Things you’ll need:
- Box of dry spaghetti pasta noodles
- Prepared spaghetti sauce or ingredients to make your own
- Rubber band
Faith Talk:
Throughout the Bible the value of community is emphasized. The Israelites were God’s chosen people and traveled together to the land God had promised them. The New Testament church met together, shared their belongings, and were called the “body” of Christ. The Bible is filled with many “one another” sayings: love one another, serve one another, pray for one another, confess your sins to one another, etc.
As you prepare dinner together, use the following activity to show the value of “togetherness”. Your family will discover great insight into why God emphasized this truth.
Give each person a single piece of uncooked spaghetti pasta, symbolizing one individual person. Break the pasta in pieces and discuss the amount of effort needed to break the noodle. It is easy to break one noodle when it’s all by itself.
Next, secure a rubber band around the remaining pasta, making one large bundle. Have a child try to break the spaghetti bundle in half. Take turns trying. Breaking the larger “community” of spaghetti is much more difficult! Even if someone succeeds in breaking the bundle in half, focus on the reality that it takes much more effort.
Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 says, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
It is easier to fall or make bad choices when we stand alone. God has given us our family and other Christians to stand with. We are stronger together, just like the spaghetti bundle.
What are some ways we can help each other stand strong? Answers could include:
- Pray for one another.
- Use our words to encourage each another.
- Memorize a verse together when we are afraid or worried.
As you eat dinner, consider making a One Another list to include ways you will interact as a family.
Pray as a family. Lord, we thank You for our family. Help us be an encouragement to one another. Thank You, also, that we do not have to be alone. Not only have You provided our family and other Christians, You have also promised that You will never leave us alone.