Jesus said that the greatest commandment of all was to love God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. Nothing is more important than that, so let us ask God in our worship today to teach us how to achieve that sort of love for him.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, I often fail to love myself.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, I often fail to love my neighbours.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, I often fail to love you.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
Matthew 22:34-46 (NRSV)
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, [35] and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. [36] "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" [37] He said to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' [38] This is the greatest and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." [41] Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: [42] "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." [43] He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, [44] 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet" '? [45] If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" [46] No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Story:
Jesus stressed the huge importance of learning to love God. But we Christians have often stressed the huge importance of loving our neighbours, forgetting that this is not the first commandment but the follow-up.
In this story, James discovers that he can only love his neighbours with God's help.
The Neighbours From Hell
James was very excited when he learned that a new family was moving into his street. He was even more excited when he learned that the family had twin boys who were the same age as him. There were very few children in James' street and he looked forward to making new friends. He began to daydream about all the fun activities he would enjoy with the twins. Things like football and films, outings and treats.
But the reality was very different. The twins, George and Gary, were moody and difficult. Although they were in the same class as James at school, they hated it and did their best to disrupt lessons. And because they were identical, no-one could tell them apart so it was always double trouble.
In the beginning, James made a huge effort to be friendly. He chatted to the twins, but they didn't want to know. They nudged each other and laughed and began to talk in a funny language so that James couldn't understand what they said. Then they pushed him so that James, caught off balance, fell into a puddle. The twins roared with laughter and one of them began to take photos of James with his mobile phone. Within minutes the pictures had circulated around the whole class and James felt that everyone was laughing at him.
Even so, he didn't give up. He went round to the twins' house and invited them back to his. He invited them to play football. He invited them to go to the pictures. But every time, the twins sneered at him and threatened to punch him and on one occasion, stole his skateboard and refused to give it back.
Before long, James felt that he hated those horrible twins.
Then James heard at church that he ought to love his neighbours. "Huh!" he exclaimed to his mother. "No-one could love George or Gary. They're awful I hate them."
"Do you know why they moved here?" asked his mother.
James shook his head. He didn't much care, anyway.
"Their mother's walked out," explained James' Mum. "They're living with their Dad and his new girlfriend. I don't think they're very happy."
James thought about that and shuddered when he pictured his Mum walking out. It was too awful to contemplate. Then he thought of Jesus and decided to ask Jesus for help with the twins.
James didn't get help straight away. But he found he rather liked talking to Jesus, so he began to learn all he could about Jesus and to look for opportunities to talk to him more and more. To his surprise, James discovered that the more he thought about Jesus and the more he talked to him, the more he loved Jesus.
When he really began to love Jesus with all his being, James found that he didn't hate the twins quite so much. He also found that he began to understand them more, and when one day he managed to raise a smile from George, he knew that Jesus was answering that prayer he made so long ago.
It took a long time, but eventually James became firm friends with the twins and they had a great time together.
"But it would never have happened if I hadn't learned to love you first," James said to Jesus.
And he was right.
Activity:
You need:
A number of different natural objects, such a stone,
a twig, a flower.
Candles or nightlights, set in sand.
Matches
Pictures of Jesus.
Pictures of beautiful pastoral scenes.
Whiteboard or flipchart and pens.
Music and CD player, if desired.
Set out the room before the children arrive. Put the pictures around the walls, with some on a table. Arrange the objects on a table.
Tell the children that today you're going to concentrate on connecting with God, because Jesus told us that the most important thing in the world is to learn to love God. Explain that there are many different ways to do this and ask the children for their ideas. Write their ideas on the flipchart or whiteboard. Then tell them that it sometimes helps to focus our thoughts and that you have brought along a number of objects to help them focus on God. Invite the children to choose an object or a picture and gaze at the picture or hold the object and think what it tells them about God. Let the children wander, picking up objects, gazing at pictures.
When they begin to grow restless, collect all their thoughts on the flipchart.
Finish by inviting them to light a candle and focus on it in silent prayer. You could play some gentle music, if you wish.
Intercession:
God of love, we long to have you in the centre of our church life. When we're tempted to concentrate on practical expressions of Christianity, remind us that they need to be underpinned by love for you and help us to increase and deepen our corporate prayer life.
God of love, we long for the day when the whole world will come together. Give us the wisdom to tolerate and understand each other, so that our various religions will not drive us apart, but bring us together in mutual love for you.
God of love, we long for you to be at the centre of our being. Take away our fear of silence and our uneasiness with prayer and enable us to speak to you as naturally and as willingly as we speak to each other, that we may learn to love you with our hearts, our souls and our minds.
God of love, we long for those who are sick to be healed. Pour your love and healing power into them as we name them before you .
Blessing:
May God so fill your life
at the centre of your being
that your love for him will overflow
into love for your neighbour.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
