Any Excuse!

We often make excuses

by Alison Thurlow

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To consider why we so often make up excuses for not doing things.

Preparation and materials

• Familiarize yourself with the parable of the wedding feast, which is in Matthew 22.1–14.
• Optional: you may wish to display the questions that are used in the ‘Time for reflection’ part of the assembly.

Assembly

1. Open the assembly by explaining that you are going to ask the children a question and you want them to be completely honest when they answer it.
   
   Ask them to put up their hand if they sometimes make up excuses for not having done something.
   
   Comment that, if we are honest, we probably all make up excuses for ourselves sometimes.
   
   
2. Ask the children whether they can think of any particular excuses that they have made or have heard other people making.
   
   Listen to a range of responses.
   
   
3. Explain that you have been wondering what sort of excuses we might make up. Ask the children to finish the following sentences for you.
   
   – ‘I’m sorry I haven’t done my homework, but . . .’
   – ‘I’m sorry I haven’t tidied my bedroom, but . . .’
   – ‘I’m sorry I was late to school, but . . .’
   – ‘I’m sorry I was late home from football training last night, but . . .’
   – ‘I’m sorry I was rude to my little sister/brother, but . . .’
   – ‘I’m sorry I didn’t play with that boy/girl who was all by him/herself in the playground, but . . .’
   
   
4. Comment that this was just a bit of fun. Now, explain that you are going to tell the children a story that Jesus told in the Bible, in which people made up a lot of excuses.
   
   The Parable of the Great Feast
   
   Once upon a time, there was a king who decided that he would like to have a party. He wanted to organize a huge feast and invite lots of important people.
   
   When everything was ready, the king told his servants to go and tell his guests that the party was about to begin. It was then that the trouble started!
   
   When the servants arrived at the first guest’s house, the man who answered the door looked a bit embarrassed. He said, ‘I’m so sorry, but I won’t be able to come after all. I’ve just bought a field and I simply must go and check it over.’
   
   The servants went on to the second house. This time, the owner blurted out, ‘Er, sorry, I can’t make it. I’ve just bought some cows and I need to go and see how they’re doing.’
   
   At the third house, the man blushed and made his apologies, saying, ‘I got married today, so I really just want to stay in with my new wife.’
   
   When the servants told their master about all these excuses, he was furious! He stamped his foot and bellowed, ‘Go out into the streets and invite the people you find there. It doesn’t matter who they are: all the poor people are invited and anyone who is sick or worried.’
   
   So that’s what the servants did. The new people they asked were only too pleased to be invited to the king’s feast. When all of the guests were in the banqueting hall, there were still some spaces left, so the servants went back to the king and said, ‘We could squeeze a few more people in.’
   ‘Go to the country roads this time,’ commanded the king, ‘and invite anyone you find. None of those rich people I invited in the first place will be coming to this feast!’
   
   
5. Ask the children to think back to the excuses that they gave you at the beginning of the assembly – were they always reasonable?
   
   Observe that the excuses were perhaps a little selfish. In many cases, the children probably made them simply because they did not want to do a particular thing.
   
   
6. Ask the children, ‘What about the excuses made by the people in the story – were they any better? If not, why not?’
   
   Suggest that the rich people couldn’t be bothered to come to the banquet. The king, who represents Jesus, then invites all of the people others might not invite to a great feast. They all come because none of them has any excuse for not coming.

Time for reflection

Ask the children to sit quietly and think about the following two questions.

Optional: you may wish to display the questions.

– Do I sometimes make up excuses rather than telling the truth?
– Am I like the king in the story who welcomed all kinds of people, or do I sometimes make up excuses as to why I leave out some people?

Suggest that being truthful and trying to include everyone will make for a happier, better school.

Prayer
Dear God,
We are sorry for the times when we make up unnecessary excuses – please forgive us.
Please help us to be people who are welcoming to everyone around us.
Please help us to include others so that this school is a happy place for everyone.
Thank you that you welcome all kinds of people – please help us to do the same.
Amen.

Song/music

‘Thank you, Lord, for this new day’, available at: https://youtu.be/njsdfxK9FcQ (2.14 minutes long)