Mr. Skillett's Cross
Children's Liturgy and Story
Call to Worship:
Jesus said, "Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me." In our worship today let us pledge ourselves to be worthy of him.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, I don't know what my cross is, so I don't know how to take it up.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, I do want to follow you, but I also like to be comfortable.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, I want to avoid or evade crucifixion at all costs.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 10:24-39 (NRSV)
"A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; [25] it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
[26] "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. [27] What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. [28] Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. [30] And even the hairs of your head are all counted. [31] So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
[32] "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; [33] but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
[34] "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
[35] For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
[36] and one's foes will be members of one's own household.
[37] Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; [38] and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. [39] Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
Story:
Taking up our cross can be as simple as facing difficulties in life with integrity and refusing to go with the flow simply because it's easier that way. Taking up your cross brings pain, but it also brings its own rewards.
In this story, Mr Skillett takes up his cross and endures suffering, but learns to be himself because of it.
Mr. Skillett's Cross
Mr Skillett was feeling very sad. He was sure he had grown another couple of centimetres, and since he was already as tall as a bus and as thin as two pieces of paper stuck together, he really didn't feel it was fair that he should have grown even more. Besides, he was aware that most people stop growing when they are teenagers, and Mr Skillett was already well past that stage.
"What shall I do?" he groaned to Mrs Round, his next-door neighbour.
"Why," replied Mrs Round, "I should think you ought to come in for a cup of tea and a nice piece of my cake."
Mrs Round was growing too, but she was growing in the opposite direction, rounder and rounder and rounder. She was already as round as she was tall, and she only came up to Mr Skillett's knees. He had had to widen her doorway last year, lest she became so round that she stuck fast.
Mr Skillet folded himself in three in order to enter Mrs Round's house. Then he sat down with a sigh in her little round chair and helped himself to three slices of cake. He felt a little better after that. So did Mrs Round, who was never happier than when people were eating her cake.
But the main problem hadn't gone away. No matter how much cake he ate and how much better he felt after eating it, Mr Skillett was still growing.
'Perhaps I'll visit Dr Black,' he mused. 'He may have some special medicine which would help me.'
Mr Skillett made his excuses and strode along to Dr Black's surgery. Dr Black was delighted to see his old friend and Mr Skillett was relieved to see that he could spot Dr Black easily against the white walls of his surgery. Dr Black was black from head to toe. His hair was black, his skin was black, his eyes were black and his teeth were black. And he wore black clothes. This made him invisible at night, but fortunately he was very visible in his surgery during the daytime.
"Hmm," murmured Dr Black, scratching his head with a black fingernail. "I'd like to help, but I don't think there's much I can do. We could perhaps arrange an operation and chop a few inches off your legs, but I wouldn't like to guarantee the outcome. Besides, it wouldn't be you if you were shorter."
"Oh dear," exclaimed Mr Skillett, "I'm not sure I fancy the idea of an operation. Perhaps I'll pop over to Timid Tilly. As a schoolteacher she must be highly intelligent. Maybe she can think of a plan."
Timid Tilly was very sympathetic to Mr Skillett's predicament, but despite thinking and thinking and thinking for nearly an hour, she was unable to solve his problem.
Mr Skillett felt very depressed. He hated being so tall. He longed to be ordinary and normal, like everyone else. Besides, his bones and his muscles and his joints often ached, because they were just too long. And he had terrible difficulty buying clothes, because nobody else was as tall as him. It was awful.
Then he thought about his friends, who were all rather odd. He heaved a sigh. "I guess I'm meant to be like this," he told himself, "so I'd better get on with it. I can't be perfect. I can't even be the size I'd like to be, so I think I'll just make the best of it and be thankful that I'm alive and can enjoy life."
Then he began to remember all the things that were good in his life. He thought of his friends, with whom he was so happy. He thought of his house and decided that he could always build another storey if he grew too much. He thought of Mrs Round's delicious cakes which were always there for him. He remembered how he had been able to help lots of people simply because he was so tall.
