1 In this module we are going to consider KINDNESS what it means, how it can affect your behaviour and the behaviour of others. First of all what does the word Kindness mean? Showing kindness means treating others the way you would like them to treat you, remembering that they are a special creation of God. Do you think Jesus wants us to be kind to others? I am sure you do, in fact He wants us to be kind to others when they are unkind to us. There are various ways we can show kindness to others. For example: Helping someone who needs help Comforting someone who is hurt Thank people who help you Not getting revenge on someone even though they have hurt you Thinking about ways of helping others and then acting upon them Not intentionally hurting anyone s feelings. What does the Bible say about kindness? Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tenderhearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ. Ephesians 4: 31 & 32 Does the Bible give us any examples of kindness? The Bible shows us many examples of kindness. One of the best examples is the parable Jesus told about the Good Samaritan, who went out of his way to help, comfort and show true compassion to a foreigner in distress. Remember too the story of David and Jonathan. Jonathan, King Saul s son showed great kindness towards David despite knowing that David was destined to become king rather than him, because he knew it was God s will. The loving kindness shown by the Prodigal son s father on his return is a wonderful example of loving kindness, just like our Heavenly Father shows us when we repent and return to Him. However, we are going to look at some acts of kindness and hear what Jesus said about them.
2 Jesus heals a Roman officer s servant (You can find this story in Matthew s Gospel Chapter 8 verses 5 13) Here are some interesting facts about this miracle: 1. When Jesus entered Capernaum, a Roman officer met him and begged for help: Sir, my servant is sick in bed at home, unable to move and suffering terribly. 2. I will go and make him well, Jesus said. 3. Oh no, sir, answered the officer. I do not deserve to have you come into my house. Just give the order, and my servant will get well. I, too, am a man under the authority of superior officers, and I have soldiers under me. I order this one, Go! and he goes, and I order that one, Come! and he comes, and I order my slave, Do this! and he does it. 4. When Jesus heard this, he was surprised and said to the people following him, I tell you, I have never found anyone in Israel with faith like this. I assure you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven. But those who should be in the Kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness, where they will cry and gnash their teeth. 5. Then Jesus said to the officer, Go home, and what you believe will be done for you. And the officer's servant was healed that very moment. The kindness and compassion shown by this Roman officer is extraordinary. Roman soldiers were notoriously cruel and hard-hearted and few treated their slaves with any kind of concern. But here we see a very different picture. It is clear from what he said to Jesus that he had soldiers under his command and was used to giving orders and expecting them to be obeyed to the letter. And yet he had put himself out to find where Jesus was, and was willing to draw attention to himself, perhaps attracting ridicule from his fellow officers in the future if they found out where he had gone. But more than this, the Roman officer believed that Jesus could heal his slave even at a distance. What faith that took! In fact, Jesus Himself was surprised and took the opportunity to rebuke His fellow Jews for not showing such faith as this Roman gentile had. In fact Jesus goes on to tell the crowd that He hadn t found faith in all Israel to rival that shown by this gentile. The Jews thought that as God s
3 chosen people they would automatically go to Heaven and it didn t really matter how they lived their lives. But Jesus admonishes that view and says I assure you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven. In other words people from all corners of the world will enjoy eternal life if they have faith and show it daily in acts of kindness and love. Whereas, those who presume they will be saved, and continue to live ungodly lives, will be thrown out into the darkness, where they will cry and gnash their teeth. Activity Take the strips of paper you have prepared and ask each of the children to write down on the strip a few sentences about an act of kindness someone showed to them. On the reverse side of the paper strip get them to write down the name of the person who showed the kindness. When the children have finished get them to link all the strips together with glue to make a chain. This activity demonstrates how acts of kindness are interlinked and can stretch quite a distance. If everyone around the world carried out at least one act of kindness every day, then the world would be a much happier place and misery and poverty would be a thing of the past. It would be interesting to ask the children what they think the world would be like if the opposite happened and everyone behaved selfishly. No one wants to live in a world like that. Jesus teaches about charity (You can find His teaching in Matthew s Gospel Chapter 6 verses 1 4) Here are some interesting facts about Jesus words: 1. Make certain you do not perform your religious duties in public so that people will see what you do. If you do these things publicly, you will not have any reward from your Father in heaven. 2. So when you give something to a needy person, do not make a big show of it, as the hypocrites do in the houses of worship and on the streets. They do it so that people will praise them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. 3. But when you help a needy person, do it in such a way that even your closest friend will not know about it. Then it will be a private matter. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.
