Suffolk Show

Today was the day of the Suffolk Show. Not the only day, and it's not as if we were all going. But Jo was going with Mel, and she (Mel) arrived around 0700 to pick up Jo: they were gone by 0730. And it was quiet. Yes, Miriam was around, but she was quite sleepy. We had a sleep, I did some work, had a bath, those sorts of things. It was fantastic.

Around lunchtime, Moo and I took Buster for a walk with Miri again. We're trying to make it a bit of a feature, as it's good for all of us, and we had a lovely time again. Moo did some more work, and the health visitor came around. She's happy with Moo, and happy with Miri (57cm long, 5.38kg heavy - just under 12lb).

This evening in front of the TV, I finally got round to writing part of one of my "Life and Service" module assignments. We were supposed to create a liturgy for a major festival (I chose Good Friday) for a congregation that we knew. The second half of the assignment is to discuss the decisions made, and I know where I'm going with that.

I wrote a liturgy for a service with Jo, for Good Friday. I'd constructed a little one off the cuff for Palm Sunday, after we missed the benefice service, and it worked very well, so I thought I'd try it again. Jo had just turned 2, for reference, and Miri hadn't yet been born.

Good Friday

A liturgy for Josephine

Instructions are in italics. All other words are to be spoken by the adult. It is important to be ready to adapt the liturgy to accommodate Josephine's reactions, or to follow up on questions.

Preparation: tell Josephine that we're going to have our own special service, walk up to the church together.

Enter the church with Josephine. Pick up a hymnbook.

• Let's go up to the front and start the service.

Walk with Jo to the front of the church.

• Shall we sing a song now? A hymn about Jesus? You can sing too, if you like.

Sing “Lord of the Dance”.

Go to the altar rail, and sit down.

• God, please help us talk to you and do what you want.

• We've come into church for a special service, to say thank you to God, and to say sorry for things that we shouldn't have done.

• Shall we kneel down on the cushion?

Kneel down on the altar rail cushion or a nearby hassock, and help Jo to do the same if she wants to.

• Jesus tells us that we should say sorry for things we shouldn't have done, because he loves us.

Hold hands.

• I'm sorry for the times I haven't done what I should have done, particularly when I've upset Jojo or Mummy. So “sorry, Jojo”, and “sorry to God” as well.

• Jo – sometimes you need to say sorry, too, don't you? Shall we say sorry to God?

• Sorry God.

Give Jo a hug.

• God loves us very much, just like Mummy and Daddy, and he says that everything is OK because he loves us.

• Thank you God.

Stand up.

• Right, shall we read the Bible now?

Pick up Jo, walk to the lectern.

One day, Jesus went with his friends to a garden near Jerusalem, but one of his friends was feeling very nasty, and when some soldiers and other men came, he told them that they should take Jesus away. His friends tried to stop them, and one of his best friends, Peter, even hit one of the men. But it's not good to hit people, and Jesus told him to stop.

So the soldiers took Jesus away, and they were horrid to him. In the end, a man called Pontius Pilate talked to Jesus, and asked him lots of questions, but didn't really understand what Jesus said. So he asked the people who lived in Jerusalem, and they didn't like Jesus either.

So Pontius Pilate made Jesus go on a cross. And Mary, Jesus' mummy, came to see him with one of his friends, and she was very sad because Jesus hurt lots and lots. And in the end Jesus died, and all of his friends were scared, and they went away.

Give Jo a big cuddle.

• But don't forget that Jesus, although he died, came back to life, because he's so special and is God's son.

Let Jo down, lead her back to the altar rail, sit down on the cushion.

• Now let's say some prayers. Is there anything you'd like to say thank you for? Or anyone who's not very well? Who are your best friends?

• Jesus, please look after Mummy and Daddy and Jojo and the baby in mummy's tummy. And Megan and Wills and Buster, and Nana and Wa-wa and Granny and Grandpa.

Include any suggestions from Jo.

• Please make all people who aren't very well feel better, especially Grandpa's eye. And look after Mummy and the baby in mummy's tummy.

• Jesus, please look after everyone who's died, particularly baby Tommy and Suzy. Look after them and all the people who love them so much.

Sit Jojo on your knee, give her a big cuddle.

• Let's say a special prayer that Jesus said to God and told us to say:

Our Father, which art in heaven,

hallowed be they name;

thy kingdom come;

thy will be done;

in earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation;

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power, and the glory

for ever and ever.

Amen.

Stand up.

• Let's finish the service:

• May God look after us and keep us safe for ever. Amen.

Kiss Jojo, hold hands and walk down the aisle together out of the church.

Labels: family, liturgy, walk