Open the Word

Adult & All Age

To help the listener

The reader could use these words to provide context to today's reading(s): Ezekiel 33.7-11, Romans 13.8-14, Matthew 18.15-20.

The focus of the Gospel reading is on how we treat one another in our communities, calling out sin, helping one another to live as Jesus wants us to.

It is the central theme of all three of today’s readings, because we can only live well if we help each other.

This reading emphasises the importance of educating communities about healthy behaviour and the need to challenge destructive behaviour, warning that if we ignore such things, we will be held responsible for the results. And this is not what God wants.

Display images of the effects and consequences of war, climate change, the rise in plastic waste, homelessness, knife crime, substance abuse and addictions, or similar, while the passage is being read out. Make the final image the question: ‘How can we change our ways?’ Alternatively, after reading the text, display the images accompanied by a music track such as ‘Turn Back, O Man’ by Gustav Holst – or the Godspell version – or a music group/choir singing ‘Dear Lord and Father of mankind’.

Gathered groups: listen to the music, as singing not yet allowed.

Present the Gospel: Two ways to treat a sinner

Matthew 18.15-20

A mime for 5 or more people

This reading is less about church discipline and more about a good pastoral approach and healthy community relationships (see Bible notes), within the overarching message of Jesus’ radical inclusion emphasised by most of Matthew’s Gospel.

Use the mime below to accompany the reading of the passage. It presents the reading twice, to emphasise this understanding. You will need: a sinner, a leader, some friends, and one other person who has a brief speaking part.

Gathered groups: keep 2M apart.

Mime script

The ‘sinner’ sits on the floor looking sad and lonely. The leader comes and stands over him/her, points an accusing finger, then displays a large card, made to look like a tablet of stone with ‘10 commandments’ written on it.

The sinner looks up, pleadingly, miming asking for forgiveness. But the leader is having none of it and refuses to listen to the sinner.

The leader beckons some friends over, points at the sinner and at the card, and ‘talks’ to his friends. They all stand over the sinner, nodding their heads.

The leader turns to the congregation, then points at the sinner and at the card. The leader and friends forcefully turn their backs to the sinner.

By now the reader should be at verse 18. The reading is suddenly interrupted by someone who waves their arms and shouts: ‘No! Stop! You’ve got it all wrong!’ The action and the reading stop.

After a few moments of silence, start the reading and the mime over again. Except, this time, the leader comes and sits beside the sinner and they start ‘talking’. The leader nods to show they are listening carefully.

The leader’s friends walk by, and the leader beckons them. They come and all sit down in a semicircle. They too listen to the sinner. Someone gives the sinner a leaflet. They are clearly friendly towards the sinner.

As verse 18 is read, the leader and friends shake hands with, or give ‘high fives’ to, the sinner, and all stand and slowly walk away waving goodbye.

Children

Present the reading & Talk together

Open the Bible at Matthew 18.15-20

Jesus teaches us how to deal with someone who upsets us.

Choose from these two ways of telling the story, followed by ideas for discussion time:

Sounds/actions

Whenever the phrase ‘don’t listen’ or ‘won’t listen’ occurs in the story, ask all the children to cover their ears and make a ‘la la la la la’ noise. Read the story a second time and invite them to invent sounds and actions for the rest of the story.

Gathered groups: needs no adaptation.

Mime

Ask two children to volunteer to mime. Invite them to stand at opposite sides of the space and act as if they have fallen out. As the story is read, ask child A to approach child B on their own. When the disciples ask, ‘What if they don’t listen?’ child A can move back to where they started. Next, choose two other children to go with child A at the appropriate point in the story towards child B and then return; then when the ‘whole church’ is mentioned, the whole group moves with child A towards child B on the opposite side of the room. Finish reading the story and ask everyone to stand together in the middle, shaking hands and smiling at one another.

Gathered groups: could be done if there's space for everyone to keep 2M apart, and wave to each other at the end, but better to use the Sounds/actions idea above.

Talk together ( Connect faith with everyday life)

Why do you think Jesus tells us that the whole church should be involved if two people can’t sort a problem out?
Have you ever fallen out with a friend? What did you do about it?
What things can we do to help everyone get along with one another?

No adaptation needed for gathered groups.

For very young children

Play and explore building community.

Play materials: toys and construction sets that link together.

Gathered groups/in the pew: parents could be encouraged to bring toys with them.

