If your worship this week includes a look at the Ten Commandments, here's a children’s story you might want to consider using. It was written by Rev. Richard Fairchild and posted on his Kir-shalom website.
Rules for Cats and People
Who here has a cat or two at their home? Tell me, are they very obedient? Do they do what you want??
Most cats don't do what we want them to do. According to some people this is because cats have their own special cat rules - and they always follow them - because they are rules made specially for cats by cats... What do you think? I would like to share with you today some rules that I think you will find to be quite funny. They are rules for cats - and as you will see they most likely were made up by cats.
1) Life is hard, then you nap.
2) Curiosity never killed anything except may a few hours.
3) When in doubt, cop an attitude.
4) Variety is the spice of life – one day ignore people, the next day annoy them.
5) Climb your way to the top - that's what the drapes are for.
6) Never sleep alone when you can sleep on someone's face.
7) Find your place in the sun - especially if it happens to be on a nice pile of warm, clean, laundry.
8) When eating out, think nothing of sending back your meal twenty or thirty times.
9) Make your mark in the world - or at least in each corner of the house.
10) Always give generously - a small mouse left on the bed or in a shoe tells them: "I love you."
Cats seem to live by these rules don't they? They certainly don't live by our rules. Today, you heard another set of rules read out -- rules that were made especially for us -- does anyone know their name?
The ten commandments.... These are special rules made by God for us. Just as cat rules help cats be the best kind of cats that they can be -- so the commandments of God are given to us to help us become the best people that we can be. When we keep these rules God is very pleased and so are all the people around us.
Let’s pray:
Holy and Loving God,
we thank You for the rules that You have given us,
and for the love that You always show us.
Help us to live in the way that You want all people to live,
and to love You and the whole world.
We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
—written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, and posted on his Kir-shalom website.
For more worship resources related to this text, or other texts for October 2, 2011 (the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost), click on Proper 22A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page. For other intergenerational resources for worship, click on intergenerational worship in the list of “Labels” at the right.
For more worship resources on the Ten Commandments, click on Ten Commandments in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.
