The story of four candles!

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD  (Key stage 1 and 2)

What would you be like if you were a candle?
- tall, wide, pretty and decorated, ordinary?

I'd like to introduce you to four of my friends:

Derek. He is different and dotty
Wilberforce. Is wide and white
Penelope. Is purple and posh
and then there is Tim the tea light!

They argued about who was the best.

Christians believe that Jesus was born just like us.
He came to earth not as a different or dotty candle, not as a wide and white candle, not as purple and posh, not as a tea light - but as someone very ordinary.


[introduce another very plain red or white candle, but light it]

But there was a difference.

What is the difference?
[hopefully children will say that the candle representing Jesus is lit]

Jesus was alive in a way that Derek, Wilberforce, Penelope and Tim the tea light were not.
He loved God. He spent time with God. He loved everything about God - about the way God worked; the words God spoke. He saw this world the way God saw it.

And Jesus saw people as God saw them. He loved them. He saw them as more than just dotty or wide or tall or a tea light. He healed them, fed the hungry, challenged those who settled for second best, gave hope to the crushed. He showed them that life can be different, that life will be different. He showed them that they were meant to burn.

Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world' (John 9.5)

And if you come to me, you can burn like me.

[bring the four candles to Jesus, and light them from him]

And the amazing thing is that when Derek, Wilberforce, Penelope and Tim were all lit - they realised that they didn't need to argue who was the best, because they realised that although they were all different, they all shone with the same light.

for a Christingle service

You will need several different candles with a central lit candle

Introduce your different candles: red, purple, white, painted - tall/thin, more rounded, small and stubby, smelly. 
All different, but all candles and all made to burn and give off light.

A bit like us! All different, but people and all made by God for a purpose:
- to be light in the world
- to be stars
(not celebrities - but to shine for truth, love, kindness, mercy, service)

The problem is that we don't: we're like these candles. They look good, but something is missing!

How do we begin to shine?
- Perhaps we need to think right. Please think these candles alight - think harder. 
Often people think if they just make a bigger effort, work harder, then they'll be able to shine. 
- Perhaps we need to come close to the light (move candles close to central lit candle). Doesn't work!
Often people think that if they go to church, or come to a church school, they'll start to shine.

There is only one way. 
The Christingle tells us that Jesus came from God into our world, 2000 years ago, to be the light of the world, the true light. He is the Truth; he is absolute Love.
The only way for us to shine is if the light comes to each one of us and we personally receive it. We need to allow him to set us on fire for himself.