And suddenly Mr Skillett was glad. 'I'll be proud of my height,' he decided. 'It's been good to me and good for me. I'm never again going to moan about it. I'm going to be happy and I'm going to help my friends to be happy too. Life is good, no matter what I look like. I'm so glad to be alive.'
And he was.
Activity:
You need:
Diagrams or illustrations or examples of different crosses -- Celtic, Jerusalem, Maltese, Coptic etc.
Pipe cleaners
Friendship bracelet materials
Paper
Crayons or felt tips
Clean "waste" material -- used matches, cartons, boxes etc.
Tell the children how Jesus carried his own cross to his crucifixion and how it was too heavy for him so he needed help (Luke 23:26). Ask them what they think the phrase "take up your cross" means today? (Facing difficulties rather than evading them or avoiding them. Facing all for the sake of the truth. Accepting what happens to you rather than lying your way out of it, etc.) Try to elicit from them examples from their own lives, e.g. Getting into trouble at school/home and admitting fault rather than pretending you weren't to blame.
Explain that we all need help in carrying our crosses and discuss which people might help -- parents, friends, teachers, Jesus.
Show the children the different crosses and explain something about each, pointing out that different people always have different ideas and that that's OK.
Finally, invite the children to make or draw their own cross, using the materials you have provided.
Prayers:
Crucified God, help our church to identify the crosses we have to bear, then to accept them joyfully and to seek your help in carrying them.
Crucified God, may we seek for justice and fairness in our world, so that crosses are shared equally and not borne simply by the poorest in the world.
Crucified God, when I'm tempted to shout and rail against the injustices in my life, teach me to regard them as worthy crosses to be carried in your name and to carry them with pride and gratitude.
Crucified God, help those who have to bear the cross of illness or of constant caring for another. Remind them that you are with them, supporting and upholding them, and pour your healing love into them. We pray especially for ....
Blessing:
In the coming week,
May you identify your major cross,
Hoist it onto your shoulders
And carry it gladly in the name of Jesus.
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 said, "Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me." In our worship today let us pledge ourselves to be worthy of him.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, I don't know what my cross is, so I don't know how to take it up.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, I do want to follow you, but I also like to be comfortable.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, I want to avoid or evade crucifixion at all costs.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 10:24-39 (NRSV)
"A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; [25] it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
[26] "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. [27] What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. [28] Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. [30] And even the hairs of your head are all counted. [31] So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
[32] "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; [33] but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
[34] "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
[35] For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
[36] and one's foes will be members of one's own household.
[37] Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; [38] and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. [39] Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
Story:
Taking up our cross can be as simple as facing difficulties in life with integrity and refusing to go with the flow simply because it's easier that way. Taking up your cross brings pain, but it also brings its own rewards.
In this story, Mr Skillett takes up his cross and endures suffering, but learns to be himself because of it.
Mr. Skillett's Cross
Mr Skillett was feeling very sad. He was sure he had grown another couple of centimetres, and since he was already as tall as a bus and as thin as two pieces of paper stuck together, he really didn't feel it was fair that he should have grown even more. Besides, he was aware that most people stop growing when they are teenagers, and Mr Skillett was already well past that stage.
"What shall I do?" he groaned to Mrs Round, his next-door neighbour.
"Why," replied Mrs Round, "I should think you ought to come in for a cup of tea and a nice piece of my cake."
Mrs Round was growing too, but she was growing in the opposite direction, rounder and rounder and rounder. She was already as round as she was tall, and she only came up to Mr Skillett's knees. He had had to widen her doorway last year, lest she became so round that she stuck fast.
Mr Skillet folded himself in three in order to enter Mrs Round's house. Then he sat down with a sigh in her little round chair and helped himself to three slices of cake. He felt a little better after that. So did Mrs Round, who was never happier than when people were eating her cake.
But the main problem hadn't gone away. No matter how much cake he ate and how much better he felt after eating it, Mr Skillett was still growing.
