Sun 26 November 2023

[ Introduction: leader picks child to knock on bin, everyone calls 'come out Stinky!', Stinky comes out singing his intro tune ]

Stinky: Hello everybody!

Leader: Hello Stinky. How are you?

Stinky: I'm excited about Christmas coming up...

Leader: Actually, I might not see you before Christmas, so I've got a gift for you now.

Stinky: Really? Now? What is it? eh? eh?

Leader: It's an iPhone!

Stinky: Oh, that's amazing! Can I have a look? eh? I've never had an iPhone. Gimme gimme gimme!

Leader: Hang on, slow down a bit. This is a special gift. I want you to enjoy it without breaking it, so I just want to tell you how to use it.

Stinky: Yes yes OK, quickly!

Leader: 1. You turn it on on this button here. 2. The volume is here on the side. 3, be gentle with it because it's fragile. Did you get those?

Stinky: Yes yes, please give it to me now!

Leader: OK, I'm glad you like it so much. Here it is... [Hands it over]

Stinky: [Very excited] Oh... my new iPhone, it's so good! I want to watch a video on it... Wait, I can't see anything.

Leader: Have you turned it on?

Stinky: I can't hear anything either!

Leader: Maybe try the volume...

Stinky: It's not working! Maybe it needs a good whack... [whacks it against bin]

Leader: No stop! Oh, the screen is broken.

Stinky: Oh oh...

Leader: Stinky, you didn't follow my instructions - now your phone is broken!

Stinky: Whoa!! My iPhone is broken! And I can't afford to buy a new one!!! Whua!! [Cries]

Leader: Oh Stinky, I wish you had followed my instructions.

Stinky: Hmm... OK, OK. I'll follow the instructions now. Look, look! I'm pressing the buttons... I'm being gentle... "hello little phone, I love you very much" [stroking, kissing, etc]

Leader: What are you doing?

Stinky: Well, if I follow the instructions really well, then you'll have to give me a new phone...

Leader: You following the instructions doesn't mean I have to give you the phone.

Stinky: No?

Leader: No. I gave you the gift first. Then I gave you the instructions, so you could enjoy my gift. But you can't buy my gift by pressing buttons.

Stinky: Oh... I guess that makes sense... I wish I had followed your instructions. Miss Pat, I have a question.

Leader: Yes?

Stinky: You've told me that God gives us good gifts...

Leader: Yes, and God's greatest gift is accepting us as his children.

Stinky: So... does God give us instructions for being his children?

Leader: Oh, great question Stinky. Let's read our bible passage.

[ SLIDE: What is left for us to brag about? Not a thing! Is it because we obeyed some law? No! It is because of faith. We see that people are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law. - Romans 3:27-28 ]

Leader: This is from a letter that the apostle Paul wrote to christians in Rome.

Stinky: Which law does he mean?

Leader: It's the instructions that God gave the Israelites, to teach them how to live as God's people. Remember when God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt?

Stinky: Oh yeah, with Moses and the ten commandments on the tablets!

Leader: Yes! God rescued Israel first - being God's people was a gift. Then God gave them commandments that they called 'the law', to teach them how to live as his people.

Stinky: OK but that was a long time ago. What about now?

Leader: Paul wrote this passage because people were getting confused, and thought that God would owe them if they followed rules and did 'good things'.

Stinky: Oh - that happens to me sometimes.

Leader: Yes, me too. This reminds us that God's acceptance of us is entirely his gift because of our faith.

Stinky: And... faith is when we trust in Jesus saving us, right?

Leader: Yes! His rescue is a gift! We don't deserve it at all.

Stinky: Oh, like your gift phone! But if God accepts us because of faith, does it really matter how we live?

Leader: Of course! Just like it matters that you follow my instructions with the phone I gave you. Now that God has accepted us by faith, his instructions teach us how to live as his children.

Stinky: Oh I get it!

Leader: Great! Let me read our bible bite.

Slide: Bible Bite: God accepts us because we trust Jesus, not because we do 'good things'.

Leader: Stinky, can you say that?

Stinky: God accepts our call when we whack the phone.

Leader: Oh Stinky, let's read it all together again.

[ Read together ]

Stinky: Hey Miss Pat, I'm very sorry I didn't follow your instructions. You were really kind to me, but I was rude to you. That was wrong - and silly!

Leader: Thank you for saying sorry. It was wrong and silly. But I tell you what - I'm going to give you another iPhone. [ Pulls out of pocket, hands over ]

Stinky: Really? But I don't deserve it.

Leader: I know, but it's a gift. I hope you will follow my instructions so you can enjoy it.

Stinky: Oh yes, I will! Thank you for teaching me about God's gift - and his instructions!

Leader: You're welcome Stinky.

Stinky: I better go now... Bye!

Category: scripts Tagged: faith works