Intergenerational Ten Commandments

Here’s a re-working of the ten commandments from Carolyn Brown’s Worshiping with Children website.

Intergenerational Ten Commandments

(Exodus 20: 1-20)

God is God – even at school!

God is more important than anything

      – even grades or friends

Always say God’s name respectfully

Don’t get too busy for church

Speak of your father and mother with love

Don’t hurt anyone

      watch where you sling your book bag and

      lookout for the younger kids

Be a loyal friend

Do not steal

      either other people’s stuff or the answers on their work

Don’t tell lies about other people

       either to get them in trouble or make yourself look good

Don’t get jealous of what others have or what they can do

~ written by Carolyn Brown, and posted on Worshiping with Children. http://www.worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.ca/2013/07/year-c-proper-13-18th-sunday-in.html

Affirmation: Ten Commandments

Here’s a litany of commitment and affirmation based on Exodus 20: 1-17 and Matthew 22: 37-38.  It was written by Katherine Hawker.

Litany

(based on Exodus 20: 1-17 and Matthew 22: 37-38)

Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, your mind and your soul.

We will love God with an intensity

such that no substitute will suffice,

the very mention of God's name will be precious

as we cleave to our time of communion with the sacred.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

We will respect the wisdom of our elders.

We will protect the lives and the reputations of those around us.

We will cherish the relationships entrusted to us.

We will not take what is not ours.

We will learn the value of enough.

Love the Lord your God.

Amen.

— Copyright © 2002 Katherine Hawker.  Posted on her Liturgy Outside website. 

For more worship resources for March 11, 2012 (the third Sunday of Lent), click on Lent 3 B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page. 

Prayer of Intercession: Ten Commandments

Here’s a prayer of intercession based on the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5: 6-21).  It comes from the Church of Australia’s Starters for Sunday website. 

They suggest that the prayer may be led by a number of different voices.

Prayer of Intercession

(based on Exodus 20: 1-7, Deuteronomy 5: 6-21)

Lord God heavenly Father, you have commanded us to have no other gods. Keep us faithful to you alone, dethrone the idols in our life, and give us the grace to fear/honour, love and trust you above all things.

Gracious Father, your name is holy. Stop us from using it in unholy ways. Let the name that you put on us in baptism keep us holy, and may we always trust in the holy name of Jesus and use his name in prayer and praise.

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Almighty God and Father, you created six days in which to work and the seventh you made a day of rest. Grant that we may use the Lord's day for rest and hearing your word.

Gracious Father in heaven, in your goodness you have given us fathers and mothers whom you want us to honour. Grant that by the help of your Spirit all Christian parents may bring their children up to fear/honour and love you, and that children may not provoke their parents to anger but love, respect, and obey them. Keep the families of the church united, and strengthen them through your word.

Lord of life, you have created the world and you give life to all people. Grant that by your grace all may respect the sanctity of life, including the life of the unborn. Let us do nothing to hurt or harm our neighbour in any way, but rather to be of help, especially in times of need.

Merciful Father, you have established the state of marriage and continue to bless it. Give us grace to lead a chaste and pure life. Bless all who are married; enable them to remain faithful to their vows, and to be patient and forgiving.

Almighty God, you are the giver and preserver of all good things. Help us to value honest work as your gift and the means by which you bless our country. Give us joy as we serve others with unselfish hearts. Give work to the unemployed and help them to use their extra time constructively and for the good of their communities.

Lord God our heavenly Father, in Jesus Christ you have shown yourself to be for us and not against us. Help us to be loyal to our neighbours and do nothing to damage their reputation. Show us the log in our own eye when we find a speck in their eye. Make us more ready to forgive than to judge, and always view the actions of others in the most favourable light.

Gracious God and Father, you are the owner and giver of all things. Enable us to be good stewards of all your gifts, content with what you have given us, and eager to advance the cause of others even if it is to our disadvantage. Give us a generous heart and joy in serving our neighbour.

— posted on the Lutheran Church of Australia’s Sunday by Sunday website. 

For more worship resources for March 11, 2012 (the third Sunday of Lent), click on Lent 3 B in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page. For more prayer resources on this blog, see the Scriptural Index of Prayers at the upper right side of the page.

