Gathering song: Option 1

Song: ‘Let your Kingdom come quickly!’ Place version words: © Sharon Moughtin-Mumby

Tune: ‘There’s a hole in my bucket’ (traditional). 

 

Let’s pray for God’s Kingdom as Jesus taught us!

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When learning the song for the first time, you may find this material helpful.

Let’s sing ‘my turn’ point to self,

‘your turn’ leader’s hands out to group.

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Let your Kingdom come quickly ‘come’ action (see p. 195)

in Walworth, in Walworth!* Point all around

Let your Kingdom come quickly: ‘come’ action

in Walworth, in Walworth!*

*Insert local area/school/church/community/parish.

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Let your Kingdom come quickly! ‘Come’ action

Let your clap hands together in prayer will be done!

Let your Kingdom come quickly! ‘Come’ action

Let your clap hands together in prayer will be done!

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Let’s try that all together:

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If you’re using imaginative aids, give them out at this point. You may like to ask the children to create actions that are suitable with the resources you’re using.

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Let your Kingdom come quickly ‘come’ action (see p. 195)

in Walworth, in Walworth!* Point all around

Let your Kingdom come quickly! ‘Come’ action

Let your clap hands together in prayer will be done!

Repeat.

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When the group is ready:

We pray for God’s Kingdom,

but what’s God’s Kingdom like? Hands out in question
What are we praying for?

I wonder what Jesus will say God’s Kingdom is like today?

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Gathering Song: Option 2

Song: ‘Let your Kingdom come quickly!’ Kingdom action version words: © Sharon Moughtin-Mumby

Tune: ‘There’s a hole in my bucket’ (traditional). 

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This Gathering Song is designed to grow week by week as you explore Jesus’ parables about God’s Kingdom together. Each week, a new action for ‘Kingdom’ is introduced, based on the story that you’ve told the week before. It’s designed for groups with at least some regular children who attend weekly/fortnightly.

 

The song shares many of the same words as Option 1, but focuses on the word ‘Kingdom’ in order to give the children time to create meaningful connections. If you’re using the What’s in the Box? material (Book 1, p. 221), you may like to place the objects from previous weeks on a focal table to spark the children’s memories of the parables you’ve told together.

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Week 1:

Let’s pray for God’s Kingdom as Jesus taught us!

Let’s sing ‘my turn’ point to self,

‘your turn’ leader’s hands out to group.

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Let your Kingdom come quickly ‘come’ action (see p. 195)

your Kingdom, your Kingdom! ‘Come’ action

Let your Kingdom come quickly: ‘come’ action

your Kingdom, your Kingdom!  ‘Come’ action

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Let your Kingdom come quickly! ‘Come’ action

Let your clap hands together in prayer will be done!

Let your Kingdom come quickly! ‘Come’ action

Let your clap hands together in prayer will be done!

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Let’s try that all together.

Let’s pray as Jesus taught us!

If you’re using imaginative aids, you may like to give them out at this point, or you may like to leave this for following weeks. You may like to ask the children to create a new action for ‘your will be done’ that’s suitable with the resources you’re using.

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Let your Kingdom come quickly: ‘come’ action

your Kingdom, your Kingdom!  ‘Come’ action

Let your Kingdom come quickly! ‘Come’ action

Let your clap hands together in prayer will be done!

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But what’s God’s Kingdom like? Hands out in question
What are we praying for?

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Weeks 2+:

Let’s pray for God’s Kingdom as Jesus taught us!

If you’re using imaginative aids, give them out at this point. You may like to ask the children to create a new action for ‘your will be done’ that’s suitable with the resources you’re using.

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But wait a minute, we need an action for God’s Kingdom.

Can anyone remember what Jesus said God’s Kingdom’s like?

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See if the children can remember the parable from the previous week(s). If appropriate, show the children an action or object from the focal table to jog their memories. 

Accept the children’s responses and use that action to sing the song.

 

Example:

A child suggests ‘a party!’

Who can show me an action for a party?

Celebrate the children’s suggested actions.

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Let’s sing our prayer.

This time, whenever we sing ‘Kingdom!’,

let’s show God’s Kingdom . . .

like the biggest party! Party action

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You may like to sing the song a little slower as the children get used to moving between actions.

Let your Kingdom come quickly: party action

your Kingdom, your Kingdom! Party action

Let your Kingdom come quickly! Party action

Let your clap hands together in prayer will be done!

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Repeat using the images for God’s Kingdom from all the parables you’ve told together. This song should grow week by week. In the first couple of weeks, you may like to repeat each verse once, but as the number of verses grows (and the children’s familiarity with the song) you can sing the song once for each parable.

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If you’re using imaginative aids and need time to collect them up at the end:

Let’s sit down for a moment.

Let’s sing our song one last time.

This time, let’s sing it as a prayer.

While we pray, Name and Name will collect your ribbons.

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Lead the children in singing quietly. At St Peter’s, Walworth, whenever possible, we model prayer as we sing and leave the collecting to the children.

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Let your Kingdom come quickly: ‘come’ action

your Kingdom, your Kingdom!  ‘Come’ action

Let your Kingdom come quickly! ‘Come’ action

Let your clap hands together in prayer will be done!

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All groups, end with:

I wonder what Jesus will say God’s Kingdom is like today?

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Gathering Song: Option 3

Appropriate for groups with older children.

Song: ‘(Look!) God’s Kingdom is coming around us!’ Words: © Sharon Moughtin-Mumby

Tune: ‘My bonny lies over the ocean’ (traditional). 

 

In Week 1, you may find the following material helpful for teaching the song.

We’re going to learn a song about God’s Kingdom.

Let’s sing ‘my turn’ point to self,

‘your turn’ leader’s hands out to group.

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Singing:

God’s Kingdom is coming around us! Point around the room

God’s Kingdom is coming around us! Point around the room

We pray for God’s Kingdom to come!

Hands together or outwards in prayer

We pray for God’s Kingdom to come!

Hands together or outwards

 

Let’s sing that together:

God’s Kingdom is coming around us! Point around the room

We pray for God’s Kingdom to come! Hands in prayer 

 

Then the same words as last time

but with a different tune at the end.

Listen carefully at the end!

Singing:

God’s Kingdom is coming around us! Point around the room

We pray for God’s Kingdom to come! Hands in prayer 

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Let’s try that all together from the beginning!

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God’s Kingdom is coming around us! Point around the room

We pray for God’s Kingdom to come! Hands in prayer 

God’s Kingdom is coming around us! Point around the room

We pray for God’s Kingdom to come! Hands in prayer 

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Now let’s sing ‘my turn’ point to self,

‘your turn’ leader’s hands out to group again.

And put our hands together to pray with a clap

Amen! Clap Amen! Clap

We pray clap for God’s Kingdom to come, to come! Beckon

Amen! Clap Amen! Clap

We pray clap for God’s Kingdom to come, to come! Beckon

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Then:

Amen! Clap Amen! Clap

We pray clap for God’s Kingdom to come! Beckon

Amen! Clap Amen! Clap

We pray clap for God’s Kingdom to come! Beckon

 

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Let’s pray for God’s Kingdom as Jesus taught us!

Spoken: Look!

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God’s Kingdom is coming around us! Point around the room

We pray for God’s Kingdom to come! Hands in prayer

God’s Kingdom is coming around us! Point around the room

We pray for God’s Kingdom to come! Hands in prayer

Amen! Clap Amen! Clap

We pray clap for God’s Kingdom to come, to come! Beckon

Amen! Clap Amen! Clap

We pray clap for God’s Kingdom to come! Beckon

Repeat.

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I wonder what Jesus will say God’s Kingdom is like today?