Children's Moment: Love Your Neighbor

(Dressed as a farmer – dirty shirt, handkerchief, dirty work gloves, jeans, boots)

Do you like my outfit?  Do you think this is an appropriate outfit for church?  What about going on a date?  Or what about going shopping?  Do you think if you saw me eating in a nice restaurant you would want to say hi to me or come give me a hug?  It might be embarrassing to some people.  Some might even turn the other way to avoid being embarrassed by knowing me.

You see, this is how I dress just about every single day.  I work really hard on our farm.  Most days I look worse than this.  I have sweat dripping from my face and dirt all over my clothes and I may even stink after working outside all day.  My job is to work the earth.  If you look out in the audience, you will see people that don’t always look like they do today.  There are car salesmen, lawyers, doctors, construction workers, ministers, gardeners, teachers, plumbers, and all other sorts of gifted and unique people in our congregation. 

Do you know people who look different than you?  Do you know anyone who acts different than you? It’s really easy to not want to love someone because they look different or act different isn’t it?  Do you know what God has to say about this though?

When I was reading Mark 12:28 a scribe asks Jesus which commandment of all the commands is the most important of all.  ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Did you hear that last part?  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no other commandment greater than these.”  So God doesn’t tell us to love someone if they look or act a certain way does he?  He just tells us to love them.  You are going to meet many different types of people in your life.  You never know what someone is going through or how you might be able to help them.  My hope and prayer for you today is that you will show God’s love to everyone, no matter their appearance.  You might be the only friendly face that person sees.

I also hope that the next time you see me as a farmer; you won’t be embarrassed to give me a hug!

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this day.  I thank you for bringing these children into your house of worship to hear your word this morning.  I ask that you would help each one of us to love our neighbor as you have commanded.  We love you and praise you forever, In Jesus name, Amen.