Listen. Listen to the pre-recorded Children’s Message together. 

You can find it at pacificunionchurch.org/churchsmall

Review

What is a power-up?

[Hint to parents: For those of you who don’t play Mario Kart, a power-up is something that helps you go faster or race past the other racers. The point is that power-ups help us do things that we couldn’t do by ourselves.]

If appropriate, you might want to ask your kids what their favorite power-up is.

What is it about Easter that makes it a power-up?

[Hint to parents: Easter gives us hope and hope is a big power-up. The Easter hope comes from this: Jesus died and rose again to bring us to God so that God can give us a big present. Hope is when we know that something good is going to happen. Hope gives us the strength to do something we couldn’t do by ourselves.] 

Let’s find out why God gave us this Easter power-up.

Lesson

God wants us to love each other a certain way. Let’s read 1 Peter 3:8 and find out if this is easy or hard.

Read 1 Peter 3:8 together. 

[Hint to parents: Peter strings together some adjectives to describe how we are to love each other. Here are some definitions: “have unity of mind” or “live in harmony” means to work together for the same goal – to do what Jesus wants us to do. “Sympathy” means to feel what another person is feeling. When they are sad, you are sad with them. When they are happy, you are happy with them. “Brother love” or “love as brothers” means that you love someone like they are part of your family. Families take care of each other. Families protect each other.  “Tender heart” or “compassionate” is the same idea as sympathy. “Humble” is someone who knows that they need God’s help and they are grateful for his help.]

Is it easy to love people this way? Why or why not? 

God gave us an Easter power-up, the hope that Jesus died and rose again, so that we can come to God and receive a big and forever present, so that we can love people this way. 

Activity Draw a picture of what it looks like to love people the way Jesus wants us to love them.

Here is one more thing to think about. Jesus wants the church to love each other and he gave us the Easter power-up to help us. But what about people who want to do mean things to us? The people Peter is writing to in this letter (1 Peter) have all sorts of people around them that want to hurt them. How should they respond? What would you do if people were doing mean things to you?

Let’s find out what Jesus wants us to do. 

Read 1 Peter 3:9 together. 

[Hint to parents: to bless someone is to do something kind and good for them.]

Is this easy or hard? 

Remember the Easter story. What did Jesus do when people were mean to him?

How does it make you feel to know that Jesus gave his life for us when we were mean to him?

The more we remember what Jesus did for us, the more we love others the way Jesus loves us. 

That is how the Easter power-up works for us

Respond. How will you remember the hope of the Easter power-up as family? What will you do? How can your family love each other the way Jesus wants you to love (see 1 Peter 3:8)?

What will you do for people who are mean to you? 

Share. What is one simple thing we learned from today’s lesson that you can share with someone else? Who should we tell?