FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT - GOODNESS

Welcome to Sunday School this week! We're so glad that you're here!

Hopefully you've remembered that today is Mother's Day so if you've not already, perhaps this afternoon you can make a Mother's Day card (shhh.. but there are some ideas below..)

But first - as always, we're going to start our time together with a few worship songs, jin in wih us by clicking them below!

SUNDAY SCHOOL SONGS

Music Video: Good in Every Way from DIG IN on Vimeo.

Music Video: All That Is Good from DIG IN on Vimeo.

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MEMORY VERSE

The bible verse that we're learning and trying to memorize is from Galatians 5:22-23
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“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” 

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So this week we are about halfway through our Fruit of the Spirit series and this week we are going to be learning about Goodness. In our bible story later we'll hear that Jesus told a story about a guy who showed goodness. Let’s see what happened from the point of view of the guy who received the goodness.

Talk-About Video 6: A Good Guy from DIG IN on Vimeo.

How did it change your perspective to hear the story from the victim’s view?
What do you think of the priest and the temple assistant who walked right on by?
Have you ever needed someone to show you goodness? What happened?

In Jesus’ story, an unexpected person was the one to show goodness. We all have times we need someone to show us goodness, and we can be on the lookout for people who need us to show them God’s goodness. ​

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BIBLE LESSON

The Bible says Jesus was teaching one day and he said, “God says to love your neighbor.” One man in the crowd asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” And Jesus answered the man by telling a parable. Do you guys remember what a parable is? A parable is a story with a kind of hidden meaning.

So to answer this question, Jesus said (Luke 10:30-31);
“A man was going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Some robbers surrounded him, tore off his clothes, and beat him. Then they left him lying there on the ground almost dead. “It happened that a Jewish priest was going down that road."

What do you think the church leader did?
When he saw the man, he did not stop to help him. He walked away. The Bible says the church leader went to the other side of the street and left the hurt man lying there.
 
“Next, a Levite came near. He saw the hurt man, but he went around him. He would not stop to help him either. He just walked away.”
 
The Bible says the Levite also crossed the street, away from the man, and kept going. He didn’t help the hurt man, either.

Then there was a third man who came down the street. This man was part of a group called the Samaritans. The Samaritans often weren’t friendly to the hurt man and his friends. What do you think the Samaritan did?
Let’s find out….
 
“Then a Samaritan man traveled down that road. He came to the place where the hurt man was lying. He saw the man and felt very sorry for him. The Samaritan went to him and poured olive oil and wine[a] on his wounds. Then he covered the man’s wounds with cloth. The Samaritan had a donkey. He put the hurt man on his donkey, and he took him to an inn. There he cared for him.The next day, the Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the man who worked at the inn. He said, ‘Take care of this hurt man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.’”
 
At the end of Jesus’ story Jesus asked the people listening which one of the men acted like a good neighbor?” What do you think?
 
Then Jesus said, “Which one of these three men do you think was really a neighbor to the man who was hurt by the robbers?” The teacher of the law answered, “The one who helped him.” Jesus said, “Then you go and do the same.”
 
Jesus said the good neighbor was the Samaritan man who stopped and helped. Then Jesus told the people to go and show goodness to others like the Samaritan man did.

Goodness is on the inside. God puts goodness in our hearts. We could tell the Samaritan man had goodness in his heart when he helped the hurt man. When we’re friends with God, he’ll help us show goodness like the Samaritan did in the story.
We can practice being good neighbours by looking for people who need help and by doing something like the Samaritan did. You can show goodness to your friends, families, and neighbours. Because goodness is a fruit of the Spirit. God will help you find people who need help, and he’ll help you know what to do to show goodness to them!

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ACTIVITY / CRAFT

The man in Jesus’ story was hurt. He had lots of wounds, and he probably hurt all over. Sometimes when we’re hurt, it helps to use an ice pack. Perhaps you can make an ice pack this week in case someone you know gets hurt.

Supplies:

• snack-size resealable plastic bags (1 per child)
• various colors of felt
• child-safe scissors
• glue sticks
• small sponges (1 per child)
• bowl of cold water
• paper towels

Instructions:

1. Give each child a bag and a piece of felt. Have kids cut the felt into squares. They’ll need enough squares to cover the bag. Have kids glue felt squares to cover one side of the bag.
2. After kids finish gluing the felt squares to the bags, give each child a sponge, and have kids to dip the sponges into water to get them wet.
3. Help kids squeeze most of the water out of the sponges, put them into the bags, and seal the bags securely.
4. Use paper towels to clean up any spills.
5. Put the 'ice-packs' in the freezer until they're needed.

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Click the pictures below to print off the pictures.
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