Far Beyond the Stars

TEXT: Revelation 21:10-27; 22:1-5; Mark 9:42-48

The night air was cool, so Karen and Laura were happy to snuggle into their sleeping bags. The first day of their Sunday school camping trip had been fun. Everyone was tired but still excited about sleeping out-of-doors.

"Just look at the stars!" exclaimed Laura. "I didn't know there were so many, the sky is filled with them! Do you think there really is room for Heaven up there?"

"Oh, yes, there is plenty of room," said Karen.

Alice, their Sunday school teacher, said, "Heaven is far beyond the stars that we see, Laura. You have not been coming to Sunday school for very long, but one thing Jesus wants you to know is that there really is a Heaven."

"The Bible tells us Heaven is a wonderful place," said Karen. "There is no darkness there, and the light will be even more beautiful than those stars," she said, pointing toward the sky. "And can you imagine golden streets that you can see through? Everything will be so good - no crying or sadness. And best of all, Jesus will be there!"

"Will everybody get to live there?" asked Laura.

"Only those who love Jesus and have had their sins forgiven," said Alice.

"What about the people who don't love Jesus?" asked Laura. "Where will they live?"

"They will all go to a very bad place called Hell," said Karen.

"But, isn't it exciting to know that we don't have to go to a bad place? Jesus loves us so much that He is preparing a special place for those who love Him," said Alice. "We just need to tell Jesus we are sorry for our sins. He will give us a special love in our hearts for Him. He wants us to tell others what He has done for us. Then someday we can go even farther than the astronauts have gone—beyond the moon, the stars, and the planets. We can go to Heaven! Won't that be wonderful?"

PARENT'S CORNER

God's Word teaches that there are two places in which eternity can be spent—in Heaven or in Hell. This unit will focus on that reality.

To help your child visualize Heaven, help him create a three-dimensional scene picturing it. Give him a shoe box and help him glue light blue paper to the inside and bottom of the box. Turn the box on one side. Let him cut out mansions, golden streets, a river of life, etc., from gold foil paper. Angels, bells, and other decorative features may be cut from Christmas cards. Cut out people, leaving a tab at the bottom of each. Bend tab and glue to the bottom of the Heaven scene. Add clouds made from cotton and sprinkle on glitter.