Sermon of the Week - February 20 2011

Sermons 4 Kids
Sermon of the Week
Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
February 20, 2011

February 14, 2011

Title: Love Your Enemies

Theme: Love one another -- even your enemies. Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, Yr. A

Object: A large heart cut out of red poster board

Scripture: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:43-44

What do you think of when you see a heart? (Hold up the heart.) Most of us would probably say that when we see a heart, we think of love. Who do you love? Do you love your parents? Do you love your brother or sister? How about your best friend? Do you love your teacher? It is easy to love these people, because they love us too.

Are there any boys or girls that are mean to you at recess? Has anyone ever said something about you that was not true? Do you love those boys and girls? Should we really be expected to love people who are mean to us, treat us badly, and say ugly things about us? Well, let's listen to what Jesus told us to do.

One day Jesus was teaching out on a hillside. We call his lesson that day "The Sermon on the Mount." In his sermon, Jesus said some things that really surprised his listeners. "You have heard that you should love your neighbors and hate your enemies," Jesus said. "But I say, love your enemies -- and if someone does mean and hateful things to you, pray them."

Why should we love our enemies? Jesus said that when we love our enemies, we are acting like children of God. If we only love those who love us, will God reward us for that? If we are only kind to our friends, what is so great about that? Everybody does that!

It isn't always easy to love your enemies, but there are some good reasons for doing it.

    It demonstrate the love of God to others.
    It sets a good example for others to follow.
    It turns enemies into friends.

Father, it is easy to love those who love us. Help us to love our enemies so that they might know that we are your children. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Coloring Pages and Activities

GROUP ACTIVITIES PAGE

COLORING PAGE: "Love Your Enemies"

CROSSWORD PUZZLE (PDF) (HTML)

DECODER PUZZLE (PDF) (HTML)

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE (PDF) (HTML)

WORSHIP BULLETIN (WORD DOCUMENT) Save this document to your computer and personalize it with your church's name. Print side one then reinsert it into the printer and print side two.

Sermon Links

A PRINT FRIENDLY VERSION OF THIS SERMON: "Love Your Enemies"

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