Good morning boys and girls!
Do you have a lot of rules that you have to obey? Where are these rules?
Why do you think it’s so important to have lots of rules? Why do you think it’s important to obey them?
Boys and girls, rules are very important because they keep us from hurting ourselves. Rules are also important because they help us to do the right thing. What happens when we don’t follow rules?
What are some of the rules you have to follow? Out of all of the rules you have to follow, what do you think is the most important one to obey?
Jesus was asked that same question once. The Pharisees asked him which of the Ten Commandments was the greatest. Now the Pharisees were the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They were so concerned that their followers obeyed the Ten Commandments that they came up with 613 do’s and don’ts for the people. I’ll tell you all about it in the Gospel reading for today, which is taken from Matthew 24:34-40.
You just heard Jesus say that the two most important rules for us to follow as Christians are to love God and love people. If we follow these two Great Commandments we will naturally obey the rest of the Commandments…and we won’t need a long list of things we can and can’t do.
Let us bow our heads for a moment of prayer. Dear God, thank you for your love. Help us to love you and to love others as you have loved us. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN
