Children's Liturgy Guide

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year C · Ordinary Time

The Best Seat at the Party

Reading: Luke 14:1, 7-14

Leader Prep

Don't worry about doing this perfectly. If the children hear one good idea about God, Jesus, prayer, kindness, forgiveness, or the Gospel, this time has been worthwhile.

Summary

Jesus went to a special dinner and noticed people rushing to get the best seats. He taught that instead of trying to be first, we should take the humble spot and let others go ahead of us. He also said we should invite people who cannot pay us back.

Key Points

  • Jesus teaches us to be humble and not push ourselves forward
  • When we let others go first, God sees our humble hearts
  • Jesus wants us to be kind to people who cannot give us anything back
  • True honor comes from God, not from grabbing the best spot

Background

In this Gospel, Jesus is at a Sabbath meal with Pharisees and observes guests jockeying for places of honor. His parable subverts worldly status seeking: those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and the humble will be exalted. The second teaching about inviting the poor, crippled, lame, and blind reinforces this reversal of values, pointing toward the eschatological banquet where God's economy of grace overturns human hierarchies. For children, emphasize the concrete image of choosing a seat at a party and the surprising twist that letting others go first is what makes God happy. Set aside the eschatological dimension and the critique of Pharisaic social climbing.

Session Flow

Opening Prayer

Invite the children to pray with you, then read the opening prayer below. If many don't know the sign of the cross, teach the whole group.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear God, thank you for inviting us to be your children. Help us to listen to what Jesus teaches today about being humble and kind to others. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Warm-up

Ask the warm-up question before the reading. There are no wrong answers; this is just to help the children connect today's reading to their own lives.

Have you ever been at a party or a classroom where everyone wanted the best spot or the front seat? What happened?

Example: One time at my friend's birthday party, everyone was running to sit next to him and I wanted that seat too but someone else got there first and I felt a little sad.

Bridge to the reading: It sounds like sometimes we all want the best spot for ourselves. In today's reading, Jesus is at a big fancy dinner and he notices everyone rushing to grab the best seats. Let us hear what Jesus teaches about where we should sit.

Read the Scripture

Read the day's selected passage aloud. The full Scripture text is not included here. Use a Children's Lectionary if your parish has one available. A children's Bible may also be helpful for younger children. Otherwise, read from a standard lectionary, Bible, or USCCB.org. Read slowly, with short pauses.

Reading Questions

Ask the questions conversationally. You do not need to use every question if time is short. The example answers are for leader preparation, not scripts or required answers.

  1. Where was Jesus when he noticed people choosing their seats?

    Example: Jesus was at a big dinner at someone's house, like a special meal with important people there.

  2. What were the guests doing that Jesus noticed?

    Example: The guests were all trying to sit in the best seats, the places of honor at the table.

  3. What did Jesus say might happen if you take the best seat?

    Example: Jesus said the host might come and tell you to move to a lower spot, and that would be embarrassing.

  4. Why do you think Jesus wants us to choose the lower seat instead?

    Example: I think Jesus wants us to be humble and not show off, because God is happy when we let others go first instead of ourselves.

Application Questions

Use these questions to help the children connect the reading to their own lives this week. Simple, concrete answers are best.

  1. How does it feel inside when you let someone else go first or have the better spot?

    Example: Sometimes it feels a little hard at first, but then I feel good inside because I know I did something nice for them.

  2. At school, how could you be humble like Jesus teaches, maybe at lunch or on the playground?

    Example: I could let my friend pick where we sit at lunch first, or I could let someone else be first in line even if I got there before them.

  3. This week, who is someone you could invite to play or share with, even if they might not be able to do something nice back for you?

    Example: I could ask the new kid in my class to play with me at recess, even if they do not have any toys to share with me.

Recap

Today we heard that Jesus went to a big dinner and saw everyone rushing to get the best seats. Jesus taught us that instead of pushing to be first, we should be humble and let others go ahead. He also wants us to be kind to people who cannot pay us back. When we are humble, God is very happy with us.

Prayer of the Faithful

Before returning to the assembly, invite the children to share their own prayer intentions. Their prayers may be serious, simple, funny, or very specific. After each child's prayer, the group may respond: "Lord, hear our prayer." Lastly, include the suggested prayer below.

For children who feel left out or overlooked, that they may know they are special and loved by God, we pray to the Lord.

Closing Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you, Jesus, for teaching us to be humble. Help us this week to let others go first and to be kind to everyone, especially those who cannot give us anything back. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

ChildrensLiturgy.org

The Best Seat at the Party

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Word Search

Optional activity: use the word search after the discussion if you have time, or send it home with the children. The words relate to today's Children's Liturgy Scripture passage.

M B L D G G T W S R S G K C D
X K A A L K Q Q B E Y F D R P
O W T A E S I D M T B E U A K
C G H M N G Q N B A M P R C E
Q O U D O J U A D K G T A A R
O A M I J S G E K N Y D Z V A
Z N B N V G B E S C E E E L H
H Q L N Z I N V I T E S J O S
M E E E S H O N O R D G S K N
C E U R T K R D C H Y G F J R
A Y J E S U S Z B A I C Q S F
A Z K M L Z F J D F D N Y V I
F W E L C O M E J N D W T T R
D O E I M I D T F H Z I G Y S
P N E P Z N M S M Q Y Y Z I T

Words to find

  • Jesus
  • dinner
  • humble
  • seat
  • invite
  • kindness
  • party
  • guest
  • honor
  • first
  • share
  • welcome

ChildrensLiturgy.org