Ideas to suit different interests, ages and learning preferences.
The Children’s sheet offers activities to do in worship & at home.
Investigate growth
Beforehand, soak some sprouting seeds (larger ones such as chickpeas, peas or use a packet of runner bean seeds) for a couple of days to soften them. Give everyone a softened seed and invite them to take it apart very carefully. Note the different parts of the seed and how it is ready to grow given the right conditions: you should see its big food supply, the little shoot and its root waiting to grow. Look up ‘parts of a seed’ on the internet if you want to be more scientific.
What is your potential?
Show the John Lewis advert ‘Growing Up’. Briefly consider what people like and dislike about it. Invite people to think about what they would like the next stage in their own lives to be (for children you might want to phrase this carefully). Invite people to discuss this a bit with their neighbours. Then invite people to say together the words of John 12.26.
Plant vegetables
Agricultural metaphors don't work very well if you have no experience of growing things, so invite some gardeners to lead an experiment. You can grow vegetables very easily in buckets and storage boxes (even in old boots!). Plant a variety of roots and seeds today, put someone in charge of watering and watch the results.
A simple worship activity suitable for all ages
You will need: some yellow and green sticky notes and pens/pencils.
Give everyone a sticky note and ask them to spend some time thinking about a tiny hope, dream or talent that they would like to be nurtured. Invite them to write or draw something to represent this on the sticky note, making sure that the sticky part is at the base. Plant these in the Lenten garden: bend the sticky bit forward and stick it to the flat surface, pulling forward the rest of the note so that it stands upright.
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?