Big Idea: We all need God's kindness and mercy, so we can share it with others too.

Bible Passage: Luke 10:25-37.

Parent Prep: The Jews and the Samaritans were enemies. When Jesus told this story, it was a repulsive and offensive idea that someone as despised as the Samaritan man would be more likely to 'inherit eternal life' than a highly regarded priest or Levite. Jesus told this story to demonstrate to the religious elite that God wasn't impressed with their outward displays of obedience to the law, but that true obedience and love for God meant that they would also love and serve people who were nothing like them – even people they despised. Jesus modelled this love when He died for us to save us 'while we were still sinners', who despised and rejected Him as God. (Rom 5:8). In this story as you teach it to your children, help them see themselves in the shoes of the man who needs mercy – the attacked man. This will help them understand their need for God's mercy first, and then lead them to an understanding of why we then show mercy and compassion to others, even when we don't feel like it.

Read: The Story of the Good Samaritan – Read it in a children's Bible, or watch the video from Sunday, here.

Listen: Who do you think that you are most like in this story? If you saw someone who needed help, what would you do? Why would you choose to act this way? What if the person who needed help was someone you didn't like? Would you still help them? Why or why not? 

Talk: Did you know that the Bible says that we are actually most like the man who was attacked? We have no way of saving ourselves from our own sin, and we need God's kindness to save us. Without Him, we are helpless. It was while we had our hearts turned away from God that He died for us to save us. He shows us MERCY by loving us when we don't love Him. 

Can you think of someone you would find it really, really hard to help? This is the kind of person Jesus says is your 'neighbour', and that we should love and serve and help if we are going to follow Him. Jesus knows how hard it is. That's why He has given us His Holy Spirit to be strong for us, even when we don't feel like showing love to people we don't like. We can ask for the Holy Spirit's help, and choose to love even when we don't feel like it, because we can be STRONG by His SPIRIT.

Do: Write the words: GOD'S KINDNESS on a piece of paper, and stick it high up in a place in your home where children cannot reach it – even if they stand on something. Then, ask children to try and get it down. They cannot use any help like sticks or chairs – they must try and climb or reach it themselves. Make it impossible for them. Then, on an old T-shirt, write GOD'S MERCY. Alternatively, write it on your arms, if you don't mind writing on yourself. Then offer to lift the children up so they can reach the 'God's Kindness' poster. Explain to children that none of us deserve God's kindness, we can't earn it, or reach it ourselves. We have all 'fallen short' of God's glory. (Read this in Romans 3:23). But because of God's mercy to us, we can access or 'reach' God's kindness because He chooses to give it to us. 

Likewise, many people we meet do not deserve our love and kindess either. But Jesus says that those who follow Him will be like Him, and 'lift up' others to show them God's kindness, too. When we show kindness to people who don't deserve it, we are like Jesus, because we are showing God's Mercy and helping people see God's kindess to them, too.

Pray together that you would be a family that helps 'lift up others' to show God's kindess to them.