Held Together

Materials
Tape, glue, stapler, and a bolt.

Activity
I would like for you to discover what this tape, glue, stapler, and bolt have in common. Think about it.
(Allow them to answer.)

That’s right! They are all used to hold things together. Most of you probably have tape and glue in your desk at school or in your room. You may also have a stapler of your own, or perhaps your teacher or parents do. Your father probably has a jar of bolts in the garage that he uses to hold metal or wooden objects together. Almost everything we have has to be held together by something. Can you name a few other things that hold things together?

Application
There is something else that needs to be held together as well and that is people. We need to be close to people. If we are not, life becomes very sad and lonely. We need to be close to our family, to our friends, and to our fellow church people-plus many others. Let me tell you what holds people together better than anything else: Love! Love is the best tape, the best glue, the best staple, the best bolt that you can find to keep you close to people. There are other things that we sometimes think keep us close to others but they don’t work as well as love. You may think that it’s because you live on the same street that you are friends with a certain person, but if that is all that makes you friends it will be over with the first time you have a serious fight. Sometimes we think we are close friends with someone because we like the same sport or the same games but this usually doesn’t last either. Even living in the same house with your family will not automatically make you close to them. In every case what we really need is love for that person. No matter what you like doing with someone close to you, just remember that to love that person is the most important thing of all. Love will be the tape, the glue, the staple, the bolt that holds us together in unity.

Possible Bible Stories: Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22), Good Samaritan (Luke 10), They will know that we are Christians by our love (John 13:34), Command to Love one Another