1 Corinthians 15:1-4, NIRV (emphasis added)

Brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the good news I preached to you. You received it and have put your faith in it. ²Because you believed the good news, you are saved. But you must hold firmly to the message I preached to you. If you don’t, you have believed it for nothing.

³What I received I passed on to you. And it is the most important of all. Here is what it is. Christ died for our sins, just as Scripture said he would. ⁴He was buried. He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as Scripture said he would be.

Candy Heart Words: “1 (One) I love”

Message

I wonder what you would do if you had something important to say, something important that you want to be sure another person hears you say. What do you do? Do you wait for them to be quiet? Do you raise your voice? Do you ask, “1,2,3, can you hear me?”

In this morning’s scripture, Paul has said some important things in his letter to the people living in Corinth. They were called Corinthians. But now, in this verse, he has come to the most important thing of all – the good news that Jesus died for our sins and that God raised him up to new life. The Corinthians had heard Paul preach this good news before when he first met them. They had believed and trusted it. But now Paul worries that they are forgetting, so he reminds them again. He really wants them to hear this!

In verse 3, Paul reminds us to pass the good news on to others. We pass the good news by knowing God loves us and by telling others about God’s love.

The conversation heart today says “1 (One) I love.” The good news that Paul describes refers to the story of Jesus Christ's birth, death, and resurrection. God so loved the world that God sent God’s son, Jesus to show us how much love God has for each of us. In other words, God says to each of us, “1 I love!” Jesus says to each of us, “1 (One) I love!” Today’s candy heart reminds us of that.

I wonder how you would feel to pass God’s love, the good news, on to someone else. Let’s try it. I will count to three, and will say, “1 I Love.” When I say it, I want each of you to point to someone else in this room. It can be anyone, but point and make eye contact with someone. Let that person know that you are passing on to him or her the good news of God’s love. Let’s try it together. 1, 2, 3. “1 I love!”

I wonder if the people in Corinth felt the same feeling you just felt.

I wonder how we can share the good news of God’s love with other people.

Each week for our prayer, instead of praying hands, we will shape our hands like hearts to remind us of love. Can you place your hands in this position? (Position your hands like this:)

Prayer: God of love, we give you thanks for reminding us constantly how much you love us. We truly feel your love when we show and tell others of your love. Thank you for making me 1 that you love! Amen.