Lesson Learned: John was the disciple of love.
Material Needed: construction paper, scissors
Bible Verse:
Mark 3:16
16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”),
2 John 1:
1 The elder,
To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:
3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
Talking Points: Jesus tells us in the Bible that the greatest thing we can do is love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Mat 22:37) and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself (v.39). John, one of Jesus’ friends, student, and disciple, was a man that learned to love like Jesus told us to. John wrote several books of the Bible and much of his writings are about love. He wants us to walk in love and in truth and share that with others that we meet.
Questions: How does someone know when you love them? Name some people that you love. Why is it important to share about Jesus with them?
Activity: Take the child on a “love” walk. Cut out 10-12 hearts from construction paper. On the hearts, write the names of the people that the child loves or knows well (caregivers, family members, friends, etc). Then place them around the room and have the child follow the hearts on a love walk. As they land on each heart, have them say a short prayer for each person (ex: God bless _____ today!)
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for loving us. Help us to love others in the same way. Amen!