The Rainbow of God's Love
/Today we are going to explore what it means to belong–to be included into a group. At Sanctuary Community Church, we want to make space for every person. We want everyone to feel that they belong, and God does, too. When we look in the Bible, we can see so many examples of God loving us, and we know that we were lovingly created in the image of God.
Scripture:
The Bible is FULL of verses and passages about love! Love must be pretty important to be talked about so much! Here are just a few of those verses about love.
Genesis 1:26, Mark 12:30-31, Romans 15:13, 1 John 4:7-8, Ephesians 3:18
Wondering Questions:
I wonder what love feels like to you?
I wonder if you ever feel different from other people?
I wonder what helps you feel included?
I wonder what it feels like to be held in God’s loving arms?
Story: The Big Umbrella
If we imagine God’s love in the shape of an umbrella, it’s almost like big arms gathering us together into safety. Let’s listen to a story about a very big umbrella!
Now that I think about it, an umbrella is almost the same shape as a rainbow! A rainbow shows us that different colors can join together to make something beautiful, just as different people can join together to make a beautiful community! A rainbow is a symbol of hope, of good things to come, and God’s promises to us.
Sometimes we might feel lonely, scared, or left out. But no matter what, God’s love is big enough and wide enough to cover us all. Because of God’s love, we all belong.
Activity: Rainbow Art
I don't know about you, but when I think of rainbows, it makes me want to make art with all those colors! Below you will find links for how to draw a rainbow and two different coloring pages that you might like to print and color. Of course, you can make your own rainbow art, too! If you’d like to share your rainbow art (or any art you make!), you can send a picture of your work to Lianna at lianna@sanctuaryic.org and I might post them to our Instagram!
Music Playlist
Here are some songs about God’s love for us, the colors of the rainbow, and how wonderful it is to belong. Listen to some of them and see if you can learn the words!
”Wide, High, Long, Deep” Song and Lyric Video by Ellie Holcomb
”Rainbow Colors” Song and Video
“I Can Sing A Rainbow” Song and Video
”He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands” Song
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” Virtual Choir/Orchestra (15 Countries, 300 People)
Last year, we invited you all to participate in a rainbow selfie challenge, sending in colorful photos of yourselves. A year has passed since then, but our church community is just as full of love and belonging. Isn’t it fun to see some faces we know? We love you all!
