Love God by loving others
Children's Activity
Object:
Today's Gospel Lesson has some very strong practical words
for us. When Jesus is with his disciples he asks Peter if he
loves him. Peter, without hesitation, says, "Yes, Lord!" Jesus
then tells him to feed his sheep. Three times he asks Peter this
question and three times he gives him the same response when
Peter says, "Yes."
Why would God want us to show our love for him by caring for
others? Why wouldn't just loving God be enough? There are lots of
reasons, but one reason is that God needs our feet and hands to
be of service to him. When we help others we are loving people
the way God does.
This week, spend some time asking the children to come up
with some ways they can help others. See if one or more of these
ideas can be acted on before coming back to church next week.
Here are some ideas:
* Collect cans of food for a local food bank.
* Make cards for shut-ins or sick members of the
congregation.
* Collect toys for area children.
* Do chores at home to help out the family.
* Make a phone call to a family member you haven't seen in a
while.
* Invite someone you don't know well to do something with
you.
* Share some outgrown or out-of-season clothes with a local
thrift store.
There are lots of ways to take care of God's sheep. How many
more can you discover?
for us. When Jesus is with his disciples he asks Peter if he
loves him. Peter, without hesitation, says, "Yes, Lord!" Jesus
then tells him to feed his sheep. Three times he asks Peter this
question and three times he gives him the same response when
Peter says, "Yes."
Why would God want us to show our love for him by caring for
others? Why wouldn't just loving God be enough? There are lots of
reasons, but one reason is that God needs our feet and hands to
be of service to him. When we help others we are loving people
the way God does.
This week, spend some time asking the children to come up
with some ways they can help others. See if one or more of these
ideas can be acted on before coming back to church next week.
Here are some ideas:
* Collect cans of food for a local food bank.
* Make cards for shut-ins or sick members of the
congregation.
* Collect toys for area children.
* Do chores at home to help out the family.
* Make a phone call to a family member you haven't seen in a
while.
* Invite someone you don't know well to do something with
you.
* Share some outgrown or out-of-season clothes with a local
thrift store.
There are lots of ways to take care of God's sheep. How many
more can you discover?