Puppets: He Cares for You

He Cares For You

Mooster: Good evening everyone! Wow it’s really getting colllld outside, isn’t it? Do you think we’ll have snow this year? I’m guessing we will!

Moe: Hi Mooster!

Mooster: Oh hi, Moe! Are you staying warm?

Moe: Yep. I have all kinds of stuff to keep me warm when it’s cold outside. I have my scarf and when it gets colder I have my nice warm coat and I have my gloves and my banana boots – they’re bright yellow, just like a banana! – and I have battery–operated socks and I have –

Mooster: Wait wait wait – you have battery-operated socks?? What on earth for? How do they work?

Moe:  Mooster, you have seriously got to get yourself a pair of these socks. They are so awesome! You put in a couple of little batteries and there are little wires that run around the sock and they heat up and keep your toes warm!

Mooster: No kidding…what’ll they think of next?!

Moe: Yeah, just make sure you don’t step in a puddle with them…the result might be kind of shocking!

Mooster: So why do you need all that stuff to stay warm? Isn’t your treehouse kept warm by your furnace?

Moe: Yeah, but Mom’s a huge cheapskate and you know the furnace runs by burning up banana peels. Mom doesn’t want to run out of peels and she doesn’t want to have to buy more, so she keeps the thermostat set at like 68 degrees. It’s a regular ice box in there! Why I woke up yesterday and my eyeballs had frozen shut! I had to blow into my paws and cover my face just to thaw them out.

Mooster: Really, Moe. I think you are exaggerating just a little bit.

Moe: Not really – have you been in my house?

Mooster: Well not recently, but if I remember right, you folks keep your thermostat set at 70 in the summer time to keep cool.

Moe: Yeah, that’s right.

Mooster: Well Moe 68 is only two degrees different from 70.

Moe: Exactly! You can freeze water at 32 degrees but not at 34 … two degrees is a lot!

Mooster: Oh for Pete’s sake. Anyway, do you know any older people or families with children that aren’t staying warm?

Moe: Um, no I don’t think so…why?

Mooster: Well, during the winter, a lot of churches and other organizations open up their buildings at night for homeless people or people whose heat isn’t working so they have somewhere dry and warm to sleep.

Moe: That’s really nice, Mooster! It’s a way of the community helping to take care of one another, huh?

Mooster: That’s right. If you meet someone who isn’t able to stay warm this winter, make sure and find them some help. You can tell your mom about them and she’ll probably be able to help them get in contact with an organization where they can go to stay warm. Sometimes missions will even have soup kitchens opened to give people something warm to eat before giving them a place to sleep.

Moe: What’s a mission? I thought missions were all in Africa or Honduras or Vietnam or places like that. Are there missions here in Greenville?

Mooster: Well missionaries go and start missions in other countries, where they build a church and tell people about Jesus. But here in Greenville and other cities in the United States, we have mission houses, too, and they also tell people about Jesus. BUT they also do lots of neat things to help people who can’t take care of themselves or their families.

Moe: You mean if maybe someone got sick or lost their job and their home and they need help for a while?

Mooster: Yep. A mission is a large building where folks can go. They are usually run by Christians who want to help people get back to being able to care for themselves and their families, and while they are helping them, they tell them about Jesus. Missions will provide the homeless or elderly people with a hot meal and a safe place to sleep. Some of them help train people in a new job and help them find jobs.

Moe: That’s really awesome! But what about squirrels?

Mooster: What? What do you mean squirrels?

Moe: And bears? And fish? And birds? And coyotes? Who makes sure all the animals have a warm, dry place to sleep? Who gives them blankets and battery-operated socks? How do they stay warm in the winter?

Mooster: OH! Moe – you are so funny! God takes care of the animals, Mooster – you don’t have to worry about them. God made animals to be able to make their own little homes. Some bury deep in the ground, some find caves to sleep in, some make big nests in trees. The Bible says that God sees each sparrow – even if it falls to the ground. God sees it. The Bible also says that God loves us and cares for us, too. Even more than the animals!And the Bible says that God makes provisions for us.

Moe: What’s a provision? Is that another term for seeing things positively? I know I sometimes have a negative attitude about things, so would that be called antivision?

Mooster: What? Moe you are confusing me! No – provision means that God is providing for us. God provides food for the animals in the wild and He helps them make shelters for their families.

Moe:  Well why doesn’t God do that for people too?

Mooster: What do you mean? He does do that for us!

Moe: Well if someone is homeless and has to go live in a mission then God isn’t providing for them, is He?

Mooster: Moe, Who do you think spoke to the hearts of the people who started the mission or the soup kitchen or the place where people can get food and clothing? The Holy Spirit speaks to people and encourages them to reach out and help other people. When we help people who are in need, we are being the hands of Jesus – we are serving people in His place. We are showing that God cares for all of us!

