You don't need to say sorry!

(for KS1 and KS2)

Sorry can be an easy word to say

I have 3 boys. There are times when they fight with each other. We tell them 'Say sorry'. They say 'Sorry', but you know that they are not sorry. They are only saying it because we've told them to. In fact they are quite pleased that they hit the other and what they're really sorry about is that they didn't hit them harder. 

Sorry can also be a very hard word to say. 

Sometimes I think sorry is a harder thing to say when you really are sorry.

Friends know that.
There are some people who say to their friends, 'You can only be my friend if you say sorry'
But it is not always true. What is important is not necessarily what you say, but what you feel.

I'd like to tell you the story of two people who were friends

Jesus had invited Peter to come and be his friend. Peter has said Yes
Peter tells Jesus that he will never ever let him down. 'I will never let you down'
But Peter does let Jesus down badly

Jesus was in trouble - big trouble, serious trouble. In fact the biggest trouble you could be in. They had arrested him and were going to kill him - not for anything he had done wrong. They were just trying to get him.
Peter followed Jesus: someone says to him, 'You were with Jesus'.
Peter - because he is frightened - says No. Not just once but three times. And Jesus hears
Peter is crushed

He feels horrible about himself
He didn't do what he said he would do
He worries what Jesus will think of him
And then Jesus is then killed. Peter thinks that he will never have the chance to put it right.

But 3 days later, because Jesus is the Son of God, he rose from the dead.

Now what would you do if you were Jesus?
Would you ditch Peter? After all he ditched you.
Would you say, 'Peter you can only be my friend if you say sorry?'

Peter never says sorry  - Peter shows that he is sorry
When he does it, he actually goes away and because he feels so bad about himself he cries
And when he is told that Jesus is alive, he is one of the first to run to see if it is true
And when Jesus appears, Peter jumps out of a fishing boat to get to Jesus

 Jesus doesn't ditch Peter
He doesn't say to Peter: 'You can only be my friend if you say sorry'.
That might be just a bit too hard for Peter to say, at this point.
Jesus knows that Peter is sorry - and so all he asks Peter is, 'Will you still be my friend?' He asks him that question three times.

If your friend lets you down, and actually you know that they feel bad about what they have done
- don't ditch them
- don't even say to them, 'You can only be my friend IF you say sorry'. Good friends don't do that.
Instead go to them and ask, 'Would you still be my friend'?