4 Here Jesus is getting to the heart of what showing acts of kindness really means. In Jesus time the Pharisees, who were the religious leaders of the day, were always making a public spectacle of their fasting and giving. But Jesus indicates here that if we only show kindness in the hope of getting a reward, then this is not real kindness at all. Kindness does not expect a reward. It is a way we demonstrate the love we feel for God in our hearts. Jesus tells us that these acts should be done privately and without fuss. Our Heavenly Father, who sees in private, knows what we have done and will reward us. Personal testimony Talk about a time when you were tempted to be unkind and how God helped you choose kindness. This would be a good time to ask the children if they can think of a time when they extended kindness to others. Jesus teaching on salt and light (You can find His teaching in Matthew s Gospel Chapter 5 verses 13 16) Here are some interesting facts about Jesus words: 1. You are like salt for the whole human race. But if salt loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again. It has become worthless, so it is thrown out and people trample on it. 2. You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in Heaven! Here Jesus is teaching the crowd how important it is to show faith in the way we live our lives. Just like salt is added to food as a preservative to keep it wholesome and tasty, so we as followers of Christ should live blameless and wholesome lives. Examples of this are the ways in which we put God first in our lives and the various acts of kindness we show towards others. Those things single us out as followers of Christ. Jesus goes on to tell the crowd about light. Light helps us to see where we re going and what we re doing. So we, as followers of Christ, should be like a light that helps others to see their way to Him.
5 Activity Ask the children to think of something the group as a whole could do to show kindness to others. For example, is there someone in their community who needs help with their garden? One child may find it difficult to help out but a whole group of them could make a real and lasting difference. Get the children to understand that it s not just the acts of kindness themselves, but the reason why we do them. This is the way we show that we belong to God and want to obey His commands. Here is an up-to-date story about kindness Shreya and Jiya had been friends since they were born. Their mothers had given birth to them within 2 days of each other, so they couldn t remember a time without one another. Jiya had three brothers who were younger than her, but Shreya was an only child. They had grown into beautiful girls and both did well at school. Like other girls in their class they enjoyed sports and needlework, but neither of them liked cooking! Shreya was always ready for school first and ended up waiting for Jiya to finish helping her younger brothers before they set off. Because Jiya s family kept her parents busy, each of the children were given jobs to do before and after school. Jiya envied Shreya the freedom she enjoyed. Shreya didn t have to do anything at home. Her mother did all the cooking, washing and cleaning, so she had plenty of time to play out. One day Jiya said to Shreya I wish I was you. What do you mean? said Shreya. Your life is much better than mine. You don t have a pile of jobs to do each day. You have a bedroom to yourself and you can have anything you really want. Is that what you think my life is like? said Shreya. I would give anything to have a brother or sister in my family. I am all alone. I know my parents love me, but we don t exactly have fun, whereas you and your brothers are always laughing. Jiya had never looked at it this way before. It s not what you have but who you share it with, said Shreya. Your brothers love you very much and you will always have a special place in their hearts, whereas when my parents die, I will be all alone.
6 Jiya felt terrible. She knew Shreya was right and that her brothers loved her dearly. So what could she do to make Shreja as happy as she was? Try as hard as she might, Jiya couldn t come up with any ideas, so she decided to ask God about it in her prayer time. Surely God would know what she could do. So for a few weeks Jiya prayed about this and kept her eyes and ears open for ideas. Not long afterwards Jiya heard her parents talking about poor Mrs Dinan, who lived at the bottom of the street. Mrs Dinan s husband had died a few days ago in a mining accident some miles away and Mrs Dinan was left to bring up her five young children alone. Although everyone in the village pledged help, Jiya s mother instinctively knew they were empty promises and that in the long run, people s offers of help would eventually dry up. Was this an answer to her prayers? Could this be a way for Shreya to help out and feel part of a large family? The next day on their way to school, Jiya told Shreya all about Mrs Dinan and her terrible plight. Shreya was very sad and her kind heart ached to help in any way she could. How about we call on Mrs Dinan on our way home from school and see if there is anything we can do? suggested Jiya. So that s what they did. Mrs Dinan was very shy at first and told them that she was very touched by their offer of help, but they mustn t do anything without permission from their parents. So once they got home Jiya told her parents, who were more than happy for Jiya to help out providing she continued with her jobs at home. Shreya s parents were not so agreeable. They felt that the