submitted: Roddy Hamilton

Ask everyone (including adults)  I suggest you do it now as you read this to prove me right.
Think of a number between 1 and 9
Multiply that number by 9
You should have a number with two digits.  All them together ie 18 means add
the 1 and the 8
Subtract 5
You are left with a number
If 1 is A, 2 is B, 3 is C, 4 is D etc think of a country beginning with the
letter that corresponds to the number
Think of an animal that begins with the second letter of that country’s name
Think of the colour of the animal

Hands up everyone who is thinking of a grey elephant from Denmark?
I bet most of you are and so will most of your congregation

The point:  We all think we’re so different (churches, ideas, morals) but to
God we’re really all very alike so why do we go on exaggerating the
differences.

How it works.  When you multiply a number by nine, and you add the two
digits together, you’ll always get 9.  So you’ll always be left with 4 when
you subtract 5.  Most people can only think of one country beginning with D
ie Denmark (unless the US know more about the Dominican Republic) and most
people think of Elephants that are grey.
Everyone is amazed by it and they certainly won’t remember the sermon.

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submitted: Alice Snowdon

Start by asking children/congregation about their favourite subject in school. Keep a gentle patter going.

Eventually, narrow it down to maths, or ‘numeracy’ as the English curriculum calls it now.

Ask about fractions. If you cut something in half, how many pieces will you have?
Ans: 2
Always 2?
Ans: yes.

Demonstrate with scissors and paper ~ health and safety! Do the cutting yourself!

If I cut a circle in half, how many pieces? Ans: 2
"   "  "  "  square " "     – 2
If I cut a thin oblong in half….. 2

How about if I cut a loop in half? … 2 (Produce a long thin loop of paper, no twists in it, like an old-fashioned Christmas decoration link. Cut along and round it, so you end up with 2 separate loops).

I’ll try again.
(this time produce a mobius loop, i.e.  One that has ONE twist in it. Cut it lengthwise and demonstrate it’s only one loop) Jesus said, I and my Father are one. You cannot separate Jesus and God any more than you can make this loop be two loops.

Finally (and this gets the smarty adults, who knew the mobius would be a single loop) produce a loop that has 2 twists in it. Cut it lengthwise – this produces two loops, linked)

We can never, ever be cut off from Jesus. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are always this linked to Jesus. Whatever people try to do to us, we are always this linked to Jesus.

I’ve used this for end of school year services and for parade services. It’s an amazing, one size fits all talk, because you can relate it to just about any reading or theme.