MLK Day Lesson #3: Serving in Action and Attitude
Intro: Two quotes attributed to Dr. King directly connect to our life following Jesus.
- “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
- “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
Dive Deep: Have kids form pairs or trios. Give them the following three Scripture passages to read. Then have them answer the discussion questions. Gather back together and ask pairs or trios to report on how they answered the questions.
- Luke 22:25-27 — “Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. … For I am among you as one who serves.’”
- Philippians 2:1-3 — “Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
- Philippians 2:4-8 — “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God…he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
Questions: Why does Jesus emphasize serving others? How has serving others changed you, specifically? What do you know about the heart of Jesus, based on his insistence that we learn to serve?
This article by Danette Matty was originally published on YouthMinistry.com, © Group Publishing, a division of David C Cook.
