Good morning, Friends!
This morning we are so excited to have three special guests join us (oh, plus some furry friends!). We talk about how to love people well and who Jesus tells us to love. To help us learn more about that, we read two stories. The first reading is from a book called "A Kids Book About Racism" by Jelani Memory, and the second story is about the Good Samaritan from the Bible.
Parents, we know that racism is a tough topic to talk to kids about, but we believe it's important. We also know that each parent has lots of decisions to make about when to have these conversations and what language they use to talk about race, especially for younger children. Our goal is to come alongside you and support you, so we wanted to give you the chance to preview our video and decide if that part would be helpful for your family. If you want to skip ahead to the Good Samaritan story, feel free to do that (the book about racism goes from 4:00-9:25 in the video, and you’ll see a notice pop up on the video, too).
After you watch the video, you and your family members can use the following discussion prompts and activities to apply the lesson.
Talk It Out
Recap: What did Jesus say about who is our neighbor? How are we supposed to treat our neighbors?
Check In With Yourself: How does it feel to know that we are called to love everybody? What are reasons we sometimes give for not loving everybody?
Wonder: What are you wondering right now as you think about the story of the Good Samaritan?
Apply It
One way to think about how to treat others is to think about how you want to be treated. Think about the ways you can love others really well by putting yourself in their shoes and thinking about how you would want them to act toward you. Since we are staying home a lot, don't forget to think about the people in your own family (even brothers and sisters!) and how you might love them with more Jesus love. You could write your own journal or use something like these cards to keep track of ways you treat others how you would like them to treat you. See how that changes the way you see others!
Think about your neighbors around your house and how you could love them well. Maybe you could write a note or draw a picture or bake some cookies to share with a neighbor you don't know well or who lives alone. Be creative with your love for your neighbors!
Say a prayer to thank God for making all kinds of different people. You could even draw a picture of the world and all kinds of people in it as a way to thank God for making each one of us. Then ask God to show you how to love everyone well.
Listen to this song about how God made everybody in every nation!
We are praying for you! Please remember to email/call/text with any prayer requests you have.
Much love,
Pastors Lindsay and Mary