Light of the World
Items needed:
- Flashlight
- Ingredients for roasting S’mores or hotdogs
Take a night hike. (Keep the flashlight hidden until you have walked a bit.) Pull out the flashlight and light the way.
Alternate idea: Turn out all the lights in the house and give each child a task to do with no lights on. (Go to your bedroom and bring back a book; go to the kitchen and bring us the cookies; etc.) Then produce the flashlight and ask them to do the same task using the flashlight. (It may be enough for young children to just turn out the lights and sit in the dark.)
If possible, build an outdoor fire and make S’mores or roast hot dogs. (Any activity is much more fun if food is included.)
Talk about it:
How did you feel walking in darkness? (afraid; unsure; etc.)
Why do you think the Bible compares walking in darkness to being in sin? (While in the dark, you can’t see where to go; while in sin, you don’t know the way to Heaven, you don’t know the way to live, etc.)
How did the flashlight help us? (It helped us see the way to walk; it showed us where to go, etc.)
With a bright light, we don’t need to stumble around to find the way.
Why would Jesus call Himself the “Light of the World”? (He shows us the way to Heaven; He guides us in the right way to live; He chases away the “darkness” of sin; etc.)
Jesus came to the world to bring light—to show us the way to live and how to go to Heaven.
The Way
Items needed:
- Index cards or pieces of copy or construction paper
- Pens
- Tape
- Flashlight
Review 1 John 4:16 with the children. Invite them to write each word (Phrases are fine too.) of the Bible verse on an index card or piece of paper. Tape them in any order around the room. Turn out the light, turn on the flashlight, and find the words of the verse in correct order. Say the verse together.
Opposites!
Think of several pairs of opposites. (hot/cold, tall/short, nice/mean, big/little, loud/quiet, etc.) Instruct your children to listen to the word you say and shout out the opposite. If you have time, allow your children to take turns thinking of the word for others to guess the opposite.
Do you know what the opposite of God is? (sin)
Sin is darkness, but God is light. He is the Light of the World. We must keep growing in our faith and knowledge of Jesus, showing others a Christlike attitude. Jesus helps us walk in light, truth, and love. Trust Him to help you!