IT’S FOOD TRUCK MONTH IN OUR NURSERY AND PRESCHOOL ROOM THIS MONTH! There is a food truck for just about every kind of food, and when the food trucks are lined up, the whole community comes out. Some people like noodles. Some people like tacos. Some people like hot dogs. And others head straight for the funnel cakes!
Next time you see a row of food trucks look around at all the people in line. Take time to thank Jesus because Jesus loves everyone. Jesus loves the sour as well as the sweet; the spicy as well as the mild; the simple as well as the complicated; your favorites and your not-so-favorites. Jesus loves everyone!
WEEK 1 Story Focus: Jesus loves everyone. Jesus touches a man who asks for help and heals him of all his boo-boos. an with leprosy. He was not someone everyone loved...or even liked, really. In fact, people stayed away from him because they didn’t want to get what he had. A person with leprosy lived a very lonely and painful life. But then one day, this man meets Jesus. And Jesus does not run away. Jesus loves the man and makes him well. Why? Because Jesus loves everyone.
WEEK 2 Story Focus: Jesus is a friend to everyone. Jesus is a kind and loving friend to a woman who had done something wrong. We call her the unloved woman because she experienced anything but love from the religious leaders. Instead of love, she received judgment, hate, anger, embarrassment...until she was dragged to the feet of Jesus. What does Jesus give the woman? Love, grace and compassion. Why? Because Jesus loves everyone.
WEEK 3 Story Focus: Jesus loves us even when we do something wrong. Zacchaeus climbs a tree to see Jesus. We can only imagine the look on Zacchaeus’ face when he saw Jesus walking towards him as he sat perched in a tree. Maybe Zacchaeus thought Jesus was going to tell him that being a tax collector was wrong. Maybe he thought Jesus was going to tell him he should be ashamed of his bad choices. But that’s not what happened. Instead, Jesus tells Zacchaeus He wants to stay at his house. Why? Because Jesus loves everyone.
WEEK 4 Story Focus: Jesus loves me. Jesus tells His friends, the disciples, to let the children come to Him. Parents were bringing their children to Jesus so He could bless them. The disciples, thinking they were doing what was best, told the parents to go away. I mean, Jesus is super important and has super important things to do. He can’t be bothered with children, right? Wrong. Jesus quickly tells His disciples to let the children come to Him and don’t make it hard for children to get to Him. Why? Because Jesus loves everyone.
IN OUR ELEMENTARY CLASSES, WE ARE GEARING UP FOR AN ADVENTURE IN KINDNESS BY FOCUSING ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN KINDNESS AND GOD’S CHARACTER, AS SHOWN THROUGH GOD’S BIG STORY
God showed kindness by sending Jesus for us—even when we didn’t deserve it. Because of God’s love for us, we can be kind to everyone. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. And when you show kindness to others, you give them a glimpse into the heart of God, and how much God loves them. Kindness should be a characteristic of people who follow Jesus. Not only did Jesus model kindness, but He also commanded it. He taught us to treat others the way we want to be treated.
WEEK 1 We start this month in the book of Matthew as we look at three moments of kindness from Jesus’ life. Whether Jesus was healing the sick, blessing little children, or sharing meals with people whom others seemed to disregard, He was full of love and kindness. With the way He treated others, Jesus made sure that everyone knew they were valuable in God’s eyes. Bottom Line: Jesus showed us how to be kind. As we consider how we can show kindness to others, the best place to start is with Jesus. When we read about how Jesus was kind to others, we can learn how to reflect God’s love in the way we treat others and show them they are valuable. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, God was so incredibly kind to us. In response, we can choose to be kind to the people we meet each day. Click Here for this weeks at home devotional!
WEEK 2 In week 2, we head to Ruth 1 and 2, where we find Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Both of their husbands had died, and Ruth had the opportunity to return home to her family. Instead, she chose to show kindness to Naomi and stay with her. Ruth’s kindness didn’t go unnoticed. Boaz saw how Ruth had treated Naomi and offered kindness to Ruth, hugely changing her life. Bottom Line: Be kind to the people closest to you. When it comes to our family and friends, we can often find ourselves taking them for granted. We hope that through the story of Ruth, kids will learn to show kindness to the people who care about them the most. Click Here for this weeks at home devotional!
WEEK 3 For week three, we turn to Matthew 5:41. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “Suppose someone forces you to go one mile. Go two miles with them.” To us, that might sound strange, but to those listening—not so much. Jesus’ listeners knew that a Roman soldier could force them to carry their pack for a full mile. Jesus said to go two! In doing so, Jesus reminded His followers about the importance of going above and beyond in the way they chose to respond to others. Bottom Line: Be kinder than you have to be. Often kindness can feel like an obligation. Because of that, we tend to do the bare minimum when it comes to being kind to others. What if we helped kids look at it differently? What if we helped them see that kindness can be extravagant and unexpected? It’s that sort of kindness that can change people’s hearts and show them how much God loves them. Click Here for this weeks at home devotional!
WEEK 4 We finish the month with a familiar parable found in Luke 10:25-37. A religious leader asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus used this story to completely change how people who follow Him should look at showing kindness to others. It’s not just for people we know or like, but for everyone we meet. Bottom Line: Be kind to people who are different from you. Everyone is deserving of our kindness, whether they’re like us or not. We hope kids learn from a young age that God’s love is for everyone. We can’t hold back kindness from others just because they might look or act differently from us. Jesus modeled a love and kindness that included everyone. We should follow His example. Click Here for this weeks at home devotional!
