Have Mercy

Chuck: (comes in doing karate moves) Hello there everybody!

Leader: Hey Chuck!

Chuck: Hey there….Chicken Head! (goes into karate pose)

Leader: Excuse me?

Chuck: Sorry, I didn’t say anything….PIGEON LIPS!

Leader: Huh?

Chuck: (begins to go through various karate poses as he insults the Leader) Toe licker!

Leader: Chuck…

Chuck: Lizard Breath!

Leader: Chuck…

Chuck: COOKIE MONKEY!!

Leader: Chuck!! That last one didn’t even make sense!

Chuck: (hangs head in shame) I know.

Leader: Now will you please tell me why you’re being so mean?

Chuck: I’m just practicing the latest, GREATEST form of martial arts! Diss Yu!

Leader: Diss who??

Chuck: YU!

Leader: Me??

Chuck: Nooooo. YU!

Leader: That’s what I said!

Chuck: No! It’s called DISS YU! It is the art of INSULT COMBAT!! A true warrior does not fight with his body…but with his WORDS! I’m training to have the MEANEST mouth on the planet you yellow spotted SUGAR GLIDER!!

Leader: Chuck that’s TERRIBLE! You’re supposed to be KIND and LOVING to people! We’re still talking about clothing ourselves in Jesus! Jesus was kind and merciful with his words and His actions! He didn’t go around insulting people! He showed everyone LOVE! Even when it didn’t look like they deserved it!

Chuck: Jesus didn’t practice Diss Yu??

Leader: Absolutely NOT.

Chuck: So you’re saying that Jesus showed everyone tenderness, and kindness…so if I’m going around insulting people (gasps) I’M SINNING! AAAGGGHHH!!! Oh my goodness, I am SO SORRY! Will you please forgive me?

Leader: Well lucky for you that Jesus ALSO showed people mercy, so yes I do.

Chuck: WOOHOO! So long, Diss Yu! I’m gonna start my own NEW martial art! One that uses kindness and mercy!

Leader: What’re you going to call it?

Chuck: HUG YU! (grabs the Leader and gives them a giant bear hug) I’ll see you later, boys and girls! I’M Chuck FOO! KICK IT!!!

Today, we continue learning about the different pieces of clothing we must “dress up” with in order to “clothe ourselves in the Lord Jesus Christ.” We have been looking at the passage of scripture in Colossians 3 that talks about this. So far we have learned about getting rid of the labels we put on people and also about how to take off our old clothes of sin. Now, we get to the part in the passage that lists the pieces of clothing we must “dress up” in.

Colossians 3:12 says, “Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness…” Those are the first pieces of clothing we must put on—kindness and mercy!

Since we are wanting to “clothe ourselves in Jesus Christ”, we should probably look to Jesus for the best example of Mercy. One of the best stories in the Bible that shows us the mercy of Jesus is found in John chapter 9.

Jesus and his disciples were walking along the road.

Suddenly, Jesus stops right in front of a man who was born blind. Can you imagine what that must have been like?

Being blind is hard enough, but this man was blind his entire life.

Back in those days, people who were born blind were considered helpless and useless. The only way they could make any money was to sit on the side of the road and beg for money (as you talk, begin to shake the tin cup so that the children hear the money moving around in it). This man had been sitting on the side of the road begging for money his whole life. As people walked by, they would not even look in his direction. Every once in a while people would drop something into his cup. But, no one talked to him, no one noticed HIM. They only noticed his beggar’s cup.

Jesus was different. He didn’t walk past the blind man, and He didn’t just drop some money into his cup. Jesus saw that this man had a major need. He didn’t just need money. He needed sight. So,

Jesus knelt down in front of the blind man.

The blind man had to be wondering what in the world was going on. He heard all of this commotion, and now Jesus was kneeling right in front of him. But, Jesus didn’t give the man money. Instead,

Jesus grabbed a handful of dirt (pull the bucket of dirt and grab a handful) then He spit into the dirt. He rubbed the dirt around and made some mud, then reached out and rubbed it on the man’s eyes.

Then, he told the man, “Go and wash your eyes in the pool of Siloam.” Siloam was a nearby pool of water.

So, the man did as Jesus commanded. When he washed away all the dirt, he could suddenly see perfectly!

He saw people, trees, buildings, and all the things he had missed his entire life.

When he went back to the place where he lived,

his neighbors asked, “Is this the same man who was born blind?” Isn’t that sad? They didn’t even know for sure if it was the same guy. They had ignored him for so long they really weren’t even sure what he looked like—and he was their neighbor. They definitely were NOT clothed with kindness and mercy. But, Jesus was.

In this lesson, there are three very important things about Kindness and Mercy that each of us can learn from Jesus’ example. If we are going to “clothe ourselves with kindness and mercy”, we must learn these three things.

While many people walked past the blind man and didn’t even notice him, Jesus saw him. He paid attention to Him. Even though He was an important man with important things to do, He took the time to SEE this blind man. You and I need to do the same thing. There are many people in our schools and neighborhoods who are in need. While others may not see them or pay attention to them, if you and I are going to be clothed in Kindness and Mercy, we must open our eyes to see their needs.

Jesus didn’t just SEE the blind man, He did something about his need. He served the man by healing him. You and I may not be able to walk around healing everyone. But, we certainly can pray for them, help them, love them, and show kindness to them. We need to serve those who are in need. Give a snack to someone who forgot their lunch. Be a friend to someone who doesn’t have friends. Find ways to SERVE those who you see are in need. Kindness and Mercy serves others.

If you are clothed in Kindness and Mercy, you stand out in a crowd. People notice. Remember how the neighbors of the blind man didn’t even recognize him? They hadn’t shown him any kindness or mercy at all. But, Jesus stood out—big time. He stood out from the crowd because He was the only one who showed Kindness and Mercy to this man.

Boys and girls, in your schools and neighborhoods—you will stand out if you are clothed in Kindness and Mercy. There aren’t many people who are willing to take the time to help those who are hurting. If you take the time to see and serve others, you will stand out. The cool thing is—God is the one who gets the glory when we “clothe ourselves with tenderhearted mercy and kindness.”

1. What was today’s Big Idea? Answer: “I Will Care About Others and Treat Them Right, Every Single Day and Night!”

2. Who was Geaurbaux treating badly in the video? Answer: Frank

3. What was wrong with the beggar in today’s Bible story? Answer: he was blind

4. What did Jesus do with the mud balls he made? Answer: he put them on the blind man’s eyes

5. What did he tell the blind man to do after he put the mud on his eyes? Answer: go wash in the pool of Siloam

6. In our lesson today, we learned “Kindness And Mercy _______ Others.” Answer: Sees

7. In our lesson today, we also learned “Kindness And Mercy _______ Others.” Answer: Serves

8. In our lesson today, we also learned “Kindness And Mercy _______ Out.” Answer: Stands

9. True or False: We must clothe ourselves with Kindness and Mercy. Answer: True

10. Where was our Power Verse found? Answer: Colossians 3:12