Children’s Liturgy (Oratorial)
Solemnity of the Lord's Epiphany (Year B) 7th January, 2024
Preparing the worship space
Theme: The three Wise Men/Gifts
Theme Colour: White
==== 7:00 - 7:03 ====
Entrance Song
We Three Kings of Orient Are :
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light
Ask: Does anyone remember the theme for last week? < the solemnity of mother Mary, why? We remember her for she obeyed God…>
Welcome; Today we hear about some people who travelled a long way to see the baby Jesus and who brought Him gifts. We are going to think about the gifts that we too can offer Jesus.
//V// In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
//R// Amen.
//V// May The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
And the love of God,
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.
//R// And with Your Spirit.
==== 7:03 - 7:08 ====
NEWS TIME :-)
==== 7:08 - 7:11 ====
Penitential Rite
Dear little children, let us acknowledge our sins,
and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Confession of our sins
I confess to the Almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned
in my thoughts and in my words
in what I have done and In what I have failed to do
-strike the breast 3 times as you say-
through my fault
through my fault
through my most grievous fault
THEREFORE I ask Blessed Mary Ever Virgin
all the Angels and Saints
and you, my brothers and sisters
to pray for me to the Lord our God
Have Mercy on us oh Lord
For we have sinned against you.
Show us, Oh Lord, your mercy
And grant us your salvation.
You were sent to heal the contrite of heart.
Lord have Mercy
Lord have Mercy
You came to sinners
Christ have mercy
Christ have mercy
You are seated at the right hand of the father to intercede for us.
Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
May the almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to life everlasting?
AMEN
=== 7:11 - 7:14 ====
GLORIA – Glory to God in the highest!!......
Opening Prayer
God of light, your star led the wise men to Jesus. Guide us as we try to follow Jesus in our lives and help us to share our gifts generously with others.... Amen.
=== 7:14 - 7:19 ====
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading, Introduce the reading.
Say: Today’s first reading is from the Old Testament book of Isaiah 60:1-6. Isaiah is telling us about the coming of Jesus Christ. Let’s listen to what he prophesied. Isaiah the prophet!
A prepared child/children come and take the first reading or second reading.
Isaiah 60:1-6 (NRSVCE)
The Ingathering of the Dispersed
60 Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2 For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
33 Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,[a]
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.
“This is the word of the Lord”
All say “Thanks be to God”.
Ask: What did Isaiah say? <let the children retell the story a little> Then Say: Isaiah says; “Arise, shine; for your light has come” promises that:
“Nations (Gentiles) shall come to your light”(Jesus)
The people will enjoy prosperity and well-being.
Let us focus on our responsorial Psalm:
< Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.!...>3x.
Introduce the Gospel
Today’s Gospel reading comes from the gospel book of Matthew 2:1-12., we hear After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” Let’s listen closely to the story..
Now we will stand to get ready to hear the Gospel
..with Alleluia!! – OR
Welcome the Gospel through a song
CHORUS:
Hallelujah, Hallelujah!
Hallelujah, Hallelujah!
Hallelujah, Hallelujah!
Yelele Yelele, Hallelujah!
Moto Moto, Hallelujah
Moto Moto, Hallelujah
Moto Moto, Hallelujah
Yelele Yelele, Hallelujah!
Silently say:” Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your Holy Gospel.
The Leader starts: The Lord be with You,
All say: And with your Spirit.
A reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.
Glory to You, O Lord
Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSVCE)
The Visit of the Wise Men
2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men[a] from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,[b] and have come to pay him homage.”
3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,[f]until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy.
11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
The Gospel of the Lord”
“Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ”
==== 7:19 - 7:24 ====
(*) Tell your prepared interesting story according to the Gospel and children’s level of understanding like in the…
Gospel reflection:
Ask: What happened? <let the children retell what they have heard> OR
Engage; Wise men bring Jesus presents. Can you remember what the gifts they bring are?
How does it feel when you are given presents? What is the best gift you have ever been given?
Can you think of a time when you gave someone else a gift? How does it feel when you give somebody a gift? Does it make you happy? Why?
The gifts that the wise men gave were very expensive.
We give gifts to people who are special to us. Just like the wise men we can also give gifts to Jesus to show Him that He is important in our lives.
.
Memory Verse: “Mathew 2:11 (“11On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him....”)
Let us stand up and we profess our faith.
Profession of our faith
I believe in God the Father, Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:
--bow down--
Who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary:
Suffered under Pontius Pilate;
was crucified, died and was buried:
He descended into hell:
The third day he rose again from the dead:
He ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:
From there He will come to judge the living and the dead:
I believe in the Holy Spirit:
the holy catholic church:
the communion of saints:
The forgiveness of sins:
The resurrection of the body:
And the life everlasting. Amen.
==== 7:24 - 7:26 ====
Prayers of the Faithful
Now is the time to pray for our stuff :-)Intercessions.
You may want to ask the children to offer their own prayers or you can use the suggestions below.
Leader: The wise men offered their gifts to Jesus. Together we pray we may all share the wonderful gifts that God has given us:..
Prayer 1. We pray for the world church leaders: Our Pope, Francis, Bishops, Priests, and all the clergy, to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that what they teach, is sound and clear to all of us..
We pray to the Lord...
Prayer 2. Let us pray for people around the world who are poor: that they may receive the gift of hope and be able to change their lives for the better.
We pray to the Lord....
Prayer 3. We pray for our parish, families and friends: that we may listen to God’s word and all share our gifts with others...
We pray to the Lord.....
Prayer 4. God of love, guide us to do what is right and to use our gifts (like singing, writing, playing football and etc) to change the lives around us, for a better future.
We pray to the Lord.....
==== 7:26 - 7:28 ====
Silently, each one tells God your petition.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.
Amen
==== 7:28 - 7:30 ====
Song Interlude: Walk Walk in the light, walk walk in the light, .........
Sing as we give in our offertory and we walk to the big church... NOTE-- after the song, is being sung, we pick the children that will perform next Sunday....
Bring up A child in a way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
