Revelations 1:8, 21:6, 22:13 — Lectionary reading for Christmas and New Year A,B,C; Easter 2C, 5C and 7C, All Saints Day Year B, Pentecost 27B (Proper 29B)
Alpha & Omega: Introducing the symbols of the church to children
This message offers children the opportunity to look around the sanctuary or worship room and discover symbols in the art, the architecture and the furniture.
Script
I have something in my bag. (Take out picture of Alpha & Omega.)
1. What do you see?
2. The first letter is?…’A,’ and the second letter is?…funny.
3. These letters are nearby in something wooden/ stone/glass. Can you find them? — communion table/ pillar / stained glass window. (If they are not in view in your place of worship, explain that ‘Often these two letters are part of the decoration inside a church. Here is a picture of them in a stained glass window in a church’)
4. Why are they there? Why would they be decorating a church? (take responses)
5. These are Greek letters, letters from the Greek alphabet. In Greek, we call this ‘Alpha’ and this ‘Omega.’ They are the beginning and the end of the Greek alphabet. What letters are at the beginning and end of our alphabet? (‘A’ and ‘Z’)
6. Alpha and Omega, these two letters, stand for God. We sometimes say, God is the Alpha and the Omega. God is the beginning and the end; nothing is outside of God. Like the cover of a book, with all the pages inside, everything is inside God.
Pray with me.
God, thank you for being the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Thank you for wrapping yourself around us and our world, like the cover of a book wraps itself around all the pages, from the beginning to the end. Thank you that you are always with us, and with everyone. Amen.