Opening Prayer: Exodus 20:1-20

Here’s a prayer of praise based on Exodus 20:1-20, one of the suggested scripture readings for October 2, 2011 (Proper 22A, Ordinary 27A).  It was written by Moira Laidlaw.

Prayer of Praise and Adoration

(based on Exodus 20: 1-20)

We worship you, O God, as Creator and Liberator
You led the captives out of Egypt,
delivering them from the oppression of slavery.
You gave laws which enabled people to relate to you,
to one another,
and to the whole creation.
You implored people to worship only you,
knowing that whatever was put in your place
would all to easily become the object of idolatry,
and the priority of people’s hearts.
You showered us with blessings
by revealing in Jesus just how precious we are to you,
and through him
you delivered us into a new and living relationship with you
and with one another—
with a new commandment—
a commandment of love.
May we reveal the depth of our love
as we praise and adore you, O God,
in Jesus name and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

—Moira Laidlaw, on her website Liturgies Online.  See that site for many other great resources.

Call to Worship: Psalm 19, Exodus 20

 

Here’s a call to worship based on Psalm 19 and Exodus 20. It was written by Nancy Townley.

Call to Worship

All heaven and earth proclaim the majesty of God’s creative power!
Praise God for the amazing and awesome beauty.
God has given to us codes by which to live together in harmony and peace.
In these commandments,

God has summed up the ways we must respect one another.
Rejoice in the goodness of God.
Praise God for God’s complete and steadfast love for us. Amen.

— written by Nancy C. Townley, posted on the Ministry Matters website.

Prayer of Commitment: Exodus 20: 1-20

You shall have no other gods before me.

Lord, help us to love you

with all our heart, all our soul,

all our mind and all our strength.

You shall not make for yourself an idol.

Lord, help us to worship you

in spirit and in truth.

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

Lord, help us to honour you

with reverence and awe.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Lord, help us to remember Christ risen from the dead,

and to set our minds on things above,

not on things on the earth.

Honour your father and your mother.

Lord, help us to live as your servants,

giving respect to all,

and love to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

You shall not murder.

Lord, help us to be reconciled with each other,

and to overcome evil with good.

You shall not commit adultery.

Lord, help us to realise

that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

You shall not steal.

Let us be honest in all we do,

and to care for those in need.

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.

Lord, help us always to speak the truth.

You shall not covet.

Lord, help us to remember Jesus said,

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’,

and help us to love our neighbours as ourselves;

for his sake.

—from Starters for Sunday, posted on the website of the Church of Scotland.

Confession: Ten Commandments

Here’s a litany of confession based on the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-20; Deuteronomy 5:6-21).  It was written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on his website, Bruce Prewer’s Homepage. 

Litany for Deliverance

Save your people, God of truth and mercy,

from the chaos of divided loyalties

and the worship of many gods;

Save us, God of truth and mercy.

From making God in our own likeness

and the slavery of self-centredness;

Save us, God of truth and mercy.

From using God’s name trivially

and claiming him for our prejudices;

Save us, God of truth and mercy.

From neglecting sabbatical quiet times

and being obsessed with busyness;

Save us, God of truth and mercy.

From ignoring or despising the elderly

and over-indulging the new generation;

Save us, God of truth and mercy.

From glorifying  armaments and war

and wishing our enemies dead;

Save us, God of truth and mercy.

From watering-down love and marriage

and the exploitation of sex;

Save us, God of truth and mercy.

From the legal robberies of the stock exchange,

and the cunning thefts of tax evasion;

Save us, God of truth and mercy.

From TV programmes that twist the facts,

and cruel gossip in supermarkets;

Save us, God of truth and mercy.

From those who preach greed as a virtue

and possession-lust which is never satisfied;

Save us, God of truth and mercy.

O Jesus Christ, Saviour of all who lose their way,

O Healing Spirit, Power who renews the world;

We need you, God of truth and mercy!

Amen.

—from Prayers For the Twenty-First Century, page 124.  Copyright © Bruce Prewer and Open Book Publishers.  Posted on Bruce Prewer’s Homepage. Visit his site for many other excellent worship resources. 

For more worship resources related to this text, or other texts for October 2, 2011 (the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost), click on Proper 22A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page. 

