Praxis Takes Care
Children's Liturgy and Story
Call to Worship:
Jesus told a story about a rich man and a beggar to illustrate the way in which we fail to notice those who are poor. In our worship today let us remember the poor and ask God to teach us a real concern for them.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we fail notice some people.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we deliberately leave people out.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we care only about ourselves.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Luke 16:19-31 (NRSV)
Story:
The rich man's sin was that he failed to notice Lazarus even though Lazarus sat at his gate day by day, begging for scraps. Lazarus had become invisible to him because he cared only for himself and his own wealth and his own family.
In today's story Praxis, the pixie whose skin changes colour according to his moods, fails to notice a tiny pixie who is always left out of the pixie games.
Praxis Takes Care
Praxis, the pixie whose skin changed colour according to his moods, was in the pink. He was excited and healthy and full of fun, having the time of his life. All the pixie children were playing in the glade in the forest, kicking and throwing an acorn to each other. When one of them caught the acorn (which was quite difficult because it was oval in shape so they never knew where it would bounce) all the others would throw themselves on top of that pixie and wrestle the ball away. Praxis was usually to be seen in the centre of the melee amongst the jumble of pixie arms and legs.
There was a lot of screaming and shouting and laughter, so that some of the older pixies came to their toadstool doors and frowned at the youngsters. One shouted at them to keep the noise down, but they were having so much fun that they didn't hear. Another threatened to tell the Wise Old Pixie and get him to call the Pixie Police, but the youngsters led by Praxis made rude faces at him until he shook his fist at them, retired inside his toadstool house and slammed the door.
With one particularly hefty throw, the acorn flew right over to the side of the glade. Praxis scampered after it, but it was rather weakly thrown back into the glade.
"Thanks," called Praxis, barely pausing for breath.
The pixie children carried on playing for another ten minutes or so, until they gradually began to tire. One by one they dropped out of the game and disappeared to their homes for tea. Praxis was still full of energy, but he found himself kicking the acorn by himself, which wasn't nearly so much fun.
Then a tiny voice offered, "I'll play if you like."
Praxis was startled. He thought he was alone. He looked all round and eventually spotted a tiny pixie sitting rather forlornly at the foot of an empty toadstool. "Hello," Praxis said brightly, "who are you? How long have you been there?"
"All the time," returned the tiny pixie. "Once, I threw the acorn to you. I'll play with you if you like?"
Praxis felt his spirits drop and noticed his skin beginning to turn blue. It would be no fun at all playing with such a small pixie, who probably couldn't even catch an acorn if it was thrown gently.
He hesitated, wondering how to refuse without making it sound like a refusal. "Um, I have to get home for tea now."
"Oh!"
There was such a wealth of disappointment and hurt in the tiny pixie's voice that Praxis felt ashamed. He could see that his skin was turning even bluer, so he went to sit next to the tiny pixie. "I didn't notice you," he said, gently. To his horror a big tear formed in the corner of the tiny pixie's eye and began to roll down her cheek.
Praxis felt angry and ashamed all at the same time and his shame made him feel even angrier. He began to turn red. "Oh well, "he said, getting up, "if you're just going to cry, I'm off! I was only trying to help," he added, with a hint of self-righteousness. But deep down inside himself he knew it was a lie and he was using the tears as an excuse to get away. He couldn't help turning yellow.
He resigned himself to sitting with the tiny pixie. "Come on then," he said with a sigh, "tell me all about it – but don't cry!"
The tiny pixie sniffed. "I'd just like to play in some of the games," she said. "But nobody ever sees me. I 'spect it's 'cos I'm so small." She turned to Praxis. "Do you think I'll ever grow to be big like you?"
Praxis suddenly began to realise what it must feel like to be left out. He suddenly began to realise what it must feel like to be smaller than everyone else, and he suddenly began to realise what it must feel like to be treated as though you're invisible and don't exist. He felt very sorry that like everyone else, he too had never noticed the tiny pixie. He turned orange with remorse.
Praxis jumped up. "Come on," he said, holding out his hand to the tiny pixie. "You can come with me. I'll be your friend. And I'll teach you how to throw and catch and kick an acorn, and then you can join in with our games, however small you are."
The tiny pixie's face lit up with delight. Her eyes shone as she took Praxis' hand. And Praxis himself suddenly changed back to a healthy, bright, shocking pink as he took care of the tiny pixie.
