Jesus said, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." In our worship today let us explore what it means to take up our cross and follow him.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, like Peter, we don't always understand what we should do.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, we often try to avoid any suffering.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, we often deny others, but seldom deny ourselves or our own desires.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Mark 8:31-38
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. [33] But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." [34] He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [35] For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. [36] For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? [37] Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? [38] Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Story:
The concept of the first being last and the last first, and denying yourself, are difficult for children to grasp. In this story, Milton puts himself first but finds himself last, while his cousins deny themselves for his sake. It makes Milton think!
The Harvest Loaf
Milton Mouse was very excited. It would soon be his favourite day in the whole year - Harvest Festival! Milton had already peeked into the church and seen a mouth-watering harvest loaf on the altar, lots of scrumptious vegetables and loads of delicious fruit, as well as a whole sheaf of corn. Milton's eyes gleamed as he pictured himself stuffing until he was so full he might burst.
"You look happy," said his mother. "And I have a wonderful surprise for you, to make you happier still!"
Milton's whiskers twitched. He loved surprises, especially happy ones. "Yes," continued his mother. "Your cousins are coming tonight, ready for Harvest Festival tomorrow."
Milton was stunned. "You mean - the town cousins?"
His mother nodded, and Milton's heart sank. He knew the town cousins of old. They were thin and scrawny and their coats were dull and lifeless. And they smelt. Milton didn't think they ever washed. He hated his cousins coming because he didn't like to be near them, but most of all he hated them coming because they were very greedy and there were too many of them.
Milton had seen his town cousins eat every morsel of food his mother provided, and then search for more. They generally ignored Milton, scrabbling over him in their effort to reach food. He knew his dream of Harvest Festival would crash if his town cousins arrived. He'd never see a crumb.
"Oh Mum!" Milton complained. "Do they have to come tomorrow? Couldn't they come next week when Harvest Festival is over?"
"Certainly not," his mother replied sternly. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Milton. I know you don't much like them, but they're only like that because they don't have enough to eat in the town. They're hungry, poor dears. We have so much, living here in the country. You've never been hungry in your life, Milton. Surely you can share a bit with your cousins?"
Milton pouted and turned his back. He hated his cousins, and he didn't see why he should share the best time in the whole year with them. Let them move into the country themselves if they were so hungry. Why should they take his food?
When his town cousins arrived, Milton shut himself in his bedroom, stuffed himself with every speck of food he could find, and refused to speak to his cousins. He knew his mother would be angry and embarrassed, but he didn't care. He was determined to reach church first in the morning, so that he could have his pick of the best food before his ravenous cousins got their claws on it.
But next morning, Milton didn't feel very well. His tummy hurt and he felt sick. He groaned and longed for his mother to comfort him, but she just said tartly, "The last shall be first and the first last, Milton. You shouldn't have been so greedy last night." Then she took the cousins off to church without him. Milton felt even more sick. And he felt angry and resentful. He was too ill to go out, and it would be a whole year before Harvest Festival came round again.
Milton could hear the cousins' excited squeaking when they returned from church, and he felt madder than ever. But then the door of his bedroom was softly pushed open, and Matilda, his youngest town cousin, shyly inched into the room.
"I'm sorry you're poorly, Milton," she whispered, "but I brought you this."
She held out to Milton the biggest piece of harvest loaf he had ever seen.
Milton's eyes bulged. "However did you get that?" he asked. "I've never had a piece that big before."
"My brothers helped me," explained Matilda. "They frightened the churchwarden so that I could run up when her back was turned.. This is from all of us."
"But you could have kept it for yourselves," said Milton. "And I've been so nasty to you. I'm really sorry. How about you get all your brothers and sisters and we have a feast in here? We'll share the bread between us."
That's what they did. And do you know, although he only had a small piece, Milton thought it was the most delicious bread he had ever tasted in his whole life.
Activity:
Start preparations for an Easter garden. This week, make the cave tomb and the stone to go over the entrance, and three crosses.
You need:
old newspapers
flour and water
paste
plasticine
six lolly sticks
glue
Make the shape of the garden tomb in plasticine. Tear up the newspaper into small pieces. Soak each piece in the flour and water paste, and place strips over the plasticine cave until it is covered. Leave to dry, and repeat three or four times. (This could be an on-going project, adding a new layer each week.) Repeat for the stone to cover the entrance to the cave.
Make the lolly sticks into three crosses, fixing the crossbars to the upright with glue.
Prepare intercessions for later.
Diary Time: For details, click here.
Encourage the children to think about times when they have been generous and what it felt like. Then ask them if they've ever been selfish and what that felt like. Ask them why it might be better to "deny" themselves - ie think of others. Ask them what Jesus did during his life. Let them write in their diaries anything to do with generosity or selfishness, or if this is too difficult, to draw a picture of Milton and his cousins sharing the Harvest bread.
Intercession:
(These intercessions could be prepared with the children during Activity Time)
Generous God, you give so much to your Church and we want to thank you. We thank you for... (encourage the children to call out anything they think God has given to the Church)
Generous God, you give so much to us and we want to thank you. We think you for...(let the children call out anything they think God has given to them)
Generous God, we pray for all those people who don't have as much as we do. We pray for children who are always hungry, children who are sick, children who are afraid and children who are lonely. May they know that you love them, and may we do all we can to help them.
Generous God, we ask for your blessing all who are poorly. Those we know... (the children could call out names here) and those who have nobody to pray for them.
Blessing:
May God's generosity so flood your hearts
that you are able to put yourself last
deny yourself, take up your cross
and follow him.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
