The Most Enormous Love
Love cannot be measured
by Janice Ross (revised, originally published in 2006)
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To explore the idea that God’s love cannot be measured.
Preparation and materials
- You will need a range of measuring equipment, such as a ruler, some measuring tape, string and weighing scales.
- You will also need the following words displayed on a screen or on large pieces of paper: ‘big’, ‘huge’, ‘enormous’, ‘gigantic’ and ‘colossal’.
- Optional: you may wish to use the Bible passage Psalm 103.11 in the ‘Assembly’, Step 6.
Assembly
- Show the measuring equipment to the children.
Ask for a few volunteers to do some measuring, or have a class primed for this task.
Ask the children to measure the length of a piece of paper, the height of a child, around a wastebasket and so on. - Hand a ruler to one of the children and say that you want them to measure the playground. Are there any problems with this task?
Listen to a range of responses.
Discuss the idea that we need different measuring tools for different tasks. - Ask the children to list as many words as they can to do with measuring.
Listen to a range of responses.
- Display the collection of ‘big’ words.
Ask the children to try to fit these words into a sentence. For example, ‘The planet Jupiter is enormous,’ or, ‘When I grow up to be a footballer, I’ll score a huge number of goals.’ - Explain that Christians and people of other faiths believe that there is one thing that you can’t measure: love. You can’t put a price on the love of other people. You can’t measure it with a ruler or a set of weighing scales or any other measuring device – even a tape measure as big as the solar system!
- Christians believe that God’s love for each of us is limitless.
Optional: you may wish to ask a reader to read the Bible passage Psalm 103.11. ‘For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.’
Time for reflection
Ask the children to think of:
- the longest journey they’ve ever made
Pause to allow time for thought.
- the longest time they’ve stayed up
Pause to allow time for thought.
- the biggest meal they’ve ever eaten
Pause to allow time for thought.
- the most money they’ve ever had
Pause to allow time for thought.
- the biggest crowd they’ve ever seen
Pause to allow time for thought.
- the largest thing they know about
Pause to allow time for thought.
Love is bigger than them all.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Prayer
Thank you, God, for all those who love and care for us.
Thank you that your love reaches to the highest heaven, and to the deepest ocean.
Thank you that there is nowhere I can hide or run to, but your love is already there.
Please help us to be people who give love, as well as receiving it.
Amen.