Dear parents,
We’ve launched a new series comparing what culture tells us and what Jesus tells us. Each week, students will examine a different passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount to discern between the voices of our culture and true Jesus-centered living.
In this first lesson, we explored Matthew 5:20-26, where Jesus challenges our assumptions about hatred and bullying. He expands our understanding of sin to include anything that goes against God’s patterns. Although teenagers have heard that actions such as murder and bullying are wrong, they discovered that Jesus considers hateful words and thoughts to be just as harmful—to us and to others.
This week, I encourage you to spend a few minutes talking with your teenager about our lesson. Consider building your conversation around these questions:
- What’s the worst sin anyone could ever commit?
- Respond to this statement: All sins are equal in Jesus’ eyes.
- What types of name-calling or bullying have you witnessed or experienced or been the bully? How have you handled it?
- What aspect of your conversation about harmful words and thoughts challenged you the most, and why?
Thanks for all your prayers for our students and our ministry. Have an amazing week!