HUGS & KISSES

Focus of lesson: Love (as in BGR love) is an extension of God's love for us.

Hook:

LOVE IT & NAME IT Games show!

‘Who can name the most number of movies/shows and songs with the word love in the title’

Well, you guys are going to play a mini game show within your groups (its not much of a show, but still) and leaders will MC. Like what the name of the show says, the aim of the game is to name the most number of movies and songs with the word love in the title in 2/3/4 minutes (up to you). The kid that wins will get a small prize (we’ll provide).

Examples of movies/shows and songs are like Bleeding Love, Love Me, Love Actually and others.

Alright, tell you kids to hang on to their list of movies/shows and songs and we’ll explain to them the purpose of the hook in a bit.

Lesson:

What is love?

1) Ask the kids what they think love is and what the world think love is. (Ask them to think about the list of movies/shows and songs) Romance? Kissing and cuddling? Physical attraction? Sexual intimacy? Friendship? Family?

This is where the hook comes in. All the movies/shows and songs that the kids listed are how the world portrays love to be. Love is viewed as a feeling. You love others only when they’re nice to you. Love is giving in to others or closing a blind eye to others even when they’re doing wrong. But that’s not how/what love is meant to be.

Read 1 Corinthians 13: 1- 13

This is what love is meant to be (v4-v8). Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self- seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love does not fail. Love is an action, it is not a feeling. We love because we choose to, not because we feel like it. We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). It is our response to Him.

Ask your kids to give you specific examples of how to show love. Then, encourage them to think of one area of love that they need to work on. Who do they need to try harder to love? What actions do they need to change?

The next part of the lesson will be focused on BGR.

Since this is the first time we’re talking about BGR to our kids, we thought it’ll be nice if you guys could engage in a bit of discussion on the topic of romantic love with your kids, to see how they really view it. But its ultimately up to you. Leaders can tailor the discussion according to your kids needs but here are a few possible starters. We don’t really have any specific answers for this part, its just for you to see how they feel.

Also, you can print out the HUGS AND KISSES survey form (pdf) and do it with them if you want.

Discussion

Ask your kids

- What they think of Boy- girl relationships, what they feel it should be like.

Is it all sweet moments like those portrayed in movies, where you are floating on

cloud nine all the time and you think about each other constantly?

- What they would do if they see a boy/girl that they really like, even though

they don’t know that boy/girl.

- Whether they believe in love at first sight.

- What they would do if they initial infatuation about the opposite sex fades and the

‘high’ is no longer there. Would they break up?

The last question will enable you to understand what your kids think of romantic love/love in a romantic relationship. Whether they feel that it only consists of Eros love and whether they feel that love is only a feeling. And when that feeling disappears, then there is no more love.

Here, you should remind you kids that love is an action, not a feeling and introduce them to the three types of love the Greeks describe – Phileo, Eros and Agape.

Phileo being friendship or brotherly love, Eros being love on a more physical, sexual level and Agape being sacrificial love. Agape love is love of God and from God, who is love to begin with (1 John 4:8). God showed Agape love in that in sent His son down to die for our sins even though we didn’t deserve it at all.

Healthy (Boy- girl) relationships should involve all three types of love- Phileo, Eros and Agape, with God being at the centre of every relationship.

How?

Phileo, where a boy and girl can talk to each other and share things with each other and support one another.

Eros, being romantic love plays a part.

And Agape, where a boy and girl in a relationship sacrifices for each other, time and things so that they can come to an understanding.

And most importantly, God being at the centre where the boy and girl make their decisions with Him in mind, and when they support each other in growing in Christ, encouraging one another to live for Him.

Also, as a side note and in conclusion, you could highlight Agape love to the kids. Agape love not just in romantic relationships but in our lives. We shouldn’t only show Agape love to the ones we care about and love but to everyone else too (1 John 3: 16).

We love others because God first loved us (as mentioned above) and because we want to obey Him. Loving others is what is commanded of us (John 13:34) and we can love others sacrificially because we have the love of God in us (Romans 5:5).

http://www.gotquestions.org/agape-love.html

End

Cheryl & Alicia (: