Read: Colossians 3:1-17

Do you ever think about how Christ acted when he was on earth? Christ was the most gentle, most kind-hearted, most loving, most humble, and most forgiving person who has ever lived. There is no one who has ever been more caring than Christ Jesus. There is no one who has ever been more gentle than Christ Jesus. There is no one who has ever been more forgiving than Christ Jesus.

And now, God tells you that you must be like this as well because you belong to Christ, because you are one of God’s elect children. Show that you belong to Christ by being kind and gentle and loving and forgiving.

It’s so easy to forget who we are, isn’t it? It’s easy to forget that we should be showing that we belong to Christ in every word we speak and everything we do. Yet people should be able to see us and know that Christ is in us, that we are Christians. They should be able to see some of Christ’s kindness, gentleness and love in our actions.

One important way to show that you are a Christian is to be forgiving. If someone has said or done something against you, you must be willing to forgive them. You may not stay angry at them for what they have done. If they come to you and ask for forgiveness, they will already have asked God to forgive them. If God has forgiven them, then you must forgive them as well.

Think about how much Christ has forgiven you. He has forgiven all of your sins. So, if God has forgiven your sins, you must also forgive others. Imagine you say something nasty to your friend and soon after feel really bad for what you did. You go to your friend and say sorry to them. You would want your friend to forgive you, wouldn’t you? And you would also want your friend to continue to be kind and loving toward you. So you must forgive others and continue to show love and kindness to them.

Reflection with your child:

What are some ways that you can show that you are a Christian?

Source: Sermon by Rev. H. Alkema