January 7, 2023
K-3rd Grade
4th-5th Grade
Story Focus: We kick off the New Year in Matthew 22:36-40. The religious leaders were always trying to trap Jesus with His own words. This moment was no different. A law expert asked Jesus, out of hundreds of laws they were to follow, which one was the most important. Jesus simplified everything and defined love as the top priority. Our most important responsibility is to love God and love others as we love ourselves.
Bottom Line: Love God and love others. These are two simple ideas, but they’re not always simple to put into practice. We hope that, as kids discover more about responsibility, they’ll start to understand the ways they can love God and love the people God has put in their lives.
Key Question: What are things you’re expected to do? Even kids have responsibilities. As they start to name them, we hope that they’ll start to realize that those expectations don’t exist just to frustrate them. Each of us has things we need to accomplish—including our responsibility to love one another. We pray that kids will take Jesus’ words to heart as they discover how to show God’s love to others.