Get ready
Put a little unsalted popcorn in two bowls. Salt one bowl. Switch on the tea light and hide the basket nearby.
Teach it: salt
Give each child a piece from the unsalted bowl.
"How does it taste?" (Usually: "Boring!")
Now give them a piece from the salted bowl.
"What changed? Just a tiny bit of salt made a big difference."
Read Matthew 5:13: "You are the salt of the earth."
"Jesus said his followers are like salt. When you're kind, honest and helpful, you make your family, your class and your team better, the way salt makes popcorn better."
Did you know?
In Jesus's day there were no fridges. Salt seasoned food, and it also kept fish and meat from going bad. The lakeside town of Magdala, near where Jesus taught, was famous for salting fish so it could be carried far away.
So when Jesus called his friends "salt," his listeners would have thought of two things: making food better, and keeping good things from going bad.
Teach it: light
Turn off the room lights (or close the blinds) and hold up the tea light.
"In Jesus's day, houses had small windows. At night, a clay oil lamp was the only light in the whole house."
Now cover the light with the basket.
"Would anybody do this? Light a lamp and then hide it?"
Read Matthew 5:14-16:
"You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden. Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
Lift the basket off and set the light up high.
"Jesus says your kindness isn't supposed to be hidden. When people see the good things you do, they get a glimpse of how good God is."
Talk about it
- What did a little salt do to the popcorn? What could a little kindness do in your class?
- Why would hiding a lamp under a basket be silly?
- What is one way you can "shine" at home this week?
- Is it harder to be salt and light at school or at home? Why?
Pray together
"God, thank you for making us salt and light. Help us make the people around us glad, and help our kindness point them to you. Amen."
Take it further
- Preschool: Let kids take turns covering and uncovering the light while everyone shouts "Let it shine!"
- Elementary: Make a "salt and light" list on the board: one thing that makes a place better (salt) and one thing that shows God's love (light).
- Preteen: Talk about what makes salt "lose its flavor" (Matthew 5:13). What might make a Christian's kindness lose its flavor?
Questions teachers ask
What does "you are the salt of the earth" mean for kids?
Salt makes food taste better and, in Jesus's day, kept fish and meat from going bad. Jesus was telling his followers that they make the world around them better, the way salt makes a meal better.
Is it safe to use a real candle?
A battery tea light works just as well and is much safer with kids. In Jesus's day people used small clay lamps that burned olive oil.
