Explore & respond

Adult & All Age

Drama: Getting the law off paper

A spoof conversation between a BBC interviewer (Humphrey Johns) and the prime minister about alternative ways of promoting order (after Jeremiah 31.31-34)

Prime Minister McBroom (or insert topical name as appropriate!) in interview with Humphrey Johns (ditto!). Rabbi Jeremiah Hilkiahson waits to broadcast Thought for the day.

You will need facilities to play a few bars of 'Land of hope and glory'.

Johns (drily and sarcastically, the only way he knows how to talk)
The time is a quarter to eight on Monday morning and I now have the dubious pleasure of talking to Prime Minister McBroom about his fascinating new plans in the area of law. Mr McBroom, perhaps you could take us through your proposals before I tear your ideas to shreds and force you to admit to your own uselessness.
McBroom
Righto, well, the thing is, obviously we've been going through something of a grim time financially lately…
Johns
You mean the crippling crisis gripping the nation which is entirely the fault of you and the incompetence of your whole administration?
McBroom
Nooo, not the nation, this crisis is gripping the entire world. And I have the answer. We've noticed in government that we could actually make quite a huge saving if we weren't using quite so much paper to print legal whatnot on every day. The law's extremely wordy and we have to get copies to everyone in the Commons, plus a few extra copies of the really confidential documents in case somebody leaves theirs on a train –
Johns
If I could pointlessly interrupt you here?
McBroom
Of course.
Johns
Thanks.
McBroom
The point is we're getting through reams of the stuff. My secretary, who does all the photocopying, bless her, is in and out of WH Smith's faster than a National Lottery addict, and we've run up quite a phenomenal paper bill which some suspect is the actual cause of the credit crisis.
Johns
And your solution?
McBroom
We're going to change completely the way the law works; to take it off paper altogether!
Johns
I see, putting it all online you mean?
McBroom
Ah, no, not that, we've realised we're running up an absolutely ginormous electricity bill so we've decided to leave our computers turned off. We don't really know how to work them, anyway.
Johns (dripping with scepticism)
So, tell me Prime Minister, if you wouldn't mind enlightening us, if that's not too much trouble, what is your idea?
McBroom
I'm coming to that. I got the idea from God.
Johns (even more sarcasm)
Oh, so you think you're God now?
McBroom
Goodness me, no! (chuckles) Far from it. It's just that I thought 'Why don't I copy some ideas from somebody who knows what they're doing'! So I looked in the Bible.
Johns
You're thinking of turning the law into some sort of Holy Book?
McBroom
No, our own law is already a veritable Old Testament of a tome already, so there was no point in doing that again. So I briefly considered reducing our law down to ten, simple-to-remember points, and carving them onto stone tablets.
Johns
Stone tablets?
McBroom
Absolutely, we could have displayed them on that spare plinth in Trafalgar Square where they put modern art. Nobody would have minded! It's been done before, ye ken.
Johns
So why didn't you go with the stone tablets, Mr McBroom?
McBroom
The problem, Humphrey, with reducing British law down to ten bullet points is that we'd need to make some rather sweeping statements. Getting the 'Unfair Terms' in Consumer Contracts Regulations into one pithy line is hardly feasible, you'd have to over-generalise and pretty soon everyone would be suing the socks off Sainsbury's.
Johns
People would interpret the points too strictly and literally?
McBroom
My point exactly. The prisons would be full in no time. (pause) In fact, they're already full. What we need is a way to empty the prisons, for people to take responsibility for the law themselves!
Johns
And how are you going to do that?
McBroom
It's very simple. The good book says 'put the law in people's minds and write it on their hearts'.

Even Humphrey Johns has to take a moment to assimilate this.

