Hannah's Homework
Children's Liturgy and Story
Call to Worship:
Jesus told a story in which an enemy came while everyone was asleep. In our worship today, let us resolves to be alert and awake for God, so that we are not caught napping by enemies and are ready when God comes to us.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, I need sleep, but save me from spiritual day-dreaming.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, I need sleep, but keep me alert to hear your voice.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, I need sleep, but want to be awake in your service.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (NRSV)
He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; [25] but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. [26] So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. [27] And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' [28] He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' [29] But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. [30] Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.' "
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." [37] He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; [38] the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, [39] and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. [40] Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. [41] The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, [42] and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
Story:
It's easy to be knocked off the Christian path by diversions and cares and manipulation by others, and difficult to detect when this is happening.
In this story, Hannah is carried along by a tide of distractions which are actually choking her, but she can't see it.
Hannah's Homework
Hannah had a long list of spellings to learn for homework. As soon as she reached home, she took her book out of her bag and opened it to the correct page. Then she stared at the spellings with a sigh. They were difficult words and Hannah wasn't very good at spelling. Still, she was determined to learn them so that she could win a gold star at school.
Then Hannah's little brother called out, asking her to turn on the television for his programmes.
"Alright," agreed Hannah. She switched on the programme, and then sat down with Toby to watch. It was a programme for the under-fives, but Hannah watched it anyway.
She went back to her books when the programme finished, but had no sooner begun to read the list of words when her mother called, "Tea's ready!"
"Oh good!" murmured Hannah to herself. She thought she might be better at spelling when she was well fortified with food.
After tea, Hannah helped to clear the table and fill the washing up machine. She didn't usually bother to do any of that, but tonight she thought she would. Then she went back to her books.
Within five minutes she had a text on her phone from her best friend, Betsy. Hannah read the text and giggled. She sent a text back. Betsy replied instantly. Half-an-hour passed like magic until Betsy had to go for her tea.
Hannah went back to her books. She read the long list of words again. Then she decided that she really ought to practise her piano music. She sat down at the piano and began to play. Her mother was so astonished that she came to listen. "That's nice, dear," she said. "It's lovely to hear you practising without being told."
Hannah glowed a little with the praise. When she was fed up with practising, she returned to her books, but by then her own programmes were on the television and she couldn't bear to miss them. Then, because it was a warm evening and still light, she felt like some fresh air, so she went outside to play for a while.
It seemed like no time at all before her mother called her in for bed. "But I can't!" cried Hannah in anguish. "I have all these spellings to learn for tomorrow."
"You should have thought of that before," said her mother firmly. "It's time for bed, now. And I don't want you sitting up for hours reading with a torch, either. So settle down. Perhaps you'll have time to learn your spellings in the morning."
That cheered Hannah up a bit. She thought she might get up early to learn the words. 'Besides,' she told herself, 'I'll be fresher in the morning. It'll be easier to learn then, rather than when I'm tired after a long day at school.' So she drifted happily off to sleep.
In the morning, Hannah overslept. Then it was a race to get ready for school in time. When she reached school, Hannah prayed that the teacher might delay the test until after the weekend. But God didn't answer Hannah's prayer.
Hannah got all her spellings wrong and felt humiliated and grumpy. She shouted at Betsy and refused to play with her. She was especially annoyed because Betsy won a gold star for her spellings. Hannah decided that she'd never be able to spell, so it wasn't worth bothering. She also decided that she hated her teacher and God, because it was all their fault that she felt so bad about herself.
When she got home, Hannah hit her little brother and made him cry. "It's your fault," she said crossly. "You made me turn on the TV and that made me sit and watch your stupid programmes and -- "
But her mother intervened. "Nobody made you do anything, Hannah," she said quietly. "You made your own choices. You allowed all sorts of activities to get in your way instead of staying focussed on what you had to do. If you were a little plant trying to grow, you'd be choked by all the weeds around you! You need to choose the right path and then stick to it, then you'll grow up tall and strong and proud of yourself. Come on, I'll help you with these spellings, then you can tell your teacher tomorrow how well you've done."
So Hannah learned her spellings after all, and once she'd started, she discovered that learning spellings wasn't nearly as difficult as she'd thought. In fact, she began to enjoy it. 'No more weeds for me,' she murmured to herself. 'Next time, I shall be ready.'
And she was.
