Saying Sorry Action: Option 1

➜Psalm 103.12

➜Action:remove paper weeds from a ‘garden’ filled with paper flowers

 

In Green Time, everything grows!

Flowers grow, trees grow

Either: and the Church grows.

We’re part of the Church, so we’re growing too!

Or: and we grow.

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If appropriate: What do gardens need to grow?

Accept the children’s responses.

You might like to add/repeat:

Gardens need sun, rain, etc., to grow.

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To help gardens grow, we also need to pull the weeds out.

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Place your ‘garden’ in the centre of the circle.

Let’s imagine that our heart’s like this garden,

covered with weeds.

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When we say sorry to God,

it’s like we’re weeding our heart.

We’re pulling all the bad things out

and making space for the beautiful flowers.

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Let’s go round the circle

and pull one weed out of the garden each

so we can see the beautiful flowers growing beneath.

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While all the children and adults who wish to weed the garden do so, lead the group in either:

Option 1: singing the ‘I’m sorry’ refrain, or

Option 2: humming the first two lines of the ‘We need a new start’ song followed by singing the refrain ‘We’re sorry, we’re sorry, we need a new start’

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Ask the last child to remove any remaining weeds on behalf of the group. If your group has a large number of children, you may wish to carry two ‘gardens’ around the circle in opposite directions.

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When the group is ready:

Look at our beautiful garden!

Now we can see all the flowers growing.

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The Good News is that when we say sorry,

God will always give us a new start!

We can grow beautifully again

Just like our beautiful garden.

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After three, let’s say ‘God gives us a new start!’

1, 2, 3: God gives us a new start!

Let’s use our new start to share God’s love this week!

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Saying Sorry Action: Option 2

➜Action: growing from a seed

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The Good News is:

God always wants to give us a new start!

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God wants to plant a little seed,

Show imaginary seed between fingers

the seed of love, in all of us.

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Let’s close our eyes for a moment.

Let’s imagine Jesus coming to us now.

Let’s ask Jesus to make our hearts ready.

Now let’s imagine Jesus planting

that seed in our hearts.

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Let’s open our eyes again.

Let’s imagine we’re the little seed

that Jesus has planted in us.

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Let’s curl up into a ball.

Lead the children in curling up into a ball.

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Let’s show our roots with our fingers.

Lead the children in wiggling fingers.

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We need to let our roots grow down deep.

Lead the children in wiggling fingers down.

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Then after three, let a little shoot pop up.

1, 2, 3 . . . Pop!

Poke your hands up over your head like a little shoot.

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Then start to grow up tall.

Gradually stand up, swaying like a growing stalk.

Taller and taller onto our tiptoes . . .

Reach up with pointy hands and on tiptoes.

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Let’s turn our faces up towards the sun!

Then let our leaves or branches spread out wide.

Arms stretch slowly outwards.

After three, let’s say ‘God gives me a new start!’

1, 2, 3 . . . God gives me a new start!

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What beautiful plants!

Let’s ask for Jesus’ love

to grow inside us today.

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And let’s remember to share Jesus’ love

by caring for each other and for God’s beautiful world.

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