My family has a yearly tradition of reading a chapter a day of the book of Luke, leading up to Christmas. It has been such an enriching experience that helps center our holiday season on what is most important to us. If you’d like to join us in these readings, I’m providing questions to talk through with your kids to help spark conversations and meaningful engagement with what you read. I hope it’s helpful!
(Here is where you can find background information or to start this project at Chapter 1.)
Before you start each night, think about the environment you’re creating for this experience. Check your heart. Lower your expectations. Here is where you can find more ideas on how to set yourself up for success.
Questions before you read Luke 11:
What story did Jesus tell to explain who are neighbor is?
Who were the sisters Jesus was meeting and eating with?
I ask my kids to listen for this information while we’re reading and I’ll ask about it after we’re done:
What did the disciples want to learn how to do?
What good gift does Jesus say God will give you?
Who was focusing on being clean and pure on the outside, but not on the inside?
(Asking them to look for the information before you start reading is super helpful in keeping little learners engaged. They tend to listen pretty hard when they’re listening for something specific. I might even write the questions out so they can hold them and look for the information while we read. I will assign these questions to my youngest kids and target the longer discussion questions to my older kids. If my younger kids need to go to bed while we’re deep in discussion, they still had a chance to participate.)
Questions after you’ve read Luke 11:
The prayer Jesus models for them is very short. What elements does it contain?
Is God our magic genie who will just do whatever we want? How have you seen God answer prayers in unexpected ways?
When someone yells out a blessing on Jesus’s mother, once again Jesus shifts the focus to something other than biology. Who does Jesus say should be blessed?
What message did Jonah preach? How are Jonah and Jesus similar?
Why do you think Jesus is so hard on the Pharisees?
Was there anything else that stuck out to you or surprised you?
(We might get through all of these questions, or just focus on one or two, depending on how deep the discussion is getting. And some nights, we might listen to the chapter in the car and not have a chance for a great discussion at all. Be flexible.)