Moe: You mean, it’s like we are doing what Jesus would be doing if He were right here with us?  

Mooster: That’s right!

Moe:  Oh that’s cool!

Mooster: The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes that whatever our hand finds to do, we should do it with all our might! So if we are going to serve God – we better do it right!

Moe: Does Jesus ever talk about helping people in need?

Mooster: He sure did! In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus is telling His disciples that when they provide clothing to the poor or visit the people in prison or help nurse the sick, that it’s just like if we were doing that for Jesus himself!

Moe: Oh wow – is that where our memory verse is?

Mooster: You guessed it! Matthew 25 verse 40: “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Moe: Hey kids – this week, why don’t we all try to come up with ways we can help other people around us. Did you know that someone always has it worse than us? There may be someone you know who doesn’t have enough food to eat or a warm place to sleep. Be the hands of Jesus – serve Him by helping meet the needs of others. If you know someone in need, tell your parents or a teacher about it so they can get them the help they need.

Mooster: Excellent suggestion, Moe. Okay – bye kids! See you in a couple weeks!!!

Moe: Bye! 

Puppets: Oh Be Careful Little Tongue What You Say

Oh Be Careful Little Tongue What You Say

Mooster:  Hey everybody! How are you today? You doing good?  Great!  Hey Moe!

Moe: Hi Mooster!  Wow - there sure are a lot of kids at the park today – can you see them all from here?

Mooster: Yep, there sure are a lot of kids!  And yes, I can see them all. We have a good view of the playground from up here in this treehouse.

Moe:  Hey, look at that little kid with the big black-rimmed glasses. I just heard a great joke at school today! It’s about this four-eyed kid, see, and –

Mooster:  Monkey Moe! You don’t call people 4-eyes! Just because someone wears glasses doesn’t mean you make fun of them.

Moe: Oh. Sorry, Mooster. ….So…uh.. you don’t want to hear the joke?

Mooster: NO!

Moe: Okay, okay. {pause} Oh – look at that kid over there! He’s only got one leg! Hey – I wonder if his friends nicknamed him peg-leg!

Mooster: Moe! What is wrong with you? Do you think that name sounds nice?

Moe: I don’t know…I guess I didn’t think about it.

Mooster: Well think about it: Would you want someone calling you “peg-leg” if you only had one leg? What if he was in a bad car accident and that’s how he lost it? Or what if he had a terrible illness?

Moe: Oh…I wasn’t thinking about WHY he had only one leg, I guess.

Mooster:  Would you like it if I called you Banana Brain?

Moe: No, I wouldn’t. Let’s change the subject. I was at the mall yesterday, and there was this older man in a wheelchair and I was watching him as his wife was pushing him around the mall and –

Mooster: You were staring at the man??

Moe: Well…yeah…I was waiting to see if he was going to drop his dentures when he bit into his sandwich!

Mooster: MOE! That’s terrible. Don’t you know it’s rude to stare at people! Don’t you have any manners at all?

Moe: (In a pouty voice) That’s what my mom said, too. Nevermind about the guy at the mall. (Gets excited again) Hey - Did you hear what Jungle Johnny said about Teacher Smith? He was busy comparing Mr. Smith’s teeth to bananas, you know, because they are long and yellow and then he said …

Mooster: Wait just a minute! Now you’re gossiping.

Moe: What’s “gossiping” mean?

Mooster: Talking about other people behind their back.

Moe: Well he’s not even here – how can I know where his back is?

Mooster: Location is not the point, Moe! You are about to say something unkind about someone else. Aren’t you?

Moe: Well….I don’t know. I was just going to say what Johnny said. But…I guess it probably wasn’t very nice.

Mooster: So why are you repeating it?

Moe: I don’t know – it gives me something to talk about?

Mooster: You can come up with better topics. Mr. Smith is a very fine teacher and the dental condition of his bicuspids is unimportant to your education.

Moe: Oh…yeah…. I guess you’re right.  And his teeth have nothing to do with my schoolwork, either. So…what’s our Bible verse for today?

Mooster: Apparently, it’s very appropriate. Proverbs 17:20 says, “He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.” Do you realize that what you say is very important? You can be as the hands of Jesus, lifting someone up by your words of kindness, or you can be the tool of the devil, tearing someone down and destroying them!

Moe: Oh! I never thought about that! I don’t want to be a tool of Satan.

Mooster: I know you don’t, Moe. Being kind is something that adults and children often have a hard time doing because they simply don’t think about their actions. They don’t even realize when they are not being kind. But being kind is something we should practice doing all the time.

Moe: Hey kids, Mooster is right. I need to be more careful about what I say. Can any of you children give me an example of saying kind words to someone?

