Parable of the Sower Alliterations

God willing, I am going to preach on the so-called Parable of the Sower from Mark 4 for our harvest family service.

I might go alliteration-tastic with a look at:

The Sower = Jesus

The Seed = The Word of God

The Soils = Different groups of hearers, how they recieve and respond to the Word of God from Jesus

Satan, stoney, sidewalk (path), suckers (weeds), shallow (though that doesn't quite work), sound soil are all additional possible "s"s.

And then there are Vaughan Roberts headings which I reall from OiCCU days. Obviously alliteration can sometimes be memorable:

(1) The Problem of the Word

(2) The Purpose of the Word

(3) The Produce (or Power) of the Word

Or even:

(1) The Apparent Problem of the Word

(2) The Actual Purpose of the Word

(3) The Abundant Produce (or Power) of the Word

I might ask Mrs Lloyd to make up some pots of each type of soil and get some seed. The boy would enjoy "helping". And some pictures for the PowerPoint and Bob is a relative.

Celery, anyone?

God willing, I'll be preaching at our family service on Sunday on 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. I thought the imagery of a race might be appropriate for the end of the Sunday school year with its ideas of what's behind and what's ahead and moving on to a new stage of the journey of life, and so on. And of course its topical with the Olympics just around the corner.

Leon Morris argues in the Tyndale commentary (I guess uncontroversially?) that Paul has in mind the Isthmian Games which were held every two years at Corinth.

According to Morris the "crown" at the Isthmian games was at various times a wreath made of pine or celery.

Should I be making a crown of celery by way of an illustrative prop? And if so, how?!