Always exciting, getting a parcel!
And even more exciting when it’s a loads of brand-new books. Mmmn, that new-book smell! (Sadly, probably solvents that melt your brain.)
Get your sticky mitts on one today in paperback or Kindle and rememebr that there’s a free book up for grabs if you buy a copy and send me your name.
Make a Joyful Noise
What is Worship? Well, it’s not what Bob’s doing. Or is it?
Here’s a puppet show script that we used to start off a service looking at worship.
Make a Joyful Noise
Opening song (eg, Here I am to Worship) finishes. Bob (puppet) enters while Betty welcomes the congregation.
Betty: Please take a seat, and let me welcome you to this all-age service at … [rest of welcome]
Now, today we are going to be looking at worsh…
Bob: [singing opening song very badly] Heeere I am to wursheeeep! Heeeere I am to bow dowwwwwn!
[noticing Betty] Oh sorry. Don’t let me interrupt you.
Betty: As I was saying, today we are going to be looking at worsh …
Bob: Heeeere I aaam to sayyy that yooooooooooo’re my God!
Betty: [Glaring]
Bob: [Noticing the glare] Is something bothering you?
Betty: Is something bothering me? Yes, I’d say there’s something bothering me!
Bob: Well, I’ll leave you to sort that out then, while I get on with my worship practice.
Yoooo’re aaaaall togeeeeether …
Betty: Stop, please stop! Why are you doing this?
Bob: Well, we’re just about to start the service, aren’t we?
Betty: [Cautiously] Yes …
Bob: And we’re learning about worship today, yes?
Betty: [Suspiciously] Yes …
Bob: [Quickly before Betty can stop him] And worship means singing, so I’m doing singing ‘cos that’s what worship means. Aaaallll togggether loooovly, aaaall tooogetherrrr wooorthyyyy…
Betty: [Interrupting, putting hand over Bob’s mouth] Well, it’s lovely that you want to worship God, but we can do it by more ways than just singing, you know.
Bob: [Muffled] Can we? [Breaking free] Can we?
Betty: Yes, I have some other ideas that you might like to try instead of singing.
Bob: Oh, but I like singing so much. I just can’t help breaking into song.
Betty: If you had the right key you wouldn’t need to break in! What key was that, F flat demented?
Bob: Cheeky! I think I should sing solo.
Betty: [Stage whisper] So low we can’t hear you!
Bob: Or perhaps I could try singing tenor.
Betty: [Stage whisper] Ten or eleven miles away!
Bob: I heard that! People say I have the musical ear of a famous artiste.
Betty: Yeah, Van Gogh! You couldn’t carry a tune in a paper bag!
Bob: Well, it says in the Bible, ‘make a joyful noise’.
Betty: It also says, ‘Blessed are the peace makers’. Anyway, we need to learn all about the different ways we can worship God, so why don’t you scuttle off and practice one of them. … Hmmmn, let’s think … How about silent meditation?
The Reflectionary 