John 13-17
"Continue Ye in My Love"
Materials: A large paper heart, Last Supper Video (Link Below), Jesus Washing Apostles' Feet Picture (link below), cut out hearts (see activity below)
Opening Song: "Love One Another" (Hymnal, 308)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: John 13: 34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
Attention Activity:
Hold up a large paper heart. Ask your family what it is and what it represents. Have your family members take turns sharing different things that they love and write them on the heart. Today, we are going to talk about love. Who was the greatest example of love?
Lesson:
Show the first 50 seconds of the Last Supper Video found here. What did Jesus do for his friends before they had dinner together? Jerusalem was a desert climate. The roads were often made of dirt and most people wore sandals on their feet. Ask your family how their feet/bodies look after being outside all day. Jesus Christ loved His apostles. They weren't just his disciples, but his friends. When he washed their feet, he was showing how much he loved them by doing a service for them.
Show the picture Jesus Washing the Apostles' Feet by Del Parsons
After he washes their feet, Jesus tells the apostles, they must love one another as He loves them. He told them that showing love would be a way to show the whole world that they follow Jesus Christ. (You could have one member of your family sing "Love One Another" again while doing the sign language actions.)
Jesus told his disciples he would soon die. He knew this would make his disciples sad. He also explained that after he died, the Holy Ghost would come to comfort his disciples and help them teach about His gospel.
Jesus then offered a special prayer, called the Intercessory Prayer. In this prayer he prayed on the behalf of his disciples to Heavenly Father. He asked the Father to bless his followers and to love them as he is loved by Heavenly Father.
Jesus was the ultimate example of love. His life was a testimony of His divine love for each of the children of God. He suffered and died because of the great love He has for us. Christ has given us a commandment that we love each other as He loves us.
We are supposed to love everyone: family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and even enemies. We are commanded to love all. Sometimes we don't always get along. We argue. We disagree. This often occurs with people we love the most. We need to show each other love. What are some ways we can show our love for each others? (saying, "I love you", giving hugs/kisses, giving compliments, serving one another, keeping our toys clean, doing a chore for someone else, writing a kind note, drawing someone a picture, listening, spending time with each other, giving someone the benefit of the doubt, being forgiving, being understanding, etc.)
Activity:
Have prepared cut out paper hearts. You will need enough so that each person has enough for each member of their family. (Ex: If you have a family of 4, you would need 12 hearts; a family of 6 would need 30 hearts) Pass out the hearts to your family. Have your family write each of their family members' names at the top of each heart and something they love about that person. (i.e. "Dad: I love when Dad reads me books, he does little voices for the characters.") Young children can draw pictures of why they love those members of their family. When they are done, gather up the hearts and tell your family you will be posting these hearts in places all of the house as a reminder to show love for our family this week.
Bear your testimony of the Savior's love, of your love for the Savior, and of your love for your family.
Closing Song: "I Feel My Savior's Love" (Children's Songbook, 74)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: For recipe click here.