(Wait for responses)

Mooster:  Those are great answers, kids! There are lots of ways to show kindness to people through what we say. Plus, there are many things we should NOT do. For instance, we should not call people names, like 4-eyes or Peg-leg or Banana Brain.  And, we can do things for people to help them. Jesus always spoke kindly to those He loved and cared for.  Did you know that Jesus even washed the feet of His disciples? That was an act of kindness and humility.

Moe: ewwww! I wouldn’t want to wash anyone’s feet. Yuck. What if they had banana mush between their toes? Ga-rossssss!

Mooster: Well, Moe, Jesus did a lot of things for us that we probably wouldn’t want to do. But I doubt the disciples had banana mush between their toes.

Moe: But Jesus HAD to do nice things, didn’t he? I mean, God the Father made Him come to earth for us, right?

Mooster:  No, Moe, God didn’t MAKE Jesus come to earth. That was an act of kindness and love and mercy on the part of God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. God was kind in making a way for us to be saved and Jesus was kind in being willing to come to earth and be our way to heaven. God separated a part of Himself to sacrifice as payment for our sins. He loves us that much!

Moe: Ohhhhhh. So Jesus volunteered to come to earth and die for us.

Mooster: That’s right, Moe. Jesus is kind and loving to us. So we should be kind and loving in return.  Mr. Songleader, can we sing John 3:16?

Songleader leads everyone in singing John 3:16

Moe: Mooster….making fun of people that are different from us or calling someone names isn’t kind and loving, is it?

Mooster: It certainly isn’t.

Moe: I’m sorry I said all that other stuff before. I wouldn’t want someone calling me 4 eyes or fatso or peg-leg or banana brain or anything else.

Mooster: So what could you do instead?

Moe: I know! I could go talk to those kids and be their friend! That would be kind, wouldn’t it?

Mooster: Yes, that would be kind.

Moe: And, maybe we could help each other! Maybe the little boy with only one leg is really good in math and he could help me. I stink at math. But I’m really good at history! Maybe we could study together and help each other!

Mooster:  I think that’s a great idea!

Moe: OH Oh Oh! Annnnnd – I could invite him to come to listen to our Bible story next week!

Mooster: Moe, that’s a great idea, too. Then he could also hear about Jesus and how to be saved! That would be the greatest kindness of all.

Moe: Annnnnddd… I suppose I need to learn to not listen when other people are saying mean or unkind things about others. What did you call that again?

Mooster: It’s called gossip. When you talk badly about someone else, you are gossiping.

Moe: Yeah. I hadn’t thought about it before, but gossiping is mean, too. I’ll try not to do that anymore, either!  Hey – those are all things we can all do this week, boys and girls! We can all invite our friends to come with us next week to listen to the Bible story. You know, anyone is welcome to come. We can all practice not being mean and not repeating mean things.

Mooster: That’s exactly right, Monkey Moe. Everyone is welcome. How about it kids? Can you show someone kindness this week? See if you can help someone. Be nice. Play fair. Don’t call anyone names. And invite someone to come to church with you. Then they can hear about Jesus and how He loved us so much that He came to earth and paid for our sins so we can go to heaven. That’s the greatest act of kindness and love that this world has ever known.

Moe: I’m going to the playground to go make some new friends – bye!

Mooster: Bye Moe! Bye kids!!!

Puppets: Why Worry?

Mooster:  Hey everybody! How are you today? (Wait for replies) Hey…what’s that noise? Do you hear that? Sounds like moaning! I wonder if Moe is hurt? Hey Moe, Moe! Moe, buddy – are you hurt??

Monkey Moe: (Sad moans while Mooster has been speaking..slowly moaning louder and louder: Oh me, oh my, oh worry, worry, worry, oh me oh my, what will happen now??) Yes Mooster, it’s me…I’m not hurt…but I sure am worried…oh, oh…

Mooster: Well, Moe, what in bananas is wrong with you?

Moe: (pokes head through) I’m Sooooooo worried!!!!!!! How can you be here tonight all calm and everything? You’re going to give a Bible story and you are not worried?  

Mooster: Moe, what should I be worried about?

Moe: What? Are you KIDDING me? Don’t you know what’s going on in our country? Our economy is bad, people are losing their jobs and their homes! Our government is trillions of dollars in debt and there’s no end in sight! Food costs are rising. People are going broke just paying for gas to get from one place to another. Families are having to live two and three to a home. There’s violence in the schools and bullying and it isn’t even safe to cross the street! It’s awful! It’s terrible! ……….. (Yells in an exasperated manner:) Don’t you read the newspaper??????

