Fairness

How do we respond when life isn’t fair?

Discovering God is a resource offering practical ideas for informal services and events. With a theme-based approach, this series can help create community and a sense of belonging.

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Somewhere to start

Here’s a way to introduce the theme of fairness and, if appropriate, to pray about it.

  • Share a packet of coloured sweets (e.g. smarties, skittles) between four or five people, giving each person only one colour. It is unlikely that everyone will end up with the same number. Ask the recipients how this feels. Is it fair?
  • Invite people to share experiences of a specific time, place, occasion when things felt unfair to them.

We like our life to be fair to all,
but we know that often doesn’t happen.
God, help us to think about what fairness really means – 
for us, for everyone –
and how we can make the world a fairer place.
Amen.

Somewhere to finish

Before you end, come together to gather your thoughts and, if appropriate, to pray.

  • You may have listened to a song about issues of poverty. Listen to part, or all, of another (see Is it me?).
  • Invite people to share other songs, music, poems or images, that speak to them about any of the issues you have explored.

    Some say, ‘You can never have enough’; we say,
    ‘Let’s dare to be different: enough is enough.’
    Some say, ‘Everyone for themselves’; we say,
    ‘Let’s dare to be different: give everyone what they need.’
    In Jesus’ name, we say,
    ‘Let’s dare to be different. Amen.’ 

Explore... fairness

Choose from these ideas and activities to help people of all ages explore the theme together. Use the spiritual styles indicated by the coloured letters to help you plan, and cater for the different ways in which people connect with God.

Spiritual styles (as defined by Dave Csinos) key: Word, Emotion, Symbol, Action.
Find out more in Worship and learning support.

Daily bread W E

If you have the facilities, make some simple flatbread to share. If not, make some in advance.

While you are making and sharing the bread, ideally in groups of mixed ages, explore some of the questions in the following threads:

  • Are our actions and choices driven by what we need or what we want? What’s the difference? What’s essential to your day (e.g. coffee, music, social media)? Do you ever tell yourself you could manage without some of these things, if you chose to?
  • ‘Give us our daily bread’ is a phrase from ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. ‘Daily bread’ is about having neither too much nor too little, but enough for each day and no more. Why might this be a helpful idea? What might it mean in practice? So, what can/will you do
    without tomorrow?

More than enough E A

Sometimes we have more of something than we need – an ‘abundance’. For the first Christians, abundance meant having enough for yourself and to share, and being generous with that excess so that no one went without. Is that a good description of how we live today?

On a large sheet of paper, draw a tree – branches and leaves only. Invite people to think of something they (individually, as a family/household, or as a community) have in abundance – enough for their own needs and some to share. Write this on a sticky note and cut it into any fruit shape. Stick the fruit to the tree. Let the tree inspire and encourage everyone to find something they can share.

It’s not fair W A

‘Life’s not fair; get used to it’ (a phrase often attributed to Bill Gates, but it predates him!) – do you agree with the sentiment?
Here are some questions you could choose from to explore this together:

  • Are there positive, meaningful and helpful things we can do when life seems unfair – or is it always a case of getting used to it?
  • Is there something that you can do to make life fairer for yourself or for someone you know?
  • Are there local issues around unfairness that you could engage with?
  • How would you go about doing that?

If you are going to use the Somewhere to finish prayer, write a last line for it, that begins: Some say, ‘Life’s not fair; get used to it’; we say,’…

A discussion on equality

Look at these two scenes.

Equality-Equity, Angus Maguire
Interaction Institute for Social Change.

  • Can you think of a word to describe what is going on in each one?
  • Which scene do you think represents the better or fairer option, and why?
  • Can you think of times when you have experienced one but wished it was a different one?
  • Can you think of real situations that don’t seem quite right or fair – what would you do to make them fairer?

Now, imagine a third scene in which the fence is taken down – how would you describe that situation? Can you think of a situation from your own experience where this ‘third way’ might be helpful?

Is it me? W E S A

What if the idea of having enough and some to share is but a dream? What if we are the ones who don’t have enough?

Together as a group, make two lists:

1. the consequences of this for individuals and families/households

2. the feelings and reactions it evokes.

Take time to ponder the two lists; play some music (e.g. ‘Another day in paradise’ by Phil Collins, or ‘The A Team’ by Ed Sheeran). Then make a third list:

3. What can we do to help/support people (one another?) in such situations.

Something from the Bible

Matthew 20.1-16

We have picked this passage to help illustrate and explore the theme from a biblical or Christian context. Read and share is a way to engage everyone with the Bible story. The notes that follow are designed to help the leader.

Read and share

You will need: five cards, each with a number on it: 10, 8, 6, 3 and 1.
Read the passage aloud. Then ask five people, or groups, to ‘take on’ the role of the groups of labourers in the story, giving each person or group one of the cards – it is the number of hours they worked in the vineyard. Remind everyone that they are all to be paid the same amount at the end of the day.

Ask each person/group to prepare a maximum 30 second ‘job satisfaction’ talk, based on the experience of the group they represent. They should say whether they think their own pay is fair, and that of others.

After the five presentations, join together in a discussion about what fairness means, and what point Jesus is trying to make in telling this story.

Summary of passage

After a conversation about who deserves what, Jesus tells a story in which the owner of a vineyard hires workers all through the day:
So, some work a full day, others only part of it, some a very small part. But when it comes to the end of the day, everyone receives the same pay. This inevitably causes resentment; it’s not fair!

What could we learn from it?

This Bible story always raises questions – it seems so unfair! Why shouldn’t those who do more get more? Jesus often told stories with a humorous or over-the-top twist to catch people’s attention and make them talk. This story isn’t about employment practice. It is about God’s generosity; that God gives everyone what they need.

So, this challenges us as individuals or groups, not only to look after ourselves, to get what we think we are owed or deserve, but also to find a way for everyone to get what they need. How can we try to be as generous as God?

Follow-up ideas

You could keep the theme and exploration of fairness going, by sending out follow-up activities:

  • Continue to think about having enough or not enough, sharing, etc., and how this impacts on your life, positively or negatively – what actions you feel drawn towards taking?
  • Do something that for you may be a small thing, but will make a significant difference for someone else.
  • Find out more about Fairtrade values and aims.

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