Love Your Enemies

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2nd/3rd Grade – Feb 4

The Life of Jesus  Lesson 5

Love Your Enemies Bible Verse You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:43-45)

Teacher Enrichment This lesson is the fifth in the Life of Jesus series which examines how Jesus is our best example for inclusion. Jesus included everyone in his ministry from simple fishermen, to government leaders and kings; from devout followers to those considered sinners; and from old to young. Each week will explore the various ways and people Jesus chose to serve and teach. In the Book of Matthew, we find Jesus giving a sermon on a mountainside; hence the term “The Sermon on the Mount.” In this sermon, Jesus instructed His followers on how to live a life as a true disciple of God. This sermon covered much ground, but this lesson will focus on Jesus’ direction to love your enemies; to include them in God’s love. We all have people we love easily and deeply, but Jesus challenges us with the question “If you love those who love you, what reward do you have?” It’s easy to love our friends and family, but hard when it’s someone who attacks us, despises us, criticizes us, annoys us to no end or is just plain old mean to us. Jesus’ command to love your enemy does not equate to approval of their actions and it does not mean your enemy becomes your best friend. But it does mean we control our anger, not retaliate and treat our enemies with compassion and respect even when we are not receiving the same in return. This is hard and we need God’s help to accomplish it. This lesson will teach children that loving your enemies means showing respect and kindness to everyone, even those who do not like us or who are mean to us. Children will explore ways to show love when it’s hard and learn to use prayer to ask God for help.

Before Class Begins  Place the Sign In sheet and a pen where parents can see it upon arrival.  Place the Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards and pens where students can see them upon arrival.  Check that you have supplies for this lesson: - Arrival Activity, Love Your Enemies Activity Sheet – 1 per child - Love Your Enemies Scenario Guide - Clothes Pins – 1 per child - Love Your Enemies Cutouts – 1 per child - Magnetic strips – 1 per child - Tacky Glue  Place an arrival activity at each place on the table.

Welcome SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards, Attendance chart, stickers, Love Your Enemies activity sheet, pencils  Greet each child individually as they arrive. Introduce yourself by name.  Help children find or add their name on the attendance chart. Provide each child  

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with a sticker to place in today’s column on the attendance chart. Encourage children to complete a Joy or Concern card if they have a particular joy or concern they would like to express. Collect completed Joy & Concern cards. Encourage children to complete a Time or Talent offering card if they gave their time to God or used their talents to serve God or others during the previous week. Children should keep their own completed Time and Talent cards. If children bring monetary offering, they should keep it with them. Direct children to complete the Love Your Enemies Activity Sheet. Encourage conversation among the children and with you! Get to know the children in your classroom by asking about their week including school, activities and families. Introduce new children to each other and encourage friendships.

The Life of Jesus  Lesson 5

Children’s Worship SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards  Arrive at Ruth Hall at 9:20 or 11:05.  Bring the Sign In sheet and completed Joy & Concern cards to Ruth Hall. Hand the     

Joy & Concern cards to the Children’s Worship leader as you arrive. Have children bring their completed Time & Talent cards and any monetary offering. If additional children arrive while in Ruth Hall, have parents complete the Sign In sheet and remind parents that pickup is in Room 105. Encourage children to participate in Children’s Worship and provide re-direction if necessary. Assist the Children’s Worship leader as needed. At the conclusion of Children’s Worship, have children line up and return to Room 105.

The Lesson SUPPLIES: Love Your Enemies Scenario Guide, Love Your Enemies cutouts, clothes pins, magnetic strips, tacky glue  Gather all the children in a circle on the carpet. As you

are able, sit on the floor with them or use a chair as part of the circle. ASK: Today we learned about loving people who are hard to love – our enemies. Do you have any enemies? Enemy is a pretty strong word, but we all have someone who we don’t like. They are mean to us, we don’t get along with them, they get on our nerves and make us mad and when they are around us it does not go well. Think about who that person is.

Teacher Tip Gathering on the carpet signals to children that it’s time to listen and share. It also eliminates the distraction of activity sheets, crayons and other supplies found on the tables.

