The Light of the World {Parables of Jesus Series}
Hopefully you’ve been joining us as we study the parables of Jesus this summer. Check out the list at the end of this post to see if you’ve missed any of them! Today we’re talking about what it means to be the light of the world. What an awesome privilege and responsibility!
The Word – Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
The Main Point
God loves us SO much. He loves us when we do the right thing, and he loves us when we do the wrong thing. There is nothing I could ever do that would make God love me any more or any less. I always want to make sure that my kids understand that making right choices is not a way to earn God’s love, so it’s a good way to preface the teaching of this parable.
God loves us SO much. He loves us when we do the right thing, and he loves us when we do the wrong thing. There is nothing I could ever do that would make God love me any more or any less. I always want to make sure that my kids understand that making right choices is not a way to earn God’s love, so it’s a good way to preface the teaching of this parable.
Because God loves us so much, he has given us the awesome responsibility of sharing his love with others. We need to be a LIGHT in the darkness. We are a light when we show love to people, when we demonstrate the fruits of the spirit, and when we make choices that glorify God.
I like the give the kids situations they could relate to. For example, “Let’s say your friends at school know that you believe in Jesus and they’ve been kind of curious about what that means and how it makes you different than other people. Then one day you are playing soccer at recess and you make the perfect shot toward the goal but one of your own team mates accidentally gets in the way and messes up your shot. You’re super frustrated so you yell at him, ‘Why did you do that you idiot? I would have had that shot if you hadn’t got in the way! Who’s team are you on anyway?!’ Are your classmates going to want to know more about Jesus now? Maybe not because he didn’t really seem to make a difference in your life! But if you forgave the person who messed up and encouraged him or her, that would be a way to bring glory to God through your good choices.”
The more we realize how much God loves us, the more we want to show our gratitude by obeying Him and and bringing to glory to Him through our choices.
The Activities
There are so many fun things you can do along the theme of light and darkness! Here are some ideas:
- Brainstorm a list of everything you can think of that gives off light.
- Give your children an large flashlight and have them try to block the light with their hands. It’s really hard, which is a good illustration that light is powerful!
- Buy some glow in the dark stars and tape one to piece of paper. Have your child write a note on the paper reminding them how they can shine God’s light this summer.
- If you happen to have some electronics toys for kids, have them do an experiment to find out what types of materials are conductors and what are insulators. We have a set where a lightbulb will light up if the circuit is completed! The perfect way to talk about what types of choices allow us to shine God’s light, and what poor choices will keep us from doing so.
- Have your children complete a task that is pretty easy in the light – like drawing a picture of a house. Then take them to a dark room or blindfold them and have them try to complete the same task. Wow – it’s a whole bunch harder! God really did design us to live in the light.
The Snacks
This sun themed snack is really cute!
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| From Mama Jenn |
Want more parables? If you’re interested in the other parables we’ve already talked about, and what we’ve got planned next, here’s the list!
The Wise Builder
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
The Good Samaritan
The Light of the World
Mustard Seed and Yeast
Unmerciful Servant
Lowest Seat at the Feast
Workers in the Vineyard
Hidden Treasures
(Plus three more to be determined!)
Images of “light” activities from the following sources:
Blindfolded boy
Flashlight
Electricity
Stars
Blindfolded boy
Flashlight
Electricity
Stars
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[…] Wise BuilderThe Pharisee and the Tax CollectorThe Good SamaritanThe Light of the WorldMustard Seed and YeastUnmerciful ServantLowest Seat at the FeastWorkers in the VineyardHidden […]
[…] Wise Builder The Pharisee and the Tax Collector The Good Samaritan The Light of the World Mustard Seed and Yeast Unmerciful Servant Lowest Seat at the Feast Workers in the Vineyard Hidden […]