There is no one like a child to get you to live up to your word. Say you’ll take your kids to the park on Saturday morning and they’ll make sure that you honor that commitment regardless of how little sleep you got or how hot or cold the temperature is. Mention that you’re going to make spaghetti for dinner, only to find that you only have rotini on hand, and you’ll be greeted at the table with a child who points out that you said dinner would be spaghetti, not spiral noodles! However, when we look at how each of us lives up to the words that we often say to one another – love others as God loves you and you love yourself – even children realize it’s hard to consistently hold ourselves to this promise. In this lesson, your children will explore James’ letter highlighting the call and the challenges of loving one another.
Begin the time with your children by asking them to list the people they love. Ask them why they love each of these people. Then, invite them to share the names of people they struggle to love. Inquire why they find these people hard to love.
Prepare to read aloud James 2:1-10, 14-17. Provide context for this reading for your children. Explain that today’s Scripture reading comes from a letter attributed to James, Jesus’ brother. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, James became a leader in the early Christian church. James wrote this letter to his fellow believers to encourage them in their faith. Many weren’t as dedicated to and focused on their faith as they had been. James also noticed that the faithful who were poor were being mistreated by religious leaders. These circumstances moved James to write this letter encouraging them in their faith. Encourage your children to notice what James says in the reading about loving one another.
Read aloud James 2:1-10, 14-17. Because the text is a bit dense, you may want to read The Message translation of the reading, which you can find here. (This lesson references the language used in The Message.) After reading the Scripture with your children, ask what they think James means when he says, “Love others as you love yourself.” How do your children want to be loved? Next ask your children to think about how God loves humans. What does God’s love look and feel like? How can we love one another as God loves each of us?
Give your children an opportunity to talk about the joys and difficulties of loving others as God loves us. Note that this means we are called to love all people. As James points out, we shouldn’t favor some people over others because of the way they look or act. To love as God loves, we must love people no matter what. This also means we may be called on to love people we don’t necessarily like. How can we show God’s love to those we find difficult to spend time with?
To help your children connect James’ message to their own lives, plan a time when they can put the “God-talk” of loving others as we love ourselves into action. James offers a situation that was specific to the audience he was speaking to that is also applicable today. In the first several verses of the reading, James notes that Christ’s disciples should not offer a warmer welcome to someone who is affluent and well-dressed than one who is living in poverty and is wearing worn-out clothing. Each should be welcomed as we would want to be welcomed.
Identify an opportunity for your family to provide welcome to someone who is struggling. There may be an individual or family you would like to connect with or there may be a ministry or community organization you could partner with. Aim to serve someone who doesn’t always feel welcome in public spaces because of the effects of poverty, mental illness or physical, language or psychological differences. Talk with your children about how your family can embody the idea of loving someone as we are loved by God. What would this look like? What actions would you take? What words would you say?
Plan a time when you can put your ideas into action. If you are already involved in such a ministry, carve out some time to talk with your children about the connection between that work and the James reading. If this is a new undertaking for you and your children, be sure to debrief after the experience. Notice what the joys and challenges of living out this call are.
JOELLE BRUMMIT-YALE is the director of children’s and youth ministries at Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. When not at the church, she can usually be found at home with her son and husband caring for their many animals and developing their family homestead.
