directions
instructions for congregation
movements during service
prayers and readings
| (Table with table cloth and 6 chairs in front of altar
8 cubes at the back, cubes 1 and 10 at front for Muriel and Pam) | ||
| Welcome (Muriel) | We welcome you here in the name of Jesus. May He speak to each one of us in the stillness of our hearts.
Some "house keeping" information - If anyone would like the music for our hymns today, please put up your hand and we will bring it to you. Toilets are between the church and the hall. If anyone is new here and would like to go on the Church list, which entitles you to receive the Messenger 3 or 4 times a year, and other benefits, then please fill in the card at the end of the seats and hand it to one of the helpers after the service. Thank you | |
| Leader | Please stand for the hymn | |
| Hymn | Thou Whose almighty word | |
| (During this hymn Martine, Bridie, Cole, Siobhan, Leslie, Matthew and Hermione go down lectern side aisle ready for the play) | ||
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| Leader | Please sit
Jesus said, "love the Lord Your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength and love your neighbour as you love yourself." We are going to show you how this might fit into modern family life, and we can ask for God's help as we try to follow His instructions. | |
| Leader | Lord, change our hearts | |
| People | Help us to love you, O God, and our neighbours as ourselves. | |
| (Martine please help Bridie who walks from lectern side aisle to centre with "Early in the week" and when in the centre says -) | ||
| Bridie | "EARLY IN THE WEEK" | |
| (Then she returns to the side aisle)
(Once Bridie has returned Leslie, Hermione, Matthew, Cole and Siobhan move to in front of the table and the play begins) | ||
| Hermione | Rules! Rules! I'm fed up with rules.
Rules! Do this, Put that away, Turn your music down! It's driving me mad | |
| Siobhan | Yes, me too. Don't take your sister's things, hurry up you'll be late - on and on it goes. It's spoiling my life. | |
| Cole | Yeah, rules - they're ruining my life too.
Only 10 minutes for a phone call when all my other friends can talk for hours, Get out of the shower. Rules - I hate them. | |
| Matthew | Don't talk with your mouth full,
Don't be greedy - I'm fed up with them too. | |
| Leslie | I know, let's all have a day when we can do what we like as long as it's legal. We must go to work and to school but otherwise we'll do our own thing. No rules. But nobody must be hurt either. | |
| Children (Matthew, Hermione, Cole and Siobhan) | Who, all of us? | |
| Siobhan | Yes let's. | |
| Matthew | That's a cool idea. | |
| Hermione | Can we do it soon? | |
| Cole | What day should we choose? | |
| Leslie | Let's do it on Friday - but not at work or school. But, remember, we mustn't do anything that will harm someone else or break the law. And each one of us will do just what we want within reason. | |
| Children (Matthew, Hermione, Cole and Siobhan) | OK. Friday it is. | |
| Leslie | - and then on Saturday at lunch time we can discuss how it went, and Dad will be home from his business trip then and hear all about it too. | |
| (Family freeze until Bridie has said Friday Morning and gone back to the side aisle) | ||
| Leader | Lord, change our hearts | |
| People | Help us to love you, O God, and our neighbours as ourselves. | |
| (Martine please help Bridie who walks from lectern side aisle to centre with "FRIDAY MORNING" and when in the centre says -) | ||
| Bridie | "FRIDAY MORNING" | |
| (Then she returns to the side aisle) | ||
| Cole | Great! Today is THE day! | |
| Matthew | Where's breakfast? Is my lunch ready? | |
| Leslie | Here's the bread - you're all making your own lunches today. | |
| Children | Oh, Mum, must we ? | |
| Leslie | Oh, Yes - it's my day off too. | |
| Hermione | You ? - a day off ? oh NO ! | |
| Leslie | And you must all catch the bus to school - here's the bus money. | |
| Siobhan | Oh, I knew there'd be a catch in this "do what you like day" ! | |
| Children (Matthew, Hermione, Cole, Siobhan) | We hate catching the bus ! | |
| (Children (Matthew, Hermione, Cole, Siobhan) stomp off to catch the bus, go to lectern side aisle) | ||
| Leslie | Phew! Thank goodness - just a half day at work then I'm FREE ! | |
| (Mum (Leslie) goes off to lectern side aisle) | ||
| Leader | Lord, change our hearts | |
| People | Help us to love you, O God, and our neighbours as ourselves. | |
| (Martine help Bridie who walks from lectern side aisle to centre with "AFTER SCHOOL" and when in the centre says -) | ||
| Bridie | "AFTER SCHOOL" | |
| (Then she returns to the side aisle) | ||
| (Cole stays "outside" talking, other 3 children (Hermione, Matthew, Siobhan) come back in to the kitchen Jean goes to balcony) | ||
| Matthew | I'm so hungry.
