John and Jane
Children's Liturgy and Story
Call to Worship:
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the people how they could be blessed by God and experience God's kingdom. In our worship today let us explore the Sermon on the Mount.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I'm full of pride instead of being poor in spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm overbearing and pushy, instead of being meek.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm not exactly pure in heart.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 5:1-12 (NRSV)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. [2] Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
[3] "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[4] "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
[5] "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
[6] "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
[7] "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
[8] "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
[9] "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
[10] "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[11] "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Story:
At first sight the Sermon on the Mount may look obvious, but if we probe a little more deeply we can see that the sort of people Jesus advocates for are not the sort of people who are valued in today's world.
This story begins to explore that dichotomy, but attempts to show that John was by no means condemned because of his wealth -- he grew up to be a good man. The story is really trying to show that Jane grew up to be someone not valued by society, but definitely valued by God.
John And Jane
John was tall for his age and strong. He loved any form of sport and was good at it, because he towered over his classmates by three or four inches. He was also clever and excelled in his school work. John loved to read, and numbers fitted themselves together in his head without him really thinking about them, so he was good at both Maths and English.
Everybody adored John. His teachers were delighted to have someone so talented at school, who would boost the school's SATS results. His classmates loved him too. He was fun to be with, and when they were all stuck for an answer during lessons, John could be relied upon to save the day. And John's Mum and Dad were very proud of John. He was clever enough to go into any job he wanted when he grew up and he would be certain to make lots of money.
Jane struggled. She was a little on the plump side and she hated sports, which always made her puff and pant. She was dyslexic, so she struggled in class, too. The words on her page refused to stand still when she looked at them and when they danced all over the page, she couldn't understand what they said. Reading was a huge effort, but Jane persevered and struggled on.
Mostly Jane kept herself in the background. She was content with her own company but very willing to listen to other people if they wanted to talk. Sometimes she'd spot children who were unhappy, and wander over just to talk to them and gradually people would drift in her direction if they needed someone to listen to their woes.
Jane wasn't a very exciting person. Her parents loved her dearly, but they feared for her future. What sort of a job would she get when her reading was so poor and all she could do was to help other people? She would never make any money.
When John grew up he became the owner of a string of shops. He became a famous businessman who was always invited to exotic parties and he lived in a huge house with its own gym and swimming pool which he used to keep himself fit. He moored his boat in the channel at the bottom of his garden and often used his boat to spend time away from all the stress of his life.
When Jane grew up she became a Carer. She used to go into other people's homes when they were so old or so sick that they couldn't manage by themselves. Jane would help them to get out of bed or to dress or she would cook a meal for them. It wasn't a very well paid job and Jane never earned enough to buy a house of her own, but she was happy in her work. She liked being with other people and she enjoyed caring for them. And she had a nice little flat which the Council provided at a rent she could just about afford.
When both Jane and John saw news of terrible flooding in one of the very poor countries of the world, neither of them hesitated. John immediately fished out his cheque book and wrote a cheque for £50,000 for the relief fund. Jane went along to the relief fund's headquarters and offered her services. She was put to work sorting through old clothes which people had given. It was a boring and backbreaking job, but Jane worked with a will, because she knew that her efforts would help that poor country.
Later, John received a medal for his efforts and became Sir John.
Jane received nothing for her efforts but she was happy, for she knew she was especially blessed by God.
Activity:
You need:
A white board or flip chart and pens
A large sheet of paper
Crayons, paints or felt-tip pens
Go through the Sermon on the Mount clause by clause, and ask the children what they think each clause means. Write their answers of a white board or flip chart.
On the large sheet of paper, make a picture of Jesus on a hillside talking to different groups of people. This should be a picture of opposites, illustrating the Sermon on the Mount. For instance, draw a fight but above it write (maybe in a balloon coming from one of the bystanders), "But Jesus said, Blessed are the peace makers."
The children will have their own ideas, but if they get stuck try some of these for other groups of people:
A pompous and very wealthy person - blessed are the poor in spirit
A disaster with a group of people who don't care - blessed are those who mourn
Some people around a table laden with food - blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
A group of very important people - blessed are the meek
A judge pointing to a hangman's noose - blessed are the merciful
You need to make it clear that this is a picture of opposites - the drawings illustrate things that Jesus spoke against - so make sure each balloon has, "But Jesus said..." and you could entitle the picture something like, "How not to be!"
Display the picture in church and explain it to the congregation when it is finished.
Prayers:
God who blesses, help us in the church to take the words of the Sermon on the Mount seriously. May we take an audit of the way we are and check ourselves not against the world, but against the words of Jesus.
God who blesses, we pray for a time when all the Western world will hunger and thirst after righteousness, so that inequalities and injustices will cease and all people will have a good standard of living.
God who blesses, make us so sensitive to the needs of others that we discover your kingdom in our response to them. May we never rest content while people in our own country are underprivileged.
God who blesses, we pray for those who mourn and ask your promised blessings on them. Comfort them in their sorrow and enable them to know that they still have a good future ahead of them.
Blessing:
May you experience God's kingdom
as you work for others
and may you know
how fully you are blessed.
The blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Be with you, be in your homes
And in your families,
With those whom you love
And with those for whom you pray,
Both now and always. Amen.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the people how they could be blessed by God and experience God's kingdom. In our worship today let us explore the Sermon on the Mount.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I'm full of pride instead of being poor in spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm overbearing and pushy, instead of being meek.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm not exactly pure in heart.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 5:1-12 (NRSV)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. [2] Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
[3] "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[4] "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
[5] "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
[6] "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
[7] "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
[8] "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
[9] "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
[10] "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[11] "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Story:
At first sight the Sermon on the Mount may look obvious, but if we probe a little more deeply we can see that the sort of people Jesus advocates for are not the sort of people who are valued in today's world.
This story begins to explore that dichotomy, but attempts to show that John was by no means condemned because of his wealth -- he grew up to be a good man. The story is really trying to show that Jane grew up to be someone not valued by society, but definitely valued by God.
John And Jane
John was tall for his age and strong. He loved any form of sport and was good at it, because he towered over his classmates by three or four inches. He was also clever and excelled in his school work. John loved to read, and numbers fitted themselves together in his head without him really thinking about them, so he was good at both Maths and English.
Everybody adored John. His teachers were delighted to have someone so talented at school, who would boost the school's SATS results. His classmates loved him too. He was fun to be with, and when they were all stuck for an answer during lessons, John could be relied upon to save the day. And John's Mum and Dad were very proud of John. He was clever enough to go into any job he wanted when he grew up and he would be certain to make lots of money.
Jane struggled. She was a little on the plump side and she hated sports, which always made her puff and pant. She was dyslexic, so she struggled in class, too. The words on her page refused to stand still when she looked at them and when they danced all over the page, she couldn't understand what they said. Reading was a huge effort, but Jane persevered and struggled on.
Mostly Jane kept herself in the background. She was content with her own company but very willing to listen to other people if they wanted to talk. Sometimes she'd spot children who were unhappy, and wander over just to talk to them and gradually people would drift in her direction if they needed someone to listen to their woes.
Jane wasn't a very exciting person. Her parents loved her dearly, but they feared for her future. What sort of a job would she get when her reading was so poor and all she could do was to help other people? She would never make any money.
When John grew up he became the owner of a string of shops. He became a famous businessman who was always invited to exotic parties and he lived in a huge house with its own gym and swimming pool which he used to keep himself fit. He moored his boat in the channel at the bottom of his garden and often used his boat to spend time away from all the stress of his life.
When Jane grew up she became a Carer. She used to go into other people's homes when they were so old or so sick that they couldn't manage by themselves. Jane would help them to get out of bed or to dress or she would cook a meal for them. It wasn't a very well paid job and Jane never earned enough to buy a house of her own, but she was happy in her work. She liked being with other people and she enjoyed caring for them. And she had a nice little flat which the Council provided at a rent she could just about afford.
When both Jane and John saw news of terrible flooding in one of the very poor countries of the world, neither of them hesitated. John immediately fished out his cheque book and wrote a cheque for £50,000 for the relief fund. Jane went along to the relief fund's headquarters and offered her services. She was put to work sorting through old clothes which people had given. It was a boring and backbreaking job, but Jane worked with a will, because she knew that her efforts would help that poor country.
Later, John received a medal for his efforts and became Sir John.
Jane received nothing for her efforts but she was happy, for she knew she was especially blessed by God.
Activity:
You need:
A white board or flip chart and pens
A large sheet of paper
Crayons, paints or felt-tip pens
Go through the Sermon on the Mount clause by clause, and ask the children what they think each clause means. Write their answers of a white board or flip chart.
On the large sheet of paper, make a picture of Jesus on a hillside talking to different groups of people. This should be a picture of opposites, illustrating the Sermon on the Mount. For instance, draw a fight but above it write (maybe in a balloon coming from one of the bystanders), "But Jesus said, Blessed are the peace makers."
The children will have their own ideas, but if they get stuck try some of these for other groups of people:
A pompous and very wealthy person - blessed are the poor in spirit
A disaster with a group of people who don't care - blessed are those who mourn
Some people around a table laden with food - blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
A group of very important people - blessed are the meek
A judge pointing to a hangman's noose - blessed are the merciful
You need to make it clear that this is a picture of opposites - the drawings illustrate things that Jesus spoke against - so make sure each balloon has, "But Jesus said..." and you could entitle the picture something like, "How not to be!"
Display the picture in church and explain it to the congregation when it is finished.
Prayers:
God who blesses, help us in the church to take the words of the Sermon on the Mount seriously. May we take an audit of the way we are and check ourselves not against the world, but against the words of Jesus.
God who blesses, we pray for a time when all the Western world will hunger and thirst after righteousness, so that inequalities and injustices will cease and all people will have a good standard of living.
God who blesses, make us so sensitive to the needs of others that we discover your kingdom in our response to them. May we never rest content while people in our own country are underprivileged.
God who blesses, we pray for those who mourn and ask your promised blessings on them. Comfort them in their sorrow and enable them to know that they still have a good future ahead of them.
Blessing:
May you experience God's kingdom
as you work for others
and may you know
how fully you are blessed.
The blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Be with you, be in your homes
And in your families,
With those whom you love
And with those for whom you pray,
Both now and always. Amen.
