April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Good News for Kids
Be thankful for everything
Happy Thanksgiving! What does Thanksgiving mean in your family? Some families say grace and talk about what they're thankful for; others just eat a big meal. Some work in soup kitchens to make sure poor people get a good Thanksgiving dinner, too.
For most people, Thanksgiving is about eating a lot, like turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. But in this week's Gospel (Matthew 24:37-44), Jesus reminds us that in the middle of our eating and fun, we should never forget about God -- because we don't know when Jesus is coming back!
Jesus told a crowd, "The end of the world is going to catch you by surprise, just like the flood caught everyone but Noah, who had built his ark. If two people are working or making bread, one will be taken to heaven; the other will be left. So be ready, because you don't know when the end of the world is coming."
Some families see Thanksgiving as a big party. They just get together and eat until everyone's as stuffed as the turkey, and watch football or parades on TV. Some people see life that way, too: They get so busy with school, work and fun on the weekends that they don't think about anything else.But in the Gospel story, Jesus warned us that that's not a good idea. We don't know when the world will end and Jesus comes back, so we need to be ready all the time by praying, being good to each other and staying close to God -- not just eating, working or playing.
Eating on Thanksgiving is fun. You get to have lots of good stuff, especially dessert! But Jesus reminded us not to get so busy with eating that we forget what Thanksgiving's really about -- thanking God for all the good things we have -- and not to get so busy with life that we forget what THAT'S really about -- being children of God and getting ready to see Jesus again someday!
Now, THAT'S something to be thankful for!
PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, thank you for my family, friends, pets and all the other good things in my life! Amen.
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