Jesus gave up his life for us. In our worship today let us explore how to love one another as he has loved us.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes our love for each other is thin and pale.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, sometimes we pretend to love but fail to care.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, sometimes we don't know how to love.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
John 15:9-17
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. [10] If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. [11] I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. [12] "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [13] No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. [14] You are my friends if you do what I command you. [15] I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. [16] You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. [17] I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
Story:
Sometimes love can hurt, and we must be strong enough to be prepared to hurt those we love if it means a better life for them.
In this story, Bilton the baby blackbird breaks his wing and hates those who are trying to help him, because he doesn't understand. But in the end, he's grateful to them.
Bilton's Accident
When Bilton was very small, before he'd learned to fly properly, he fell out of the nest. He landed awkwardly on a concrete path and was unable to move. His mother fluttered anxiously down and began to prod at him with her beak. It was very uncomfortable, and Bilton's wing had begun to hurt terribly. He cheeped and groaned, but his mother wouldn't stop. She kept on prodding him and chirping at him so loudly that Bilton struggled to move away from her sharp beak. His mother flapped and prodded and chirped until Bilton crawled off the path into a clump of leaves beneath a bush. Then at last she stopped.
Soon she flew away, but returned presently with a large, juicy worm which she gave to Bilton. He ate it hungrily and cheeped for more.
Bilton lay under the bush for three days and his mother fed him all that time. Then disaster loomed near in the shape of a large cat. Bilton's mother screeched angrily and flapped her wings and kept making little darting moves towards the cat, and Bilton joined his sharp little cheeps with her voice. But the cat crept stealthily nearer and nearer. Just when Bilton was afraid his last moment had come, he heard a human voice and the cat fled.
Bilton was terrified. He tried to keep still but shivered all over and was picked up by a human hand. Bilton's mother flew off to the safety of a branch, so Bilton, deserted even by his mother, tried to peck the hand that was holding him. But it was ineffective. The hand placed him in a cardboard box with holes cut in the sides, and placed a lid on top. Bilton struggled and fought and silently screamed, but it was no good. Then he felt himself lifted up and carried away.
The next time he opened his eyes, Bilton found himself in another pair of human hands. These hands were attaching something heavy and rigid to his wing, so Bilton continued to kick and bite and peck and inwardly screech. But the hands took no notice and carried on despite Bilton's terror and his agony, for the wing was incredibly painful. When the hands finished what they were doing, Bilton was put into a cage.
He noticed a small dish containing food and another small dish containing water, so he ate and drank hungrily. Each day the food and the water were renewed, but he wasn't let out of the cage and the heavy contraption was left on his wing. Bilton continued to fight and struggle, but his wing was so heavy that he couldn't lift it.
After what felt like many weeks, the heavy contraption was taken off Bilton's wing, but he was immediately imprisoned again back in the cardboard box. Bilton was angry and frightened. He hated the box and the human hands and all the terrible things they had done to him, but he couldn't do anything about it.
Again he was carried in the box, but this time he was taken gently out and placed the the very same bush that he had left. Then the humans went away. Bilton lay still for a long time, his heart beating so hard he thought it might burst. Then he heard the sound of an adult blackbird and he suddenly recognised his mother's voice. Bilton cheeped with all his might and his mother fluttered down to him and began to rub beaks. Then she flew off, and before Bilton knew what he was doing, he found himself flapping his wings and following her. He could fly! His broken wing was mended and he could fly as well as any adult blackbird.
As Bilton followed his mother he said, "Thank you, God."
Activity:
I am indebted to Mags Adlam for this idea.
You need:
Two shopping bags
A ruler
A tape measure
A
tape measure on a reel
A trundle wheel measure
Put the ruler, the tape measure and the reel into one bag, and the trundle wheel measure into the other bag. Ask a child to look in the first bag and find something short and thin and straight (the ruler). Talk about the things it will measure - things that are short and straight. Point out that it won't measure anything soft or round or long. Get another child to find something in the bag that's soft (the tape measure). Ask the children what it will measure - more things than the ruler - things that are bigger and different shapes, eg someone's waist. Then ask a child to find the reel measure. Get them to walk as far as they can round the church extending it as they go - it should reach a long way, but it still has limits. Eventually it runs out. Finally, produce the other bag and ask a child to take out the trundle wheel. Get the child to walk round the church with the wheel. It will measure anything and has no limits. You could walk round the whole country with it and it would still go on measuring.
Our love is like the ruler, the tape measure or the reel measure, but God's love is like the trundle wheel - it has no limits.
Diary Time: For details, click here.
Ask the children if they can remember times when their own love has been limited and times when their own love has been unlimited. Talk about the difficulties of unlimited love (might be painful, might require sacrifice, might be costly). Let the children draw or write about their experiences.
Intercession:
God of love, remind us in your Church how we should love each other. May we become so aware of your love to us that we can't help responding to it. Let our love overflow to those who don't attend Church, so that people may say, "See how those Christians love each other!"
God of love, may our love be expressed in social action. May we raise money for those who are poor and care for those who have no-one else to care for them. Help us never to judge other people, but always to offer them our genuine friendship.
God of love, remind us that honesty is part of loving, and help us to be honest within our own community. If we hurt each other, help us to stand alongside and sort our our differences. May we not be afraid to approach people who are different, but extend our love to everyone without any strings attached.
God of love, may those who are sick feel so supported by your love and our love that their bodies respond to treatment and become well and strong again. We particularly pray for ...
Blessing:
May God's love cascade over you
fill every part of you
and completely enfold you.
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.
