INTRODUCTION
You have offered to help your mum by going down to the shops to get a loaf of
bread. Even though it's raining, you set off at a run and you're soon there.
The shop is packed, steaming with damp from umbrellas and the heat of the bakery
- not to mention all the people huddled together. As you find a space to stand
in, you prepare to wait your turn to be served. It's difficult to see what is
going on, as you are quite short. Anyway, you aren't very old and this is only
about the second time you've been allowed out on your own.
The old lady with wrinkled stockings, a smart business man and a young mum are
in front of you. When they have all been served, you move up and are just about
to ask for the loaf when suddenly another grown-up pushes in front of you and
starts speaking. You look up and say 'Excuse me...' But he just glances at you
and carries on anyway. You feel quite upset.
Then, to your surprise, the shopkeeper turns to the pushy grown-up and tells him
to wait his turn. In fact she even tells him off for trying to jump the queue.
He should respect you, even if you are smaller than him. Then she smiles at you
and makes sure you get the loaf (which also happens to be the last one on the
shelf). 'And I don't want to see anyone else trying to get the better of a child
again in my shop, thank you,' she says to the other customers.
KEY VIDEO CLIP
Episode 4a: Ready, Aim, Fire!
PRAYER
Sometimes we all feel small and helpless, Lord. We need someone who will stand
up for us, someone who understands. May we feel sure that you are always there
for us, understanding our wishes and needs, even when everyone else misunderstands
or ignores us.
Amen.
MUSIC
'God Who Made the Earth' No.10 in The Complete Come and Praise
BBC, 1990
ISBN 0 563 345810
NOTES
The vulnerability of the young, weak and innocent is a recurrent theme in Storykeepers, where Ben and Helena represent and portray God's protective love. In
Episode 5, where this story occurs, the theme is courage and so this story suggests
that the weak can take courage from knowing that they are supported in the fullest
way possible, through caring and understanding.
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