I Am A Peacemaker

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Welcome to Summer To The Max!

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There are so many things to love about summer, like ice cream, swimming, staying up late, and more.

Co-Host

There are some challenges to summer, too. Be honest. How many of you have gotten into at least one argument this summer with your brother or sister? Parents?

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How far do you let those arguments go? Do you ever let them really explode? That can do a lot of damage, not just physically, but also in someone’s heart.

Co-Host

Let’s play a game. In this one, each team will attempt to win a battle against the other team. We have two teams: one team of connectors and one with kids. They will compete in Rock, Paper, Scissors.

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The teams must face away from each other and decide which one to send into battle. We’ll all shout, “Rock, Paper, Scissors, go!” As soon as we say, “Go,” send one of your team members to the middle. You can’t peek until you’ve sent a player.

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That’s how many people view life. It’s a battle, and their goal is to win at all costs.

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Followers of Jesus should think differently. Instead of viewing life as a battle, we can bring something else into any argument.

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Let’s check out our Big Point to discover how followers of Jesus should react in situations when we don’t agree.

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We need everyone to help us count down from three, and then we’ll read the Big Point.

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Let’s all say it together, I Am A Peacemaker! Our Big Point means that followers of Jesus look for opportunities to create peaceful resolutions instead of just attacking.

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It doesn’t mean you have to agree 100% of the time. It also doesn’t mean you should approve of something that is clearly wrong. Instead of attacking using violent actions or words, Christians should look to find peace in disagreements.

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We know that Jesus came to bring peace between us and God, and that’s what we can do for others.

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Let’s say our Big Point again,

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I Am A Peacemaker!

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Let’s see what Jesus said in the Big Verse about what happens when His followers seek peace in difficult situations.

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Everyone, count down from three, and then we’ll read the verse.

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Matthew 5:9 NIrV says, “Blessed are those who make peace. They will be called children of God.” When someone makes you angry, it can be tempting to lash out at them.

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That may be what you see some friends and even some adults doing. If you make the choice to fight when someone comes at you, then you won’t be that much different from everyone else.

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That’s the problem. As followers of Jesus, we don’t want to be like everyone else. Jesus calls us to be different from the crowd, to stand out by following His way of doing things.

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That’s why peacemakers are called God’s children. Whenever we make peace instead of war, we demonstrate who we follow because God brings peace into confusing situations.

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It’s like this balloon. Imagine that you are having an argument with a friend. You have multiple ways to deal with the disagreement. You can fight fire with fire and go to war with that friend, but there are consequences.

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Even if the person agrees with you, hurtful words may keep you from having a good friendship going forward. Those memories might make it hard to tell people about Jesus when you’ve just torched them in an argument.

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Being a peacemaker means bringing people together that have differences. Showing love toward someone you disagree with is a great way to demonstrate God’s love. Instead of harming the friendship, you can build it up with peace.

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Even Christians disagree at times. We should always look for ways to heal our friendships and live in peace, whether we agree or disagree.

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Let’s see what Jesus did when He had an opportunity to fight back.

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Maybe you’ve struggled with wanting to fight instead of having a desire to make peace. This is a great day to choose a new attitude. Instead of battling, you can find a way to forgive and restore the friendship, just like Jesus restored that servant’s ear. You don’t have to agree with people who do wrong, but we can still find a way to live peacefully. When you do that, you trust God to handle the situation. Let’s take a moment to pray at our seats and ask God to help us become peacemakers. (Pause) Now I’ll pray.

Co-Host

Peter thought he did the right thing by lopping off that servant’s ear, but Jesus chose a different way to handle the situation. He didn’t come to fight people. He came to save them. You should never agree to evil or sinful things in order to make peace, but it is possible to be a peacemaker and still speak the truth. Just make sure you do everything out of a heart of love. Remember the Big Point,

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I Am A Peacemaker!

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That brings us to this week’s Big Do.

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Use Legos or other types of building blocks to create a masterpiece. Be creative and create something totally new. Then talk with your family about how peacemakers bring people together by sharing God’s love.

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One thing I try to be careful of in the summer are ants. Have you ever stepped into an ant bed and found yourself covered in them? That is not fun at all.

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That is painful. It’s kind of what happens when you aren’t careful with your arguments. If you don’t try to make peace, then you can stir up some painful problems. Peace is like carefully moving around an ant bed. It’s a smart summer move.

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This would be a great time cheer each other on as we have Game Show Sunday!

• Why is it hard sometimes to make peace instead of arguing? Do you get frustrated when someone else won’t even consider that you might be right? How can we still make peace even if we continue to disagree?

• What do you think of the way Peter reacted? If someone was trying to hurt your best friend, would you react the same way? Why did Jesus want him to put away the sword? What did Jesus communicate when He healed the servants ear? Jesus showed that He came to bring peace to the world and to connect people to God, not destroy people. Jesus showed how His love can overcome arguments and disagreements.

• Our Big Point says, I Am A ______!

  • Fighter

  • Peacemaker

• What terrible thing did Judas do to Jesus?

  • Took Him money

  • Betrayed Jesus

• What did Peter do as the soldiers tried to capture Jesus?

  • Attacked with a sword

  • Helped the soldiers

• What did Jesus tell Peter?

  • Keep fighting

  • Put away the sword

• What did Jesus do for the servant whose ear was cut off?

  • Left him alone

  • Healed him

• Matthew 5:9 NIrV says, “Blessed are those who make peace. They will be called _____ of God.”

  • Children

  • Enemies

• Why does making peace show that we are part of God’s family?

• Jesus came to help people find true peace with God.

  • True

  • False

• How does making peace help us share the good news about Jesus with others?

• What is this week’s Big Do?

Build something with Legos and talk about how peacemakers show God’s love