TEXT: John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; Acts 1:9-11; Matthew 24:27-31

“A princess,” Christy whispered to herself. “Oh, how wonderful that would be.”

She was thinking of the story her mother had just read to her. It was about a little princess who was loved by everyone.

“Mommy, I wish Daddy were a king so I could be a princess,” Christy said. “I would wear a crown made of diamonds. My robe would be pure white with lots and lots of lace and ribbon. We could all live in a beautiful palace.”

Her mother gave her a big hug and said, “Christy, you are a princess.”

“Me? A princess? Mommy, how can that be? Are you sure?” Christy asked.

“I am very sure,” her mother replied. “Remember, Jesus is the King. When you told Him you loved Him and you were sorry for your sins, you became His child. He made you a real princess.”

“But what about a palace to live in and … ” Christy started.

“Wait, I’m not through,” said her mother. “Jesus said He would prepare a place for you – a mansion. There will be many beautiful things for you in Heaven.

“He promised that someday He will come back to earth. When He does, He will take you and all the rest of His princesses and princes to Heaven. You will live with Him forever!”

“Did He really promise that, Mommy? When will He come back? When will He take us to Heaven?” Christy wanted to know.

“We don’t know the exact time when He is coming back,” her mother answered. “The Bible tells us that Jesus said, ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.’ To watch means that we must always obey God’s Word. And we must love other people and tell them that Jesus is coming back someday. We need to tell them that they must pray now if they want to be ready to go to Heaven with Jesus.

“And even though we don’t know when He will return, we do know that Jesus will come again because He always keeps His promise. We just need to make sure we are ready when He comes.”

The final promise of God to be studied in this unit is one which has not yet been fulfilled. Still, your child should be assured that it will come to pass just as surely as the other promises in God’s Word. This is God’s promise that He will come again to this earth, and one of the most important points your child needs to learn in Sunday school is the necessity of being ready for this event.

The Bible tells us that Christ’s second coming will take place as quickly as a flash of lightning, and this thought is also brought out in our memory verse for this lesson. To visualize this thought, help your child draw several bolts of lightning on a paper or Styrofoam tray (the type used by butchers for packing meat). Poke holes at regular intervals around the lines with a thick nail.

Reinforce the end of a length of yellow or orange yarn with a piece of tape, and let your child sew around the design. If he wishes, he could fill in the outline with crayons or marking pens.

FAMILY DEVOTIONS