Being Truthful
Aim
To help children learn that God knows when we tell lies and that he expects us to tell the truth.
Preparation
Write out the Bible Verse on the flip chart/ Overhead Projector sheet
Focus
- a china cup and saucer
- a picture/photo of an old (80+) lady
- a Teddy bear
Story - William and Bear
William was going to Bear's house for tea. 'Bear' was his name for Great Grandma. When he was little he couldn't say Great Grandma, but only Gr... Gr... a sort of growl, was the best he could do! So he called her Bear. Tea with Bear was always special. Bear made her own bread which was delicious. Bear's jam was made with blackberries she'd gathered in the hedges round her cottage, and her cakes were never out of packets, but always fresh from the oven in her old fashioned kitchen.
"Please lay the table William" she called as she iced a chocolate cake. "You know where everything is."
William got out the knives and spoons from their special jugs. Bear kept as much as she could in jugs, so she could find things easily. She loved jugs. Her house was full of all shapes and sizes of jugs. William chose a small one for milk and a larger one for Bear's home made lemonade.
He and Bear would drink from cups and saucers. Grandma didn't have mugs. William liked this because it made him feel very grown up. At home he still had a mug with rabbits on and it was a bit babyish.
Bear's tea cups were all different. She had saved them over the years and she knew every cup and saucer and where it had come from and how old it was!
After they'd had bread and jam, Bear got up to get the cakes. William tried to lift his cup up with his little finger... and he dropped it. Crash! It smashed onto the tiled floor, and the lemonade went everywhere.
"I'm sorry Bear," he said, "It slipped."
That wasn't true, but William didn't want to say he'd been playing about with it.
Bear looked sad.
"Well that's the end of my poppy china tea set, William. "She said. " I had it as a wedding present over 60 years ago. We'll have to use the saucer for plants now," and she swept up the broken pieces and put them in the bin. William felt sorry. He knew it wasn't really an accident. If only he hadn't been messing about it wouldn't have happened. He didn't feel happy any more either and he wanted to go home.
When it was time to go he said 'sorry' again, and after a pause he added
"Bear,"
"Yes, William?"
"It wasn't really an accident. I didn't tell you the truth. I was playing with the tea cup with my little finger."
"Yes, I know" said Bear sadly
William was amazed. "How did you know?" he asked.
"Because you were different afterwards. You seemed to be hiding something. So I knew you weren't telling me the truth. That's why I was sad. Lies are far worse than broken tea cups William. But I'm glad you told me eventually." She gave him his bear (give a child the bear) and a hug and waved good-bye with a smile as he walked up the path with Grandma.
She went slowly back into the kitchen and opened the pedal bin. She carefully took out the handle of the poppy tea cup and went to her 'treasure' jug.
"There" she said to herself as she dropped it in, "that'll remind him of this day, and that telling the truth is more important than broken things."
Thinking Time
Ask the children to think about a time they told a lie so they wouldn't get into trouble.
Ask what it felt like afterwards?
Say that even when we think no one else knows, God always knows and so do we!
Bible Verse
Taken from Zechariah chapter 8 verses 16 and 17
The Lord Almighty gave this message
'These are the things you should do.
Speak the truth to one another.
Do not plan ways of harming one another.
I hate lying and violence.'
Prayer
Almighty Lord,
Help us remember that you hate lies and violence.
Please help us always speak the truth.
Amen
Songs
Jesus Bids us Shine: Children's Praise No. 102 Marshall
& Pickering
Sorry Lord: Children's Praise No. 155 Marshall &
Pickering
