Leader Guide

Theme
God’s love

Objective
Students will learn that the only true, real love in life is God’s love for them.

Warm Up
Have the students sit in a circle. the person who is “it” is in the middle. He/ she will kneel in front of someone of the opposite sex and say, “Honey, you know that i love you, so give me a smile.” that person has to say, “i love you, Honey, but i just can’t smile” three times. if the person smiles when she/he is saying this, then they are

The “it” person. The “it” person can do whatever he or she can to make the other person smile without touching him or her. Play this game for a while.

Transition
You can begin the transition by just commenting and discussing with the students about the game. Although being “it” and try to get the other person to smile is funny, in a real life situation how do you respond when you are asked to show that you love your boyfriend/girlfriend? Do we know what love really is anyway?

The Video
Tell the students that they will be watch- ing the video, “love is All” by Jekob. Tell them that as they watch and listen to write down Jekob’s positive descriptions of love: You might need to play the video a couple of times.

Transition
After showing the video, have the stu- dents share what they wrote. Ask, “is this kind of love really possible?” “Do you know of anyone who shows you this kind of love?”

Bible Study
tell the students that they will see what the Bible says about love. Have your students look up 1 Corinthians 13:4- 8a. Read these verses together. Ask the students if the Bible is unrealistic about love. is that kind of love really possible? Since this is how the Bible describes love, is God being realistic or maybe this is just the ideal to try to obtain. Discuss with the students what they think about those verses from The Bible. Have them read the verses again silently, and write their name in place of the word “love”.

Now have them look up 1 John 4:8. Focus on “Whoever does not love does not know God”. Ask “Does this verse seem confusing and impossible?” “can any of us show the kind of love that 1 Corinthians tells us to have?” Discuss this with the students.

Next, talk about the end of 1 John 4:8, which says, “God is love.” Explain that the only perfect, real love is God and from God.

Wrap Up
Read the 1 Corinthians verses and use the word “God” instead of the word “love.” As you read aloud for the students, have them put “God” in the blanks. then close in a time of prayer.