Outdoor Object Lessons 94: No Food No Worries

Key Text

“Here is the perseverance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”” Revelation‬ ‭14:12‬ ‭(WEB‬‬)

Lesson

Have you ever seen a giant moth? One of the biggest moths in the world is called the Atlas moth (Attacus atlas). Its wingspan is between 9-12 inches (25-30 cm)! The atlas moth is primarily orange and has beautiful geometric patterns of white and black across its wings. As with other moths, the Atlas begins its life as a caterpillar. It eats and grows until it is ready to turn into a winged moth. Then it wraps itself in a cocoon and the pupa slowing transforms into an adult moth. Once it has transformed, the Atlas moth can no longer eat. It has no functional mouthparts. In fact, many moth species are unable to eat once they transform from the larva state. The Luna, Polyphemus, Promethea, and other species of adult moths do not have mouthparts.

Because it has no mouth, the Atlas moth must survive off the energy it consumed as a caterpillar. It spends most of its short adult life being still in order to conserve energy. It’s one purpose as an adult is to reproduce. It does not waste time looking for food sources to perpetuate its own life. God gave the adult moth one job. And it has everything it needs to do it.

Likewise, as Christians living in these last days, God has given us one job. We may fret that we don’t have certain talents, good looks, money or other things. God has given or will give what we need to do the job he has given us. In the next life we will have everything we want, long life, good looks, money, even the streets will be paved with gold. But in this short life on earth, God has left us one job— to tell people of his soon return.

We are to live with this as our primary priority. We are the Remnant people. We do not have time to be preoccupied with chasing after worldly things. We have an urgent message for the world. Jesus instructed us not to worry about anything, not even what we will eat (Matt. 6:31). We need to be focused on telling people to get ready for Jesus’ soon return, encouraging them to repent and prepare for his coming judgment. We need the perseverance to stay focused on our one task, which is to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Questions

Is it wrong if we do have good looks or lots of money? Do you think God gives these gifts to some people for a reason?

How do we share God with others when they don’t seem to want to hear it?

Does God expect us to trust him even if we have lost everything?

Is it wrong to feel worried about things?

How do you stay focused on God even when you feel worried?


Source
1. Kasey, "Atlas moth," Remain Gardens: Iowa State University, July 2017, accessed March 13, 2019 from https://www.reimangardens.com/2015/07/atlas-moth/.





Written by David F. Garner
Photo credit: Crazygoat www.pixabay.com

SDA Belief Series 13/28

Outdoor Object Lesson 86: Red and Green

Key Text

"If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also." John 14:3 (WEB)

Lesson

What is red and green all over? It probably did not take you long to guess Christmas. These two colors are often considered the official colors of the holiday. But other colors are popular too. Blue, gold, silver, and white can be seen adorning nearly every home and shop at Christmas. Red and green still seem to dominate all others. It hasn’t always been that way. Until the early 20th century many colors were used in decorations as much as any other. But red and green slowly came to prominence with time.

In colder climates in Europe and North America, the dark green holly plant with its bright red berries are a familiar and welcome sight. They are one of few plants that grow in the cold months and stick out against the snow. Holly is able to grow even in winter because it is an evergreen. It can tolerate temperatures as low as 20 degrees F (-6 degrees C).1 Holly has long been a symbol of hope of coming spring. So the holly branch has been associated with the Christmas season for centuries. The holly branch helped to make red and green the most popular Christmas colors.

This hope is mirrored in the hope of the Christmas story in which the birth of Jesus symbolized the coming hope of his mission. The birth of Jesus did not in itself bring salvation. Jesus still had to grow up. He had to complete his ministry and train disciples to carry his message to the world. Then he had to choose to go to the cross and die for our sins. But the birth of the Messiah brought hope. It was a sign that God was in the process of carrying out his promise. It was a symbol of hope.

God is now in the process of carrying out another promise. He is working to prepare a place for you and me so that he can come again and take us to live with him for eternity. As Jesus promised in the key text, he will come again and take us back to heaven with him. Christmas is the celebration of the first advent of Jesus and a reminder that Jesus fulfilled God's promise of a redeemer to save the world. When you look at the red and green decorations this Christmas season, let them remind you that like the holly is a promise of the coming spring, so Christmas is a promise of a savior that is coming a second time.

Questions

What is your favorite Christmas color?
What else does Christmas give us hope for?
Why has Jesus not returned yet?
How long will it be to Jesus comes back?

Sources
1. "AMERICAN HOLLY," University of Kentucky, Department of Horticulture online, last updated December 7, 2018, from http://www.uky.edu/hort/American-Holly.


