The Power of Love

Welcome (by a married couple)

Wife: There is power in love and it can be demonstrated in many different ways. You can embrace or hug someone and change their day, you can give someone a loving and holy kiss and make them smile. You can give a compliment or a warm smile and make someone feel good inside. 

Husband: Today I am here to welcome you and I want to do so with some demonstrations of love. However, I would need the help of each member here.  I am going to display a picture or emoji and I would like you to turn to someone and demonstrate the action of love in each emoji. Making each person feel welcomed into the house of the Lord.

Alternate between the different pictures: Download images here

You can print each picture below on a single piece of paper or project them on a screen one at a time. If you are not able to display the images, simply ask the congregation to greet each other with the associated actions above.

Picture #1: Compliment

Picture #2: kiss

Picture #3: smile

Picture #4: Hug

Welcome into the house of the Lord

Opening Song: (Married Couple)

*Please remain standing as we sing lustily our opening song hymn #183 I will sing of Jesus Love

Scripture Reading and Prayer: (Married Couple)

John 15:13 

Husband: Greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends.

John 3:16 

Wife: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Opening Remarks:

The power of love can be very impactful when used the way God intended.  Do you agree? 

The power of love can transcend race, distance and social class. It is reformative, bubbly and warm. The power of love can make us feel safe. 

In case you haven’t guessed it, today’s topic is the Power of love. 

We will hear some love stories and be reminded of God’s love for us and how we should love God and each other. This is the greatest commandment.

We are admonished to let love shine within us. We should radiate and see how much of a difference it makes to our everyday life and the lives of those around us. 

We will know that we have love when we start to display the characteristics of love as outlined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails.

Mission Story (Married couple)

We will now listen to the Mission Story followed by the secretary’s report

Secretary’s Report

Special Music (Married couple)

*Introduce Special Music Duet – Preferable a song talking about God’s love*

When a man and a woman are in love they send each other love notes. Today, we have a couple that will be sharing their love notes with us, music notes that is, as they blend in harmony and sing a song that reminds us of the love that God has for us.

Main Feature:

The main feature is divided into four parts.

1. The power of love beyond trials

Ask one married couple to share their love story and how they met as well as what the power of love beyond trials means to them.

2. The power of love beyond race

This is a true story of a biracial couple who met and got married in the 1950s in London. They met while studying at a local university. Their story is filled with hardships and discrimination. They were also ostracised from family and friends who could not understand their love. It may be hard for some of our youth to imagine a time when marrying someone from a different race was illegal. When a man and a woman had to hide their love for each other. However, this couple experienced the power of love, allowing them to celebrate more than sixty years of marriage.

The bible says in Galatians 3:28 

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Can we allow the power of love to see the human race the way God sees us, as neither Jew nor gentile, black or white? 

What prejudices do we have that places barriers on our love for each other? What can we do to love the way God loves?

3. The power of love beyond social class

Many persons within royal families have married persons considered to be commoners or without a royal title. Most recently the stories of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have been all over various forms of media, for marrying princes of England.  Both ladies are from “common” social standings falling in love and marrying royalty, thus changing their status. 

Jesus Christ says in John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”

Christ left the glory and splendor of heaven. He left his seat on the throne to come to earth to save us. He didn’t see us as mere commoners but as worthy of being royalty. 

Peter 2:9 says But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;

The power of Christ’s love for us is that he would lay down his life for us. What a great sacrifice and what great demonstration of love the Father has for his children. 

Love is an action word, just as Jesus stepped down from heaven, we should seek out those among us who are less fortunate and find ways we can be of assistance to them.

1 John 3:18 says “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” And  This love should allow us to demonstrate love by visiting the homeless and downtrodden, those poor in spirit and lowly in status. 

We should also not neglect to show love to those who may appear to be in a higher class. What can you give a woman who has everything? You can give her Jesus, because he gave up everything for her.

4. The power of love beyond the distance

The story is told of a soldier who was deployed and separated from his wife and children. He tells of the challenges to keep the flame of love burning while living and working in a different time zone, in Afghanistan while his family lives in the United States. He was deployed for two years. Thankfully they did not allow the distance to separate their love. They utilised technology and letter writing to communicate with each other until they were reunited. 

I am sure many of us can empathize with their pain even though we may not have experienced this. Love is powerful and can survive and thrive even with the distance. 

*Variation: Ask a couple who experienced long distance to share their testimony.*

The bible tells the story of the prodigal son who distanced himself from his family. However, the distance did not stop the love the father had for his son. Once the prodigal son was open to the idea of allowing his father back into his life, the father, seeing him a far way off in the distance, was filled with compassion, ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 

Isaiah 59:1,2

Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, that he will not hear.

Let us live a life that closes the gap iniquity causes. God loves us with an everlasting love and wants to be near us. He wants to live in our heart.

Lesson Study

*Introduce lesson study*

Closing Remarks by the superintendent:

There is an old Christian hymn that, in poetic glory, tells about the amazing love of God.

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

When years of time shall pass away,
 And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
 And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

There is no love that is stronger than the love of God. Let us strive to love like He loves, and have the power of love shown through our actions.

*Thank everyone who participated in the program.*

Sabbath School is now adjourned until next Sabbath.