Puppets - LOST THINGS

Lost Things – puppets

Mooster:  Hello kids! How are you this fine autumn day? Isn’t the weather fantastic? Has anyone started raking leaves yet?

Monkey Moe: (from behind the curtains), AHHHHHHHGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!    Where is it? Where is it?

Mooster: Uh Moe? Is that you?  

Monkey Moe:  (pokes head all around puppet stage) – Where did it go? Where did it go?

Mooster: Um, where did what go?

Monkey Moe: My monkey ball! (pokes head thru curtain finally) It destresses me!

Mooster: If it upsets you why do you want it back?

Monkey Moe: NO NO NO NO – not “distresses” DE-stresses – you know – takes away my stress!!! I’m stressed!

Mooster:  No kidding.   

Monkey Moe: See I got this great little de-stressing ball and I squeeze it whenever I get stressed out and it helps to relax me but right now I’m not very relaxed because I can’t find my destressing ball so I’m getting really stressed out about it and I need it now really bad which I probably wouldn’t need it except I can’t find it so I need it does that make sense to you??

Mooster: Uh, sure, Moe, whatever you say.
 

Monkey Moe: Oh good I’m so glad you understand so could everyone help me look for the distressing ball?

Mooster: Well actually I was going to do story time now and then~~~

Monkey Moe: AHHHHHHHGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Mooster: WHAT!?  

Monkey Moe: You can’t do story time until we find the distressing ball. I can’t concentrate. I can’t even sit still. (starts poking all around puppet stage again looking for ball)

Mooster: Ok ok – can everyone look around your seat real quick and see if you can find Moe’s distressing ball? Seems we won’t get our story in if we don’t find it. You know I could just buy you another one ~~

Monkey Moe: NO nO no – I have to have that one. It’s my best one!

Mooster: You have more?

Moe: Sure! I have 9 others, in all different colors, but I want my green one!  Okay that’s right everybody – look around you a little--Oh thank you thank you thank you everybody (still bouncing all over stage) do you see it yet do you see it yet? It’s green and squishy….

Mooster: They are looking Moe!

Songleader: Um, Moe, Is this it? (holds up ball)

Monkey Moe: Oh yes yes yes! Thank you! Can you please bring it to me?

Songleader brings it to Moe, Moe starts squeezing it a lot.

Moe: Oh that’s better! I can feel the stress leaving my body already! OK I think I can listen to the story. What’s it about today?

Mooster: Well today we are going to talk about a story that Jesus told. He said one time there was a woman who had ten pieces of silver. That’s like us having ten dollar bills and losing one of them. The woman became very upset because she couldn’t find her missing coin.

Monkey Moe: hahaha…that’s kind of silly, isn’t it? I mean, she had nine other silver coins!

Mooster:  Well, Moe, you had nine other stress balls but you were going nuts trying to find the green one!

Monkey Moe: Ohhhh yeah. I guess that coin was important to her, huh?

Mooster: It sure was, Moe.

Monkey Moe: So…what did she do?

Mooster: Jesus tells us in Luke 15:7 that she lit a candle and swept the whole house and looked diligently – that means she searched and searched – until she finally found it.

Monkey Moe: Oh wow – I bet she was happy once she found it.

Mooster: She sure was – Jesus said she was so happy she called all her friends together to rejoice with her.

Moe: Wow…she had a party because she found the coin?

Mooster: She sure did! A piece of silver back then was like having a piece of gold today … kind of like if your mom lost her wedding ring. It’s very valuable money-wise and it’s valuable because it’s close to her heart. It means something to her --- just like your stress ball means something to you.

Monkey Moe: Oh yeah. So….the moral of the story is that we should love money?  

Mooster: NO, Moe! Jesus was using this story to teach the people how much God loves them. He said that God loves us so much He searches us out – He seeks for us -  He wants us to be close to Him, to love Him, to trust Him as our Saviour.

Monkey Moe: Ohhhh…that makes more sense than what I said.

Mooster: Yes it does. And Jesus told the people that when someone responds to God and lets God find them, there is much rejoicing in heaven – all the angels rejoice!

Monkey Moe: What do you mean when someone lets God find them? The coin wasn’t trying to hide from the lady. My ball wasn’t trying to hide from me.

Mooster: No – but coins and balls are not human. People have a choice. They are often told that God is seeking them. They hear preaching and they are told about how much God loves them, but unless the person responds and accepts Christ, there is no rejoicing because there is no finding. Only when a person turns to God is there rejoicing in heaven.

Moe: I get it! Boys and girls – you are soooo much more important to God than money or toy balls or anything else. Jesus loved you so much He died for you and then He used His power to rise again fro the grave! He is alive in heaven right now! All you have to do is pray and ask God to forgive your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart. You will be saved! Angels will rejoice! You will have a forever home in heaven!!

Mooster: That’s right Moe! Kids, if you don’t know for sure that you have a home in heaven please ask to talk to one of the adults after church tonight.

Moe/ Mooster: bye kids – we love you!