Gathering prayers

Young children love repetition. Using the same prayer to start your session each time you meet will create a sense of familiarity and expectation.

Suggestion 1: God loves me

From the top of my head
(Touch head)

to the tips of my toes;
(Touch toes)

from the lobes of my ears
(Touch ear lobes)

to the end of my nose;
(Touch nose)

from my back, to my front
(Turn round)

to my wiggly fingers,
(stretch out arms and wiggle fingers)

God loves me!
(jump up and down)

Suggestion 2: God loves...

Leader: God loves
Child 1: (say name)

Leader: and God loves
Child 2: (say name)

Go round the circle until all the children have been named (the leader or accompanying adult can say the name of pre-verbal or shy children)

All: Thanks be to God!

Storytelling

Gather the children in a circle and ask them to copy your actions as you tell the story:

Jesus was talking to his friends.

He said, ‘If anyone does anything that makes you feel sad (make sad face)

ask them to stop. (hold up hand)

If they don’t listen (cup ear with hand)

then ask some other people to come and talk to them (beckon to someone else)

and make things right again.’ (shake hands)
Jesus said that this helps make the church work:

‘If two or three people come together to share my love (hold hands around circle)

then I will be there.’ (place candle in centre)

No adaptation needed for gathered groups.

Play

Provide some play figures and buildings, including a toy or model church. Talk about how we can share God’s love at church, and Jesus will be there, but also that we can meet in many other places and still share God’s love.

Gathered groups/in the pew: parents could be encouraged to bring toy figures with them.

Create

Invite each child to decorate a strip of paper using art materials. Then make them into a paper chain to represent those gathered in Jesus’ name in your group today.

Gathered groups: prepare kit for individuals/household groups 72 hrs in advance; you could join the paper chain together 72 hrs later, ready for them to see the following week.

Praise

Give each child a battery-operated tealight to hold or place in front of them. Play or sing ‘Be still, for the presence of the Lord’ and encourage the children to watch their flame.

Gathered groups: prepare kit for individuals/household groups 72 hrs in advance.

Pray

Dear God,
thank you for being with us at (insert name of group) today.
Please help us to share your love,
and to build up our love for each other.
Amen.

Sing

God loves you, and I love you
This little light of mine

Colouring sheets

English version; Welsh version

A sending out prayer

Young children love repetition. Using the same prayer to end your session each time you meet will create a sense of familiarity and expectation.

God bless you,
(Point to others)

and God bless me.
(Point to self)

Amen. (Wave arms)

Leader: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Children and parents: In the name of Christ, Amen.

Additional activities

These activities are from this week's Explore & respond and can be adapted
for under 5s:

Beauty from brokenness 10 mins E S

Make a symbol of restored relationships

You will need: a pack of different coloured paper, glue.

Give each child a different coloured piece of paper. Ask them to think of times they have been wronged or upset by other people, and to tear a piece off their paper for each one.
As they do this, begin to gather everyone’s torn pieces of paper together.
When everyone has reflected on how others have upset or hurt them and ripped up their paper, ask the children to work together, using all the pieces of paper to create a mosaic of something beautiful, e.g. a flower, a heart or a butterfly.
After they have finished, talk with the children about how beautiful things can come from dealing with things that have upset us. Ask: have you ever experienced something like that?

Gathered groups: prepare kit for individuals/household groups 72 hrs in advance.

Together again 5 mins E S A

Pray for relationships that need mending

You will need: zips (available from craft or sewing shops).

Give each child half of a zip and ask them to find its ‘partner’ to put it together again. First, demonstrate how this works.
Wait until everyone has found the matching zip and then, as they zip it up, say a simple prayer, e.g. When we hurt or upset one another, help us, God, to come together again. Amen.

Gathered groups: the leader could demonstrate this.

Spiritual styles abbreviations (as defined by David Csinos)
W Word E Emotion S Symbol A Action
Read our Spiritual Styles articles

Open the Word

Adult & All Age

To help the listener

Present the Old Testament

Present the Gospel: Two ways to treat a sinner

Children

Present the reading & Talk together

Sounds/actions

Mime

For very young children

For very young children

Gathering prayers

Suggestion 1: God loves me

Suggestion 2: God loves...

Storytelling

Play

Create

Praise

Pray

Sing

Colouring sheets

A sending out prayer

Additional activities

Beauty from brokenness 10 mins E S

Together again 5 mins E S A