Submitted by
S. Daly

Age Group
5-11

Aim
To realise that we can all change for the better

Faith Group
Christian

Time of Year
Lent, Easter, Spring

Other Details
Children can dress up as pond creatures and wear appropriate masks

Script
1. This is a lovely time of year. We are leaving behind the cold, dark winter, when everything seemed dead - and are moving towards spring, which is warmer and lighter.
New things grow and plants which seemed dead come back to life. Everything is changing.

2. Yes, everything is changing. Lambs are being born. There are buds on the trees. The birds are singing. The sun seems warmer. We feel happier. We play outside more.
Everyone is changing.

3. Everyone is changing? Well, some people are.
This time of year is also called Lent.
In the six weeks before Easter, we try to change for the better. We try to help others more. We may try to do something extra, like praying more. We may try to give something up, like sweets or comics.

4. If we have been bad lately, now is the time to turn over a new leaf, to refresh our friendship with God, so that when Easter arrives we will be ready to celebrate.

5. So Lent, like spring, is a time of new life - a new chance for all of us. Even the naughtiest person in this room can try to be a little less naughty - and the best person can try harder too! Nobody is perfect! Everyone can change for the better.

6. Have you heard the story about the 'ugly duckling' who became a beautiful swan? Here is a similar story about something that changed for the better. It was a creature called Gritty Grub.

7. Gritty Grub lay at the bottom of the pond in the mud, looking rather like a dead twig. All the other pond creatures were a bit sorry for him, because they could swim about and poor old Gritty could only crawl about on his strange little legs at the bottom of the pond.

CREATURE 1: Poor old Gritty Grub, what a pity he can't swim. He'll have to spend all his life at the bottom in the mud.

CREATURE 2: Unless he crawls up a stalk of weed.

TADPOLE: Oh, he'd never do that. He'd get stuck and then fall to the bottom again!

8. We shall now see what happened to Gritty Grub. One day, all the pond creatures had a surprise.

MINNOW: Just look at Gritty Grub, he's actually climbing a stalk!

8. Gritty Grub was climbing, very slowly out of the mud and up a strong stalk of water weed.
Everyone watched to see how soon he would get stuck and fall back into the mud.
But they waited a long time.
Gritty Grub didn't get stuck and he didn't fall back into the mud.
He went on climbing, climbing, climbing.

9. After a long slow climb, Gritty Grub's head came out of the water and he drew a big breath of fresh air.
He was very tired but he wasn't finished yet.
He kept crawling until he was right out of the water, lying safely on a leaf.

10. He lay there, and rested in the spring sunshine.
It warmed and dried him and he began to feel better.
All the pond creatures waited for him to return, but he never did.
Everyone thought that was the end of him.
But was it?

11. It was a wonderful day for Gritty Grub when he crawled out of the water, for as he lay resting on a leaf, a beautiful creature with white wings fluttered down beside him.

WHITEWINGS: Hello, brother.

12. Gritty Grub had changed for the better.
We can too, but we have to be sorry for the wrong things we have done first.
Now let us pray for a while in silence, asking God to help us to change...

13. We will now sing 'God forgave my sin' by C. Owens (Celebration Hymnal for Everyone number 209)