For more worship resources on the Ten Commandments, click on Ten Commandments in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For other resources related to confession, click on Confession or words of assurance in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page, or see the Confession & Assurance Index at the upper right. 

Children's Story: Exodus 20: 1-20

If your worship this week includes a look at the Ten Commandments, here's a children’s story you might want to consider using. It was written by Rev. Richard Fairchild and posted on his Kir-shalom website. 

Rules for Cats and People

Who here has a cat or two at their home?  Tell me, are they very obedient?  Do they do what you want??

Most cats don't do what we want them to do.  According to some people this is because cats have their own special cat rules - and they always follow them - because they are rules made specially for cats by cats...  What do you think?  I would like to share with you today some rules that I think you will find to be quite funny.  They are rules for cats - and as you will see they most likely were made up by cats.

1)    Life is hard, then you nap.

2)    Curiosity never killed anything except may a few hours.

3)    When in doubt, cop an attitude.

4)    Variety is the spice of life – one day ignore people, the next day annoy them.

5)    Climb your way to the top - that's what the drapes are for.

6)    Never sleep alone when you can sleep on someone's face.

7)    Find your place in the sun - especially if it happens to be on a nice pile of warm, clean, laundry.

8)    When eating out, think nothing of sending back your meal twenty or thirty times.

9)    Make your mark in the world - or at least in each corner of the house.

10)    Always give generously - a small mouse left on the bed or in a shoe tells them: "I love you."

Cats seem to live by these rules don't they? They certainly don't live by our rules.  Today, you heard another  set of rules read out -- rules that were made especially for us -- does anyone know their name?

The ten commandments....  These are special rules made by God for us.  Just as cat rules help cats be the best kind of cats that they can be -- so the commandments of God are given to us to help us become the best people that we can be.  When we keep these rules God is very pleased and so are all the people around us.

Let’s pray:

Holy and Loving God,

we thank You for the rules that You have given us,

and for the love that You always show us.

Help us to live in the way that You want all people to live,

and to love You and the whole world.

We ask in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

—written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, and posted on his Kir-shalom website.

For more worship resources related to this text, or other texts for October 2, 2011 (the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost), click on Proper 22A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.  For other intergenerational resources for worship, click on intergenerational worship in the list of “Labels” at the right.

For more worship resources on the Ten Commandments, click on Ten Commandments in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

The Ten Commandments for Children

Here’s another child-friendly version of the Ten Commandments. This one was written by Ron Rienstra.

The Ten Commandments

1.       You may not love anyone or anything more than you love God.

2.       You may not worship, or put more importance on any person or thing, other than God. You must worship only the Lord, not your parents, not a friend, not a movie star or a sports hero, not a car or boat or skateboard. Nothing.

3.       You may not swear. Use God’s holy name only in a loving way, never to express anger or frustration.

4.       One day of your week should be set aside for rest and the worship of God. Work six days of the week only. You need a special day set aside to relax, to enjoy God’s world, and to meet with other Christians.

5.       Be respectful to your parents. Love them, and the Lord will reward you with a long life.

6.       You may not hate other people; don’t ever think of hurting someone else in any way.

7.       Keep your thoughts and actions pure. Sex is a gift of God to married couples.

8.       You may not take and keep anything that doesn’t belong to you.

9.       You may not tell lies, especially when that lie will hurt someone else.

10.   You may not be jealous of what others have. You may not be jealous of your friend’s new toy or clothes or the big house your neighbor lives in. Be satisfied with what you have.

—Adapted from the NIV Adventure Bible (Zondervan) by Ron Rienstra. Part of Lifelong Learning, http://www.reformedworship.org/article/june-2002/lifelong-learning-service-celebrating-educational-and-discipling-ministry-church June, 2002, posted on Reform Worship. 

Exodus 20: 1-20 (the giving of the Ten Commandments) is one of the suggested scripture texts for October 2, 2011 (the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost).  For more worship resources related to this text, or other texts for this Sunday, click on Proper 22A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more worship resources on the Ten Commandments, click on Ten Commandments in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more resources for intergenerational worship, click on intergenerational worship in the list of “Labels” at the right.

Ten Commandments Litany

Here’s another litany based on the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-20 or Deuteronomy 5:6-21).  This one was written by Mike Cosper.