state should help Mrs Dinan, or at least Mrs Dinan s wider family. But mother pleaded Shreya, Mrs Dinan s wider family live hundreds of miles away and she needs help now. Well I think we all need to wait and see what happens said her mother firmly and changed the subject. That night Shreya cried into her pillow. How could her mother be so unkind? All night she dreamt of Mrs Dinan and her children and in the morning she prayed that God would help her to find some way of showing kindness to Mrs Dinan. As Shreya was heading towards Jiya s house ready to call on her for school, she had an idea. Instead of sitting around waiting for Jiya to finish her jobs, why don t I call on Mrs Dinan and see what job I could do for her? she thought. So instead of going straight to Jiya s house she wound her way to Mrs Dinan s house and knocked on the door. She could hear some of the children crying and occasionally Mrs Dinan s raised voice. After a few moments Mrs Dinan came to the door, looking harassed. Yes she said. Um um, mumbled Shreya. I was just passing
7 on my way to school Mrs Dinan and I wondered if there was a job I could help you with every morning at this time before I call for my friend? When I get to her house I usually have to wait for her to finish helping her Mum, so I thought that I could use that time usefully by helping you. Mrs Dinan burst into tears. Shreya felt awful. Was it something she had said? I am so sorry to upset you Mrs Dinan, said Shreya, I just wanted to help. I m not crying about that she said. You are showing me such kindness that my heart is full of thanks. That s why I m crying. Look said Shreya. Can this be our secret? I will come over here every morning at 08.15 and stay for 20 minutes, then I will have to call for my friend and get to school. What could I do to help you in those 20 minutes? Mrs Dinan thought for a while. You could help wash the baby and giver her breakfast while I get my boys ready for school. That would be a real help she said. That s a deal then, said Shreya. I will come every school day to bath and feed the baby. They shook hands and Shreya left skipping happily skipped down the path. Occasionally Jiya remarked how much later Shreya was in the morning, but Shreya never said a word about her visits to Mrs Dinan. Weeks and months went by and Shreya loved her visits to Mrs Dinan. The baby grew quickly and Shreya felt as if God had given her a baby sister after all. Shreya s parents had no idea what she did either. One Sunday when the girls were in church with their parents, the minister made a special announcement. Today is a very special day when we welcome a new family into our church. They have gone through a terrible tragedy but God has brought them through it and now they want to join our church. Perhaps they would like to come to the front and we can welcome them properly. Shreya s eyes nearly popped out of her head when down the aisle came Mrs Dinan and her five children. Her baby daughter caught sight of Shreya and wanted to hold her hand but Mrs Dinan gave her a gentle tug. In fact, said the minister, I have invited Mrs Dinan to say a few words about how she has found faith since her husband died. Mrs Dinan, baby in arms, blushed and began in a shaky voice :- When my husband was killed some months ago, I was in despair. I didn t
8 know what to do or who to turn to. The minister here and many others of you showed me such kindness that I began to see that God loves me and the children so much that we are always in His care and He will not abandon us. These acts of kindness I will never forget. At this point Shreya s mother wriggled uncomfortably in her seat. So many of you have shown your kindness to me, Mrs Dinan continued, that it would be impossible to name you all. However, there is someone, without whose help I couldn t have managed. She visited me every school day and bathed and fed my baby. You can see what a good job she made of that, she said laughingly as she held up her beautiful baby daughter. Shreya couldn t believe her ears. Minister, I would like to say a special thank you to that person now. In fact it was her kindness that restored my faith and led to us be here today. Would Shreya please step forward! The congregation gasped and everyone looked round at Shreya. Oh no, she thought, what is mother going to say about this? Shreya stepped forward and felt everyone s eyes looking at her. Well now said the Minister proudly, I think Shreya deserves a clap from all of us. I m sure her parents are especially proud. At this Shreya s parents smiled and looked a little guilty. At the end of the service Jiya rushed towards Shreya and gave her a big hug. I am so proud of you Shreya. Isn t it a lovely feeling when you help others? said Jiya with a big grin. The best feeling ever, said Shreya. Shreya dreaded going home though. What would her parents say? When they sat around the table eating their lunch, her mother said, Well what a surprise we had today! I know you must be angry at my disobedience mother, but I just thought that maybe I could help Mrs Dinan in some small way, Shreya said quickly. Father looked at Shreya and said, This is one of the proudest days of our lives. Both your mother and I are very pleased that you helped someone in need. But more than that, you helped them without making a fuss or asking for a reward. That is real kindness, just like the Bible tells us. We could and should have done more ourselves and we will learn from your example. Shreya s heart was full of joy to overflowing. Kindness really does make your heart feel glad!
