Fluffy Cat Gets Wrong
Children's Liturgy and Story
Call to Worship:
Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and men. Let us worship him today with dignity and love, remembering that he was once a child just as we have all been children.
Invitation to Confession:
Father God,
Lord, have mercy.
Father God,
Christ, have mercy.
Father God,
Lord, have mercy
Reading:
Luke 2:41-52
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. [42] And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. [43] When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. [44] Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. [45] When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. [46] After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. [47] And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. [48] When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." [49] He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" [50] But they did not understand what he said to them. [51] Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
[52] And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.
Story:
Children often gets things wrong simply because they are not yet mature enough to get those things right. Jesus worried his parents enormously when he went missing. This is a story about getting things wrong when we mean well.
Fluffy Cat Gets Wrong
Fluffy Cat yawned and stretched. She was very comfortable sitting on the floor with her back against the radiator. She spent some time washing her beautiful white fur, then when she was entirely ready, strolled towards Kerry.
Kerry was lying stretched out on the floor, doing her homework. At the moment she was drawing a maths diagram with a ruler and a pencil and a setsquare, and her tongue stuck out as she concentrated.
Fluffy Cat was anxious to help. She purred loudly and rubbed herself against Kerry's outstretched legs. Kerry groaned, and moved her legs.
Fluffy Cat took that as a sign that she really was helping, so she moved too. She carefully insinuated herself between Kerry and the paper so that she could brush against Kerry's face. Then she would be as close as possible to Kerry, which would indicate her love and help Kerry more than anything.
But to Fluffy Cat's astonishment and fear, Kerry let out a scream. Fluffy Cat leapt back, right onto Kerry's paper. Kerry shouted at Fluffy Cat so loudly that Fluffy Cat was afraid. She skittered off the paper and retired once again to her special spot by the radiator.
There she sat, licking her fur. She was mortified and very indignant. She had no idea why Kerry had been so nasty to her. She didn't know what she had done wrong, although it was clear she had upset Kerry in some way.
Didn't Kerry want her love? And how else could Fluffy Cat show her love except by rubbing against Kerry to let her know how important she was?
A little later, when the paper had been put away and the homework finished, Fluffy Cat heard Kerry call her name. Fluffy Cat sniffed, put her nose in the air and pretended not to notice.
When Kerry came over and began to tickle her behind the ears, Fluffy Cat turned her back and settled down again in a new position against the radiator, just as though Kerry didn't exist.
But Kerry sighed and said softly, "I'm sorry, Fluffy Cat. I didn't mean to frighten you. Now you're offended. Please forgive me."
For a moment, Fluffy Cat debated with herself whether or not to respond. But she couldn't help herself. She loved Kerry so much that she just had to show her. So she yawned and stretched and rubbed herself against Kerry's legs.
'I love you,' she said silently.
"And I love you too, Fluffy Cat," said Kerry, "even when I'm cross with you. I'll always love you, for ever and ever. Thank you for forgiving me. I'm glad we're friends again."
And they were. Activities:
As we shall soon be beginning a New Year, today's activities are based on looking forward to that.
You need:
An A4 sheet of thin card for each child
An A4 sheet of paper for each child
Glue
Scissors
Felt tip pens
Rulers
Pencils
Using the rulers and pencils, make a margin all round the paper. Now divide the area of paper inside the margin into twelve equal boxes (you may have to do this in advance, especially for younger children. Repeat this on the card, so that if you place the paper on top of the card, the boxes on the paper fit exactly on top of the boxes on the card.
In each of the boxes on the card, invite the children to write or draw a New Year's resolution - eg. Tidying bedrooms, doing homework on time, helping out younger children (or elderly people), or anything the children want. Label each box on the paper with a month of the year. Then cut along the top edge, the right hand edge and the bottom edge of all the boxes on the paper. Stick the paper on top of the card, by gluing in the margins. Finally, write across the top of the paper, "My Resolutions for 2004." Suggest the children try to keep each resolution for that month
You might try asking them in a week or two whether anyone has even remembered the resolutions!
Intercession:
Father God, when we in your Church get things wrong, help us to face our own failure and to accept your forgiveness. Help us to pick ourselves up and start over again.
Father God, the world often gets things wrong, often with the best of intentions. Give wisdom to all world leaders and help them to know the correct path, so that all people in the world may receive proper care.
Father God, when our mistakes are pointed out to us, help us not to take offence. Give us the grace and the humility to receive correction and act on it.
Father God, help those who are sick or in need to know your great love for them. May they be suffused with your love and filled with your health-giving strength. We name them before you...
Blessing
May God pick you up when you are down,
Strengthen you when you are weak,
Reassure you of his love
And fill you with his grace and humility.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Be with you,
Be in your homes and in your families,
With those you love
and those for whom you pray,
both now and always. Amen.
Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and men. Let us worship him today with dignity and love, remembering that he was once a child just as we have all been children.
Invitation to Confession:
Father God,
Lord, have mercy.
Father God,
Christ, have mercy.
Father God,
Lord, have mercy
Reading:
Luke 2:41-52
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. [42] And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. [43] When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. [44] Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. [45] When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. [46] After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. [47] And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. [48] When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." [49] He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" [50] But they did not understand what he said to them. [51] Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
[52] And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.
Story:
Children often gets things wrong simply because they are not yet mature enough to get those things right. Jesus worried his parents enormously when he went missing. This is a story about getting things wrong when we mean well.
Fluffy Cat Gets Wrong
Fluffy Cat yawned and stretched. She was very comfortable sitting on the floor with her back against the radiator. She spent some time washing her beautiful white fur, then when she was entirely ready, strolled towards Kerry.
Kerry was lying stretched out on the floor, doing her homework. At the moment she was drawing a maths diagram with a ruler and a pencil and a setsquare, and her tongue stuck out as she concentrated.
Fluffy Cat was anxious to help. She purred loudly and rubbed herself against Kerry's outstretched legs. Kerry groaned, and moved her legs.
Fluffy Cat took that as a sign that she really was helping, so she moved too. She carefully insinuated herself between Kerry and the paper so that she could brush against Kerry's face. Then she would be as close as possible to Kerry, which would indicate her love and help Kerry more than anything.
But to Fluffy Cat's astonishment and fear, Kerry let out a scream. Fluffy Cat leapt back, right onto Kerry's paper. Kerry shouted at Fluffy Cat so loudly that Fluffy Cat was afraid. She skittered off the paper and retired once again to her special spot by the radiator.
There she sat, licking her fur. She was mortified and very indignant. She had no idea why Kerry had been so nasty to her. She didn't know what she had done wrong, although it was clear she had upset Kerry in some way.
Didn't Kerry want her love? And how else could Fluffy Cat show her love except by rubbing against Kerry to let her know how important she was?
A little later, when the paper had been put away and the homework finished, Fluffy Cat heard Kerry call her name. Fluffy Cat sniffed, put her nose in the air and pretended not to notice.
When Kerry came over and began to tickle her behind the ears, Fluffy Cat turned her back and settled down again in a new position against the radiator, just as though Kerry didn't exist.
But Kerry sighed and said softly, "I'm sorry, Fluffy Cat. I didn't mean to frighten you. Now you're offended. Please forgive me."
For a moment, Fluffy Cat debated with herself whether or not to respond. But she couldn't help herself. She loved Kerry so much that she just had to show her. So she yawned and stretched and rubbed herself against Kerry's legs.
'I love you,' she said silently.
"And I love you too, Fluffy Cat," said Kerry, "even when I'm cross with you. I'll always love you, for ever and ever. Thank you for forgiving me. I'm glad we're friends again."
And they were. Activities:
As we shall soon be beginning a New Year, today's activities are based on looking forward to that.
You need:
An A4 sheet of thin card for each child
An A4 sheet of paper for each child
Glue
Scissors
Felt tip pens
Rulers
Pencils
Using the rulers and pencils, make a margin all round the paper. Now divide the area of paper inside the margin into twelve equal boxes (you may have to do this in advance, especially for younger children. Repeat this on the card, so that if you place the paper on top of the card, the boxes on the paper fit exactly on top of the boxes on the card.
In each of the boxes on the card, invite the children to write or draw a New Year's resolution - eg. Tidying bedrooms, doing homework on time, helping out younger children (or elderly people), or anything the children want. Label each box on the paper with a month of the year. Then cut along the top edge, the right hand edge and the bottom edge of all the boxes on the paper. Stick the paper on top of the card, by gluing in the margins. Finally, write across the top of the paper, "My Resolutions for 2004." Suggest the children try to keep each resolution for that month
You might try asking them in a week or two whether anyone has even remembered the resolutions!
Intercession:
Father God, when we in your Church get things wrong, help us to face our own failure and to accept your forgiveness. Help us to pick ourselves up and start over again.
Father God, the world often gets things wrong, often with the best of intentions. Give wisdom to all world leaders and help them to know the correct path, so that all people in the world may receive proper care.
Father God, when our mistakes are pointed out to us, help us not to take offence. Give us the grace and the humility to receive correction and act on it.
Father God, help those who are sick or in need to know your great love for them. May they be suffused with your love and filled with your health-giving strength. We name them before you...
Blessing
May God pick you up when you are down,
Strengthen you when you are weak,
Reassure you of his love
And fill you with his grace and humility.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Be with you,
Be in your homes and in your families,
With those you love
and those for whom you pray,
both now and always. Amen.