Johns
You what?
McBroom
'Put the law in people's minds and write it on their hearts.'
McBroom (chuckles again, looking exceedingly pleased with himself)
There, I've stumped you! I bet even you can't find anything to complain about in one of God's ideas! Ha ha ha!
Johns (takes a deep breath)
Nevertheless, I'll do my best. Skipping over the issue of how exactly you're going to write the law on people's hearts…
McBroom
Felt-tip pen.
Johns
…yes, skipping over that bit: are you mad? If we're reliant on people's hearts won't they do whatever they like?
McBroom
Ah, maybe, some of them, maybe. But I have a great deal of faith in the human heart, Humphrey.

'Land of hope and glory' begins to play softly in the background.

McBroom
The human heart is not a piece of paper or an edict. It's not a policeman trying to control an unwilling mob. The human heart is not a boy skipping school, or a thief trying to escape punishment. Its feelings can't be carved in simple words on tablets of stone and its power isn't dependent on governments or personalities, because you listen to your heart! Listen to your heart when he's calling for you, listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do! I don't know where you're going and I don't know why, but listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye!

The music stops.

Johns
I'm going to interrupt you again now that I've managed to turn off that music, and be even more sarcastic for a moment.
McBroom
Oh, fine.
Johns
Isn't the real danger here that, having written the law on people's hearts, people will make things as strict as they would have been with your stone tablets?
McBroom
I don't follow you.
Johns
People will start to pass judgements on everything, they'll make decisions about what the law really means and find ways of making everything a whole lot harder for the people around them! Instead of using common sense and justice to interpret the law written on their hearts they will take what they know and make it ten times harsher!
McBroom (clears his throat)
Well – er – the government, obviously, can take no responsibility for… er…
Johns
Come on Mr McBroom, not losing faith in your grand idea are you?
McBroom
Of course not, ah… everything has been fully, er, considered and the point of the fact of the point remains that, ah…
Johns
Admit it, you're losing control of your party and playing into the hands of the opposition!
McBroom
I… er… the thing is… (suddenly snaps out of it, crossly) No, hang on a minute! I'm not taking this from you any more! My idea will give people amazing freedom; why on earth would anyone with the law written on their heart make it stricter than it's intended to be? They'd be missing the point completely and I refuse to believe anyone could be quite so stupid!
Johns (interrupting during the above from McBroom)
Well, that's all we have time for Prime Minister. I have to say I can't see this idea even gaining any support. It's now time for Thought for the Day , with the Rabbi Jeremiah Hilkiahson, chaplain to the Land of Benjamin.
Jeremiah
Well good morning Humphrey, good morning Prime Minister and good morning everyone. As my old mother used to say 'It's no use telling kids. Write it down and they will lose the paper. Lads will never learn until the law is written on their hearts…' I wonder if Mr McBroom had a Jewish mother, and, whether she made chicken soup like mine did?

Respond to the Word: Heart of the Covenant

Activities for adult and all-age groups

Reflect: Study the inter-twinning and un-brokenness of the pattern on a Celtic cross or ring. The Celts had a wonderful gift of expressing symbols of eternity in design. We can grow and develop in any aspect of living knowing that love will never part from us. How do we grow into it? Share ideas. You will need: a Celtic cross or a piece of eternal Celtic interweaving, e.g. on a ring. The Celtic Resource Book by Martin Wallace would be helpful (see Resources ).

Trace: A simple flow chart might be made along the lines of a Celtic pattern on which people can mark points of our awareness of God’s love: parents, a gift from friends, a helping hand which was offered, an encouraging letter, all point us to the Creator’s love manifested through each other. This might make a good follow-on activity to Reflect (above).

Role play: The drama of Chapter 29 lends itself to role play. Create a conversation which communicates the information in Jeremiah 29.

Make: Make heart-shaped boxes (template ). Put heart-shaped biscuits or sweets inside them together with words from Jeremiah 31.33-34 and give them to people who may welcome these words and a small gift.

Discuss: Do these readings have any meaning or us today, or can they have relevance for other people? Might they inspire us to help others? Discuss these points and feed back to the whole group.

Pray: This is one of the most powerful parts of the whole Bible. Read it quietly and alone and offer a prayer of thanks, gratitude, promise, whatever you feel like.

