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Being Good Friends

Wear Love

Week: One Anothers

  • P.R.A.Y
  • Pause
  • Rejoice
  • Reflect
  • Ask
  • Yes
Chris Elanor
With Chris and Elanor
Welcome to Lectio for Families. We’re continuing with our ‘Being Good Friends’ series, and this week we’re focusing on what the Bible says about how we should treat each other.

Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.


Pause

As usual, we start by pausing and taking a deep breath:

In and out.

In and out.

We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.

Pause

Prayer of Welcome

What a friend we have in You, Jesus. We’re ready for the new things that You want to show us and say to us about being friends with You, and with others too.


Rejoice

Memory Verse

We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:

God, help us to remember Your Word.


Reflect

Bible Reading

In his letter to the Colossian church, Paul uses a simple picture to explain that loving others and being good friends is a choice and not just a feeling.

Read by Elanor
Colossians 3:12-14
God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So you should always clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. Even more than all this, clothe yourself in love. Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:12-14 (NCV)

Let’s think about the clothes in our wardrobes or in our drawers. Do we have a favourite outfit or a favourite item of clothing? Maybe it’s a cool pair of trainers or a hat that we got at a sporting event or an especially cosy jumper?

We probably change our clothes most days, but in today’s passage, Paul encourages us to wear certain things every single day. Wear mercy! he says. Wear kindness! Wear humility! Wear gentleness! Wear patience! Choose to put these things on every day, so that everyone can see them.

Let’s press pause and chat about today’s question, which is: When did we have to dress up for a special event? What did we wear?

  • PAUSE the audio player now

Ask

ASK Prayers

At the end of his list, Paul says that the most important thing is to wear love. Let’s imagine putting on a big, warm coat. If we’ve got an actual coat nearby, let’s actually put it on. As we do this, let’s imagine that we’re putting on love.

Loving God, we choose to wear love. We want other people to see and experience the love that You have given to us.

  • OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

And now, let’s pray for our church community.

Loving God, we ASK You to show us how we can wear mercy, how we can wear kindness and gentleness, how we can wear humility and patience, so that those around us experience Your love in and through us.

  • OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

Yes

Bible Reading

As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.

Colossians 3:12-14
God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So you should always clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. Even more than all this, clothe yourself in love. Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:12-14 (NCV)

What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?

  • OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and tell each other

YES Prayer

And now, let’s say YES to God together.

Loving God, we say YES to wearing the love that You give to us, so that everyone we meet will feel Your love through us.

Memory Verse

After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:

Closing Prayer

Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.

Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.

Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.

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Your Memory Verse

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Chris

Chris

Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.

Elanor

Elanor

Elanor is 12 years old and lives in East London with her parents and younger brother. She enjoys going on adventures with her friends, reading lots of books, horse riding, acting, singing, dancing and finding different ways to pray to God.

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