Big Idea: God makes earth more like heaven when we live with Jesus as our King.

Bible Passage: Matthew 6:5-13, (focus on: verse 10.)

Parent Prep: Although the 'Big Idea' this week is the same as the last one in this Lord's Prayer series, this week we are looking locally, at our community. This week we will think and pray through ways to 'bring the kingdom' to our local area and the people we meet there.

Read Matthew 6:5-13 together in your Bibles, or read it in a children's version here, or watch it together here.

Talk 

Together, look up in a dictionary, or 'google' the word: Community. [A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.] Talk about the 'communities' your family members are a part of. They can be geographical communities – like the lady at the local grocery store ('living in the same place') or the people you do the same things with each week –  like a sports team ('having a particular characteristic in common'.) 

Listen

Ask children, do [these communities] look like heaven/God's Kingdom? Does everybody obey Jesus and name Him King and Saviour there? Is there hurt, brokenness or pain there? Have children name where they see brokenness in the communities you have named. Maybe people use hurtful language, or the people they meet seem sad or angry. Maybe children notice there are other kids at school who are mean, or come to school hungry. Maybe there is a neighbour or an elderly person down the street who seems lonely. Maybe a friend from a sports team or club has been sick.

Ask children, do you think that God cares about those things? What do you think God, the King over everyone, wants to do about those things? Read 1 John 3:16-18 together. God, our King, has chosen to use us to help others. When we know how much God loves us, we want to love others the same way. Whatever we have, we want to give to others to help them, just like Jesus.

Do 

Say to children, "When we choose to live with God as king, other people can see how wonderful it is to be in God's Kingdom." With the list of communities you made earlier, draw a basic map together of places your family goes and interacts with each week. It could include the local grocery shop, school, grandparents or friends houses, or sporting/activity clubs. Then, choose (at least) one community space or place that your family interacts with, and colour it in together. Decide on one way that you could make it look more like heaven this week by sharing the love, hope and healing of Jesus with those people. Maybe you could write a letter or draw a picture for an elderly neighbour, or for the lady at the grocery store this week. Maybe you could text or send a video message to a sick friend to tell them that you are praying for them, and pray for them as a family. Stick your map on the fridge with your colourful communities to remind you to bring joy and love to those places this week. Remind children as you do this, that we are doing what Jesus has first done for us as it says in 1 John 4:19: "we love because He first loved us."

Have a great week – we'll see you soon.