Activity from the Hands-On Bible
Look in the mirror and what do you see? Yup – you see a reflection. Read from Acts chapter 8 below to meet a man who reflected the love of Jesus.
ACTS 8:26-20, NLT
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.
The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.
And as a lamb is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
He was humiliated and received no justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.
As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.
Now, Try This!
Gather two empty paper towel tubes, a mirror, a flashlight, and a friend (parent, grandparent, or sibling works well too.)
- Set the paper towel tubes on a table in front of a mirror. Place them in a V-shape pointing toward the mirror.
- Use the flashlight to shine light through one tube toward the mirror. Angle the second tube until you see the light reflected back through the second tube.
That’s Enlightening!
When we treat others the way Jesus says to, we reflect the love Jesus shows us. Philip reflected Jesus’ love when he helped the Ethiopian understand the Scripture.
Who can you reflect the love of Jesus to this week? Write it down so you don’t forget! Or even better do it right now!