Wow ! - it's do what you like day ! ICE CREAM FROM THE FREEZER YUMMY ! | |
| Siobhan | Quick, she's still outside (Point to Cole) talking, I'm going to borrow her top, I'll go and put it on now then go out the back door to meet Jane - yippee !
(Hurries off, down organ aisle) | |
| Hermione | Music as loud as I like - Fantastic ! | |
| (Cole comes in) | ||
| Cole | Has that brat got my top on - yes she has - I'll kill her.
Where's Mum? | |
| Matthew(eating) | She's not home yet | |
| Cole | Oh, here's a message on the answer phone -
Mum's out; Gone to the beach, then going to the pictures, be back about 9pm. with pizzas | |
| Matthew | Great. I love pizza. | |
| (Family (Hermione, Cole, Matthew) freeze until Bridie has said Saturday lunchtime and gone back to the side aisle) | ||
| Leader | Lord, change our hearts | |
| People | Help us to love you, O God, and our neighbours as ourselves. | |
| (Martine please help Bridie who walks from lectern side aisle to centre with "SATURDAY LUNCHTIME" and when in the centre says -) | ||
| Bridie | "SATURDAY LUNCHTIME" | |
| (Then she returns to the side aisle)
(Leslie and Siobhan come back into kitchen and they all sit around the table) | ||
| Leslie | Well, how did yesterday go?
I had a wonderful day. | |
| Matthew | It was great - I had lots to eat ! | |
| Children (Siobhan, Cole and Hermione) | Oh, Mum, it was terrible ! | |
| Cole | She stole my top, you know how much she's always wanted to wear it. | |
| God(Jean from balcony) | Do not steal. | |
| Siobhan | Well, her things are better than mine. | |
| God(Jean from balcony) | Do not want what belongs to other people. | |
| Siobhan | I didn't steal it - I've brought it back - here's your smelly old top. | |
| God(Jean from balcony) | Do not tell lies. | |
| Hermione | Oh my God, why don't you all just shut up. | |
| God(Jean from balcony) | Use my name with respect. | |
| Leslie | Look at you three arguing again.
Why don't we try to work this out ? | |
| Hermione | Oh listen to her go on - when she just took off for the day. | |
| God(Jean from balcony) | Respect your father and mother. | |
| Cole | But you still haven't done anything about her stealing my top. | |
| Leslie | Come on then, let's talk about what happened yesterday.
Do you think rules are important then for people to live together happily ? | |
| Siobhan | Yes - BUT they must be fair. | |
| Leslie | Well, what do you think are fair rules for us each to follow ?
Go and get some paper and let's write some rules down. | |
| (Matthew runs off to the organ for paper and returns with Graeme and the paper.)
