The Good Samaritan

Children’s Chapel

July 10, 2016
Proper 10C

Welcome: Children will enter quietly and sit together on the floor. Welcome all children and ask if there are any new friends today.

Theme: The Good Samaritan

Preview the Story: Today in our Bible story we are going to hear about the ways in which God asks us to love one another. First though lets talk a little bit about what love is. Raise your hand and tell me what is love (Allow answers.) Those are all wonderful examples of love. We love our moms, and dads, our sisters and brothers, our friends and families and our pets too! Do you think it is easy to love someone? Sometimes it is, right? But what about when someone is not so nice to us, or if we don’t even know who they are, or if they seem weird or different from us. Before you answer that question let’s listen to the Bible story called “The Good Samaritan.”

The Bible Story: (Read Aloud)

Luke:10:25-37

²⁵Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” ²⁷He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” ²⁹But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” ³⁷He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Response: After listening to the Bible story, what does it tell us about how God wants us to love. Do you think God still wants us to love everyone, even those who are different than us?  “Yes” you are right! God does want us to love our neighbor just like we love our own self, and He wants us to love our neighbor all of the time. In the story of the good Samaritan there was someone who was badly hurt and in need of a doctor and care laying in the road after he had been beaten by robbers and they had stolen his money. Two men, who were actually of the same as the man passed by the injured man. They could have helped, but what did they do? They ignored him and passed him by. In Jesus’ time a Samaritan man was someone who was different and not like most of the people who lived near Jesus. He did not have to help the man on the road either. He wasn’t like him at all and he could have passed him by just like the two men who were from the same city passed him by. But the Samaritan did not pass the man by. He stopped and helped the man, taking him to a place where he could be cared for and paying for his expenses. Even though the man on the road was different form the Samaritan, he stopped and loved the man by helping him. God asks us to do the very same thing. Do you think it was easy for the Samaritan to help the man? You’re right, it was very difficult. It may not always be easy for us to love others either. But God is always with us to help us as we try to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

           

Pray: Heavenly Father, we give thanks for your love that you give to each one of us. Strengthen us with your love and help us to love one another and you with our whole hearts. In your holy name,

Amen.

Response Activity: Good Samaritan craft