Material: You might want to have a library book, a Bible and a hymnal on hand.
Lesson: Tomorrow is a national holiday. Do you know what it is called? ... (Memorial Day.) What is the purpose of Memorial Day? ... (Basically, a day to remember the people who died to keep our country free.) But it is also a good time to remember all the people who have helped us in the past.
It is important for us to remember others because other people are important to us. For example, we did not build this church building. People who lived before us provided for this church to be built. We should be thankful for what they did. We did not write the music we sing. We did not write or even print the Bible we read. Other people, who lived before us, provided these things for us.
Now, one way we have of saying ''thank you'' is to see that we take good care of what we have received from others, so that we can pass it on to other people. Have you ever taken out a book from the library? ... What do you do with it after you have read it? ... (Return it, in the same condition as when you received it so that others can use it.)
Taking care of what we have received from others is the best way for us to remember them and to show that we appreciate what they have done for us. So, when you use something, in your church or school or home, and it has been provided for you by someone else, take good care of it.
Possible Times To Use This Illustration In The Home:
• When a child has not been careful with something that belongs to someone else.
• When a child loans something to someone. Talk about what you expect from that other person.
• When the family has an occasion to remember past generations.
Scriptural Background: ''I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you'' (2 Timothy 1:5).
*Use Memorial Day Sunday.
