Or at least paper 'carnations' and other miscellaneous flora...

This morning I have been making prototype paper flowers ahead of Sunday's service - they needed to be quick and easy and suitable for people aged 3-8 to make.

I'm not overly impressed with the 'carnations' (white and gold) but I quite like the cake case flowers

Options

1. Use one muffin size cake case and one cupcake (normal) size case.  Put the larger one inside the smaller one.  Either scrunch and then tape to a wooden kebab skewer, or poke the skewer through the centre of the cakes and then scrunch and tape. (Large two tone flowers in picture)
2. Use three mini cases, one inside the other inside the other.  Pierce with kebab stick, scrunch, tape and then spread out 'petals' (small pink flowers in picture)
3. Use four mini cases, scrunch and tape to the 'side' of a kebab stick rotating a querter turn and adding each a little lower down with sticky tape.  This is the most fiddly! (small blue flower, centre front)

With small people beware the dangers of sharp pointy sticks... either cut off the points or cover them with tape, modelling clay or a chuck of eraser.  Don't want any accidents!

Today's PAYG focused on the calling of Levi (Matthew) and Jesus falling foul of the authorities for dining with tax-gatherers and 'sinners'.  As listener, I was invited to imagine myself at a meal hosted by Jesus, to which all the people who really annoy, anger or irritate me were invited.  All the people who wind me up.  All the people I perceive as 'bad' or 'less good than me' anyway.  This image was then the focus for prayer.  I found it helpful and challenging.

I wonder who would have me on their list of annoying people?  Who would see me as 'less good' and be surprised that Jesus would invite me dine?

The heavenly banquet of which we speak so glibly will have far more in common with this purgatorial (or even hellish) counterpart tyhan perhaps I would like to think.  Golly, I'm glad I'm not sorting out THAT table plan.