In our worship today let us open our hearts to Jesus, asking him to help us to be clean and pure within.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, we are not always fully aware of our inner selves.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, sometimes we appear better on the outside than we are inside.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, help us to become the same inside as outside.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, [2] they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. [3] (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; [4] and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) [5] So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" [6] He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; [7] in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.' [8] You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition." Then he called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand: [15] there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, [22] adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. [23] All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
Story:
Jesus abhorred hypocrites and knew that some of the Pharisees hid behind the rules. They thought that keeping the rules was more important than being right inside, but Jesus told them that it was much more important to be right inside than to keep the rules.
This is a story about Praxis, the pixie whose skin changes colour according to his moods.
Praxis Decides To Be Himself
Praxis was sitting by himself hunched up in a corner. He was a moody blue colour and his mother sighed.
"What's the matter, Praxis?" she asked.
Praxis pouted and turned his back on her. "Nothing."
"All right, if that's how you feel, I'll leave you alone."
Praxis turned furiously towards her. "That's the trouble," he shouted. "Everyone knows exactly how I feel. I can't keep anything private. It's not fair!" And he turned an angry red.
His mother sat down beside him. "I knew a pixie like you once," she began. "It was while I was very young. There was just one pixie in school who had colours, just like you, Praxis."
Praxis found himself listening. He knew he was rare because most pixies don't have colours, but he hadn't realised his mother had actually known someone like him. He only knew of the Wise Old Pixie, who had told him that he had had colours when he was young, but he was now a sparkling, glistening white.
"I didn't like this pixie much," continued his mother. "He was often angry, so as soon as I noticed his bright red colour, I'd keep away. So did all the other pixie children."
"They do that to me!" said Praxis, amazed.
His mother nodded. "To tell you the truth, I was always frightened when I saw that bright red colour. That's why I kept my distance. And when he wasn't red, that little pixie very often seemed to be blue."
"Like me!"
His mother nodded again. "Very much like you, Praxis. But the trouble was, when he was blue I knew he was miserable and I didn't want to be made miserable along with him. So I kept well away from him then, too."
"What happened?" asked Praxis.
"Well," said his mother slowly, "that little pixie became a very naughty little pixie. When he was up to pranks he was so happy he'd be a bright healthy pink colour and that was lovely. We all loved him then. But because that was the only time people went near him, he got naughtier and naughtier. He was the naughtiest pixie I've ever met."
"Even - even naughtier than me?" asked Praxis, hesitantly.
His mother's eyes twinkled. "Yes Praxis," she answered. "I do believe he was even naughtier than you. But in the end he got so naughty that all we pixies were afraid we'd get into awful trouble alongside him, and we started to leave him alone again. He became a very sad figure."
Praxis shivered, and turned a little green. "I don't want that to happen to me! Whatever shall I do?"
"I did hear," replied his mother, "that eventually that other little pixie decided just to be himself and not to care what anyone else thought of him."
Praxis frowned. "That must have been hard, with everyone knowing exactly what he was thinking and feeling. Wasn't he lonelier than ever?"
"It was hard," agreed his mother, "and I think he must have been lonely for a while. But he discovered that there were lots of interesting things to do which weren't necessarily mischievous, so he started to do them. And since he didn't bother whether or not other pixies wanted to do them with him, he became quite immersed. He learned so much about the woodland and all the creatures who live here that he soon became an expert. Of course, he couldn't help being naughty from time to time, but he became much more lovable when he was really himself instead of trying to be liked by the rest of us."
"Where is he now?" asked Praxis.
"As a matter of fact, he's a friend of yours. He's the Wise Old Pixie."
Praxis eyes popped and his mouth fell open. "But - but - he's shining, radiant white! Everybody loves him! And sick people are healed just by being in his presence! He could never have been the naughty pixie you've told me about!"
His mother smiled. "When pixies with colours become exactly the same outside as they are inside, then they don't feel angry or miserable any more. And their colours merge to become that glorious, pure white. Be like the Wise Old Pixie and learn to be yourself, Praxis, and I think you'll discover that you feel a lot better being the same inside as outside. Why don't you try it?
Praxis rather thought he would, and he was so happy with that thought that he immediately changed to a beautiful, healthy, shocking pink.
Activity:
You need:
Two or three packets of paper plates
A number of
long sticks (one for each plate)
Sticky tape
Felt tip pens
Give each child two or three plates. Ask them to draw faces on the bottom of the plates (ie the convex side). They should draw a different face on each plate, showing a different emotion or mood. They may need some help or suggestions at this stage, eg. happy faces, sad faces, scary faces etc. Attach the sticks to the other side of the plates to make masks which the children can hold in front of their faces. Then choose the children one by one to hold a mask in front of their face and act out the emotion or mood shown on the plates. The other children should guess what emotion or mood is being shown. You could do this in teams and award marks for correct answers.
Ask the children whether they have ever acted and if so, what it felt like. Most will have acted in a school play of some sort, but if they haven't, they should all have had a go at the mask game above. Most children enjoy taking part in drama, so ask the children whether they enjoyed it, then discuss why it was fun and felt good. They might have found drama quite liberating, allowing them to act out situations and emotions which are normally too scary for them to acknowledge. Talk about how Jesus came to free us, and link this in with daring to be yourself. Point out that it's what we're like inside that counts, rather than the way we act towards other people. The children should write or draw in their diaries about a play in which they've enjoyed acting, or draw a picture of their favourite mask.
Intercession:
God who never changes, help us in your Church to be always the same to all people. May we avoid treating some people as better than others or as more important than others, but remember that everyone is equally important to you. Give everyone in your Church the courage to be real, just as Jesus was real to everyone he met.
God who never changes, we pray for people who work in politics or local government. When they are tempted to pretend, help them to become real. And help them always to do what is best not necessarily for themselves, but for other people.
God who never changes, it is so tempting to follow the crowd, because it's easier to do what everyone else is doing. Give us the strength to be ourselves and not to pretend in order to be just like all our friends. Help us to become the same outside as inside ourselves.
God who never changes, we pray today for those of our friends and families who are too ill for pretence. May they know that you are with them, protecting them, loving them and healing them.
Blessing:
May the unchanging God give you
the strength and courage
to become yourself,
whoever that might be.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
