Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, you call us your beloved children. May we hear your call to follow your Son Jesus, our Brother. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sorry Song (to the tune of If you’re happy and you know it)
When we say that you are sorry, God forgives.
When we say that you are sorry, God forgives.
If our sins are large or small,
God will still forgive them all.
When we say that we are sorry, God forgives.
Then sing the Gloria (tune of Row, Row, Row your Boat)
Praise, praise, praise the Lord, Praise our Father dear.
As we listen to his word, feel his spirit near.
Gospel - Matthew 10:40-42
The Lord be with you. All: And with your spirit. (teach them this)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John. All: Glory to you, O Lord. (teach them this)
Jesus said to his apostles: "Anyone who makes you feel welcome in therir homes is welcoming me for I am with you always. Anyone who treats you kindly and shares their food and drink with you is sharing their goodness with me and my father who sent me. However small or great their act of kindness, they wil be rewarded for their goodness."
The Gospel of the Lord.
All: “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ”
Suggestions for the Discussion - explain that some of the examples in this lesson may be a little different now, because of COVID-19.
What does it mean to welcome someone? It means to greet someone with pleasure and friendlieness and to make them feel that you are pleased to see them. How do you welcom anyone who comes to visit your home? If it is someone we have just net or do not know very well, we might shake hands and say hello. If it is a relative or a good friend we might give them a hug to welcome them. If they are children, we could make them welcome by sharing toys or letting them join in a game we are playing.
Jesus always had time to spend with others even when he was feeling tired. Remember the story when the disciples tried to stop the little children from coming to see Jesus, but Jesus welcomed them with open arms and spent some time with them?
In our Bible story Jesus gave us a message. Whenever we welcome anyone and treat them kindly, we are welcoming Jesus. Remember how at baptism we all received the gift of God's spirit? Because of this gift, each one of us has the light of Christ burning inside us and we should share it. How do you feel when you do something good or kind to or for someody? Happy. Our reward for being kind and loving toward someone else is a wonderful feeilng of happiness. At that moment, the Holy Spirit is burning even more brightly inside of us.
How else can we keep the light of Christ burning brightly inside us? Be kind, helpful, forgiving, sharing, pray every day, don’t be tempted, remember to ask for forgiveness for our mistakes, listen to our parents, carers etc. We can tell people about Jesus by telling our friends to come to church or go online at the moment like we do to learn about God and Jesus.
Prayer: Dear Father, help us to “show and tell” others about you and Your love. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Lesson and Gospel adapted from The Complete Children's Liturgy Book
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