SermonStudio

Scripture Reference
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
-- Psalm 119:105

Materials Needed
Flashlight
Sheet of black construction paper (optional)
Card stock printed with scripture reference and verse

Telling The Story
(Hold up the flashlight.) What is this? (Allow the children to answer.) That's right. It's a flashlight. A flashlight uses batteries and a small light bulb to create a light, like this. (Shine flashlight. Shine it on the construction paper if there is too much light to see the light on the carpet or floor.)

As you might imagine, this flashlight really comes in handy. Imagine that I'm camping. It's the middle of the night, and I wake up and realize that I need to go to the bathroom. The problem is that it's dark outside! What do I do? I grab my trusty flashlight and shine it on the path between my tent and the outhouse. (Shine the flashlight on the floor or on the construction paper to simulate shining the flashlight on the path.)

I walk along, looking at the path in the light. Suddenly, I see a rock. I don't want to stub my toe, so I walk around the rock. A few steps later, I see a large tree root. I don't want to trip and fall, but thanks to my flashlight, I see the root in plenty of time. I'm able to step over the root without falling. I keep walking, when suddenly, I see a skunk in the middle of the path! The last thing I want to do is scare a skunk. So I back up and wait for the skunk to cross the path and then I proceed. Good thing I have my trusty flashlight. The light that comes from my flashlight helps me safely walk down the path and avoid getting hurt or lost.

This flashlight reminds me of a verse in the Bible. (Hold up the card stock with the scripture reference and verse printed on it.) It's Psalms 119:105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

"Your word is a lamp to my feet ..." Does that mean that the next time I go camping, I don't need to take a flashlight? Can I just use my Bible instead? No. This verse is using symbolism. One thing stands for or represents another.

The path in this verse represents my life. My feet in this verse represent me living my life. If I think of myself walking down a path, I have a symbol of me living my life, doing the things I do, and making the decisions that I make.

In Bible days, people didn't have battery-operated flashlights. When David wrote this verse, he was probably thinking about an oil lamp of some sort. Your word in this verse really does mean God's word or the Bible, but when the verse says that God's word is a lamp, it doesn't literally mean that we can use it like an oil lamp or a flashlight. Instead, it means that the Bible provides guidance. It shows me things that might cause me to sin and it helps me make decisions, just like the flashlight showed me things on the path that might cause me to trip and fall or to scare a skunk. If the path is a symbol for my life, then the lamp or light represents the Bible showing me how to safely walk that path.

Prayer
Dear Lord,

Thank you so much for loving us and for giving us the Bible to help us as we navigate the world around us. Thank you for guiding us. Please help us to remember that the Bible is your gift to us.

In Jesus' name. Amen.