Written by David F. Garner

Outdoor Object Lesson 80: Autumn Joy

Key Text

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21‬ ‭(WEB‬‬)

Lesson

Autumn is my favorite season of the year. The beautiful colors of the changing leaves. The cool weather. The flocks of migrating birds. Seasonal flavors like apple and pumpkin. The warm glow of a fire. All these things help make this time of year special. Fall is not just my favorite season though. It has been a time of celebration for many centuries in many cultures. This is because fall is the time of harvest. Farmers and gardeners have worked long hours through the rain of spring and the heat of summer to till fields, plant seeds, remove weeds, and water crops. All that hard work pays off in the fall during harvest.

Of course many crops are harvested at other times in the year. But the most are harvested around the months of fall. This is a happy time of year because the farmer and gardener reap the rewards of their hard labor. They now have crops that they can sell at the market. But they are not the only ones who are happy. All the people who depend on the farmers and gardeners for their food are also joyful in this season because they have plenty of food as well. It is a time of much rejoicing. Many cultures have celebrated a harvest festival in the autumn. It is still popular today in the form of Thanksgiving.

Having plenty of food is not the only reason everyone is happy though. They also celebrate because now they have plenty of food stored to last through the cold winter. Little food will be able to grow during the winter months so everyone will depend on the food harvested in the fall. It will need to last until the next spring. So how disappointed would a farmer be with a tree or plant that she worked hard to grow all spring and summer that produced no fruit in autumn? I think extremely disappointed.

The Bible only refers to autumn a few times. The Bible uses autumn to represent harvest. In Jude 1:12, false teachers are compared to “autumn trees without fruit.” False teachers are disappointing because they seem like a good tree that will produce much fruit in the fall, but when harvest time comes they have nothing. As Christians we are all teachers according to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). We are to teach others about Jesus and his love leading them towards him. This is the fruit we are to produce. But many Christians are like trees that produce no fruit. Jesus warned his followers sternly about this in the key text. He said not everyone who calls me Lord will enter heaven. Only those who do God’s will.

In Revelation 14:14 Jesus is described as holding a sickle at the Second Coming signifying he is coming to reap the harvest. This is the autumn of the world. Autumn should be a fruitful season, the most abundant of the year. But not all the trees and plants will have a harvest for Jesus to reap. Many Christians may look very fruitful now. But some are false teachers that don’t actually produce anything good. These will be gathered up and discarded. Only those that do the will of God and work to teach others about Jesus will be gathered with the harvest to live in Heaven. Only those who work now in the spring rain and summer heat will have joy in autumn. Which type of tree will you be at the last autumn?

Questions

What is your favorite thing about fall?

Does the key text mean that we have to convert other people to our religion to get to heaven?

How do we go about teaching others about Jesus?

How can you teach others about Jesus even if they don’t want to talk about him?


Written by David F. Garner
Photo credit: giani via www.pixabay.com

Christian Outdoor Object Lesson 54: Injustice

Key Verse

"For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God." Romans 8:20-21 WEB


Lesson

Nature is beautiful. Watch a sunset or go to the ocean. Look up at the stars on a clear night. Smell a colorful flower in spring. Listen to the bird’s chirp in the morning. Hold a baby animal. In all cultures in every age humans have marveled at the beauty of nature. But they have also seen its harshness.

Nature can be bleak and even downright cruel. A child does not have to live long before they experience the unkind parts of nature and life. The prick of a thorn when they pick up a flower, the bite of a bug that seemed harmless. Eventually we all encounter death. Perhaps you have seen a dead animal in the road. Or maybe a favorite pet fish or cat died. All the flowers you pick wither and turn brown.

The longer you live the more unpleasant things you will see in nature. Creatures eating other creatures and other things we don’t often talk about. What are we to make of the harshness we find in nature? You may have experienced a sense of disgust, or even anger at the harsh ways of nature. That is a natural feeling. Death and cruelty often awaken a sense of injustice in us. We realize that something is missing or has gone wrong.

If there is injustice in the world than there must be a level of justice by which we measure injustice. Humans intuitively know that justice must exist because they can recognize injustice. If there is a standard of justice, then there must be someone who set that standard long ago and placed it within the mind of each human being. When we encounter death and cruelty in life we instinctively know that it is not right, it cannot be the end.

Sadly, some grow callus to the death and cruelty in nature. Others begin to think that if it has been this way for so long than maybe it was never any other way. Many people give up hope that all the injustice in the world will be made right. That is understandable. Thankfully there is still hope. The Creator of the universe has stepped in to tell us that death is not the end of the story. He has told us the cause of death and injustice in this world and that it is not the end, there is hope. All the injustice will be made right! Jesus has conquered death! When we encounter cruelty and injustice in nature or anywhere in our lives, we can take hope that someday soon, the Creator will come to restore justice and life!


Questions

How do you feel when you see a dead flower or animal?

Is it OK for us to be sad or even angry when things die?

Why has God allowed injustice and death in the world?

What has God done about the death and injustice in the world?


Other Resources About This Topic

Sermon: God Can You Hear Me? By Pastor William Little


Written by David F. Garner
Photo credit David F. Garner