Lesson 32

Love One Another

Purpose

To help the children understand that they can follow the example of Jesus Christ and show love by helping others.

Preparation

1. Prayerfully study Mark 6:34–44; Luke 17:11–19; John 13:15, 34–35; and 3 Nephi 17.

2. Cut a large heart out of paper for the attention activity.

3. For each child, make a copy or tracing of the “As I Have Loved You” handout and heart puzzle found at the end of the lesson. If possible, copy or trace the puzzles onto colored paper. Cut the puzzles into pieces along the dotted lines.

4. Prepare to sing or say the words to “Love One Another” (Children’s Songbook, p. 136) and “Jesus Said Love Everyone” (Children’s Songbook, p. 61). The words to “Love One Another” are included at the back of the manual.

5. Materials needed:

   1. A Bible and a Book of Mormon.

   2. Glue or paste.

   3. Picture 2-36, Jesus Blessing the Nephite Children; picture 2-45, Ten Lepers (Gospel Art Picture Kit 221; 62150); picture 2-47, Feeding the Five Thousand (62143); picture 2-54, The Last Supper (Gospel Art Picture Kit 225; 62174).

6. Make the necessary preparations for any enrichment activities you want to use.

Suggested Lesson Development

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Follow up with the children if you encouraged them to do something during the week.

It Is Important to Be Loved

Attention activity

Show the large paper heart to the children.

• What do you think of when you see a heart? (Love.)

• How can you tell someone loves you?

Let the children talk about people who love them (such as family members, friends, and Primary teachers) and how those people show their love.

• How do you feel when people show they love you?

• How do you think other people feel when you show you love them?

Point out that we all need to know we are loved.

Jesus Christ Taught Us to Love One Another

Teacher presentation

Explain that before Jesus Christ lived on the earth, people lived by the rule “an eye for an eye.” This meant that if people were mean or unfriendly to you, you could be mean or unfriendly to them. Explain that when Jesus came to the earth, he taught people a different way to live.

Scripture story

Show picture 2-54, The Last Supper. Explain that just before Jesus was crucified, he met with his disciples and they ate their last meal together. This meal became known as the Last Supper. During this meal the Savior told his disciples that he would soon leave them, and he gave them some instructions.

Show the Bible and read aloud John 13:34–35. Explain that these are Jesus’ words. Read again the first part of verse 34 (through the first love one another).

• What is a commandment?

Point out that in this scripture Jesus did not merely suggest that we love one another; he gave us a commandment to love each other. If we follow Jesus, we will love others.

Song

Sing or say the words to “Jesus Said Love Everyone,” using the actions indicated:

Jesus said love ev’ryone (outstretch arms);

Treat them kindly, too (turn to neighbor and shake hands).

When your heart is filled with love (place hands on heart),

Others will love you (hug self).

Jesus Christ Showed Love for Others by Helping Them

Scripture

Read aloud John 13:15.

• What does it mean to be an example?

• Who has set a good example for us?

Tell the children that Jesus Christ said the words in the scripture you just read. Explain that one way Jesus set an example for us was by loving other people and doing kind things for them.

Scripture stories and discussion

Show picture 2-45, Ten Lepers. Ask the children to tell the story illustrated by the picture (see Luke 17:11–19).

• What did Jesus do to help the ten lepers?

• Why did he heal them?

Show picture 2-47, Feeding the Five Thousand, and ask the children to tell the story illustrated by the picture (see Mark 6:34–44). Help them if necessary.

• What did Jesus do to help the people?

• Why did he help them?

Show picture 2-36, Jesus Blessing the Nephite Children, and tell the story found in 3 Nephi 17. Explain that Jesus was ready to leave the Nephites in America and go back to Heavenly Father, but the Nephites did not want him to leave (see 3 Nephi 17:4–5). Jesus stayed a little longer and healed all the sick people and blessed all the children.

• Why did Jesus stay with the Nephites?

• Why did Jesus heal the sick and bless the children?

Point out that in each of these stories, Jesus Christ helped people because he loved them. We can also show people that we love them by helping them.

We Can Follow Jesus Christ’s Example by Helping Others

Scripture

Read again John 13:35. Explain that as we show our love for other people, they will know that we follow Jesus Christ’s example.

Song

Sing or say the words to “Love One Another.”

Story

Explain that we can follow the example of Jesus Christ and show our love for others by helping them. Tell a story about a child who did something kind for someone to show love for that person. You may want to use the following story:

Tomás became very sick and had to stay in bed for a long time. He missed doing all the fun things he and his friends liked to do. While he was sick, some of his friends came to visit him once or twice. But his friend Juan came to visit him often. Many times when the other boys were outside playing, Juan was at Tomás’s bedside talking and laughing with Tomás and helping him feel better.

• What did Juan do to show that he loved Tomás?

• How do you think Tomás felt about Juan? How do you think Juan felt about Tomás?

Explain that there are many ways we can show our love for others by helping them. We can do kind things for our families, our friends, our neighbors, older people, those who are ill, or anyone else who needs our help.

