8-Feb-26 (Matthew 5:13-20)

What do you do when something good happens to you? Let's say you were given something you really wanted or someone you didn't expect was really nice to you. What would you do? [Wait for answers]
Jesus talks about this in a kind of funny way in today's story from the gospel. He says, if you have a lamp, you don't put it under a basket or hide it in a closet. You put it right out where everyone can see the light. In the same way, when you have something good to talk about, you don't just stay quiet and keep it to yourself. You tell your friends. You tell your teachers and your parents. You might even tell your brothers and sisters. The thing is, you tell people about it.
Now we have the best thing to talk about. We sometimes even call it Good News. What do you think that is? [Wait for answers]
The Good News is that God loves us. God loves us so much that God sent Jesus to us to tell us all about it and to show us that love. God loves everyone. So this Good News is for everyone. Shouldn't we be telling other people about that?

Why don't we ask God to help us with that?
God, we thank you that you love us all. We thank you for Jesus that shows us your love. We also thank you for our teachers and parents that show us your love and teach us about Jesus too. Help us to tell other people about this Good News. We've got something amazing to tell other people about. Help us not to hide it.
We pray in Jesus' name.
AMEN.