Poor Polly Pea
Children's Liturgy and Story
Call to Worship:
Jesus prayed for us all, that we might be protected and united. In our worship today let us explored what it means to be one just as Jesus and the Father are one.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we are more ready to criticise other Christians than to be united with them.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we get hung up on small details instead of seeing the big picture.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we are too selfish to open up and welcome other people.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
John 17:1-11 (NRSV)
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, [2] since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. [3] And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. [4] I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. [5] So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
[6] "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. [7] Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; [8] for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. [9] I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. [10] All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. [11] And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
Story:
As we move towards Trinity Sunday, our Bible readings become more difficult to understand. If Jesus and the Father are one, are they the same person? If they are separate individuals, how can Jesus be God since we believe in only one God, not two Gods?
Poor Polly Pea
Polly was anxious and unhappy. She was the youngest in her family and although exactly like her parents and her brothers and sisters in almost every respect, she did differ in one way. Polly was small. She always thought her small size was due to her being the youngest, but that knowledge didn't save her from some quite cruel taunting by the rest of the family.
"Look at me!" boasted Percy, the eldest. "I'm fat and round and shiny and so very, very green! But you, Polly, why you're just a little dried up scrap!"
Polly fought back tears. She refused to be both small and wet.
Pauline joined in the fray. "Poor Polly!" she mocked. "Polly can't grow any more! Polly won't grow sleek and sweet like the rest of us!"
Poppy cried, "Polly, Polly, she's so small, she will never grow at all!"
And Patrick, who was only a whisker older than Polly, pummelled her unmercifully in the pod. Even Pa joined in, although he had a jovial glint in his eye as he murmured, "Poor Polly, painfully petite pois!"
Polly endured the teasing as best she could, trying to keep a brave face, but she felt at odds with her family. They were all so close, except her. She was the odd one out. Nobody laughed at any of the other Peas, only at her.
But the day eventually came when the pod was plucked from the plant and shelled. As all the Peas tumbled out of the only home they'd ever known, Polly tumbled with them. Then she made an amazing discovery. She found that her family didn't consist of just one pod, but of many pods. There she was in a bowl, surrounded by hundreds of other identical peas. Well, nearly identical.
To her astonishment, Polly noticed that although all the peas looked exactly the same, they were different sizes. Some were even bigger and fatter and rounder than Percy. Some were smaller than Polly herself. But all were in the bowl together. All were needed. As they rolled and bounced and jostled against each other, Polly felt happy. She was included, no-one teased her and she was no longer the odd one out.
When all the peas were cooked and piled onto plates, Polly felt as if she had come home, for she knew she had fulfilled her destiny and fulfilled it well. She and her family might have had their differences, but now they were one with each other and with their wider family. And that unity meant that somebody would have a very good lunch indeed!
Activity:
You need:
Modelling clay or plasticine
For younger children, paper and paints
Discuss families. Ask the children whether everyone in their family does the same thing at the same time. They may (or may not!) eat meals together, go on outings together, go on holiday together. But they may go to different clubs/organizations, different schools/work. They may be very different people with different ideas and different needs, but form a harmonious whole as a family. There may be discord at times within the family, but the family look out for each other outside.
Then compare the church family with their own families. Point out that not everyone thinks alike and that not everyone does everything together at the same time, but that the church is united. Then expand this idea to bring in the whole Christian church, worldwide. Explain that we are all very different but are one in Jesus. In a similar way, Jesus and God are separate, but one in each other with the Holy Spirit.
Give the older children modeling clay and invite them to produce something which illustrates this "diversity in unity." They may model a family of parents and children, or maybe a large number one with lots of people sticking to it, or they may have much better ideas of their own!
Give younger children a sheet of paper and paints or crayons. Ask them to draw a large field, with a tree in the middle of the field. Tell them that the field represents their family. Get them to draw in each of their family members somewhere around the tree. They should draw those who are closest to the center of the family close to the tree, those who feel more distant, further from the tree. So Mum may be at the center very close to the tree, but Grandma who lives miles away and only comes once a year might be further away. See where they place themselves in relation to their family and discuss the paintings individually with the children.
Prayers:
God of unity, when we are tempted to consider other Christians as inferior to ourselves, remind us that we are all one in you. Like the Godhead, help us to be united in all that we do or say, whilst remaining individuals with our own ideas and preferences.
God of unity, bring sense to our world! Take the veils from our eyes so that we may clearly see the huge advantages in working together for the good of all and the huge disadvantages in working against each other. May all our nations work together towards the equality of all human beings.
God of unity, we pray for all who are not at rest within themselves. Bring peace to those who are fractured in any way and help them to know the joy of unity with you.
God of unity, lay your hands on those who are sick and pour your healing love into them. We pray especially for...
Blessing:
May you be filled with the peace of Jesus Christ,
The love of God
And the intuition of the Holy Spirit.