ASK: How do enemies make us feel? (Bad, angry, mad, want to get even, sad, disappointed, frustrated, annoyed)

The Life of Jesus  Lesson 5

SAY: Jesus directs us to love our enemies, but that can be hard. We are going to read a few scenarios where some kids are having trouble dealing with enemies. We are going to see if we can help them show love to their enemies. Read each scenario from the Love Your Enemy Scenario Guide. Allow children to share how they could show love to each enemy. Example responses are provided if needed. SAY: Loving our enemies does not mean their actions are okay. When someone is being mean to us we should always tell an adult. But loving our enemy does mean we treat them with respect and kindness and we are not mean back to them. That can be hard, but God can help us if we ask through prayer. SAY: In live, sometimes we KNOW what the right reaction is, but it’s hard to actually DO it. In those situations, the best way to get help is to pray. Pray to God to help you have the right reaction. Pray to God to help you show kindness to your enemies. Pray to God to help your enemies change their behavior. Pray FOR your enemy. SAY: Today we are going to make a prayer magnet. When you are dealing with an enemy, you can use this magnet to help you remember to show them love and to pray for help showing them love. There is a place to write a person’s name, or, to keep it private, initials or even just a word that reminds you of that person. You can change the person you are praying for help loving as often as you need to. It’s a visual reminder to love that person AND a reminder to ask God for help loving that person.  Show children the sample craft.  Have children move from the carpet to seats at the table.  Give each child a clothes pin, magnetic strip and Love Your Enemies cutout sheet.  Direct children to:

- Color and cut out the heart and use tacky glue to attach it to the clothes pin. - Attach the magnetic strip to the other side of the clothes pin. - Fill in and cutout one “I Will Pray For” square and clip it with the clothes pin.  The Love Your Enemies cutout sheet includes three “I Will Pray For” squares. Children can save the other squares for future use.

The Life of Jesus  Lesson 5

Closing  Lead the children in a closing prayer. You may say your own prayer, ask one of the

children to say a prayer or use the one below. God, Loving our enemies is hard. Help us to show kindness and respect to everyone, even when it is difficult. Amen  If time remains before parents arrive, encourage children to return to their Love Your Enemies activity sheet if they did not complete it. Also encourage conversation between children and with you. This is another opportunity to build relationships with the children in your classroom.

The Life of Jesus  Lesson 5

The Life of Jesus  Lesson 5

Love Your Enemy Scenario Guide

Scenario 1 Last week a girl in your class had a birthday party. You were the only one in the class she did not invite. You are now planning your own party. Your mother said that you can invite everyone in your class. You are thinking of inviting everyone except her, that way she will feel as bad as you did. Could you make a different choice? Invite everyone in the class because you don’t need to retaliate. Scenario 2 Your friend’s older brother teases you all the time about how short you are. While you are at your friend’s house, the brother is carrying things to the car and asks you to help him. At first, you ignore him. Why should you help him when all he ever does is make fun of you? Could you make a different choice? Help him. Maybe he’ll think twice about teasing you next time. Scenario 3 You have a classmate that always finds a way to push or shove you, but never gets caught. Last week it was a sneaky elbow while in line during PE, the week before it was a shove as they rounded the bases during kickball at recess and today he pushed his chair right into you as you crossed the classroom. You are completely frustrated and you push him right off his chair. Now both of you are in the principal’s office for fighting. Could you have made a different choice? Control your anger and let a teacher or adult know what is going on.

The Life of Jesus  Lesson 5 Scenario 4 Jane lives on your street and the two of you don’t get along AT ALL. You find her really annoying. You have opposite personalities and every time you try to play together you end up arguing. You both keep your distance and don’t spend time together. Today, a friend who doesn’t know Jane very well asked what Jane is like. You tell your friend how annoying Jane is and how much you don’t like her. After all, you wouldn’t want your friend to play with Jane instead of you. Could you have made a different choice? Tell your friend that you and Jane don’t work well as friends, but that Jane is still a nice person and deserves kindness. Scenario 5 You left your tablet in the car yesterday by accident. During the night someone broke into your family’s car and stole the GPS, your dad’s gym bag and your tablet. You hate the person who did this! Anyone who would steal must be a pretty awful person. And now you don’t have a tablet because it’s too expensive to replace it. They are your enemy for life! Could you change the way you feel about this? You hate them! Anyone who would steal must be a pretty awful person. And now you don’t have a tablet because it’s too expensive to replace it. They are your enemy for life! Move Back 1 Space. You are disappointed that you lost your tablet and upset that someone would do something like that. What they did was wrong, but you choose to forgive them. Hating them will only make you feel worse. Scenario 6 Dirk is your sworn enemy ever since you sat next to each other in 2nd grade and he got you in trouble for cheating. You always bump each other a little extra hard during basketball at recess. His flag football team is the worst, they are always bragging. When you pass in the hallway you make sure to call him Dork instead of Dirk. Now you find out he’s going to be on your soccer team this spring. Your plan is to make him look bad at the first practice and make sure all your other teammates know what a pain he is. Could you make a different choice? Approach Dirk at school and apologize for your behavior. You offer to forgive each other and start over.

Love Your Enemy Prayer Magnet Craft

Love Your Enemy Cutouts

The Life of Jesus  Lesson 5