Puppet Ministry with Noah's Ark
by Richard W. LaFountain, all rights reserved.

"The Mirror"
(follows the Wordless Book)

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copywrite Richard W. LaFountain, all rights reserved.
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Characters:
   MC: Master of Ceremonies
   Puppet: Any puppet will do

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MC: Milton! Come up and chat with us for a few moments.

PUPPET: (Appears with a bag over his head) Good morning, MC. Good
morning kids!

MC: Milton, you look a little different today. May I ask why do you
have that bag over your head?

PUPPET: I'm embarrassed, that's why! Last week you called me a liar
and a sinner right in front of all the kids and then you sent me away.

MC: I'm sorry I offended you Milton! I didn't mean to. But what I did
I did deliberately to teach you a very important lesson.

PUPPET:  What lesson?


MC: The lesson that God loves you but doesn't love your sins. I showed
you that I like you very much. In fact, I can even say I love you, but
I can't stand your lies! If you are going to lie then you'll just have
to stay away from me.

PUPPET:  And if I don't tell any lies will you stay close to me and be
my friend?

MC:  Exactly.

PUPPET:  Then take this bag off my head, I'm sweating in here!  (The
MC takes it off) Ahhh...now I can breathe again!  Ok now -- where's
the puppets?

MC:  OK, Milton. You've been patient long enough to see a puppet, so
I'm going to show you a puppet right now. But close your eyes until
I'm ready. (The MC gets a mirror and shows the children what she has.
Then she places it in front of Milton, whose eyes are still closed. --
Puppets close their eyes by lowering their head, like putting your
head down on the desk or if you use arms the hands can cover the
eyes.)

OK, I'm ready now Milton!  You can open your eyes! 

PUPPET:  (He looks and sees himself in the mirror and starts screaming
in horror). Ahhhhhhah!  HELP! HELP! Call the police! There is an ugly
monster in here. Take that thing away from me! What an ugly thing!

MC: What's the matter Milton? 

PUPPET: Break that picture! I never saw anything so ugly in all my
life. You could use that to scare off rats!

MC:  But Milton, this is not a picture!  It's a "mirror." A mirror is
made to reflect our faces so we can see how we look to others.

PUPPET:  You don't say!  Why I've never seen such a thing. But where
are the puppets you were going to show me?

MC:  I've already shown you the puppet, Milton.  You are a puppet!!! 

PUPPET:  NO! (He makes a double take look into the mirror again.) But,
but, but I never knew that. No one ever told me!  Yuk! I'm so ugly, so
dirty, and sloppy. Take that "mirror" away! I don't want to look at it
anymore. Do me a favor and throw that mirror in the garbage. It's a
worthless piece of junk!


MC: Milto, mirrors aren't bad. They are good!  They are made to help
us.

PUPPET:  To help us!  What help! Last week you called me a liar and a
sinner, now you make me look at a thing like that and tell me that its
me!  Some friend you are! That mirror IS BAD. It made me feel ugly and
sad.

MC: Of course it did. Milton, the mirror shows us exactly what we are
like. It shows us how we look to other people so we can make changes
and start to look better. Milton, you are not ungly. In fact you are
quite handsome. Its just that you need to be cleaned up a little bit.
It's nothing a little tender-loving-care can't fix.

Here let me tiddy you up a little then look into the mirror. 

(The MC washes his face, neck and ears, brushes his teeth, puts on
deoderant, combs his hair, maybe puts on a  little hair spray and
cologne -- you can make this part as humorous as you like, but don't
go on too long.)

OK, Milton, now look in the mirror.

PUPPET:  (He looks, inspects himself, and obviously likes what he
sees) Ooooo.... I'm am quite handsome after all.


MC: You know Milton, the bible is exactly like a mirror. The bible
shows us how we look to God, not on the outside, but on the inside.
That's why you felt bad last week when we used the Wordless Book as a
bible to show you what God sees in us that he doesn't like.

When I told you that lying was wrong and you are a sinner it wasn't to
make you feel bad but to help you see what God sees that needs to be
fixed. The bible tells us "All have sinned and come short of the glory
of God."  We are all sinners. We all need to be cleaned up on the
inside and only Jesus can do that when we invite him to come into our
lives.

PUPPET:  Ohhh... I get it. The bible is like a mirror.


MC: Yes Milton, and the solution is not to run away from the mirror,
or throw the mirror away, is it?  No, The solution for the ugliness
that God sees inside to to come to God. He says he "will never cast
you out if you come to Him."

The bible also says "Come now, let us reason together. Though your
sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red
like crimson, they shall be as wool."

PUPPET:  That sounds pretty good. I think I want to get cleaned up on
the inside too.

MC:  Oh, Milton that's such good news. Let's bow our heads right now
and ask Jesus to come into your heart and clean you on the inside.


CONCLUSION: Now MC gives an invitation to boys and girls to receive
Jesus as their Savior too and allow Jesus to come into their hearts
and clean them up on the inside by asking God's forgiveness. Ask the
children who need to get clean on the inside to bow their heads with
Milton and pray this prayer:

Dear Jesus, I'm sorry I have been so ugly on the inside. I don't want
to look dirty to you. Please come into my heart right now and be my
Savior. Wash my sins away and clean me up on the inside. And thank you
for showing me what you see on the inside. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.