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 12:
What did Jesus teach his disciples how to do in chapter 11?
What criticism did Jesus have for the Pharisees?
I ask my kids to listen for this information while we’re reading and I’ll ask about it after we’re done:
Who should we fear?
What should we be on guard against?
What two kinds of birds are mentioned in this chapter?
Did Jesus come to bring peace on earth?
(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 12:
How would your speech change if you considered that what you whisper in someone’s ear will be proclaimed from the roof?
When are you tempted to disown God?
Does God care about how we use our resources?
How can we store up treasures in heaven?
What would it look like for you to be ready to meet Jesus?
We think of Jesus as bringing peace on earth, but he says that isn’t what he came to do. How do you see Jesus causing division in Luke and in the world today?
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.)