Activity:
You need:
No equipment
Start by looking at last week's seeds, to see which have grown. Hopefully the seeds planted in good soil will be looking good! You might also look to see whether any weeds have begun to show, and link this in with today's Bible story. Point out that although they might look small and thin, weeds are very strong and very persistent. Perhaps you could go outside to see whether there are any weeds pushing their way through concrete. Ask the children what is wrong with weeds? (They prevent the growth of other plants by choking them or taking the goodness from the soil. They have no end purpose -- they don't give beauty or produce a useful crop. They proliferate! Some have extremely long roots, and unless the roots are destroyed, the weeds keep coming back.)
Talk about good soil and good seeds and good crops. Manure is needed for the best growth - and bad things sometimes happen to Christians, but those bad things can make them stronger. Ask the children whether they have any experience of this. You may need to chat about their personal difficulties and how they might overcome them. Explain that people who are deliberately unkind or cruel are a bit like weeds, but that the children must cling onto to Jesus and not let the "weeds" choke them.
If we are ready for God, the weeds won't harm us and we'll be waiting when God calls us. Play a "readiness" game:
Stand all the children but one in a grid formation, i.e. if there are 12 children, in three rows of four to form a square. The children should hold hands horizontally, to mkae horizontal "corridors". The child who is left out has to run down a "corridor" to reach the other side, but when you call out "Change!" the children must change direction and hold hands vertically. The aim is for the solo child to reach the far side of the grid.
Give all the children a chance of being "solo", then ask them all how it felt. How difficult was the game? Were they ready to change when you called out "change"? How easy was it to be ready, even though they knew what was coming? Did anyone actually make it? Go on to talk about change in our lives and how we can be taken by surprise even when we're expecting change. Suggest that Jesus can support them through change and end with a prayer.
Prayers:
Supportive God, sometimes we take church for granted and are happy to carry on in the same old way, but are not ready when you call us to change. Help us not to be influenced by weeds, but to respond to your voice and to move forward towards you.
Supportive God, we pray for those countries which need most support. May we resolve never to allow any human beings to die because of poverty, but to raise the living standards of all. Root out those evil people who prevent this happening because of local corruption, and enable your good seeds to grow.
Supportive God, help us not to be choked by cares or worries, wishes or desires. May we be good seed which grows into a fruitful crop and may we recognise that when we submit to you, everything which happens to us can be used by you to our advantage.
Supportive God, be with those who need support because of illness. Pour your healthgiving strength into them so that they might have the necessary energy to get well again. We pray especially for ...
Blessing:
May you remain sharp-eyed
for weeds which choke
and alert for Jesus
when he calls you.
And may 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.
Jesus told a story in which an enemy came while everyone was asleep. In our worship today, let us resolves to be alert and awake for God, so that we are not caught napping by enemies and are ready when God comes to us.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, I need sleep, but save me from spiritual day-dreaming.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, I need sleep, but keep me alert to hear your voice.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, I need sleep, but want to be awake in your service.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (NRSV)
He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; [25] but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. [26] So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. [27] And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' [28] He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' [29] But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. [30] Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.' "
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." [37] He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; [38] the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, [39] and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. [40] Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. [41] The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, [42] and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
Story:
It's easy to be knocked off the Christian path by diversions and cares and manipulation by others, and difficult to detect when this is happening.
In this story, Hannah is carried along by a tide of distractions which are actually choking her, but she can't see it.
Hannah's Homework
Hannah had a long list of spellings to learn for homework. As soon as she reached home, she took her book out of her bag and opened it to the correct page. Then she stared at the spellings with a sigh. They were difficult words and Hannah wasn't very good at spelling. Still, she was determined to learn them so that she could win a gold star at school.
Then Hannah's little brother called out, asking her to turn on the television for his programmes.
"Alright," agreed Hannah. She switched on the programme, and then sat down with Toby to watch. It was a programme for the under-fives, but Hannah watched it anyway.
She went back to her books when the programme finished, but had no sooner begun to read the list of words when her mother called, "Tea's ready!"
"Oh good!" murmured Hannah to herself. She thought she might be better at spelling when she was well fortified with food.
After tea, Hannah helped to clear the table and fill the washing up machine. She didn't usually bother to do any of that, but tonight she thought she would. Then she went back to her books.
Within five minutes she had a text on her phone from her best friend, Betsy. Hannah read the text and giggled. She sent a text back. Betsy replied instantly. Half-an-hour passed like magic until Betsy had to go for her tea.
Hannah went back to her books. She read the long list of words again. Then she decided that she really ought to practise her piano music. She sat down at the piano and began to play. Her mother was so astonished that she came to listen. "That's nice, dear," she said. "It's lovely to hear you practising without being told."
Hannah glowed a little with the praise. When she was fed up with practising, she returned to her books, but by then her own programmes were on the television and she couldn't bear to miss them. Then, because it was a warm evening and still light, she felt like some fresh air, so she went outside to play for a while.
