Objectives:

Students will understand every human being was created in God’s image and therefore is sacred. Students will understand how to promote social change by recognizing the inherent dignity of every person.

Talking points:

Raise your hand and tell me the names of some famous people in our country or world right now. (sports stars, musicians, politicians, movie stars, billionaires, successful business people, etc.)

They are called celebrities because we celebrate them. We value them above others. We talk about them with so much admiration. We treat them with dignity, and we want their autographs. We wish we could be like them! Why do we lift them up in popularity or respect? Why do we place so much value on these celebrities? (get them to identify it is because of what they can DO --- they can DO things no one else can DO)

Well, we are not human “Do-ings.” We are human (let them guess the word) “Be-ings.” God does not love us because of what we can DO. He loves us because we ARE, because He created us in His image, and we exist. (Have someone –planned in advance---to read Genesis 1:27 now) Since He created us in His image, that means every human life sacred. God wants us to love, respect, admire, and celebrate each other, because we are each His unique creation, created in His image.

Can you imagine how this different way of thinking about people could change our world? We could admire a person who couldn’t walk, jump, sing, see, hear, or even speak. We could find joy in something unique about that person’s existence on our planet. Instead of celebrating celebrities, we could celebrate every person’s life!

I have some baby pictures for us to look at today. (show pictures) These babies all look different, but all are special. Some have bright eyes, some have curly hair, some are bald, and some have big cubby legs or big smiles. If we had videos of them, we could see they all would have different personalities and act differently, even as babies! These babies can’t do much for us. They are pretty needy and are dependent on us, but we value them because they are created by God. He loves them and He wants us to love them.

Look around at each other. Each person in this class is different. God created each of us to look different, act differently, like different things, and have different personalities, but our lives are sacred, and we deserve to be valued equally. In God’s world, everyone is “cool!” In our world, it’s tempting to look at each person’s differences in a negative way---maybe they have a bigger nose or bigger ears, you might not like the way their hair looks, or their teeth may not be perfect. They might not run as fast, learn as fast as you, or be fun to play with. They might have habits that annoy you. This is where God is calling to YOU, telling YOU, “Love my creation. Love that person because I created him or her. Be kind to them, respect them, even if they do not respect you back. Have compassion for them because they must be hurting. Be an example of love to them. Try your best to help them to be better, too.”

There is a quote that says:

“WE RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS.”

Can you imagine if each of you in this class would begin to lift each other up, not physically, but their inner being, in our words and actions, to make that person feel valued and loved?

What are some ways we can “lift each other up?” (Give time for them to think of ways, acts of kindness, specific words of encouragement, i.e., encourage them if they are having a tough time, tell them something you like about them, something that makes them unique.)

Those are all great ideas! Now, who will start to do these things? Will YOU?

Don’t wait and expect the other person to show you love----YOU start to do it. YOU start to change, and you will find the whole class will begin to change. Try it in your family with your siblings, parents, and neighbors. It’s hard at first, but with practice you will get to be an expert.

Conclusion:

This is God’s command to us—to honor and respect each other---to find the positive things about others, the sacred things—not the negative. Celebrate the fun differences in others that make our world an interesting place. Look for the unique qualities each person has. God is waiting for you to notice the specialness of each of His creations!