Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

Host

Welcome to the Lab! So far we’ve learned how to love God with everything we have and that God wants us to share our love with others.

Co-Host

God wants us to be loving toward everyone, even people you may not be easy to get along with.

Host

Sharing love is a great way to tell someone about Jesus. If you act like you don’t care, I doubt other people will want to know what you know about God.

Co-Host

Let’s play a game and share some love right now.

Host

How do you plan to do that?

Co-Host

We have some heart shaped foam balls. On each team one kid will “share some love,” by tossing the heart, and the other kid tries to catch it in the bucket they’re holding on top of their head.

Host

Let’s see who can catch the most in 60 seconds. Go!

Co-Host

That was fun, and so is sharing love with other people.

Host

Today we will discover how to show others love. First, turn to someone nearby and tell that person what kind of candy you love to share with your family.

Host

Hans von Striker is up to his old tricks again. Do you agree with Rusty that the best idea is to fight fire with fire?

Co-Host

Great opening line. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Host

Ow! Why did you hit me?

Co-Host

To show love to my friend. That’s what we’re talking about today, right? Is this service some kind of practical joke? Is there a hidden camera somewhere? Am I going to be on your Tik Tok?

Host

How is hitting me showing love? Would you want someone to do that to you?

Co-Host

Obviously, yes. (Co-Host winds up and hits himself/herself in the air) Ow, that hurts like a monkey’s uncle. No, no one should want that. Sorry. I think my arm is dead now.

Host

Why don’t we see what God says about it in our Big Point. I need a volunteer to help us reveal it.

Co-Host

After we count down from three you can read the Big Point.

Host

Let’s all say it together, Love Your Neighbor As Yourself!

Co-Host

Basically, we should treat people the way that we want to be treated. Would you guys want someone to talk about you behind your back or steal from your backpack? If you wouldn’t want that, then you shouldn’t do it to others.

Host

If you want people to use kind words or encourage you, then do that for someone else. Think about what you want and copy that behavior when you share some love.

Co-Host

Speaking of copying what you see, let’s play a game. We’re going to bring some contestants on stage to play, but everyone in the audience can play, too.

Host

In this game you’re going to pair up with someone else in the audience, and along with our teams on stage, you are going to try to copy one of the three actions you see on screen. Let’s see if you can pick the right one to copy.

Co-Host

Congratulations to the winners. They picked the right action to copy.

Host

God tells us to copy how we want to be loved and love others that way. Let’s see if Rusty does that or seeks revenge.

Host

I’m not a big fan of Hans von Striker, but I don’t think the way the Rusty has handled his new power is helping things. Have you ever wished that you could get back at someone who has been mean to you in the past?

Co-Host

Even though it’s tempting to treat them the way they treated you, God wants us to follow our Big Point. Let’s say our Big Point,

Co-Host

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself!

Host

Herman shared a Big Verse that helps us make the right choice even when we feel like Rusty. Let’s choose an assistant to help us reveal it.

Co-Host

After we count down from three, you get to read the verse.

Co-Host

Leviticus 19:18 (NIrV) says, “Do not try to get even…Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

Host

We think that getting even hurts the other person, but choosing revenge…

Co-Host

Keep going. I think I have a visual to help.

Host

As I was saying, revenge actually has a way of hurting you just as much as it hurts them.

Co-Host

Wow, that was loud. Revenge is like attacking with cymbals. It’s as loud for you as it is for them.

Host

You could have warned me before you made me go deaf.

Co-Host

It is not getting better. Being mean to or hurting someone who hurt you makes you angrier and more frustrated. It keeps you from following Jesus’ example and experiencing the life He has for you.

Host

But love is different. When you love others as you want to be loved, even when you don’t think they deserve it, then you become a more joyful person. God blesses you and helps you become your very best.

Co-Host

Yep, that is a terrible form of attack.

Host

For the love of Pete, will you please stop hitting those cymbals? I think we get the point. Loving others builds us up, whereas revenge tears everyone down. Let’s stand and take a moment to worship God.

Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes. I wonder how many of you guys have said mean stuff…about yourselves. Maybe you put yourself down or call yourself names or even find ways to hurt yourself. If you think you’re not worth much, I want you to know that God thinks you’re worth a lot. He loves you so much, loves to take care of you, and has amazing things planned for you. When you discover that love, you can embrace it yourself and share it with your neighbors. If you want to pray with someone about how you can show love to others or ask God to show you how much He loves you, I want to invite you to come forward and pray with one of our volunteers. They are ready to share God’s love with you.

Co-Host

Wow, Herman really showed Hans some love when he helped him.

Host

Yeah, that was totally following our Big Point,

Host

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself! David did the same thing when he helped Mephibosheth. He went from living scared to living large with the king.

Co-Host

That’s a story you can share with your family when you do this week’s Big Do.

Host

Name something you love about yourself, then name something you love about each person who lives in your house.

Co-Host

Let’s talk about some ways that you like to be loved.

Host

It’s a great choice to share love with others. Let’s gather in our small groups and talk about what we learned today.

• Is it hard for you to treat someone the way you want to be treated instead of how you think they deserve to be treated? Why? Why is it important to make a different choice?

• How did David treat Mephibosheth with love? He supported him, restored his lands to him, and welcomed him to the king’s table. He didn’t try to wipe out Saul’s family, but was good to them.

• How could you use the Big Point this week at school?

• What did Herman tell us to do with our families in the Big Do? Share one way you like to be loved and one way to show love to others.

• Our Big Point says Love Your Neighbor As _____!

  • He deserves

  • Yourself

• Who did Rusty exact revenge on at the lab?

  • Hans von Striker

  • Sophia

• In ancient times how did kings normally treat the previous king’s family?

  • Revenge

  • Forgiveness

• What was wrong with Mephibosheth?

  • Couldn’t see

  • Couldn’t walk

• King David wanted to find relatives of Saul so he could be kind to them.

  • True

  • False

• Leviticus 19:18 (NIrV), “Do not try to _____…Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

  • Get even

  • Be kind

• King David invited Mephibosheth to ______.

  • Go to jail

  • Eat from the king’s table

• How could you show love to someone at school this week?

• It’s okay to treat someone badly if that person was mean to you first.

  • True

  • False

• What challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do? Share one way you like to be loved and one way to show love to others.