Opposite Day - Week 3
Up is Down. Right is Left. Cold is Hot. That’s right, we’re celebrating opposite day this whole month (or should we say, not celebrating? This could get confusing!) This series will give our families a chance to talk about the counter-culture things Jesus said. It sounds impossible to believe that struggles bring us closer to Jesus or that our enemies can teach us about love. However, these beautiful opposites remind us that a God we can’t see is always with us and that it’s better to follow Jesus than our own instincts. Happy Opposite Day!
Click HERE to watch this month’s memory verse video!
Our enemies help us learn to love
Preschool/Elementary MV: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." II Corinthians 12:9a (NIV)
TODDLER MV- "God's power makes me strong"- II Corinthians 12:9
READ: Love Your Enemies: Luke 6:27-38
WATCH:
Preschool- teaching video
Elementary- teaching video
SONG: I Have Decided
ACTIVITY: Our big idea today is "Our enemies help us learn to love." Make a fun spinner with your family and watch your love (heart) spin!
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut out 2 circles from heavy card stock for your kiddos. Have them draw and color a heart on one side and write today's big idea on the other circle, "Our enemies help us learn to love." Tape twine to the back of one side of either circle. Then glue the two back sides together (so the twine is sandwiched in the middle). Twist twine and watch "your love spin!!"
COLORING: Love Your Enemies
DISCIPLE:
INSTRUCTIONS: Share a story of an exchange you had with someone you might consider an enemy. Talk about your struggles with showing them love even though they were treating you in an unkind way. Then ask your kids why loving our enemies is so hard.
In the Bible, there are stories that share the importance of loving everyone . . . even those people we believe don’t deserve our love. That sounds really hard to do, right? Why do you think it’s so hard to love our enemies?
That’s right! When someone is mean to us, it’s so easy to be mean right back and decide to treat them in an unkind way.
There are many possible reasons why someone becomes our enemy and why they treat us poorly. Sometimes, those enemies might have been mistreated by someone else which causes a lot of fear and anger to build up inside of them. Then they release it by being mean to everyone else.
That said, it’s never okay for someone to be unkind to you — whatever the reason — and you should always tell a trusted grownup if you don’t feel safe. The enemies we’re talking about today are people who hurt our feelings, not people who hurt us physically. However, one way we can begin to love our enemies is to show compassion. There might be more to their story than you know and Jesus cares deeply about that person, too.
Read Luke 6:28-38.
INSTRUCTIONS: Give each family member a coffee filter and have them write the Big Idea (Our Enemies Help Us Learn to Love) and decorate it however they’d like. Afterward, have them fill a pipette with water and drop water on their design then watch the colors run and spread throughout.
Just like how the colors spread throughout the filter, we can spread love, too. It might start small, but the more often we love and the more people we show love to, the more we can grow! We get to know God more each time we love. After all, our God is so loving that even our enemies can help us learn to love!
Pray: Dear God, even though it’s not easy, help us to show your love to people we don’t usually get along with. Thank you for showing us how to love, especially in the way you sent your son, Jesus, for us! Amen.
DISCUSSION:
Who would you consider an enemy?
How does Jesus want us to treat our enemies?
Why should we do that?
Read I John 4:8. Why does this verse tell us that if we don’t love, we don’t know God?
Which is better — to stay mad at someone or forgive them? Why?
Is your enemy God’s enemy? How does God see your enemy?
What is one thing you can do to love someone that’s an enemy?