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Love Your Enemies

Children's sermon
Luke 6:27-38
Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - C
Arley K. Fadness
Object: 
Make a red heart out of tag board approximately one to three feet in diameter, a yellow or bright smiley face sticker and a frowning face sticker
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you....” (v. 27)

Good morning boys and girls,

First thing I want to say is, I love you little ones. Know why? I just love to give love and to receive love. How many of you know how to hug? (children respond)

Love and hugs are about the same aren't they? (children respond)

Well this morning I'm going to talk about love.

The greatest sermon Jesus ever preached shocked the people. He told them who to love.

He said don't just love the easy people but love the nasty people too.

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you....” (display large heart)

It's easy to love your parents, right? (children respond)

It's easy to love your brothers and sisters, right? (children respond)

It's easy to love kind and caring adults, right? (children respond)

It's easy to love kids who you get along with, right? (children respond)

It's easy to love people who love you. Right? (children respond)

But would you believe that Jesus, in that amazing sermon, said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you....”

For kids, a bully can be like an enemy. It's hard to love bullies, isn't it? (attach frowning face to the red heart)

There is no easy way on how to love a bully. If love is doing the best for an enemy then tough love may the right love for a bully. A bully needs help. Tough love may simply be going and talking to an adult about the problem.

But the main reason why one would love one's enemies is this. (attach smiley face on other side of the heart) We love because God first loved us. God loves us as we are. God loved us so much, in Jesus, he suffered and died for us. Then Jesus rose again from the dead. And Jesus is now with us pouring love into us and through us by the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Loving Lord, show us how and why to love those who dislike us. Amen.
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