My Cheeks Hurt

My Cheeks Hurt

Matthew 5:38-44

INTRODUCTION

This morning I want to introduce you to some other kids that are having some issues in their life that perhaps you can learn from. I would like you to listen to their story. I want you to listen closely because their story can help teach us and help us to understand something Jesus taught in the Bible.

STORY: Dorothy and the Dolphin (http://www.jeremiahproject.com/culture/values/forgiveness2.html)

SEGMENT 1

“Oh yeah, well you are the stupidest sister in the world!” Angelo yelled at his sister Dorothy so loud his voice began to crack.

“I am not stupid, Angelo!” Dorothy shouted back her face red with anger. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.” And she stormed out of the game room and ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door so loud the neighbors heard it and then she threw herself on the bed and cried. She hated fighting with Angelo but she was so mad right now, she didn’t know what she might do. To forget the fight, she turned on her TV in her room and her favorite cartoon TV show, Donald the Dolphin was on. Soon she was distracted by the silly, mostly ridiculous things that cartoon characters get to do.

“It must be easy to be a cartoon character.” She heard herself mutter feeling that she might be drifting off to sleep.

“Its time for Shakey the Shark to blow up!” The shrill cartoon voice of Donald the Dolphin woke Dorothy up. She sat straight up and looked for the floor of her room. But there was no floor. Under her were crayon colored waves of water but not water because she was walking on them. She panicked and spun around and everywhere she looked, it was the cartoon world.

“Where am I?” she said frantically trying to grab a hold of something. But everything was cartoon reality so it just squished through her hands.

“Why you are here with me Dorothy." said Donald the Dolphin doing a huge leap from the Skalley Walley Ocean and coming down with a huge SPLASH. Dorothy actually saw the word SPLASH appear above the cartoon water and then it splattered everywhere. It got on her but she wasn’t wet, just covered in cartoon goo that quickly disappeared in the next frame.

“Donald, where is my dad and mom, where is my brother?” Dorothy asked trying to figure out right away how to get back to real life and out of the cartoon.

“But I thought you wanted to be in a cartoon, Dorothy. Ahoy, Chester the Chicken!” Dorothy turned around and she was scooped up on a huge orange and yellow cartoon jet ski. Chester the Chicken was driving and laughing wildly. The jet ski took off into the sky with just a swirl of exhaust and then landed on the road near Skalley Wumpkum Town where Chester the Chicken was mayor.

INTRODUCTION OF ISSUES

Now, so far in the story, what has happened between Angelo and Dorothy? [allow answers]

How do you think Angelo is feeling at this moment in the story? [allow answers]

How do you think Dorothy is feeling at this moment in the story? [allow answers]

I can imagine that both Angelo and Dorothy are indeed pretty upset. I can imagine that because they have hurt each others feelings, that they might be thinking of ways to get even or ways to get back at each other. Sometimes that happens… when we get hurt feelings or something bad happens… we want to hurt the person back.

I want you to put yourself, if you can, in a similar situation:

* Maybe someone has said something very mean to you.

* Maybe someone has stolen something from you that was yours and certainly not theirs!

* Maybe someone you do not like has asked a favor of you.

KEY QUESTION: What do we do? What does Jesus tell us to do?

SEGMENT 2

“We know you are mad at Angelo, Dorothy. Here in cartoon land, we can give you lots of funny ways to get back at him.” Chester said in a voice that was always too high and too low but never in the middle. ‘SHALZOOM!” Chester said and a cartoon version of Angelo appeared. Dorothy almost ran to him until he started popping his eyes out and turning his feet into springs. Then she knew he was just a cartoon.

“As mayor of Shalley Wumpkum Town, you are guilty of making Dorothy mad Angelo and so your sentence is SHALZOOM!” All of a sudden, a massive rock dropped form nowhere and squished the cartoon Angelo. Dorothy screamed but then he oozed out the side of the rock and popped right back into the shape of cartoon Angelo.

“Wowzie Zowzie, that stung!” Cartoon Angelo said laughing.