All age services are a great way for families to worship together, but it can be a real challenge to keep them fresh and accessible. This weekend we began a new series for our monthly All Age gatherings. We are going through Colin Buchanan’s great song ‘Big Words that end in SHUN’, from his Super Saviour album, teaching a big word each month:
Big words that end in SHUN!
Show us what the Lord has DONE!
Through Jesus, His own SON!
Big words, Big words that end in SHUN!Revela-‐SHUN!
God shows himself to us
Substitut-‐SHUN!
Jesus takes our place
Salva-‐SHUN!
Sinners saved from hell
Big words, Big words that end in SHUNPropitia-‐SHUN!
God’s anger turned away
Justifica-‐SHUN!
Just like we’d never sinned
Imputa-‐SHUN!
Jesus’ righteousness is mine
Big words, Big words that end in SHUNResurrec-‐SHUN!
Raised from death to life
Redemp-‐SHUN!
Sinners bought by God
Adop-‐SHUN
Sinners made God’s sons
Big words, Big words that end in SHUN
This Sunday we tackled REVELA-SHUN and the Vicar spoke on Hebrews 1:
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…
So the Vicar decided that we could get Dr Who to come and take us back to meet a few of the prophets to find out what they had to say. Suddenly plans were afoot for the construction of a tardis and the Queen, the Joker and the Engineer were very pleased to spend a day in half term wielding paintbrushes.
Tardis construction in the back yard of the Vicarage
Once it was painted, the Joker decided that our tardis should be manned by Doctrine Who. And so here is the finished item in our front drive, being shown off by Doctrine Who and an enemy (although my knowledge of Dr Who isn’t sufficient to tell you which enemy it is). It went down very well on Sunday morning, and is now installed in the boys’ bedroom, where time-travelling adventures continue.
Doctrine confounds an alien
The Vicar's Wife 
We’ll have your scripts when you’re done – fair exchange for the KSP ones!!
Of course – we owe you for those!
I just wanted to thank you generally for all the stuff you put on your blog (I think I found it originally after my cousin posted a link to it sometime on FB). My husband’s at the initial stages of going forward for applying for ordination (meetings with the DDO, just finished a placement). Your blog is helping me to gain something of an understanding of what it might be like being a VW (and also providing a treasure trove of resources if he does eventually become ordained!!). Keep it up!
Thank you Joanna – so glad you enjoy the blog! Hope the process with the DDO goes smoothly for you.
What a fabulous idea. And, I love Colin’s “big words…”
Love it! Having only gone to an Anglican church the last 13 years, I’m still rather hazy on at least imputation and propitiation. Why ARE there so many big words? And does anyone ever need to use ‘catechuminate’ (no idea how you spell it)???
Hi,
I like the idea of reinvigorating all-age worship with silly (sounding) songs that carry great meaning… though I wonder if we really need to be teaching kids the words propitiation, justification and imputation?! There is of course a risk of keeping things too simple, but really…?! We could then expand and say that ‘salvation’ being reduced to ‘being saved from hell’ is quite far from Jesus’ understanding of it, but that’s for another day!
Thanks,
Kevin
Hi Kevin. Surely all definitions are reductionistic? And we’re not just teaching the kids in All Age services are we? I’m sure there are plenty of adults in our congregation who don’t know what those words mean. Maybe your church is different! I like to think that the main purpose of the song is to help people not to be afraid of the big words and to expand their ideas about God. And the idea of the series is to teach each of the words more fully as we go along, so everyone can learn the meanings and expand their vision of the Lord. Hope that explains it a bit more fully.
Hi, it does explain a bit, however in my context I wouldn’t even use those words with adults… they look great on the contents page of a systematic theology book but i would rather reduce the gospel to expressions of love and relationship and forgiveness and Jesus than thesaurus-terms that sounds more like financial and legal transac-SHUNS!
However, I am probably just being gripey, so I’ll leave you to sing that and we’ll keep on singing “Shine, from the Inside Out” and “Those Who Put Their Hope in the Lord will renew their strength….”
Periodically enjoy your blog by the way, you’ve got a unique niche!
Kevin
How funny! I was just looking up the song, words that end in ‘shun’ as I have rediscovered my copy of Packer’s ‘the most important 18 words you’ll ever know’ with an idea to sketch out a teaching series and the first google hit I get is this!!! and from pretty much exactly a year ago! How bizzarre! Saves me a job for tomorrow! I’ll see you on Saturday!
Am off with the family to see Colin tomorrow (!) and was wondering about doing an all age series (at our monthly school based service) on ‘Big words…’ so searched for the words and found your post.
Any chance that you or Vicar could email me an outline of what you did?
PS My wife is enjoying reading your book through with another clergywife she meets with weekly 😉
Hi Colin-fan and welcome to our Vicarage. We’re off to see Colin ourselves this week too! I will ask the Vicar to send the Big Words series to you. A friend of ours was just visiting and it went down very well as an assembly series at a school in his parish recently. I’m so pleased to hear that the book is being enjoyed too – thank you for telling me.
Hey,
I just googled ‘big words that end in shun’ to get the lyrics and your blog came up. We’re planning on using the words in our all age teaching slots in church each week. Scrolling through and looking at the pic of your kids I realised that they have been in my group ‘Rockies’ at BBTB! =] Small world eh?! Thanks for your blog post.
Mellissa (aka Command Pilot Ellen S. Baker)
Ha! Thank you for Rockies! BBTB is a highlight of my kids’ year 🙂
Mine too! I love doing Rockies
Hello!
I love this idea! I’ve just started to write a Sunday School program based on Colin’s song.
Is there any chance you could send your program through to me?
Thanks,
Cathy
Hi Cathy. I’ll email you my husband’s contact details – he has the programme we used. It was lots of fun!
Dr Who, what an amazing idea! We are about to embark on a series in our Family Focus slots using the “Big words that end in shun” to guide us. Would it be possible to have a copy of your outline as a starting point?