Captain Karissa Zumwalt
Scripture: Matthew 22:37-–39; 1 Peter 3:8
Purpose
Learning to love the people who surround us by first loving God with our whole being.
Décor Ideas
Use a village theme to represent a neighborhood by placing little houses or Christmas village pieces on the table.
Snack Idea
Make a mix that includes M & M’s, raisins (or craisins), popcorn, and wrapped candies. This mix reminds us that our neighbors come in many different colors. The raisins remind us that some neighbors may be older, with wrinkled skin. Popcorn reminds us that our neighbors may be loud or quiet and speak a different language. The wrapped candy reminds us that some of our neighbors may be hard to reach. Love your neighbors; love them all!
Opening Call to Worship
Loving God – https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2018/10/call-to-worship-loving-god.html
Opening Activity: “Love–Your–Neighbor Hearts”
Give each woman a piece of paper shaped like a heart. Encourage them to take a few moments to write down the name of someone they have difficulty being around. These names should not be shared with the group. Encourage the women to take them home and place them somewhere where they will be reminded to pray for that person in the coming week.
Allow them to reflect on these questions as they think about this person:
- Do you believe Jesus loves the person whose name you wrote down?
- How does it make you feel that Jesus loves them just as much as He loves you?
- Why do you find it hard to love them?
- What can you do to learn to love them?
Program Ideas
Getting to Know Your Neighbor
To play the game, each person sits across from another at the table. Player 1 rolls the die; if they get a 3, then Player 2 (who didn’t roll the die) will ask Player 1 (who rolled the dice) a question from the group of questions. Continue this for 1 minute, the same people asking and answering as before, each time they are rolling and requesting a new question. Then they trade rolls. Person 1 asks questions and Person 2 rolls the die and answers questions.
#1. Funny
- What is the weirdest thing you notice about a person when you meet them?
2. Would you rather go 30 days without your phone or your entire life without dessert? - If you could trade one year of your life for $30,000, how many years would you trade in?
- Where is the funniest place you have ever fallen asleep?
5. Share a time that you were the most embarrassed.
#2. Stories
- What isn’t real, but you wish it was and why?
2. What is your favorite vacation you’ve ever taken?
3. What is the best practical joke you have pulled on someone?
4. What is the fastest you have ever driven a car, and who was with you?
#3. Childhood
- How many children were in your family, and what number are you?
- What is something you hated as a child but now love?
- Where were you born, and what is your very first memory?
- Tell me about your worst date!
- Would you let your parents pick your spouse?
#4 Seasons
- Would you rather go snow skiing or read a book on a beach?
What is your favorite season and favorite thing to do during that season?
3. What smells do you think of with each season?
4. If you could eliminate one season, what would it be and why?
5. In what season did you dream of getting married, and if you are married… did it happen?
#5 Food
- What’s the weirdest food you’ve eaten?
2. What is your favorite dinner and dessert that you make at home? - What crazy food combination do you enjoy?
4. What is your favorite restaurant, and what do you order?
5. What is the most you have ever paid for a meal, and was it worth it?
#6 Hobby
- Would you rather play a sport, work out, cook food, play a card game, or do a craft?
- What is your most unusual hobby?
3. What is your favorite hobby, and how were you introduced?
4. Share your favorite way to spend your free time. - Do you collect anything? If so, what is it?
Recipe for Kindness Treat Bags
Invite the women to fill treat bags with candy/snacks/gift cards and place the “recipe for kindness” tag on it. Please encourage them to pass them out to random people or put the bags in your corps’ food pantry boxes. For directions, see https://thecraftingchicks.com/random-acts-of-kindness-treat-bags/.
Worship Element
Share the song: “Love God, Love People” by Danny Gokey on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-29WLQ3trA.
Love
Over the last few years, “random acts of kindness” and “pay–it–forward” chains have become a big part of our society. I recently heard a story about a Dairy Queen in Minnesota where someone sparked a 2-day “pay-it-forward” chain with more than $10,000 worth of food being paid for by others. Think about if you have ever received this kind of kindness. Did it bring you joy? Did it encourage something within you?
Matthew 22:37, 39 says, “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
God commands us to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor. Who is your neighbor? It’s the person you sit next to on the bus, the cashier at the grocery store, the older woman who lives next door to you. It’s the family who comes to the food pantry. The man who needs help with his rent. The child who comes to the youth programs. These are our neighbors and the people we are commanded to love. And how do we love them? We love them by offering a smile, a hot cup of coffee, or a listening ear. We love them by taking their trash can to the curb, dropping off some cookies, or asking them how their day is going.
As Danny Gokey says in his song “Love God, Love People”:
“Keep it real simple
Bring everything right back to ground zero.
‘Cause it all comes down to this
Love God and love people.”
Loving others isn’t always straightforward. It only works when it flows out of our hearts and when we are aligned with God’s heart. God loves all people. No matter what their race, gender, or ethnicity is. He doesn’t care about their clothes, how they smell, or if they’ve made mistakes. He loves them. And he commands us to do the same.
1 Peter 3:8 says, “8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” In this passage, Peter gives Christians five commands to obey as we live in a relationship with one another.
The first is to be like-minded or harmonious with one another. God wants the Church to be unified in its thinking which is through the mind of Christ. Next, Christians should be sympathetic. We should be genuinely interested in one another. This happens when we offer to listen to someone—truly listen to them, without distraction or interjecting our thoughts and feelings. Then, Peter commands us to love one another. This kind of love is a family kind of love. If you have siblings, you know you don’t always like each other, but for the most part, you would go above and beyond for your siblings. That is how we should treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. Next, we are to be compassionate. Show one another kindness. Always have the desire to do good for others. Do not have ill–intent.
Finally, Christians are to be humble in spirit or mind. This means we put off selfishness within us and make others the focus of our attention. We should encourage and lift others up. Support others without making it about us.
As the song says: “Love God. Love People.” It’s as simple as that.
