Grace Episcopal Church Martinez

Holy Eucharist All Saints’ Day

This week we take a break from the people and stories of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Church is celebrating All Saints Day. We begin by telling the children that Saints are God’s heroes. They then hear of 12 Saints that gather around the Circle of the Church Year. The children are told that the we are surrounded by Saints and to wonder if they have a favorite Saint or if one Saint is more important than another. Next week it is back to the Hebrew Scriptures.

Holy Eucharist Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

This week's story is much more thoughtful than last week's action-packed Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. The children are introduced to Samuel, a prophet who was sometimes called a seer. We hear once again of a woman yearning for a child. The woman is Hannah and her promised son, Samuel, goes to serve God with Eli, the Priest, at a very young age. The story continues with dreams, prophecies and coming close to God. Then the People of God demand a King and Samuel anoint...s Saul as the first King of Israel. We are invited to wonder how Samuel felt when God called him at night and how Samuel's mother, Hannah, felt when she gave her young son, Samuel, to the Priest Eli for the service of God. Finally, we wonder how Samuel felt when he anointed a King for the People of God, even though he did not consider that to be a good choice for them. See more