This is a copy of the service used at Hope this morning for their uniformed organisations.
Welcome – GIVE OUT PLAY DOUGH on Entry
Hymn StF 476: One More step
Today we are thinking about promises, friendship and love.
I’d like everyone to make a shape with your play dough that presents something you LOVE DOING. 2 minutes –
Show people around you what you have made.
Ask – what are the things you have made?
Now I would like everyone to think of someone they love and who loves them. Can you make something with your play dough that reminds you of this person? 2 Minutes
PRAY -for those who love us and whom we love that we have represented with play dough.
Now I would like you to think of someone who needs some love right now.
It may be someone you know or a situation you have seen or heard of via someone else of off the TV or radio locally.
I’d now like you to make a heart with your play dough and as we do we will watch a video clip that displays something of Love.
MAKE A HEART with your play dough.
WHERE IS THE LOVE BLACK EYED PEAS VIDEO
PRAYER: As we PRAY – hold your heart shape in your hands and think of those people or situations.
PRAYER + The LORD’S PRAYER
Offering
Uniformed organisations Promises
Hymn StF 563: O Jesus I have promised
So far this morning we have looked at loving people or things.
We sometimes use the phrase, “Oh! I love playing football or I love dancing or I love coming here to Rainbows, Brownies, Beavers, Cubs, Guides or Scouts”.
So why do you love coming here to these groups?
ASK: Would anyone like to come here and tell us why you love coming here?
Space to Share.
Thanks for sharing with us this morning, why you love coming along here.
A little while ago, those of you in the uniformed organisations have just made promises so we are going to think about, What does it mean to keep a promise?
If someone breaks a promise with us how do we feel?
If we break a promise with another person what do you think they feel like?
If we have been continually let down by someone who hasn’t kept a promise then perhaps we might lose trust in that person.
This means that the friendship we had with them begins to suffer and we might choose not to be friends with them anymore.
On the other hand, when someone keeps their promise, then trust grows and the friendship is strengthened and grows.
Think of someone who is your friend and what you love doing with them.
With the play dough you have two minutes to make something that says something about what you enjoy doing with your friend.
I would like you to spend a few moments thinking about what you have made and why you enjoy spending time with your friend.
QUIET
When we spend time with someone, we get to know them better.
We begin to trust them and we might even come to rely upon them or even help them when they are in need in some way.
I wonder what would you do for your friend because you want to help them be the best person they can be?
Our friends are special to us and we have a love for them that helps them to grow and become who they need to be.
In a few moments we are going to have a Bible reading and if you have ever been to a wedding at a church, you may have heard it before.
BIBLE READING: 1 Cor 13:1-13
Let’s have a look at the passage particularly verses 4-8 where it concentrates on the words St Paul uses to describe Love
1 Cor 13:4-8 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails.
Do you think that this passage describes the friendship we have with our friends?
Do you think we would like our friends to be patient with us, to be kind to us, to want what is best for us, to forgive us and to forget the times we may have upset them and stand up for us?
Do we want our friends to receive these things from us? Being patient and kind to them and want what is best for them and stand up for them.
When we have good friends it means a lot, it means we have trust, it means we promise to be friends with them and they with us.
I’d like you to think for a moment about your friends, bring them to mind and think about what is great about them.
SILENCE
Prayer: Lord God we thank you for our friends…………………..
We thank you Jesus that you are our friend that you look out for us, you care for us and you love us and you want us to be the best person that we can be, We thank you that you are patient, you are kind. You are not easily angered, you keep no record of our wrongs. Jesus, you do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. You always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere. Jesus you never fail and we thank you for that. AMEN
Perhaps as we sing our next song you might like to continue thinking about your friends and about Jesus who is wanting to be our friend.
Song: Whoopah Wahey! Doug Horley
Blessing: Lord, we thank you for the blessings of friends and we pray your blessing upon them, upon us and all those who don’t know you as their friend yet. Amen