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 prayed for us all, that we might be protected and united. In our worship today let us explored what it means to be one just as Jesus and the Father are one.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we are more ready to criticise other Christians than to be united with them.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we get hung up on small details instead of seeing the big picture.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we are too selfish to open up and welcome other people.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
John 17:1-11 (NRSV)
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, [2] since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. [3] And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. [4] I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. [5] So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
[6] "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. [7] Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; [8] for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. [9] I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. [10] All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. [11] And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
Story:
As we move towards Trinity Sunday, our Bible readings become more difficult to understand. If Jesus and the Father are one, are they the same person? If they are separate individuals, how can Jesus be God since we believe in only one God, not two Gods?
Poor Polly Pea
Polly was anxious and unhappy. She was the youngest in her family and although exactly like her parents and her brothers and sisters in almost every respect, she did differ in one way. Polly was small. She always thought her small size was due to her being the youngest, but that knowledge didn't save her from some quite cruel taunting by the rest of the family.
"Look at me!" boasted Percy, the eldest. "I'm fat and round and shiny and so very, very green! But you, Polly, why you're just a little dried up scrap!"
Polly fought back tears. She refused to be both small and wet.
Pauline joined in the fray. "Poor Polly!" she mocked. "Polly can't grow any more! Polly won't grow sleek and sweet like the rest of us!"
Poppy cried, "Polly, Polly, she's so small, she will never grow at all!"
And Patrick, who was only a whisker older than Polly, pummelled her unmercifully in the pod. Even Pa joined in, although he had a jovial glint in his eye as he murmured, "Poor Polly, painfully petite pois!"
Polly endured the teasing as best she could, trying to keep a brave face, but she felt at odds with her family. They were all so close, except her. She was the odd one out. Nobody laughed at any of the other Peas, only at her.
But the day eventually came when the pod was plucked from the plant and shelled. As all the Peas tumbled out of the only home they'd ever known, Polly tumbled with them. Then she made an amazing discovery. She found that her family didn't consist of just one pod, but of many pods. There she was in a bowl, surrounded by hundreds of other identical peas. Well, nearly identical.
To her astonishment, Polly noticed that although all the peas looked exactly the same, they were different sizes. Some were even bigger and fatter and rounder than Percy. Some were smaller than Polly herself. But all were in the bowl together. All were needed. As they rolled and bounced and jostled against each other, Polly felt happy. She was included, no-one teased her and she was no longer the odd one out.
When all the peas were cooked and piled onto plates, Polly felt as if she had come home, for she knew she had fulfilled her destiny and fulfilled it well. She and her family might have had their differences, but now they were one with each other and with their wider family. And that unity meant that somebody would have a very good lunch indeed!
Activity:
You need:
Modelling clay or plasticine
For younger children, paper and paints
Discuss families. Ask the children whether everyone in their family does the same thing at the same time. They may (or may not!) eat meals together, go on outings together, go on holiday together. But they may go to different clubs/organizations, different schools/work. They may be very different people with different ideas and different needs, but form a harmonious whole as a family. There may be discord at times within the family, but the family look out for each other outside.
Then compare the church family with their own families. Point out that not everyone thinks alike and that not everyone does everything together at the same time, but that the church is united. Then expand this idea to bring in the whole Christian church, worldwide. Explain that we are all very different but are one in Jesus. In a similar way, Jesus and God are separate, but one in each other with the Holy Spirit.
Give the older children modeling clay and invite them to produce something which illustrates this "diversity in unity." They may model a family of parents and children, or maybe a large number one with lots of people sticking to it, or they may have much better ideas of their own!
Give younger children a sheet of paper and paints or crayons. Ask them to draw a large field, with a tree in the middle of the field. Tell them that the field represents their family. Get them to draw in each of their family members somewhere around the tree. They should draw those who are closest to the center of the family close to the tree, those who feel more distant, further from the tree. So Mum may be at the center very close to the tree, but Grandma who lives miles away and only comes once a year might be further away. See where they place themselves in relation to their family and discuss the paintings individually with the children.
Prayers:
God of unity, when we are tempted to consider other Christians as inferior to ourselves, remind us that we are all one in you. Like the Godhead, help us to be united in all that we do or say, whilst remaining individuals with our own ideas and preferences.
God of unity, bring sense to our world! Take the veils from our eyes so that we may clearly see the huge advantages in working together for the good of all and the huge disadvantages in working against each other. May all our nations work together towards the equality of all human beings.
God of unity, we pray for all who are not at rest within themselves. Bring peace to those who are fractured in any way and help them to know the joy of unity with you.
God of unity, lay your hands on those who are sick and pour your healing love into them. We pray especially for...
Blessing:
May you be filled with the peace of Jesus Christ,
The love of God
And the intuition of the Holy Spirit.
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.
