Joe MartinThis term in our Primary Prayer Resources we learnt about friends and we heard the story of The Good Samaritan where we learnt that everyone is our neighbour.
This means that we have neighbours all over Nottingham, all over the United Kingdom and all over the World!
This week we are going to be thinking about who our neighbours are, how we should treat our neighbours and how we can show them the love and respect that Jesus has taught us to show.
In our Music Resource we will be thinking about love whilst in our Picture Resource we will think about our neighbours around the world and how we can look after them.
During our Action we will get to use our imaginations to come up with a great way to celebrate with our neighbours and our Video Resource will help us to understand more about our neighbours in the local area. Finally, in our Scripture Resource we think about how we should try to live with our neighbours peacefully and to always try to do the right thing.
Remember throughout this week that everyone you meet is your neighbour and Jesus has taught us to treat our neighbours as we would want to be treated.
Scripture Bank
If you would like to reflect on some more of the scriptures related to this topic then you can use some of the scripture references below.
Most of these are taken from Open Bible – you can use their Topical Bible Search facility to find lots more ideas! Just remember to change the Bible translation to ‘Good News Translation’ when you click on the link!
If you have found any pieces of scripture that you think link to our theme this week then please add them in the comments box below to share the Good News so that we can all enjoy them!
Matthew 22:36-38
Mark 12:28-34
John 13:34-35
Leviticus 19:18
Mark 12:31
John 3:16
James 2:8
Click here for the Music Resource
Listen carefully and try to remember what it tells you to do.
This video teaches us to “love your neighbour“.
We must love each other because, if we are special to God then we should be special to each other too.
The vegetables sing that “loving is lending a hand”.
Lending a hand is another way of saying helping.
Think about ways that you can help other people and show them love.
Share your ideas with your class.
Help us to share our love by helping each other.
Amen.
Click here for the Picture Resource
Have you eaten any of these foods before?
Have you ever eaten any Fairtrade food before?
Fairtrade products have this logo on them.
If a product is Fairtrade it means that the people who worked really hard to make it are given a fair amount of money for it.
Some big companies do not pay enough money to the people who work really hard to make food, clothes and toys so that they can keep it for themselves instead. This isn’t fair!
If we buy items which are Fairtrade then we are supporting our neighbours all around the world.
In the story of The Good Samaritan Jesus teaches us that we are neighbours to everyone. That includes people on the other side of the world!
Next time you are shopping and you see something with the Fairtrade logo on it tell the person that you are shopping with all about what Fairtrade means. Encourage people to buy Fairtrade products when they can.
Lord we pray for our neighbours all around the world.
Please look after those people who are not treated fairly.
Amen.
Click here for the Action
We should show love to our neighbours, just as Jesus taught us to do:
…‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’
(Matthew 22: 37-39)
One way to show others love is to spend time with them and to invite them to your parties!
This week your task is to design a party for all your neighbours!
Your party can be as big and as exciting as you like!
There are two rules for your party….
1. You must try to include as many neighbours as you can, neighbours from school, neighbours from your street and your neighbours from around the world!
2. The theme of your party is to “Love your neighbour“!
There are lots of different jobs to do:
- Design the invitations for all of your neighbours.
- Decide what food you will have that all of your neighbours will like. Will you buy Fairtrade food so that you can help your neighbours in other countries? Will you all bring some different food to share with your neighbours?
- Decide what games and activities you will have at your party, will you have any fairground rides or even a swimming pool?!
- Draw a map of your party to show where everything will be.
- What decorations will you have to show that your party is all about loving your neighbours?
- What music will you have at your party to teach your neighbours that we must love each other?
Take pictures of the things that you have drawn and post them on the Be Inspirational website so other schools can see your great ideas!
Click here for the Video Resource
In this video we meet a grocer who sells the things you like to eat and a doctor who will help to make you feel better when you are ill.
As the song says these are people in your neighbourhood, which means they are your neighbours.
Discuss who are some other people in your neighbourhood like the grocer and the doctor.
Who do you see and meet as you are walking down the street?
Try to describe and explain what these people do in your neighbourhood.
Have a go at writing some more verses to the song about the people you know from your neighbourhood.
You might like to dress up as these people from your neighbourhood and then perform your song!
Remember that we should always be thankful for all the people around us.
Amen.
Click here for the Scripture Resource
A reading from the First letter of St Paul to the Romans
Ask God to bless those who persecute you—yes, ask him to bless, not to curse. Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep. Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise.
If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good. Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.
The Word of the Lord.
This scripture teaches us how we should behave and how we should treat our neighbours.
As we learnt a few weeks ago, sometimes things can go wrong and we may fall out with our neighbours. When this happens we should try to do the right thing and be good. We do this by saying sorry when we do something wrong and by forgiving others when they go wrong.
The scripture teaches us to live in peace with everybody. This means that we should always try to be friends with all of our neighbours.
There are some places in the world where people are not friends with their neighbours.
Close your eyes and ask God to help those people who are not friends with their neighbours.
Lord, please help the people who do not have peace with their neighbours.
Help us to always try to love our neighbours as you love us.
Amen.