The Greatest Commandment Lesson: Remember the Titans

Use this movie clip from Remember the Titans to teach children about respect and caring for one another.

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-38

Start Time: 31 minutes, 43 seconds

Where to Begin: The Titans are on an early morning run. They stop at the field where the Battle of Gettysburg was fought.

Where to End: Coach Boone finishes his speech to the young players.

Plot: The story takes place in West Virginia where a high school has just been integrated. A black head-football coach leads a team of both white and black players who initially do not like each other because of race.

Review: Use this clip to teach kids about the greatest commandment. Jesus taught that we are to love the Lord God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves. In this clip the coach tells his players that they may hate each other, but they will respect one another. God expects more from us to the point that in Matthew 5:44 we’re to love our enemies.

Supplies: Three or more types of fruit

The Greatest Commandment Lesson

Have the children form threesomes. Give each threesome a piece of fruit, but tell the kids not to let the other groups know what kind of fruit that they have. Each group should brainstorm three facts they can give about the fruit. For example, for an orange they could say it has a peel that we don’t eat, it can be made into a breakfast drink, and its color is orange.

Once all the groups have determined their three fruit facts, have them share those with the entire group and see if the group can guess the fruit.

Say: We’re going to watch a clip from Remember the Titans. In this scene, the coach has led his football players on an early morning run. His goal is to help his players, both white and black, to learn to respect each other even though the color of their skin makes them seem different.

Show the Remember the Titans clip.

Debriefing the Clip

Ask:

• Why do you think people sometimes don’t like each other simply because they have a different skin color?
• How are the differences in fruit like the differences in people?

Say: In the Bible Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment. This is how he replied in Matthew 22:37-40, ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” If we love God, he expects us to love everyone else. There are lots of different kinds of fruit, but they’re all fruits that God created. There are lots of different types of people, but they’re all created by God.

Ask:

• When Jesus is referring to loving our neighbor, who does he want us to love?
• In the movie the coach tells his players that they don’t have to love each other, but they do have to respect each other. Why does God expect more from us?
• How does loving God with all our heart help us to love our neighbor? 

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