A Litany for the Ten Commandments

This is what God told his people:
“I am the Lord your God,

who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.
“You must not have any other god but me.”
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind

or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.

You must not bow down to them or worship them,

for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God

who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.

I lay the sins of the parents upon their children;

the entire family is affected—

even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.

But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations

on those who love me and obey my commands.”

We are your people, God.

And by your spirit we will love you alone

with all our hearts, minds, and strength.

“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”
Hallowed be Your name, Lord.

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

You have six days each week for your ordinary work,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest

dedicated to the Lord your God.

On that day no one in your household may do any work.

For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth,

the sea, and everything in them;

but on the seventh day he rested.

That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
By your grace, may we enter into true Sabbath rest.

“Honor your father and mother.

Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
“You must not murder.
“You must not commit adultery.
“You must not steal.”
If we live by our flesh, we will die.

But is we live by the Spirit, we will have life and peace.

“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
“You must not covet your neighbor’s house.

You must not covet your neighbor’s wife,

male or female servant, ox or donkey,

or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
Teach us to love our neighbors as ourselves,

and to love your law not simply as a list of rules,

but as a picture of life lived in harmony with You

and with one another:

life as it was meant to be lived. Amen.

— Adapted from Exodus 20:1-17 (NLT) by Mike Cosper. Posted on The Open Sourcebook.  

Exodus 20: 1-20 is one of the suggested scripture texts for October 2, 2011 (the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost).  For more worship resources related to this text, or other texts for this Sunday, click on Proper 22A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For more worship resources on the Ten Commandments, click on Ten Commandments in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

Prayer Litany: Ten Commandments

Here is a prayer litany based on Exodus 20: 1-20 or Deuteronomy 5:6-21.  It was written by Matt Gritter.

Prayer Litany

based on the Ten Commandments

The Lord said,

“I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt. That is the land where you were slaves.
Do not put any other gods in place of me.”

O Lord, we trust you and confess

that every precious gift we hold comes from you.

“Do not make statues of gods that look like anything in the sky or on the earth or in the waters. Do not bow down to them or worship them. I am the Lord your God. I am a jealous God. I punish the children for the sin of their parents. I judge the descendants of those who hate me. But for all time to come I show love to all those who love me and keep my commandments.”

O Lord, we worship only you

and wonder at all the ways you exceed our expectations.

“Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will find guilty anyone who misuses his name.”

O Lord, we offer you our mouths

as instruments of your grace and peace.

“Observe the Sabbath day. Keep it holy, just as the Lord your God commanded you. Do all of your work in six days. But the seventh day is a Sabbath in honor of the Lord your God. Do not do any work on that day. The same command applies to your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen, your donkeys and your other animals. It also applies to any outsiders who live in your cities. I want your male and female servants to rest, just as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. The Lord your God reached out his mighty hand and powerful arm and brought you out of there. So he has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”

O Lord, our time is in your hands,

help us to rest in you.

“Honor your father and mother, just as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long time in the land he is giving you. And things will go well with you there.”

O Lord, keep watch over our relationships,

give us the gifts of patience and kindness.

“Do not commit murder.”

O Lord, we offer you our hearts,

that we may be examples of your love.

“Do not commit adultery.”

O Lord, our bodies are yours,

grant that we may use them in ways that are pleasing to you.

“Do not steal.”

O Lord, we offer you our hands

as tools of justice and faithful service.

“Do not give false witness against your neighbor.”

O Lord, we thank you for our voices;

feed our desire to proclaim the truth.

“Do not long for your neighbor’s wife. Do not long to have anything that belongs to your neighbor. Do not long to have your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey.”

O Lord, we offer you our possessions

and our positions in this world.

Help us to take joy in your gifts with all thanksgiving and praise.

— adapted from Deuteronomy 5:6-21 by Matt Gritter. Posted on The Open Sourcebook. 

Exodus 20: 1-20 is one of the suggested scripture texts for October 2, 2011 (the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost).  For more worship resources related to this text, or other texts for this Sunday, click on Proper 22A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.  

For more worship resources on the Ten Commandments, click on Ten Commandments in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

For other prayers and prayer resources on this blog, see this Prayer index.