Activity:
You need:
Foil-wrapped chocolate money
A couple of packs of pipe cleaners
Scraps of bright material
Glue
Strips of cardboard
Gold foil paper
With the children, make two figures out of pipe cleaners. Use the material to dress one sumptuously, but leave the other without clothes. If you can, fix a gold (chocolate) coin into the rich man's hands and fix some gold coins onto his clothes so that he is quite heavy.
Make "heaven" by covering the strips of card in gold foil, than fixing together to make the walls of a simple compound. This need only be a rectangle, but you can make it more elaborate if you wish. Place the chocolate coins in a pile, covering the entrance to the compound.
Place the rich man in his sumptuous clothes in front of the pile of money. Place Lazarus without any clothes further away, to symbolise sitting at the rich man's gate.
Tell the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Say that when they both died, Lazarus was as free as air and weightless, because he wasn't weighed down by riches. Show how he could "fly" into "heaven". Point out that the rich man is too heavy to fly and he can't get into heaven because his pile of coins is in the way.
Put Lazarus back at the rich man's gate and ask the children what the rich man could have done to enable him to get into heaven. (They may say "Remove all his clothes"! But encourage them to think in terms of shifting the pile of coins by giving some to Lazarus. Then he can keep some of his wealth – that which he has on him – and walk into heaven because the way is clear. You don't want to give the impression that all money is evil. The point is that it needs to be shared realistically.)
Finally, share out the chocolate coins with everyone there!
Prayers:
Generous God, help us in the church to notice each other. May we never leave anyone out but include all in our worship and our activities.
Generous God, we pray for the poor nations of the world. May we who are rich keep the plight of the poor constantly before us, so that we never forget them or ignore them. We pray for the work of the aid agencies and pledge our on-going support to them.
Generous God, teach us to be less self-centred and centred more on you, so that we are able to reach out to others who need us rather than trying to avoid them.
Generous God, we ask for your generosity and love to be poured into those who are hurting in any way. Be with them in their need and help them to know that they are never alone.
Blessing:
As you go on your way may you notice
the stranger at your gate,
the poor at your feet
and the lonely at your door.
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 about a rich man and a beggar to illustrate the way in which we fail to notice those who are poor. In our worship today let us remember the poor and ask God to teach us a real concern for them.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we fail notice some people.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we deliberately leave people out.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we care only about ourselves.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Luke 16:19-31 (NRSV)
Story:
The rich man's sin was that he failed to notice Lazarus even though Lazarus sat at his gate day by day, begging for scraps. Lazarus had become invisible to him because he cared only for himself and his own wealth and his own family.
In today's story Praxis, the pixie whose skin changes colour according to his moods, fails to notice a tiny pixie who is always left out of the pixie games.
Praxis Takes Care
Praxis, the pixie whose skin changed colour according to his moods, was in the pink. He was excited and healthy and full of fun, having the time of his life. All the pixie children were playing in the glade in the forest, kicking and throwing an acorn to each other. When one of them caught the acorn (which was quite difficult because it was oval in shape so they never knew where it would bounce) all the others would throw themselves on top of that pixie and wrestle the ball away. Praxis was usually to be seen in the centre of the melee amongst the jumble of pixie arms and legs.
There was a lot of screaming and shouting and laughter, so that some of the older pixies came to their toadstool doors and frowned at the youngsters. One shouted at them to keep the noise down, but they were having so much fun that they didn't hear. Another threatened to tell the Wise Old Pixie and get him to call the Pixie Police, but the youngsters led by Praxis made rude faces at him until he shook his fist at them, retired inside his toadstool house and slammed the door.
With one particularly hefty throw, the acorn flew right over to the side of the glade. Praxis scampered after it, but it was rather weakly thrown back into the glade.
"Thanks," called Praxis, barely pausing for breath.
The pixie children carried on playing for another ten minutes or so, until they gradually began to tire. One by one they dropped out of the game and disappeared to their homes for tea. Praxis was still full of energy, but he found himself kicking the acorn by himself, which wasn't nearly so much fun.
Then a tiny voice offered, "I'll play if you like."
Praxis was startled. He thought he was alone. He looked all round and eventually spotted a tiny pixie sitting rather forlornly at the foot of an empty toadstool. "Hello," Praxis said brightly, "who are you? How long have you been there?"