9 Prayer Time Pray with the children that God will help them to show kindness to others, so that they can please Him. Activity Kindness is a Fruit of the Spirit. We included an activity to remember the Fruits of the Spirit in a previous module. So see if the children can remember what the other Fruits of the Spirit are. We also covered the story of the Good Samaritan and David and Jonathan in previous modules too so again see if the children can relay these Bible stories to you. Here are three activities for the children to complete: Ask the children to find as many words of Kindness as they can among the leaves. Also see if the children can find a way through the maze from Kindness to Goodness. The children can colour in the picture of Jesus healing the Roman officer s servant.
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11 K I N D N E S S KINDNESS MAZE GOODNESS
12 Jesus heals a Roman officer s servant
13 TEACHING NOTES TO ACCOMPANY THE MODULE ON KINDNESS These notes are to be used in conjunction with the teaching module on Kindness. The Bible stories used in this module are from the Gospel of Matthew in Chapters 5, 6 and 8. Matthew Chapter 8 tells the story of the Healing of the Roman officer s servant. Jesus recognised so much faith in this Roman officer. Chapter 6 covers Jesus teaching on charity, and in particular not making a spectacle of good deeds and seeking earthly rewards. In Chapter 5 Jesus teaches the people how important it is to show that we follow Him in the way we live our lives. We should make a difference to others, like salt and light. It will be useful to familiarise yourself with these stories before presenting the module to the children. You will need to cut up strips of paper for the children to write on them acts of kindness they have received. You will also need glue to link them together like links in a chain. You need to make copies of the Kindness Leaves, Kindness Maze and the Picture of the Healing of the Roman officer s servant. So have crayons at hand too. Healing of the Roman officer s servant The kindness and compassion shown by this Roman officer is extraordinary. Roman soldiers were notoriously cruel and hard-hearted and few treated their slaves with any kind of concern. But here we see a very different picture. It is clear from what he said to Jesus that he had soldiers under his command and was used to giving orders and expecting them to be obeyed to the letter. And yet he had put himself out to find where Jesus was, and was willing to draw attention to himself, perhaps attracting ridicule from his fellow officers in the future if they found out where he had gone. But more than this, the Roman officer believed that Jesus could heal his slave even at a distance. What faith that took! In fact, Jesus Himself was surprised and took the opportunity to rebuke His fellow Jews for not showing such faith as this Roman gentile had. In fact Jesus goes on to tell the crowd that He hadn t found faith in all Israel to rival that shown by this gentile. The Jews thought that as God s chosen people they would automatically go to Heaven and it didn t really matter how they lived their lives. But Jesus admonishes that view and says I assure you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven. In other words people from all corners of the world will enjoy
14 eternal life if they have faith and show it daily in acts of kindness and love. Whereas, those who presume they will be saved, and continue to live ungodly lives, will be thrown out into the darkness, where they will cry and gnash their teeth. Jesus teaching on giving to charity Here Jesus is getting to the heart of what showing acts of kindness really means. In Jesus time the Pharisees, who were the religious leaders of the day, were always making a public spectacle of their fasting and giving. But Jesus indicates here that if we only show kindness in the hope of getting a reward, then this is not real kindness at all. Kindness does not expect a reward. It is a way we demonstrate the love we feel for God in our hearts. Jesus tells us that these acts should be done privately and without fuss. Our Heavenly Father, who sees in private, knows what we have done and will reward us. Jesus teaching on salt and light Here Jesus is teaching the crowd how important it is to show faith in the way we live our lives. Just like salt is added to food as a preservative to keep it wholesome and tasty, so we as followers of Christ should live blameless and wholesome lives. Examples of this are the ways in which we put God first in our lives and the various acts of kindness we show towards others. Those things single us out as followers of Christ. Jesus goes on to tell the crowd about light. Light helps us to see where we re going and what we re doing. So we, as followers of Christ, should be like a light that helps others to see their way to Him. Conclusion Kindness is a Fruit of the Spirit just as Goodness is. It is important that the children realise that we carry out acts of kindness by way of showing that we belong to God and are His children. He commands us to be tender-hearted and to show loving kindness to others because other people are His creation too. Therefore, we should not expect to be rewarded for showing kindness to others, because our Heavenly Father sees them and will reward us. We don t need the accolade of others.