Talk about it
Wow, John must have seen some amazing things as a friend of Jesus! There were a couple of things mentioned in the video – can you think of any other miracles John would have seen Jesus do?
Think about some of your friends. What makes you want to be friends with them? What are some of the things you enjoy doing together? How is being friends with a person similar to being friends with Jesus? How is it different?
When John was older, he wrote letters to other Christians, reminding them to love each other. Watch this video which shows some of the things he told them.
Remember it
One of the reminders John put in his letter is:
“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.” 1 John 3:16
The only way we know how to love each other is because Jesus showed us the best kind of love! Loving people isn’t always easy, but it’s one of the best ways we can show that we’re following Jesus. Another reminder in John’s letter is:
“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” 1 John 3:18
See if you can remember the verse this week – then do something about it and show your friends and family that you love them by the way you treat them!
Pray
Dear God, thank you that just like John, we have the chance to be friends with Jesus too. Please help us to learn to listen to him the same way that John did. And please help us to be good friends to each other too. Help us to know how treat people well so that we can show we love them. Amen.
Things to do
Be like John and write a letter to someone you love – this could be one of your friends or someone in your family. Tell them why you love them or say thank you for the things they do for you. You could make your own version, or print one using the file I sent out in this week’s email.
Along the same lines, why not mail a hug to someone you haven’t seen for a long time? It’s not quite the same as the real thing, but it’s a great way to show someone you love them!
Challenge yourself to do a kind thing for a different person every day this week! It could be something like sharing toys or sweets, helping to tidy up, doing the washing up, comforting someone when they’re sad, inviting someone to join your game… See how many different kind things you can think of, then start doing them!
Everyone likes receiving gifts – why not make something special for someone? It could be a bookmark or a picture you’ve drawn of you and your friend. You could make a photo frame for a special photo. You could bake something tasty or buy a bunch of flowers. You could give away a toy or book. Talk to your parents and see if you can come up with some other fun gift ideas!
