Pray: Begin by making the sign of the cross and calling upon God’s name.
From God to us, from death to life, from me to you …
in the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord God, may your Word soak into our hearts and minds, so that we remember it when we are faced with hard choices. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Listen: Pay close attention as these verses from the Bible are read aloud.
When the period of seven days for the ceremony was almost over, some of the Jewish people from Asia saw Paul in the temple. They got a large crowd together and started attacking him. They were shouting, “Friends, help us! This man goes around everywhere, saying bad things about our nation and about the Law of Moses and about this temple. He has even brought shame to this holy temple by bringing in Gentiles.” (CEV)
Engage: Talk about the Bible by having parents respond to children’s questions.
Child: Paul was being bullied by a crowd. Why do you think no one stood up for him? What might the people in the crowd have been feeling?
Child: Have you ever been bullied or seen someone else be bullied? When? What helped make that situation better?
Affirm: Pray for God to put his Word into action in your daily life.
Heavenly Father, sometimes others can be unkind. Sometimes we can be unkind, too. Turn our hearts towards you, so that we can be compassionate even when that’s hard to do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Have each person in the family bless one another with these words.
May you treat others with kindness. Amen.