyday items, events, and discoveries to Jesus and the Bible.

The Rose jericho, or Resurrection plant is a perfect Sunday school lesson for Easter, Lent or during the church year when you want to teach the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Learn how to grow a resurreciton plant and where to buy a resurrection plant for your students.

Here is how to grow a Resurrection plant as an example of Jesus Christ and the Resurrection Easter.

On Palm Sunday I used this unique Resurrection Plant to show the death of Christ and how the Easter miracle of resurrection brings everlasting life and rebirth with the forgiveness of sins. Easter lessons in Sunday school classes should be especially memorable.

Easter Cards – Kids Easter Bunny
by ChristianGiftIdea

Sunday School Ressurection Lesson

I’m always looking for ways to keep kids interested and looking forward to attending Sunday School. When kids reach 4th-6th grade they often are bored with fill in the blanks, coloring, and crafts. A Sunday school resurrection lesson is perfect for Easter or Holy week but works just as well during other church seasons.

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During my 25 years of teaching Sunday school at Trinity Lutheran Church I have learned a lot, and obviously every year I teach the kids about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is difficult for kids to wrap their tiny brains around “everlasting life”. It’s hard for adults to grasp as well.

The best way I have of getting kids to remember their lessons from week to week, or even from one year to the next is to give leading questions and they supply the answers. They discover the true Easter lesson of resurrection, life everlasting and how the water from their Baptism gives life to their faith.

Where to buy a resurrection plant for Sunday School activities

Introduction:

Does this plant look dead to you? Why? What makes it dead (get input from all the students, going around the room)
Do you think it could ever come back to life and be green again? (again get input from kids)
What if I said I can make this plant live again. Would you believe me?
Pass out the bowls, pour about 2 inches in each child’s bowl
What’s in the bowl? (obviously water- use references to baptism)

Give each student a Rose Jerico (Resurrection plant) of their own and have them place it in the water. Explain how Jesus remained in the tomb for three days before he rose from the dead on Easter morning. Jesus appeared dead in the tomb. Your plant appears dead.

This resurrection Sunday School lesson is perfect for Palm Sunday, Easter or anytime during the church year — 2 Hours- kids can come back down after church to see the progress

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If you are doing this lesson on Palm Sunday this same Sunday school activity continues the next week as an Easter Sunday lesson.

You can discuss how every living thing needs water. We can go without food for several days, but we can’t live without water. We can’t live without water, we can’t truly live in Christ without Baptism.

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Word Association Lessons: Sunday School

Everlasting life – life everlasting – heaven
Water – baptism – life
Reborn – rebirth
Resurrection – miracle
Faith – feed your faith – water it on a regular basis – How? Answer: Scripture, attending church

What is a Resurrection Plant?

The Resurrection plant is also known as the Rose of Jerico, Miracle Fern, or even the Dinosaur plant. While they are actually a couple of different species they have several traits in common. Both are from very arid parts of the world. During the dry seasons, the plant curls inward in a protection mode. It is thought this plant can lay dormant for 100 years just waiting for rain.

They appear dead without water, yet when their roots are placed in the water this grey dead (seemingly) plant uncurls, opens up, turns green and comes back to life. Much like water in baptism gives you new life.

We placed the Resurrection Plant in a bowl of water and I promised to take pictures during the next 24 hours and bring them the next week, along with the plant. Here is the sequence.

Resurrection Plant- Rose of Jerico — Time: 8 hours (SOOC)

Time: 10 hours (SOOC without custom white balance)

The kids decided they wanted to plant this remarkable plant and keep it in our classroom as a reminder of the miracle of Christs’ death and Resurrection. I think that is a good idea. Sounds like another Sunday School activity to me.

Wooden Memory Boxes – Confirmation Gifts Girls
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Where to Buy A Resurrection Plant

It’s a good idea to purchase one for every student, then they can take it home after Easter as a daily reminder. You can purchase Rose Jerico plants in bulk from several nursery suppliers on Etsy.

A resurrection plant is the perfect Easter Sunday School activity.. Also know as the Rose of Jerico this plant shows an example of the resurrection of Christ.

They don’t have to worry about watering and killing the plant as the Jerico fern keeps coming back to life.

Time Lapse Video of a Resurrection Plant

It was actually very amazing how fast the plant opened. The video below of the Rose of Jericho plant opening is obviously a time lapse.

But in just a few hours from the start of Sunday school at 9:30 until when church was dismissed the plant had opened halfway. I did use warm water, that might have an impact. All I know is the kids loved it.

So do you think you might be using a Rose of Jerico (Resurrection Plant) for your Easter Sunday School Lesson this year?

Photography Tips: You will notice the photo at the 10 hour mark is distinctly “off color” and the others are pure white, even with the SOOC, straight out of the camera. I left this on purpose. I have been experimenting with my cameras white balance and none of the preset options (fluorescent, incandescent) gave me the results I wanted, so I tried the custom and LOVED the results.

Mind you I don’t have a fancy camera, just a 40.841667-96.293621