Discovering our own faults rather than pointing to others
AGE: Juniors |
THEME: Faults |
AIM: |
| To develop an understanding that we need to recognise our own faults rather than pointing to others. |
PREPARATION: |
You will need:
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PRESENTATION: |
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The Leader introduces the session. A school held a fund-raising event where parents, past pupils and friends auctioned either articles or their services. Two people offered their services as window cleaners and the bidding was keen. Eventually a person bidding by phone won their window cleaning offer - he owned the local mansion. It had many, many, many windows! This morning I need two volunteers, one girl and one boy, to help me clean only one window. (Welcome them on stage after 'choosing' the pair. If suitable, ask the assembled children who they think will be best at the cleaning. There may be some gender stereotyping, but this can be used during the plenary!). What will they need to help them? Yes, some cloths and a spray - no, no water this morning thank you! I need one of you to clean the inside and the other to clean the outside of the window. You are entirely responsible for cleaning all the spots on your own side, but you will also judge how clean the other person's side is. (Give the children a minute or two to act out the cleaning, spraying, rubbing etc., and encourage them in the work - with some audience participation if appropriate. After some skilful miming, sound the drum roll or a similar sound effect.) The judgement time has arrived. But what's this? Jayne has noticed a spot on John's side! 'Clean that dirty spot on your side, John.' 'My side is squeaky clean, cheeky, it must be your spot Jayne - clean it yourself - it isn't mine!' 'Oh yes it is!' 'Oh no it's not!' 'Oh yes it is!' 'O no it's not!' 'Oh yes it is! Girls are far better at cleaning than boys!' 'Oh no it's not and I'll tell teacher about you as we're not supposed to say things like that!' Where have we seen and heard situations like that before? We are all experts at finding fault with others. It's far easier and more comfortable to find fault in others and completely miss something worse in our own lives. Can you think of a few proverbs or sayings that remind us of this? (Hopefully you'll get 'pointing a finger at someone else' or 'people in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones'.) I know it's rude to point, but I want you all now to point using your right hand at the person in front of you. Those of you in the front row can point at me! Look at the hand that's pointing. I want you all to lift the thumb of that hand so that it's pointing upwards. Keep it like that. Who can describe what they see when you look at your right hand? Your thumb is pointing upwards and you have one finger pointing at the person in front. What else do you notice? What are the other three fingers doing? Yes, they're pointing backwards towards you! Only one finger accusing, or finding fault with someone else, but three fingers accusing you. Jesus put it in a nice simple way when he asked: 'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank (of wood) in your own eye?' Now let's listen to our reading. It's from the Sermon on the Mount. |
READING: |
| Matthew 7:1-5 |
PRAYER: |
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Dear Lord, Help me not to find faults in others. Remind me, the next time I'm tempted to point a finger at someone else, that I look at my thumb pointing upwards to you - and I see the other three fingers pointing back towards me. Give strength to ignore the speck of sawdust in my friend's eye and to deal with the plank of wood in my own eye. Make me more like Jesus. Amen. |
MUSIC: |
| A sung version of the Lord's Prayer. |
FURTHER IDEAS TO DEVELOP: |
| Brainstorm or make a list of words that show how you feel when someone finds fault with you. Use these to write a poem called 'The Pointing Finger'. How about emailing the poems written in class or school to us? With permission, we could consider publishing a selection along with contributions from other schools here on the Collective Worship website. Email cowo@culhaminstitute.org.uk |