Food Lets us Love Each Other!

Meal Challenge:

Make something together as a family that you can share with someone else. You could make a batch of cookies that you can share with friends, a casserole dish or pots of soup and deliver one to someone who may appreciate a night off of cooking!

Fun Food Facts:

• The tallest ever tower of cookies measured 1.83 metres (over 6ft) tall!
• Strawberries are the only fruit that has seeds growing on the outside.

Opening Activity:

Make a fun afternoon snack of popcorn but try something a little new! Around the world, people top their popcorn with all sorts of fun flavours. Lightly butter your popcorn and divide it into small bowls, and choose afew of the following toppings to try from what is in your cupboard: chicken bouillon powder, soy sauce and garlic powder, mild hot sauce and lime juice, honey with butter, cinnamon and sugar, parmesan cheese, cajun seasoning or curry powder. What other fun combinations can you think of? What is your favourite popcorn topping?

We’ve talked this week about how food does so many amazing things. It’s an amazing gift to God!

Ask: Why do you think God gives us so many amazing gifts?

A clue can be found in the Bible. God is a big, loving, creative God, and He made a world for us that tells us all about Him. In that world, there is delicious, amazing food. He did all this because of His love for us! But God never meant for us to keep good gifts to ourselves.

When God gave His people special food that appeared every morning, He warned them not to take more than they needed and to be sure that everyone had enough. (Remember when God gave his people manna to eat? See Numbers 11). If everyone chose only to take what they needed, there would be enough food in the world today for everyone. Jesus taught His friends that when we have extra of something, God has given us that extra so that we can share it with others.

Sharing is one way that we can show God’s love to other people, and it’s also fun to do! Receiving a gift makes someone else happy, and it’s fun to be able to make people happy.

When it comes to food, there are people who don’t have enough to eat each day—people in your own community and around the world. But there are people who are working hard to help!

Ask: What do you think Jesus would want you to do when we come across people who do not have enough food?

Jesus gave us the gift of Himself. He gave up living His life on earth because He loved you and me so much. He didn’t give us a rotten or left-over gift, but the very best He had. And God gave us food as one amazing gift out of many, many gifts!

Thank God that food is a gift we can share with others today, and ask Him how you can give your very best gift to those in need.

Discussion Questions:

1. What was the most fun food fact or food activity we did as a family this week?
2. Who would you like to invite over to share a meal with? What would you want to serve them?
3. Has anyone shared a snack or meal with you lately? How did it make you feel?
4. What are some ways we can share some of what we have so that other people will have enough food to eat? Consider making a plan as a family to give a gift that can help people in your community and somewhere far away have enough to eat.

Prayer

Dear God, thank You that You have given us enough food for today— food that is beautiful, strengthens our bodies and makes us smile. Please show us ways we can share some of what we have with others and love others as you have loved us. Amen. (Invite children to pray their own prayer of thanks to God for their food!)

Download our activity page pack for this plan here -> Dinner Table Devo's Activity Pages

We hope this plan encouraged you. Explore other resources from Compassion Canada today.