Spring 2 - Week 1
Monday 22nd February
Good Morning Cathedral School,
It is Mrs Scott here with you this morning. I hope you managed to have a relaxing half term. It was good to have a bit of sunshine; soon it will be spring and the weather will be warmer and brighter.
Did you make a pancake last week on Shrove Tuesday?
Hymn
Please sing this hymn, either by yourself or with the people you are with.
Lent
Lent is the time before Easter; forty days, not counting Sundays.
During Lent many Christians give up some foods and give the money they would have spent to those in need. They may also give their time or skills to people who need help.
Some Christians say that Lent is like training for life as they use Lent to develop their 'God-muscles' - these include things like self-control, kindness and perseverance (keeping going and not giving up). These 'muscles' are built up through prayer, time with God and service of others.
While you feel the muscles in your arm, please think about the invisible 'God-muscles' you will work on during Lent.
Here are some suggestions:
Self-control: You could give up an unhealthy food or fizzy drinks. I have given up crisps! Some people limit the time they spend playing games on their device.
Kindness: Some people decide they are going to make sure they carry out one act of kindness each day.
Perserverance: Some people decide to read part of the Bibe over Lent, perhaps the gospels. Others promise that they will improve an aspect of their learning, perhaps their handwriting or times tables.
What are you going to work on during Lent?
Prayer
Dear God,
During Lent, please help us to develop self-control so that we can control our anger. Help us to develop perseverance so that we do not give up. Help us to develop kindness so that we can change the lives of others for the better.
Amen
I hope you have a wonderful day.
Tuesday 23rd March
All over the world.pptHymn
Please sing this hymn by yourself or with someone in your family.
This person has sorted their animals by size. Have you ever done that with your toys?
Can you think other other words that mean the same as small and big?
Keep those words in your head.
Have you decided what you are going to do for Lent?
If you have chosen to give up something for Lent - perhaps chocolate or fizzy drinks, remember that Sundays in Lent are a chance to pause and enjoy the thing you have given up.
This is because, every Sunday, even the Sundays in Lent, are a celebration as Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. It is as if each Sunday is a mini Easter or a small Easter or ....please use a word you thought of to describe a Lenten Sunday.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for Sundays and the chance to celebrate and remember Jesus.
Amen
Wednesday 23rd February
Good Morning Everyone! I hope you are enjoying the sunshine.
You are my brother.ppt
Perseverance
What does perseverance mean?
It means to keep on trying and not give up even when things get difficult and tricky.
Our story today comes from the Old Testament part of the Bible. Read or listen carefully and see if you can work out why the people needed to have lots of perseverance and what helped them to keep going.
Nehemiah
A long time ago, there lived a man called Nehemiah, who worked for the king in a country a long way away from his own country. The king liked him, but Nehemiah often felt homesick and wished he could go back to where he had grown up. One day, he heard that his home town, Jerusalem, was in a mess. The walls had been knocked down and many buildings were falling apart – everything needed rebuilding: people’s homes so that they had somewhere to live; the temple so that they had somewhere to go and worship God; and the walls around the city of Jerusalem so that they would be protected from their enemies. Nehemiah made a decision: he had to try to do something about rebuilding Jerusalem.
The next morning, Nehemiah went to the king and explained what he wanted to do, saying that he would need some stones and wood. The king was very understanding. He even gave Nehemiah some money to help him. Then, Nehemiah set off on the long journey home. When he got to Jerusalem, he was shocked by the mess. It was much worse than he had imagined. The walls were collapsing, buildings looked derelict and there seemed little hope that one man could achieve anything. However, Nehemiah soon found that he was not on his own. Many people were pleased to see him and offered to help. It was hard work rebuilding the walls. Some people didn’t want Jerusalem to become strong again and fought to stop the building work taking place. But Nehemiah kept encouraging the people and asking God for help.
‘Keep going!’ he said. ‘You are doing really well and I know God will help us finish the job!’
After many months of hard work, the houses, the temple and the walls were back to how they had been before. Nehemiah was grateful to everyone who had worked with him. He also knew that God had been with them and helped them, too.
Think about the story...
In the story, what three things needed rebuilding?
What kind of things discouraged the people from getting the building work done?
What helped them to keep going?
None of us have to rebuild the walls around our towns and cities this week, but there might be some things that we are finding difficult or occasions when we feel like we want to give up.
Let’s have a moment of silence as we think about the things that we are finding difficult or that we are worried about.
Today’s story teaches us about the power of encouragement. Who could we encourage today?
When things were difficult, Nehemiah prayed. Do we need to share our difficulties with someone? Who do we talk to when things are tough?
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you that you always listen when we pray to you.
Thank you that you are always there.
Please help us to keep going when we find things hard.
Please help us to encourage others.
Amen
Thursday 25th March
It’s Revd Lisa here. I hope you have had a good week so far.
Something that brings me joy...
I think bees – especially honey bees – are amazing! Of course, they produce honey but they also transfer pollen between different plants. That means that they help plants to grow seeds and fruit.
Honey bees also share with each other. When a bee finds plants with lots of pollen, they go back to their hive and perform a wiggly kind of dance to direct the other bees to all the great plants.
Sadly, since the 1940s, bees’ habitats (the places they live and the plants they like) have been disappearing and that means there aren’t as many bees as there used to be. That might not sound very joyful! However, I think there is a reason to be joyful; we don’t have to let all the bees disappear. We can help them, and helping them is really simple. If you’re lucky (like me) and have some outside space at home, you can plant wildflowers. If you don’t have outside space, you can still help: when you’re out for a walk or playing in a park, don’t pick wildflowers and be careful not to trample them because bees love wildflowers.
Bees bring me joy because they’re amazing creatures and wildflowers bring me joy because they’re beautiful and a simple way to help bees!
Bible Verse
Bees and wildflowers are part of God’s wonderful creation. Here’s a verse about God’s creation from one of the psalms.
“Lord, you have made many things.
With your wisdom you made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.”
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the beautiful things you have created.
Help us to care for and respect your creation.
Amen.
Friday 12th February
Good Morning Cathedral School, I hope you have had a good week. The weather has been so lovely. I think it has cheered a lot of people up!
Let's celebrate all of your hard work.
What has been your biggest achievement in maths this week?
What has been your biggest achievement in English this week?
What else have you achieved?
Give yourself a celebration.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the sunshine which always lifts our spirits.
Please help us to lift the spirits of our friends and family.
Amen.