"All the time," returned the tiny pixie. "Once, I threw the acorn to you. I'll play with you if you like?"
Praxis felt his spirits drop and noticed his skin beginning to turn blue. It would be no fun at all playing with such a small pixie, who probably couldn't even catch an acorn if it was thrown gently.
He hesitated, wondering how to refuse without making it sound like a refusal. "Um, I have to get home for tea now."
"Oh!"
There was such a wealth of disappointment and hurt in the tiny pixie's voice that Praxis felt ashamed. He could see that his skin was turning even bluer, so he went to sit next to the tiny pixie. "I didn't notice you," he said, gently. To his horror a big tear formed in the corner of the tiny pixie's eye and began to roll down her cheek.
Praxis felt angry and ashamed all at the same time and his shame made him feel even angrier. He began to turn red. "Oh well, "he said, getting up, "if you're just going to cry, I'm off! I was only trying to help," he added, with a hint of self-righteousness. But deep down inside himself he knew it was a lie and he was using the tears as an excuse to get away. He couldn't help turning yellow.
He resigned himself to sitting with the tiny pixie. "Come on then," he said with a sigh, "tell me all about it – but don't cry!"
The tiny pixie sniffed. "I'd just like to play in some of the games," she said. "But nobody ever sees me. I 'spect it's 'cos I'm so small." She turned to Praxis. "Do you think I'll ever grow to be big like you?"
Praxis suddenly began to realise what it must feel like to be left out. He suddenly began to realise what it must feel like to be smaller than everyone else, and he suddenly began to realise what it must feel like to be treated as though you're invisible and don't exist. He felt very sorry that like everyone else, he too had never noticed the tiny pixie. He turned orange with remorse.
Praxis jumped up. "Come on," he said, holding out his hand to the tiny pixie. "You can come with me. I'll be your friend. And I'll teach you how to throw and catch and kick an acorn, and then you can join in with our games, however small you are."
The tiny pixie's face lit up with delight. Her eyes shone as she took Praxis' hand. And Praxis himself suddenly changed back to a healthy, bright, shocking pink as he took care of the tiny pixie.
Activity:
You need:
Foil-wrapped chocolate money
A couple of packs of pipe cleaners
Scraps of bright material
Glue
Strips of cardboard
Gold foil paper
With the children, make two figures out of pipe cleaners. Use the material to dress one sumptuously, but leave the other without clothes. If you can, fix a gold (chocolate) coin into the rich man's hands and fix some gold coins onto his clothes so that he is quite heavy.
Make "heaven" by covering the strips of card in gold foil, than fixing together to make the walls of a simple compound. This need only be a rectangle, but you can make it more elaborate if you wish. Place the chocolate coins in a pile, covering the entrance to the compound.
Place the rich man in his sumptuous clothes in front of the pile of money. Place Lazarus without any clothes further away, to symbolise sitting at the rich man's gate.
Tell the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Say that when they both died, Lazarus was as free as air and weightless, because he wasn't weighed down by riches. Show how he could "fly" into "heaven". Point out that the rich man is too heavy to fly and he can't get into heaven because his pile of coins is in the way.
Put Lazarus back at the rich man's gate and ask the children what the rich man could have done to enable him to get into heaven. (They may say "Remove all his clothes"! But encourage them to think in terms of shifting the pile of coins by giving some to Lazarus. Then he can keep some of his wealth – that which he has on him – and walk into heaven because the way is clear. You don't want to give the impression that all money is evil. The point is that it needs to be shared realistically.)
Finally, share out the chocolate coins with everyone there!
Prayers:
Generous God, help us in the church to notice each other. May we never leave anyone out but include all in our worship and our activities.
Generous God, we pray for the poor nations of the world. May we who are rich keep the plight of the poor constantly before us, so that we never forget them or ignore them. We pray for the work of the aid agencies and pledge our on-going support to them.
Generous God, teach us to be less self-centred and centred more on you, so that we are able to reach out to others who need us rather than trying to avoid them.
Generous God, we ask for your generosity and love to be poured into those who are hurting in any way. Be with them in their need and help them to know that they are never alone.
Blessing:
As you go on your way may you notice
the stranger at your gate,
the poor at your feet
and the lonely at your door.
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.