Pray: Continue to offer an area where people can be quiet, with chairs and cushions to make it comfortable and maybe candles as well. Provide Bibles, hymn books and prayer books as resources for reflection and invite people to reflect on God’s faithfulness to us and our own response. This week provide Celtic patterns to reflect on.

Template: Make heart-shaped boxes

Children & Young People

Respond to the Word

Activities for children and young people

For children

The winding path

This activity should illustrate to the children the difference between life under the old covenant and life under the new covenant.

You will need: a three-metre piece of string; a blindfold.

Lay out the string along the floor (it does not matter if there are joins in the string). The children are going to follow along it but you want to make it as difficult as possible so include twists and turns appropriate to the ability of the group.

Blindfold the children one by one, and ask them to follow the string along only by walking on top of it. They are not allowed to reach down and feel for it.

As soon as they go off track, send them back to the beginning.

Let everyone have a turn. Second time around, let them follow the string without having to wear a blindfold.

Once everyone has finished make a point of the fact that nobody was able to stick to the string without going off course. Liken the experience on their first attempt to living under the old covenant, where the people tried, but kept failing, and then liken the second attempt to living under the new. Now God has revealed his way to us it is easier to follow.

Rainbow quilted heart

You will need: A4 sheets of card (one for each child), rainbow heart template , scraps of ribbon, card and fabrics, glue sticks, coloured pens.

Copy the template onto the A4 card.

Invite the children to use coloured ribbons, card and the fabrics to decorate the heart and the rest of the card.

Make each strip on the heart a different colour of the rainbow.

Younger children could be helped to write ‘God loves me’ in the border spaces.

Older children could use the border spaces to write a memory verse: ‘I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts’.

One to one

We do not always get the time to spend quality time with individual children; this week, as we consider unconditional love, make the time to do so.

While the children are engaged in another activity, find time to sit with each of them individually.

Spend a minute or so chatting to them, making a point of really listening to them and concentrating on what they say.

After you have finished, thank them and tell them that they are very special. Give them a sticker to wear that says ‘I’m special’.

Enjoy the conversations you have; you are trying to replicate something of the unconditional love of God for us. Try to focus on the child and not on everything else that is happening.

For young people

Hearty quotes quiz

This quiz is full of quotes of famous people’s idea of love.

You will need: sets of 12 strips of paper with the quotes and 12 strips of paper with the speakers on them.

Divide the young people into teams, and give each team a set of 24 strips with quotes and speakers.

Ask them to try to match each quote with the person who said it.

Invite them to select their favourite quote.

‘Being popular and loved by people in universal ways is absolutely no substitute for truly being loved.’ Madonna
‘The greatest evil is the lack of love and charity.’ Mother Teresa
‘Grant that I may not so much seek to be loved as to love.’ Saint Francis of Assisi
‘He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.’ Buddha
‘All you need is love, love, love is all you need.’ Beatles
‘Where there is love there is life.’ Gandhi
‘Love grants in a moment what toil can hardly achieve in an age.’ Johan Wolfgang von Goethe
‘The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved.’ Victor Hugo
‘Greater love has no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ Jesus
‘One man come in the name of love, one man come and go.’ U2
‘Your love means everything.’ Coldplay ‘Love bears all things.’ St Paul

From the bottom of my heart

A fun activity.

Invite the group to stand or sit in a circle.

One person turns to the person next to them and says phrase one:

‘If you love me from the bottom of your heart will you please, please smile?’

They reply with phrase two:

‘You know I love you from the bottom of my heart, but I just can’t smile.’

The second person then turns to the next person in the circle and repeats phrase one, etc.

Any person who smiles or laughs is out.

Explore & respond

Adult & All Age

Drama: Getting the law off paper

Respond to the Word: Heart of the Covenant

Template: Make heart-shaped boxes

Children & Young People

Respond to the Word

For children

The winding path

Rainbow quilted heart

One to one

For young people

Hearty quotes quiz

From the bottom of my heart

Template: Rainbow quilted heart