Note that this talk was done a couple of days after Bonfire night
After this talk we're going to be having fireworks. But I'd like to think
about them a bit first.
Imagine we went outside and there were no lights on. What would it be
like?
Dark
OK, so it's perfectly dark. You can't see a thing. Then someone lets a
firework off. As well as a lot of noise, fireworks also make…
Light
When you think of darkness what kind of things do you think of?
Write ideas on whiteboard
When you think of light what do you think of?
Write ideas on whiteboard
What do you notice about the dark things and the light things?
Dark = bad && light = good && light > dark
The Bible talks a lot about light and dark, and like we have noticed here,
it uses dark to represent evil or bad things, and light to represent good
things. I've got some examples here. Anyone want to read one?
John 8:12 : Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Those who follow
me will never live in darkness but will have the light that gives life".
What do you think Jesus was meaning when he said he was the light of the
world?
He is good
Makes the world better, takes away the bad things (dark)
Hope for the future
OK, so Jesus was saying that he was coming to the world which was in a bad
way and bringing good things. He was essentially bringing a better chance.
It then says that those who choose to follow Jesus will have the light
that gives life. What might this mean?
Good things will happen in our life.
To me it's saying that without God & Jesus in our lives, sure, we're
alive. But there is a difference between just being alive and really living. A
number of years back I decided that I would try things out with having God in
my life. Since that point my life has been different. I've felt more alive. It
sounds a bit weird, but it's not just me. Who has heard the song Alive by POD?
Someone must have!!!!
It says in the song "I feel so alive, for the very first time, I can't
deny you, I feel so alive." In the song, they are talking about this feeling
I've been talking about.
But here's the crunch. It's your choice whether you feel this sense of new
life
If you walk into your room and it's dark in there and you can't see, what
do you do?
Turn on the light
If you have a candle that's not lit and you want it to help you see, what
do you have to do?
Light it
Notice how if you want there to be light, you have to do something about
it.
It's a bit like this with God. God will not force himself to be in your
life, he respects you enough to let you take that choice. You have to choose
to have the light of God in your life.
Before we see the fireworks we're going to give each of you a sparkler.
And as you light it and hold it, you might want to think about the God thing.
You could use the sparkler as a kind of prayer if you want. Maybe draw
something in the sky with it. Please don't wave it around too much and set
everyone on fire!
But I ask you, do you want to find out about what this "being alive"
feeling is like? It isn't just for religious people; God is for everyone and
wants to be a light in everyone's life.
So, we'll go and do the sparkler thing. To help you think about the being
alive thing, I'm going to put the POD song on in the background.
Remember, if you have any questions about any of this, you're free to ask
myself or any of us leaders anytime you want.
