An Enormous Measure!

Can we measure love?

by Rebecca Parkinson

Suitable for Whole School (Sec)

Aims

To consider that God cares for us more than we can imagine.

Preparation and materials

• You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (An Enormous Measure!) and the means to display them.
  
  
• Have available the YouTube video ‘Are we there yet? – Shrek 2’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 2.07 minutes long and is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=basofea2UEs
  
  
• Optional: you may wish to have a globe available to use in the ‘Assembly’, Step 3.

Assembly

1. Explain that you are going to flick through seven slides and you want the students to spot what they have in common.
   
   Flick through Slides 1-7 and then listen to a range of responses.
   
   The answer is that they all show various types of measuring equipment.
   
   
2. Comment that most of the students will remember going on a journey where they have complained about how long it is taking for them to reach the destination.
   
   Show the YouTube video ‘Are we there yet? – Shrek 2’.
   
   
3. Show Slide 8.
   
   You may wish to ask the students if they have any idea what the circumference of the earth is. Alternatively, you can simply tell them that the circumference of the earth is 40,075 km or 24,901 miles.
   
   Show Slide 9.
   
   
4. Many distances are too far for us to fully comprehend.
   
   Read Psalm 103.12: ‘For as far as the east is from the west, so great is God’s love for us.’
   
   Ask the students, ‘How far is the east from the west?’
   
   Pause to allow time for thought.
   
   
5. Point out that if we kept going west around the world, we could keep going forever and not get to the end because the earth is round. Likewise, if we continued to travel east, in theory, we could continue forever.
   
   
6. Explain that Christians believe that God’s love for us is so great that it continues forever; it will never come to an end.

Time for reflection

Read Psalm 103.12 again: ‘For as far as the east is from the west, so great is God’s love for us.’

Pause to allow time for thought.

Read Ephesians 3.17-18: ‘I pray that you may grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of God.’

Explain that as Easter approaches, Christians get ready to celebrate the fact that God showed his love for them by sending Jesus. Christians believe that God’s love is great and neverending.

Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for our amazing planet.
Thank you for the amazing thought that you love each of us individually.
Please help us to show our love to other people in this world.
Amen.