New School
A new school means new friends, new teachers, and a new challenge—figuring out how they can serve God in this new place.
Before You ListenLet's Get Started
Theme: Radical forgiveness.
1. John 12:26 says, “Whoever serves me must follow me.” One way we follow Jesus is by forgiving the people who hurt us. Can you think of a time when it was hard to forgive someone?
2. Luke 15:11-24 tells the story of a son who asks his father for his inheritance and then leaves home. He wastes all his money on friends and parties. Then he has to come home without any money or food and ask his father for forgiveness. His father forgives him and welcomes him home. As you listen to today’s program, think of how the son felt after his father forgave him.
After you listen
Quiz
Reflect
In this episode, Liz and his friends struggle with some other students at their new school. But they remember to act like Jesus would - they forgive. Following Jesus’ example means forgiving other people even when it’s hard. Could you forgive a person who hurt you? How do you forgive someone who has hurt you? Forgiveness is possible only by the power of God at work in your heart. It is only possible when you see that Jesus has already forgiven you.
Want to dig deeper about justice-seeking and forgiveness? Read Matthew 6:14-15, Luke 6:37 and Colossians 3:13
Challenge
Forgiving others doesn’t mean that what they did was OK. It means that you won’t hold it against them anymore. With your family, think about what forgiveness looks like in the following situations. First, act out what not forgiving looks like. Then act it out again to show what forgiving does look like.
- Someone broke your favorite toy
- Someone called you a name
- Someone cheats at a game
- Someone takes something of yours
- You did something that you feel bad about (you need to forgive yourself)