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| Matthew | Look, here's Dad home ! | |
| Cole | Dad, come and help us with these rules. | |
| Siobhan | Yesterday was terrible ! | |
| Hermione | We all did what we wanted and ...... | |
| Graeme | Yes, your mother told me about her plan. | |
| (Graeme sits down) | ||
| Cole | Anyway, when were the first rules made? | |
| Graeme | God made some rules way back in Moses's time. That is about three and a half thousand years ago, near the beginning of the Bible. They're called "The Ten Commandments" | |
| Hermione | What, that long ago ? They won't be much use now. | |
| Graeme | Well, people haven't changed very much, and some of God's rules are pretty much like our laws today. | |
| Siobhan | So what are they? | |
| Leslie | There's a song about them - let's stand and sing it now. | |
| Leader (Muriel, if necessary) | Please stand for the hymn | |
| Hymn | The Ten Commandments (Tune - Jesus loves me this I know) | |
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(During this hymn the family go down side aisle to back and get into order with 10 cubes ready to bring them on from organ side during next reading. Cubes 1 (Muriel and 10 (Pam) are at front)
Avril comes to lectern to read the lesson) | ||
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| Please sit for the reading adapted from Exodus Chapter 20 verses 1-17 Read by Avril Welsh | ||
| God spoke and these were His words: | |
| I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves. | |
| Worship no god but Me; | (No 1 box out, Muriel stay to help arrange next 9) |
| Do not make idols or worship them; | (No 2 box out, Graeme) |
| Use My name with respect; | (No 3 box out, Hermione) |
| Rest on the seventh day and remember Me; | (No 4 box out, Matthew) |
| Respect your father and mother; | (No 5 box out, Cole) |
| Do not murder; | (No 6 box out, Siobhan) |
| Husbands and wives be faithful to one another; | (No 7 box out, Leslie) |
| Do not steal; | (No 8 box out, Cassidy or Martine) |
| Do not tell lies about anyone; | (No 9 box out, Bridie) |
| Do not envy other people or want what belongs to them. | (No 10 box out, Anthony or Pam) |
| (Boxes should now be arranged in a pyramid with No 1 at the bottom! )
(Family Siobhan, Graeme, Leslie, Matthew, Hermione and Cole remain at lectern side ready to come on for the play) | ||
| Leader | Please remain sitting for the play | |
| (At end of reading the family sit around the table again) | ||
| Cole | But this is all Old Testament stuff, from three and a half thousand years ago, rules given to some Jewish people. Didn't Jesus change all that? | |
| Leslie | Well - in a way He did | |
| Matthew | What do you mean, in a way? | |
| Graeme | He said - "Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses. I have come to make its teachings come true."
Jesus taught us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength, and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. | |
| Siobhan | That's different. | |
| Leslie | Yes, it is. It's much harder. | |
| Hermione | I thought love would be easier than do not do this and do not do that. | |
| Leslie | Think about it - Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength and your neighbour as yourself.
Love done properly is really hard work it's not just a warm fuzzy feeling. It is something you choose to do. Dad and I had to work really hard at learning to love and trust one another in our marriage. | |
| Graeme | Let's think about what Jesus said.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, mind, and soul : that covers the first 4 of the ten commandments and involves all our actions, thoughts and emotions - love like that is really hard to achieve. Listen to the rest - Love your neighbour as yourself :
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| Siobhan | You mean I've got to love that grumpy family down the street ? | |
| Leslie & Graeme | Yes. | |
| Hermione | And I've got to be loving towards my teacher who is so mean to me ? | |
| Leslie & Graeme | Yes. | |
| Matthew | And I've got to love myself even when I feel all yucky on the inside ? - that's really tough. | |
| Leslie & Graeme | Yes. | |
| Cole | And I've got to be loving to my sister when she can't keep her hands off my things ? | |
| Leslie & Graeme | Yes. | |
| Children (Hermione, Siobhan, Cole, Matthew) | How on earth can we do that? | |
| Graeme | We need to ask Jesus to fill us with the Holy Spirit and to help us to change the way we behave, the way we think and the way we live. Then we must, every day, try to live like Jesus wants us to. | |
| Hermione | I hadn't realised how hard it is to obey Jesus's rules. | |
| Children (Hermione, Cole, Matthew, Siobhan) | Let's pray about it now. | |
| Leader | Please sit or kneel for the prayers (family stay at the table to say the prayers.) | |
| Cole (wait for silence) | Dear Jesus, help us to love You with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength; | |
| Siobhan | Help us to be loving towards our friends, teachers, neighbours and all we meet; | |
| Hermione | Help us to control our thoughts so that we don't think mean things; | |
| Matthew | Help us to control our tongues so that we don't say mean things. Amen. | |
| Leader | Lord, change our hearts | |
| People | Help us to love you, O God, and our neighbours as ourselves. | |
| Leader | Please stand for the hymn "A New Commandment I give unto you" which we shall sing twice | |
| (During this hymn the family return to the back) | ||
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| Leader | Please sit for the reading from 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 verses 1-8, 11-13, read by Pam Kirkham | |
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| (Put this on O/H again) | Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.
Love is eternal | |
| Leader | Let us pause for a moment and think about these attributes of love - you may like to read them again and put your name in the place of love - for example ???? is patient and kind, ???? is not jealous or conceited.... (Silence while people meditate on love) | |
| Leader | Lord, change our hearts | |
| People | Help us to love you, O God, and our neighbours as ourselves. | |
| Leader | Please sit as we listen to this true story from Africa about a man named Thomas and his grumpy neighbour. | |
| Jean Creak | Story : Thomas and his neighbour. | |
| Leader | Please sit or kneel as we sing this hymn prayerfully | |
| Hymn | Change my heart O God | |
| (During this Hymn Cole and Leslie come to the lectern) | ||
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| Leader | Lord, change our hearts | |
| People | Help us to love you, O God, and our neighbours as ourselves. | |
| (Cole and Leslie ready at lectern then) | ||
| Cole | Thomas truly followed what Jesus taught; I want to try that way too, but I know I won't always get it right. What do I do then ? | |
| Leslie | When we make a mess of it, we say I'm sorry, ask Jesus to forgive us, and try again.
There's a great song about doing just that. It was written by a slave ship captain when he realised what a dreadful job he'd been doing - transporting slaves from Africa to the West Indies. One night he prayed and asked God to forgive him and then he became a follower of Jesus. He wrote the beautiful hymn "Amazing Grace", for it is by the grace of God that we are saved. Let's sing it now. | |
| Leader | Please stand for the hymn | |
| Hymn | Amazing Grace | |
| (During this hymn Martine, Avril and Pam come to lectern ready for the prayers) | ||
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| Leader | Please sit or kneel for the prayers ending with the Lord's Prayer which we shall sing. | |
| Martine | Thank you, Lord God, for the wonderful love that You have for all people. Please continue to renew that love in our hearts so that we can be loving towards You, our families, friends, and neighbours. Amen | |
| Pam | We pray for all hurting people, those who are sick, hungry, abused, lonely and those who are homeless, comfort them and restore them to fullness of life. Help all those who are seeking to improve people's lives, Doctors, Nurses, teachers, counsellors and other helpers; bless them, each one. Amen | |
| Avril | We pray for peace in this world, Your peace, Father God; we ask that You will teach us how to negotiate, mediate and avert all aggressive acts in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen | |
| All | Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth, as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours now and for ever. Amen. | |
| Leader | Please stand for the collection hymn | |
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(Collectors ready)
(ACM Donations to be carried to front too by helpers; Martine to organise) | ||
| Hymn | HOW GREAT THOU ART | |
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| Please remain standing for the Blessing | ||
| Muriel | Blessing | |
Those taking part | |
| Leader | Muriel Jones |
| Overheads | Anthony Jones |
| Organists | Pam Kirkham Graeme Thomas |
| Clipboard | Bridie Dixon |
| Mum | Leslie Monigatti |
| Dad | Graeme Thomas |
| Children | Cole Bason
Hermione Jones Matthew Jones Siobhan Dixon |
| Helpers | Avril Welsh Martine Lewis |
We invite you to join us for a cuppa in the Hall at the end of this service