Arlo is on a journey to find his way back to the rest of his family. During that time he makes a new friend; the critter (or boy, to us) he names Spot. This is one of the first scenes where they truly bond… over understanding their families.
Application:
Family, Church Family
Arlo loves his family. He knows all the members of his family and he wants to go back to see them. Spot sometimes has trouble understanding Arlo, but when it comes to family he begins to understand. Both Arlo and Spot have had lovely families who they love. Families aren’t always easy, sometimes we fight with our families, sometimes we get fed up of our families, but we can also have a great time with our family and make many amazing memories with them too. Perhaps your experience of a family hasn’t been the best, maybe you don’t even have a family. God gives us a family to help us work with others, to teach us how to love and to be part of something bigger than simply ourselves. Being part of a family helps us to become more like Jesus – selfless.
The best part of all this, is that even if we don’t feel like we have a great family, or if we don’t have a family at all, we can all be part of the big family of God. If we have asked Jesus into our lives then the bible refers to us as ‘brothers and sisters’ which makes us all one big family. Imagine, you have brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world! Wow! That’s one humungous family!
BIBLE VERSES:
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12.
And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:18.
So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:5.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise). Ephesians 6:1-2.
But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:48-50.
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:20.
Let brotherly love continue. Hebrews 13:1.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- What’s the best thing about your family?
- What’s the worst thing about your family?
- Do you think God loves families? Why/why not?
- Do you get along with everyone in your family? Why/why not?
- Do you think God cares about how you act with your family and how they act with you?
- How do you think God can help you in your family?
- How can you help others who might find their family tough?
- How can you share the love of Jesus with your family?
- How do you think the church is like a big family?
- How do you think your church family can share the love of Jesus with each other?