Mooster: Yes, I read the paper. I watch the news, too. You are right about all of those things. Times ARE pretty bad for a lot of people.  I am concerned about the direction this country is heading. We’ve even talked about the possibility of moving if we ever needed to, but I don’t think --

Moe: Moving! Yes! That’s it! I’ll get started packing right now. Let’s see, I need my banana pajamas and my stress ball and my jungle jumprope and my yellow hat and Oh – should I bring a couple hundred pounds of bananas? They might come in handy if we get hungry. Think I can get them all in your backpack?

Mooster: MY backpack?  

Moe: Well you don’t think little old me can carry a couple hundred pounds of bananas, do you? It makes more sense if you carry all the bananas. You’re a moose. You can carry a LOT.

Mooster: Are you saying I’m fat?

Moe: No, no, no – just….um…well suited for burdensome labor.

Mooster: I’ll try to ignore that comment. Anyway, as I was saying….

Moe: What if we can’t find a place to move to? What it there’s no jobs there? What if we can’t get clean water? What if there’s no….oh what a terrifying thought…….what if there’s no….no….no…. B A N A N A S ???     Oh, I’ll just die without them!

Mooster:  Moe – you are worrying!

Moe: Well of COURSE I’m worrying!!!  What else would I be doing? Why aren’t you worrying?

Mooster: Because I know Who holds tomorrow, Moe.

Moe: You mean the president?

Mooster:  No, Moe, the president doesn’t hold tomorrow.

Moe: You mean the Senate? I know they make all kinds of laws and rules and give themselves big fat pay raises and --

Mooster: No, Moe. I don’t mean the Senate. The Senate doesn’t hold tomorrow.

Moe: The House of Representatives?

Mooster: No.

Moe: Oh, I know, I know – the Supreme Court!! They have all kinds of important decisions to make and they make the final ruling over lots of things and they get appointed by the president and voted on by the Congress, so they must control tomorrow.

Mooster: Wrong again, Moe.

Moe: Santa Claus?

Mooster: MOE! Don’t be ridiculous!

Moe: Well, there isn’t anyone left, Mooster!

Mooster: Oh, you are forgetting the most important person of all, Moe. God is the One Who holds tomorrow. Jeremiah 10:12 says, “He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” Who made the world, Moe? Did the president make the world?

Moe: No. God made the world.

Mooster: Who is the One Who had the wisdom to design everything on the earth? Was it the Supreme Court?

Moe: No. It’s God who is smart enough to design everything.

Mooster: Who stretched out the skies and the stars? Did a man do that?

Moe: No. It was God. The Bible says in Genesis 1:16  And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

Mooster: Now we are getting somewhere! What does worrying profit you, Moe? What are you getting from all your worrying over tomorrow?

Moe: Well, so far, I’ve gotten a bruised knee from walking into the coffeetable while I was texting my mom about who won the election, and I dropped my piggy bank on my big toe when I was trying to break it open in case I needed the money and I have a terrible pain in my stomach which my dad says is probably ulcers and I keep getting these terrible headaches every time I read the newspaper and I even felt like throwing up today!

Mooster: Because you were worried about the country?

Moe: Well, no, the throwing up part was because I had a monkey world history test today at school and I didn’t study for it so I was afraid I was going to fail it….

Mooster: Oh brother! Moe – all your worrying about stuff is just making you sick and miserable!

Moe: Oh – it sure is!

Mooster: I have a good song for us to learn. It’s called, “Why Worry When You Can Pray?” I think we can get the preacher up here to help us!

(Sing song a couple times.)

Why worry when you can pray

Trust Jesus He’ll be your stay

Don’t be a doubting Thomas

Rest wholly on His promise

Why worry, worry, worry, worry

When you can pray!

Moe: Oh…that was a great song! So…what you’re saying is, that I should be leaving my future to God and just trust Him and pray?

Mooster: That’s right, Moe. Our memory verse today is Psalm 56:3, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”   When we get worried about tomorrow and what might happen, we need to pray and tell Jesus about it. He already knows what’s going to happen. It isn’t going to surprise Him. He knows and He will take care of you.

Moe: Is there a chorus for that too? Songs help me remember stuff about God.

Mooster: Songs help all of us! Here’s a chorus to help you. 

God will take care of you

Through every day

O’er all the way

He will take care of you

God will take care of you!

Mooster:  Do you feel better now, Moe?

Moe: Yeah, I do feel better. Thanks, Mooster!

Mooster: Kids, you can hear all the grown ups around you talking and worrying about the future and about what may happen in our country. It’s a good thing to talk about that stuff and vote and all that, but you need to remember that God is ALWAYS in control. Even when we don’t understand or can’t see what’s going to happen next, God knows, and we can always trust Him!

Moe: Thanks, Mooster. I’ll try to stop all my silly worrying. Maybe I’ll even be able to study for my next history test! Bye-Bye boys and girls!

Mooster: Bye, everyone!