'Perhaps I'll visit Dr Black,' he mused. 'He may have some special medicine which would help me.'
Mr Skillett made his excuses and strode along to Dr Black's surgery. Dr Black was delighted to see his old friend and Mr Skillett was relieved to see that he could spot Dr Black easily against the white walls of his surgery. Dr Black was black from head to toe. His hair was black, his skin was black, his eyes were black and his teeth were black. And he wore black clothes. This made him invisible at night, but fortunately he was very visible in his surgery during the daytime.
"Hmm," murmured Dr Black, scratching his head with a black fingernail. "I'd like to help, but I don't think there's much I can do. We could perhaps arrange an operation and chop a few inches off your legs, but I wouldn't like to guarantee the outcome. Besides, it wouldn't be you if you were shorter."
"Oh dear," exclaimed Mr Skillett, "I'm not sure I fancy the idea of an operation. Perhaps I'll pop over to Timid Tilly. As a schoolteacher she must be highly intelligent. Maybe she can think of a plan."
Timid Tilly was very sympathetic to Mr Skillett's predicament, but despite thinking and thinking and thinking for nearly an hour, she was unable to solve his problem.
Mr Skillett felt very depressed. He hated being so tall. He longed to be ordinary and normal, like everyone else. Besides, his bones and his muscles and his joints often ached, because they were just too long. And he had terrible difficulty buying clothes, because nobody else was as tall as him. It was awful.
Then he thought about his friends, who were all rather odd. He heaved a sigh. "I guess I'm meant to be like this," he told himself, "so I'd better get on with it. I can't be perfect. I can't even be the size I'd like to be, so I think I'll just make the best of it and be thankful that I'm alive and can enjoy life."
Then he began to remember all the things that were good in his life. He thought of his friends, with whom he was so happy. He thought of his house and decided that he could always build another storey if he grew too much. He thought of Mrs Round's delicious cakes which were always there for him. He remembered how he had been able to help lots of people simply because he was so tall.
And suddenly Mr Skillett was glad. 'I'll be proud of my height,' he decided. 'It's been good to me and good for me. I'm never again going to moan about it. I'm going to be happy and I'm going to help my friends to be happy too. Life is good, no matter what I look like. I'm so glad to be alive.'
And he was.
Activity:
You need:
Diagrams or illustrations or examples of different crosses -- Celtic, Jerusalem, Maltese, Coptic etc.
Pipe cleaners
Friendship bracelet materials
Paper
Crayons or felt tips
Clean "waste" material -- used matches, cartons, boxes etc.
Tell the children how Jesus carried his own cross to his crucifixion and how it was too heavy for him so he needed help (Luke 23:26). Ask them what they think the phrase "take up your cross" means today? (Facing difficulties rather than evading them or avoiding them. Facing all for the sake of the truth. Accepting what happens to you rather than lying your way out of it, etc.) Try to elicit from them examples from their own lives, e.g. Getting into trouble at school/home and admitting fault rather than pretending you weren't to blame.
Explain that we all need help in carrying our crosses and discuss which people might help -- parents, friends, teachers, Jesus.
Show the children the different crosses and explain something about each, pointing out that different people always have different ideas and that that's OK.
Finally, invite the children to make or draw their own cross, using the materials you have provided.
Prayers:
Crucified God, help our church to identify the crosses we have to bear, then to accept them joyfully and to seek your help in carrying them.
Crucified God, may we seek for justice and fairness in our world, so that crosses are shared equally and not borne simply by the poorest in the world.
Crucified God, when I'm tempted to shout and rail against the injustices in my life, teach me to regard them as worthy crosses to be carried in your name and to carry them with pride and gratitude.
Crucified God, help those who have to bear the cross of illness or of constant caring for another. Remind them that you are with them, supporting and upholding them, and pour your healing love into them. We pray especially for ....
Blessing:
In the coming week,
May you identify your major cross,
Hoist it onto your shoulders
And carry it gladly in the name of Jesus.
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.