Activity

Have the children listen as you tell them the first part of a situation that could happen to them. Ask them to finish each situation by telling what they would do to show love. You may want to have the children role-play one or more of the situations. Use the following situations or create some of your own:

1. You and your father are sitting on the corner waiting for the bus to come. You see an older man hurrying to catch the bus. He has a cane to help him walk, but he can’t move very fast. The bus pulls up and the door opens. As you climb up the steps, you can tell he probably won’t reach the bus in time.

   • What could you do to show love for this man?

2. On Sunday morning you are walking to church. You see a young mother with her baby in one arm and some books in the other.

   • What could you do to follow the example of the Savior and show love for this woman?

3. When you arrive home from school, your mother is trying to sew. Your little brother is fussing and crying because he wants your mother to read him a story.

   • What could you do to show love for your mother and your little brother?

4. One Sunday in Primary, you meet a new girl from another country. She is very shy and doesn’t talk much. Later you see her standing by the front door of the meetinghouse crying.

   • What could you do to show love and help the new girl?

Summary

Puzzle activity

Give each child one of the heart handouts and a set of heart puzzle pieces. Help each child put the puzzle together and then glue the puzzle onto the heart handout. With the children, say the words on the puzzle and handout aloud.

Let the children take their handouts home. Encourage the children to tell their families what they learned today about showing love for others.

If time allows, ask each child to name a person he or she loves and tell one way he or she could show love for that person. Encourage the children to show love for others by helping them.

Testimony

Testify that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to love each other. Tell the children how you feel when you show love for others.

Invite a child to give the closing prayer. Suggest that the child ask Heavenly Father to help the children show love for others as the Savior did.

Enrichment Activities

Choose from the following activities those that will work best for the children in your class. You can use them in the lesson itself or as a review or summary. For additional guidance, see “Class Time” in “Helps for the Teacher.”

1. Have the children each write a letter to someone they love, explaining how much they care for that person. Younger children may draw pictures for people they love. Encourage the children to share their letters or drawings with the people for whom they made them.

2. Tell the following story about a time when John Taylor, who became the third President of the Church, showed love:

   When John Taylor was a young boy, his friend Robert West died from a serious illness. Afterward the boy’s father, Allee West, moved from the village to become a shepherd. John knew that Allee was sometimes lonely, so he asked his parents if he could visit Allee. John’s parents gave their permission and fixed a basket of food for John to take along.

   It took all day for John to walk to Allee’s house and back, so he left early in the morning. The trip was tiring, and there were many hills to cross. Once, while resting, John was tempted to eat the food in the basket. He got up instead and walked the rest of the way as quickly as possible.

   Allee was overjoyed to see John. They ate the food together and talked of old times. (See Deta Petersen Neeley and Nathan Glen Neeley, A Child’s Story of the Prophet John Taylor [Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1960], pp. 12–18.)

   • What did John Taylor do to show love for the father of his friend?

   • How do you think Allee West felt about what John Taylor did?

   • How do you think John Taylor felt?

   Remind the children that when we show love for others, the people we help are happy and we are happy too.

3. Help the children say the words and do the actions to the following activity verse:

   Jesus Loves All Children

   Jesus loves all children (hold arms outstretched),

   The little ones still small (use hand to indicate knee-high child),

   The baby in the cradle (form cradle with arms),

   The ones so big and tall (raise hands high over head).

   (From Finger Fun for Little Folk by Thea Cannon. © 1949 by the Standard Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. Used by permission.)

   Repeat as many times as the children want.

4. Have two children stand in front of the class. Discuss with the class the many ways these two children are similar, such as having two eyes and two ears, liking to do the same things, or being members of the Church. Then discuss the many ways they are different, such as having different hair colors, different hobbies, or different family sizes. Point out that no two people are exactly alike. All of us are different in some way from everyone else.

   Explain that sometimes people are different in ways that make us unsure how to treat them. They may speak a different language, have a disability, or be different from us in some other way. Explain that Jesus Christ loves everyone, and he wants us to love everyone also. We should love and help those who seem different from us as well as those who seem like us.

   You may want to have the children sing or say the words to “I’ll Walk with You” (Children’s Songbook, p. 140) or “We Are Different” (Children’s Songbook, p. 263).

   I’ll Walk with You

   If you don’t walk as most people do,

   Some people walk away from you,

   But I won’t! I won’t!

   If you don’t talk as most people do,

   Some people talk and laugh at you,

   But I won’t! I won’t!

   I’ll walk with you. I’ll talk with you.

   That’s how I’ll show my love for you.

   Jesus walked away from none.

   He gave his love to ev’ryone.

   So I will! I will!

   Jesus blessed all he could see,

   Then turned and said, “Come, follow me.”

   And I will! I will!

   I will! I will!

   I’ll walk with you. I’ll talk with you.

   That’s how I’ll show my love for you.

   We Are Different

   I know you, and you know me.

   We are as diff’rent as the sun and the sea.

   I know you, and you know me,

   And that’s the way it is supposed to be.

   I help you, and you help me.

   We learn from problems, and we’re starting to see.

   I help you, and you help me,

   And that’s the way it is supposed to be.

   I love you, and you love me.

   We reach together for the best we can be.

   I love you, and you love me,

   And that’s the way it is supposed to be.

As I Have Loved You

Love

One

Another

Love

One

Another