Title:  Jesus Loves Us All

Theme:  Jesus loves ALL the little children and so should we! 5th Sunday of Easter, Yr. C

Object:   A package "Dum Dums"® suckers.  (Any brand of suckers with a variety of flavors will do.)

Scripture:  "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  John 13:34-35

This morning I have a bag of "Dum-dums."  As you can see, "Dum-dums" come in many different flavors. There are lemon, cherry, grape, watermelon, orange, and butterscotch to name just a few.  I sometimes give "Dum-dums" to the children who come to Sunday School.  One thing I have noticed is that when I allow the children to choose the flavor they want, some children are very picky about which flavor they choose.  The favorite flavor seems to be blue raspberry. I don't think it is because kids like the taste, I think it is because they like the way it turns their mouth blue!  Whenever I let the children choose, I always wind up with all of the butterscotch left when all of the other flavors are gone.  For some reason, children seldom ever choose the butterscotch suckers.

I don't know why the children don't like butterscotch.  I guess butterscotch is a little bit different.  Maybe it isn't quite as sweet as grape or cherry, or some of the other flavors, or maybe they just don't like the color of the paper wrapper.  Do you know what I do with the leftover butterscotch suckers?  I eat them myself, because I love all the flavors!

These "Dum-dums" remind me of children.  Have you ever noticed that when children play games, some children are always the last to be chosen?  Maybe they are just a little bit different or maybe their skin is a different color. For some reason, the other children just won't choose them.

We all need to remember that Jesus loves ALL the children and he said that you and I should do the same.  Jesus said, "As I have loved you, so must you love one another."  Have you ever been the one who was left out?  It isn't a very good feeling, but if you are ever the one that feels left out, you can know that Jesus loves you just as much as He loves the other children.

Dear Lord, help us to remember that you have told us to love one another just as you have loved us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.