It seemed like no time at all before her mother called her in for bed. "But I can't!" cried Hannah in anguish. "I have all these spellings to learn for tomorrow."
"You should have thought of that before," said her mother firmly. "It's time for bed, now. And I don't want you sitting up for hours reading with a torch, either. So settle down. Perhaps you'll have time to learn your spellings in the morning."
That cheered Hannah up a bit. She thought she might get up early to learn the words. 'Besides,' she told herself, 'I'll be fresher in the morning. It'll be easier to learn then, rather than when I'm tired after a long day at school.' So she drifted happily off to sleep.
In the morning, Hannah overslept. Then it was a race to get ready for school in time. When she reached school, Hannah prayed that the teacher might delay the test until after the weekend. But God didn't answer Hannah's prayer.
Hannah got all her spellings wrong and felt humiliated and grumpy. She shouted at Betsy and refused to play with her. She was especially annoyed because Betsy won a gold star for her spellings. Hannah decided that she'd never be able to spell, so it wasn't worth bothering. She also decided that she hated her teacher and God, because it was all their fault that she felt so bad about herself.
When she got home, Hannah hit her little brother and made him cry. "It's your fault," she said crossly. "You made me turn on the TV and that made me sit and watch your stupid programmes and -- "
But her mother intervened. "Nobody made you do anything, Hannah," she said quietly. "You made your own choices. You allowed all sorts of activities to get in your way instead of staying focussed on what you had to do. If you were a little plant trying to grow, you'd be choked by all the weeds around you! You need to choose the right path and then stick to it, then you'll grow up tall and strong and proud of yourself. Come on, I'll help you with these spellings, then you can tell your teacher tomorrow how well you've done."
So Hannah learned her spellings after all, and once she'd started, she discovered that learning spellings wasn't nearly as difficult as she'd thought. In fact, she began to enjoy it. 'No more weeds for me,' she murmured to herself. 'Next time, I shall be ready.'
And she was.
Activity:
You need:
No equipment
Start by looking at last week's seeds, to see which have grown. Hopefully the seeds planted in good soil will be looking good! You might also look to see whether any weeds have begun to show, and link this in with today's Bible story. Point out that although they might look small and thin, weeds are very strong and very persistent. Perhaps you could go outside to see whether there are any weeds pushing their way through concrete. Ask the children what is wrong with weeds? (They prevent the growth of other plants by choking them or taking the goodness from the soil. They have no end purpose -- they don't give beauty or produce a useful crop. They proliferate! Some have extremely long roots, and unless the roots are destroyed, the weeds keep coming back.)
Talk about good soil and good seeds and good crops. Manure is needed for the best growth - and bad things sometimes happen to Christians, but those bad things can make them stronger. Ask the children whether they have any experience of this. You may need to chat about their personal difficulties and how they might overcome them. Explain that people who are deliberately unkind or cruel are a bit like weeds, but that the children must cling onto to Jesus and not let the "weeds" choke them.
If we are ready for God, the weeds won't harm us and we'll be waiting when God calls us. Play a "readiness" game:
Stand all the children but one in a grid formation, i.e. if there are 12 children, in three rows of four to form a square. The children should hold hands horizontally, to mkae horizontal "corridors". The child who is left out has to run down a "corridor" to reach the other side, but when you call out "Change!" the children must change direction and hold hands vertically. The aim is for the solo child to reach the far side of the grid.
Give all the children a chance of being "solo", then ask them all how it felt. How difficult was the game? Were they ready to change when you called out "change"? How easy was it to be ready, even though they knew what was coming? Did anyone actually make it? Go on to talk about change in our lives and how we can be taken by surprise even when we're expecting change. Suggest that Jesus can support them through change and end with a prayer.
Prayers:
Supportive God, sometimes we take church for granted and are happy to carry on in the same old way, but are not ready when you call us to change. Help us not to be influenced by weeds, but to respond to your voice and to move forward towards you.
Supportive God, we pray for those countries which need most support. May we resolve never to allow any human beings to die because of poverty, but to raise the living standards of all. Root out those evil people who prevent this happening because of local corruption, and enable your good seeds to grow.
Supportive God, help us not to be choked by cares or worries, wishes or desires. May we be good seed which grows into a fruitful crop and may we recognise that when we submit to you, everything which happens to us can be used by you to our advantage.
Supportive God, be with those who need support because of illness. Pour your healthgiving strength into them so that they might have the necessary energy to get well again. We pray especially for ...
Blessing:
May you remain sharp-eyed
for weeds which choke
and alert for Jesus
when he calls you.
And may 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.
