The Greatest Commandment

How to love others

Posted on February 20, 2014July 28, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

Cute little girl holding red heart - a 1910 Valentine greeting

Did you get any valentines last week?

Why do we need a “Hallmark holiday” to remind us to love those around us?

Because sometimes it’s hard to love.

I’m not talking about your loving your family and your friends. I’m talking about loving those who are different, or difficult, or down-right irritating!

But Jesus told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).

Doing good, loving our neighbor — the stranger, the person who pushes our boundaries — it’s easier said than done.

Last week we talked about ways to love God. By loving God we are keeping the first four of the Ten Commandments. By loving our neighbor we are following the last six.

Love God	Love Others
1. Do not worship any god except me.	5. Respect your father and mother.
2. Do not make statues of gods (idols).	6. Do not murder.
3. Do not misuse my name.	7. Do not commit adultery.
4. Remember the Sabbath day.	8. Do not steal.
	9. Do not tell lies about others.
	10. Do not long for what belongs to someone else.

How do we talk to our family about loving our neighbor?

Start close to home…

Identify who your neighbors are. Do you know the names of the people who live around you?
Discuss why you live where you do. Did the “neighborhood” have anything to do with where you live?
What are some activities you enjoy doing? How might these activities help you to be more neighborly to those in your neighborhood?

Move out a bit…

Did Jesus mean neighbor, as in someone who lives next door?

Name some of our “neighbors” who don’t live in your neighborhood.

How do we recognize a “neighbor?” (Hint: It’s about recognizing a need.)

What are some needs we see in our community? In the world?

Move out further…

What do we do with our doubts? (The needs are so great!)

What if people around us want to throw their hands up and say, “What good can I do”?

What do we do when our attempts to “love” a neighbor are rejected?

How can we persevere?

How is your life a testimony to your love of God and neighbor?

Photo credits:
A valentine from 1910 by Royce Bair via Stock Solution Photo Agency. Shared under a Creative Commons License.

Are you seeing ads? They are not from me! They are placed by WordPress, who otherwise offers a free platform from which to share lots of good-ness. If you see an inappropriate ad, please report it to support@wordpress.com. Include the URL, the date/time the ad appeared, and a screenshot of the ad.

Loving God by loving others with our words

Posted on February 12, 2014August 29, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

It has been a while since I’ve written a blessing for you to use with your child. How about one that ties to our current Rotation story on the Jesus’ Greatest Commandment? Something about loving God with all you’ve got, and loving others as you love yourself.

A blessing is a way of giving someone love, and when you love others you are loving God.

Here is a suggested blessing that is good to use with little ones (and touches on the all you’ve got portion of our Bible story). Touch each part of their body as you say the words…

May your head always think thoughts of God.
May your ears hear whispers of God’s love.
May your eyes see God’s wonders.
May your lips speak kind words to others.
May your heart beat strongly in tune to God’s ways.
May your hands do the work of God.
May you spend time on your knees in God’s presence.
May your feet always follow God’s path.

You will be speaking words to your child that are like love letters from God, delivered by you.

Click on a box if you would like to…
Satisfy your curiosity about why you should bless your child.
View other suggested blessings.

Photo credits:
Father and daughter by Judy Baxter, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

How to love God

Posted on February 6, 2014July 28, 2015 by Carol Hulbert

Let’s review the Ten Commandments. What was the first one?

A sign says 'Rule #1: Don't pick up the goats'

Well, the Ten Commandments can be hard to remember. I guess it’s a good thing that this month we are learning about how Jesus shortened them for us by giving us what is called the Greatest Commandment.

Someone once asked Jesus which of God’s rules was the most important. Jesus’ reply recorded in Matthew 22:34-40, actually had two parts. He essentially told us to

Love God, and love your neighbor.

What a minute; I don’t remember either of those as one of the Ten C. What gives?

Jesus didn’t pick from the ten; he summarized all of the commandments into two. In fact we see that this nicely divides the Ten Commandments! The first four of the ten, show us how to love God (Exodus 20:3-11). The last six show us how to love others (Exodus 20:12-17).

