Tuesday, February 23, 2016

February Series- I Love My NEIGHBORS

February – “I LOVE my…
Week 4 – I Love My NEIGHBORS
Group Leaders
This month, we are focusing on love and relationships this entire month. We want to stress how much our kids need and are dependent on- God, the church, and their leaders (parents, grandparents, pastors, authority figures). Just as the kids need these people, their neighbors (lost and hurting people) need them. Our love must go beyond words and must be shown by our actions.

Review from last week
We focused on Elisha and his relationship with his leader, Elijah.
Big Idea: Our walk with God is sweeter, when we learn to love our leaders.
Memory Verse: Heb 13:17- Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.

Game
Keep it up!
Since our lesson today is about helping and being kind to others, this game is about working together not competing with each other.
Supplies needed: balloons and stopwatch.
The object of the game is to keep the balloons from touching the ground. Use enough balloons to make it a bit of a challenge for the kids. We want them to need each other’s help. Time the kids and see how long they can “keep it up”. Add more balloons as necessary to make it challenging and encourage the kids to help each other.  

Lesson
Big Idea: Show your neighbor that you care, let them know God’s always there.
Memory Verse: Luke 10:27- So he answered and said,"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" NKJV

Main Lesson/Story- The Good Samaritan
Start off with a general question to get them engaged in the story- what is your favorite cartoon?  Have them raise their hands and get them excited about this.  Now introduce the phrase that all movies use when in production.  “Lights, Camera, Action (make sure you emphasize action).  Each step plays a very important part but above all, the acting or action is what makes the cartoon or the play.  The action is what makes you laugh, what makes you cry. It is what makes the movie come to life. Without action, the actors would just be standing there doing nothing. That would be pretty boring, huh?  The same thing applies when it comes to your relationship with God.  Lights, Camera…you can be at church and say you’re Christian, but without the action, without the worship, without the sacrifice you miss the most important part.  Now let’s get into the story of the Good Samaritan.  First in this story you must know who Jesus was talking to. He wasn’t talking to children or people that are new to the church. He was talking to the people that were Biblical Scholars. They knew all of the right things. They looked right. (Lights, camera)

Luke 10:25-37 (This is here for your study. Tell the story to your students.)
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

What if the Good Samaritan just walked over to him and said “I Love you” AWWWW.  That is a great phrase but without the action that the Samaritan took, that poor, hurt man would have died. The Good Samaritan didn’t just SAY I Love You, he SHOWED I Love You.
Our neighbors aren’t just the people that live next door to us. Jesus said your neighbor is any person you CHOOSE. It’s any person you decide to be kind and neighborly to. We must decide to love the people in our lives. The people we see at school, Walmart & McDonald’s. These people need a neighbor that loves them enough to help them and be kind to them. There are people that we meet every day that are hurting, and they need someone to be their Good Samaritan. We must share God’s love with them and let them know they are not alone.
Wrap up:  It’s important to tell Jesus, Leaders, Parent’s that we love them, but it’s more important to SHOW them we love them. Love to the point of action with everyone that you know. What actions can you do for your parents? Now what are some things that we can do to show love to God? Neighbors?

Review Questions & Group Discussion
1.      Who did we talk about today?
2.      What’s our Big Idea for today? What’s our scripture?
3.      What are some things we can do to show love?
4.      Give some scenarios of ways to show love to their “neighbors” (friends, school mates, etc.) Someone being bullied, crying, needing help…

Kids Sermon/Object Lesson
LifeGuard. Supplies needed: life vests, pool floatable toys like rings/noodles, red shirt(for you to wear since you are the lifeguardJ) and a whistle.

Who here likes to go to the pool or the beach? Do you enjoy playing in the water? Swimming and playing games in the water can be lots of fun, but it can be dangerous too. If people can’t swim good or if there’s an accident, someone could drown. (That’s why we should always be very careful around the water, and should always have an adult supervise.) At most public pools and beaches, there is someone there to watch and help people. Does anyone know who that is? Yes, it’s a lifeguard!

Most of the time, you don’t know the name of the lifeguard and he/she probably doesn’t know you either. But if there’s an emergency and you need help, that lifeguard will spring to action to help you. That’s their job. I’m sure if they could not swim out and reach you, they would throw you a rope, a life vest or anything they else to help you. (Act it out, by throwing the life vest or pool noodle to a kid in the audience.) They would do anything they could to save someone that’s hurt or drowning.

We need to be lifeguards for Jesus! There are people in this world that we pass by everyday that are hurting. They might not be screaming, “Help!” but they could be in trouble. There are people in this world that are hurting from problems in their family. There are people drowning in sin. We have to step up and pay attention. We need to be like the Good Samaritan we talked about and help them. (Throw out your noodles and rings while saying this) Every time you invite someone to church, help someone at school or do a kind deed you are throwing out some hope to them! (Have all students come up front to the prayer/altar area.)

There are people that need your help. Make up in your mind to be the lifeguard that’s looking around for those that are hurting and needing help. Be willing to throw out some help to them.

Good song for prayer: Cortt Chavis- Help Me




No comments:

Post a Comment