By Vlaurentius CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Discuss these questions with the person next to you and then share your ideas with your class:

1.  If you could be prime minister for a day, what laws would you change?
2. If you could be the Headteacher for a day, what rules would you change?

For the season of lent this year, we have been learning about the parable of the prodigal son and how we are all loved by Father God.  In the story of the prodigal son, when he returns home, his father puts a ring on his finger.

When this story was told, a ring was not just a piece of jewellery.  A ring would normally have a seal on it which would be used by the family almost like a signature to change rules and laws, especially if you were from a rich family.  The ring is a symbol of power and authority.  The story represents how much God loves us like a parent loves a child.  But God isn’t just any parent, he is all powerful and, as his children, we are also people with a sense of power and authority, so that we can make a difference and help those around us.

A collection of memes, people, food and other artifacts from this annual conference in Canberra, Australia flickr photo by Wootang01 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-ND) license

Watch this clip from a Spiderman film, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’.

We all have power and control in different ways. Can you think of some areas that you have power and control in?

Here are some ideas:

Time
Looking after the environment
Friendship groups
Families
Sports Teams

How can you use your power for good? Pick one of your ideas and think about how you can do this.

Prayer

Father God, we are so thankful for the way that you love us and how you welcome us as your children. We are sorry for the times that we let you down, but thank you that you always forgive us and love us.  Thank you that you will always give us another chance.   Thank you for all the areas of our lives where we have the power to make a difference.  Help us to do this in the right way, recognising our responsibility and using this to help and encourage those around us.  Amen