Love God	Love Others
1. Do not worship any god except me.	5. Respect your father and mother.
2. Do not make statues of gods (idols).	6. Do not murder.
3. Do not misuse my name.	7. Do not commit adultery.
4. Remember the Sabbath day.	8. Do not steal.
	9. Do not tell lies about others.
	10. Do not long for what belongs to someone else.

Here is a discussion outline for your family to take a closer look at following the first portion of the Greatest Commandment: How to love God.

(For a discussion guide on talking about how to love others, look here.)

Spend time as a family (at the family dinner table perhaps) with everyone sharing one glad and one sad for the day. (Don’t try to fix anything, just listen and celebrate / commiserate.)

Tell kids that you are going to play a game. Have everyone think of something they love (a person, a place or a thing). Also have everyone think of something that they don’t love. Then go around the table and have everyone say “I love ____” filling in the blank with something that they love or don’t love. Have everyone decide if they really do love that item. Play a few rounds. Who can stump everyone with their choices?

Ask: What clues tell us that you love something?
How do you suppose people know that we love God?
How do we show that we love God?
Make a list and post it on the fridge! Are you doing these things every day?

A list of ways to love God

Not to detract from following the Ten Commandments but if we focus on loving God, in a sense we will be living the first four of the Ten Commandments and won’t have to worry about the details. By loving God we will be automatically obeying the first four commandments!

Photo credits:
For the love of goats (a sign at a petting zoo) by Gord McKenna, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

A month about love: February 2014 Schedule

Posted on January 29, 2014January 29, 2014 by Carol Hulbert

Jesus was often peppered with questions. The toughest, trickiest one was probably:

Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?
Matthew 22:36

In February, we’ll be studying the answer Jesus gave. His response is so important it’s even named! Appropriately enough it’s called: The Greatest Commandment.

Jesus’ positive prescription?

It’s about love.

Read our story of Jesus’ Greatest Commandment in Matthew 22:34-40. Check out our schedule of Rotation workshops below!

To see a growing list of opportunities to foster faith learning at home for our stories on the Ten Commandments and the Greatest Commandment (because they are interrelated) click here.

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule…

Date	Workshop	Activity
2/1	Cooking Workshop	Prepare snack mix to share with the L.O.V.E. Thy Neighbor program.
2/8	Art Workshop	Create a decorative hanging container out of clay, to store a copy of the Greatest Commandment. This case will be modeled after a Jewish mezuzah.
2/15	Worship with your family
2/22	Games Workshop	Play a game called “Titanic Challenge.” Learn about how to treat your neighbor.

And on Sundays, at the downtown location…

Date	Our workshops…
2/2	Enjoy worship and Communion with your family
	Cooking	Games	Art
	Pine Room	Social Hall	Room 212
2/9	5th & 6th grade	3rd & 4th grade	1st & 2nd grade
2/16	1st & 2nd grade	5th & 6th grade	3rd & 4th grade
2/23	3rd & 4th grade	1st & 2nd grade	5th & 6th grade

Note: In February we are doubling up the classes due to winter vacations and a predicted (unfortunate) increase in illness which can keep kids, and workshop leaders, at home!

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Art Workshop students will create a decorative hanging container out of clay, to store a copy of the Greatest Commandment. This case will be modeled after a Jewish mezuzah. This one will be a keeper!
In the Cooking Workshop students will mix up and bag snack mix, to share with the L.O.V.E. Thy Neighbor program. What other ways will your kids help their neighbors?
In the Games Workshop students will participate in a game requiring cooperation (and treating your neighbor nicely!). Come join in a fun game of “Titanic Challenge.”

What is this all about? On Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC our Cool Disciples experience Rotation Model Christian education, as they learn about Bible stories and concepts through kid-friendly multimedia workshops. If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI.

Learn about nurturing your child’s spirituality by subscribing to receive future posts (usually just one a week). Enter your e-mail address up above on the right, to have posts sent directly to your inbox. Or click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe in a reader. Thanks for visiting. Commenting is encouraged! Share what works in your family! Ask questions!

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Love by Justin Lowery, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.