Last Sunday we had an All Age Communion in which I drew on an insight from Donald Hilton tha children are especially equipped to grasp the mystery of Communion because the 'let's pretend' of dolls teaparties and teddy bears picnics in which tiny morsels take on huge significance, is part of their way of making sense of the world. Woven in with some (slightly adapted) words from the song 'Mysterious People' I had the starting point for the liturgy... just that every time I tried to say "Val Doonican Communion" I ended up with "Communican!"
Anyway, here it is for anyone who wants to borrow or adapt it...
Adult
Children are people who live in a land
Made of raindrops and puddles and pebbles and streams
Silently watching a twig as it sails
On a clear crystal pool to an island of dreams
Child 1
There go a pair who have just built a city of mud
And it's real
They know that mud doesn't look very pretty
But ooh, how it feels
Child 2
This little boy greets the snow with a smile
That little girl has discovered an isle made out of pillows
One little fellow is friends with the wind in the willows
Adult
All of them children and all are mysterious people
Child 2
I can remember when I was quite small
That my bed was a ship that I sailed through the night
And I remember the world as a place
That was eager and loving and shiny and bright
Child 1
Where is the child who was friends with the rainbow
And once rode upon
Where is that shy and mysterious person
Oh where have I gone
Adult
I can remember I once said my prayers
But now I stand by while our children say theirs
Watching them kneeling
And I could cry that one day they'll forget
All that they're feeling
Oh, what a shame that our children should grow into people
Kitsch sentimentalism or essential truth popularised? I wonder.
[pause]
Child 1
Do you remember when you were very wee, that you played ‘let’s pretend’?
Did you ever have a teddy bear’s picnic or a dollies’ tea party?
Child 2
With a teapot of water or juice that tasted wonderful
And the littlest treats to eat that made a magnificent feast!
Adult
There’s a very wise man who says that Communion is a bit like a dollies’ tea party or a teddy bears picnic
Child 2
Weeny pieces of bread cut in squares or broken from a loaf
And tiny tastes of wine sipped from teeny glasses
Child 1
A pretend banquet shared by people who a trying to follow Jesus
A real taste of something special as we remember God’s love
Adult
Can you remember the story?
It was one evening at the time of the special festival called Passover
Child 1
Jesus sent his friends to get everything ready for the special meal where they would remember how God had led the people of old out of slavery and into freedom
Child 2
There would be psalms to sing, a lovely dinner to enjoy, and bread and wine to share
Adult
And as they shared the meal Jesus picked up the bread and said “this is my body, broken for you, whenever you eat it, remember me”
After dinner, he picked up a cup of wine and said, “this is my blood, spilled for you, whenever you drink it, remember me”
Child 1
So whenever people who are trying to follow Jesus share in tiny bites of bread and weeny sips of wine, they remember his words
Child 2
And even though it isn’t a proper meal, it is very, very real
Adult
So we are all invited by Jesus to take some bread and drink some wine and to remember him! But first, let’s pray together
Child 1
Thank you, God, for bread to eat, and for the special meaning of this bread for us
Child 2
Thank you, God, for wine to share, and for the special meaning of this wine for us
Amen
Adult
So let’s share the bread and remember how much God loves us…
[Children serve one side each, then Adult serves them]
Adult
And let’s share the wine and remember how much God loves us, and all creation.
Let’s hold our glasses to drink all together.
[Children serve one side each, then Adult serves them]
Adult
Let’s drink the wine and remember how much God loves us.
[pause]
Adult
We remember that God loves us and sent Jesus to live as one of us
Child 1
We remember in bread and wine all that Jesus has done for us
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