1. Let us begin in quiet at peace in God’s presence

3. Early Christians tried to live Jesus’ teachings every day

4. One of the hardest had to do with reconciliation

5. Jesus was asked how much we should forgive His answer was challenging

6. He told his followers to forgive someone over and over

7. early Christians tried to do this

9. and found that it worked

10. How? They realised that keeping a grudge took a lot of energy

12. by forgiving what someone did to them they were able to free themselves of thoughts of revenge

14. think about it… how do you respond when someone hurts you

15. if you are always eager to get even think about the effort involved

17. the effort in planning your revenge

18. and making sure that you do not lose face

19. all that effort and at the end you are still miserable and hurt now think about trying to reconcile

21. and how it feels when the other person says sorry and we can get back to normal

23. Think of a time when someone has done something bad towards you. Whether it be an action or unkind words…

24. Write it down on your piece of paper. Are you still holding a grudge? It is just as important to forgive as it is to be forgiven. Take a minute to forgive the person who has been unkind.

25. Let it go…. Screw up your piece of paper and throw it in the bin. Throw away all of the animosity that you are holding towards that person. Forgive and move on!

26. Let us pray Lord, You have said “blessed are the peacemakers – they shall inherit the earth”

28. today help us to be peacemakers in our class, on the corridors, in our community

29. help us to be generous and forgiving to all we meet, Amen