TLIC FAMILY. DAY 111. APRIL 21: THE WORD WAS GOD.

THINK TOGETHER

Is there anything you believe in even though you don’t completely understand it? (a plane flying, the light switch turning on lights in your house).

READ TOGETHER

There are four books in the New Testament that tell us the story of Jesus on earth. They are called the “gospels.” Can you name them? (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) But John’s gospel is a bit different from the other three because John doesn’t start out with Jesus on earth. It starts with Jesus in heaven. Listen to what John says about Jesus (remember that the “Word” is Jesus):

John 1:1-3. the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Before Jesus was a little baby in a manger, he was in heaven living eternally as God the Son. He was living with the Father in perfect love and unity. Because the Son and the Father loved each other they decided to share their love by making everything that was made – including YOU!

John is teaching us about a very important truth that all Christians must believe – God is a Trinity. Have you ever heard the word Trinity before? Trinity means that God is both ONE God and at the same time he is THREE persons. So Jesus, the Word, was WITH God – this means that he is different from God (the Father). And Jesus, the Word, WAS God – this means that Jesus is God.

This can be tricky to understand, but it’s very important that we believe that God is a Trinity, even if we don’t completely understand it. Why? Because if God is not a Trinity, then he can be loving. God the Father can love God the Son, God the Son can love God the Holy Spirit, and so on. Because God the Three-In-One can love each other, then that means that God can love us too.

Because of Jesus I can be saved from my sins and loved by God.

With Jesus we can love just like the Trinity loves us.

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER

Hint for parents: Don’t try to use analogies to explain the Trinity to your kids (water being liquid, solid, gas; a man being a father, a husband, a son; a triangle having three sides but being one triangle; etc.). All of these fall short and can even teach heresies concerning the Trinity. The Trinity is something we believe even though we can’t fully understand it.

PRAY TOGETHER

Jesus, thank you for inviting me into the Trinity’s great life of love. Amen.