UNRELIGIOUS

WORLD RELIGIONS FAMILY PRAYER SERIES

Welcome to the fourth (of five!) family prayer guides for world religions! Use this as a tool to help engage your kids in global intercession. Utilize components that work well for your family and don't worry about the rest! This shouldn't feel stressful, but an adventure into family prayer for the world!

This month we'll focus on Unreligious. The majority of Unreligious live across Europe (Sweden, Estonia, France, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium) and in countries with a government called communism. 

Only five countries (China, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, and Laos) out of the 193 in the world have a communist government! In a communist country, the government owns everything and tries to share all resources between its people. Many unreligious people don't believe God exists--the word for this belief is atheist. Around 450 million people are atheists.

Family Devotion: Jesus Lights the Way

“He is a light for the non-Jewish people to see. He will bring honor to your people, the Israelites” (Luke 2:32 ICB).

If you’ve ever been cave exploring, then you know how confusing darkness can be. Without a flashlight, you can’t see your next step. You can easily trip over rocks or uneven ground. Light is key to walk in a cave.

Simeon was an old man who was a prophet. God had promised Simeon he would see the Messiah before he died. When he finally got to hold baby Jesus, he said a prayer of thanks. Today’s passage is part of his prayer. He described Jesus as a light for non-Jewish people.

Simeon understood that Jesus would bring hope for all, not just the Israelites (who are also called Jews). Non-Jewish people are those who are not Abraham’s family. Most of us are non-Jewish.

Imagine darkness so great you can’t see your hand in front of your face. We are in that kind of darkness until we hear the gospel and meet Jesus. Jesus shines like a bright flashlight in a dark cave leading us back to God!

Do you remember how God promised to use Abraham’s family to bless the nations? When Jesus came to earth as a human, He was born into Abraham’s family. Jesus was God’s blessing for all peoples. Jesus’ coming would benefit both Abraham’s family and anyone from anywhere who makes Jesus their King.

Simeon worshipped God because Jesus would save everyone from their sins. Jesus would restore their broken relationships with God. We all are walking in darkness—lost in our sin and separated from God. When we see the light of Jesus (Isa. 9:2) and embrace the gospel, we can walk in the light.

The good news Simeon celebrated that day can be shared with people across the world: Jesus is the light of the world!

Unreligious Video

As a family, watch this short video (about 3 minutes!) produced by Pioneers (missions agency) for kids to gain insight about what the unreligious believe. 

Prayer Prompts

Carve out a few minutes–on the drive to school, during breakfast, before bed–and lift up the unreligious using the following prayer prompts (and add to this list with your own prayers!):

1) Pray for Unreligious to recognize science doesn't have to exclude faith in God.

2) Pray for Unreligious to experience God as they read the Bible.

3) Ask for atheists to have Christian friends who can lovingly share the gospel with them.

  

Activities

Below are some activities to see how beliefs intersect with culture. 

1) Swing by the Weave website to meet Li Biao from the Han people who live in northern China, make a lantern like Li Biao would bring to the Moon Festival, try Mooncakes, and learn two ways to pray for the Han.

2) Make Swedish pancakes for breakfast and pray for Swedes before you dive into the yummy meal!

3) Paint or color the Estonia flag--it's only three colors: blue, black, and white! 

Hang up the flag someone in your home to remind your family to pray for Estonians.

4) Visit your local library and check out books from a country where Unreligious people live. Use this as a springboard to praise God for the diversity He's created around the world and pray for people who don't know Jesus yet. Consider using Wycliffe Kids Travel To Another Country printable worksheet to guide your research!

5) Using simple supplies from around the house, make a windmill like you would see if you visited the Netherlands. Once finished, be sure to pray for the Dutch (people who live in the Netherlands).

6) Play a Vietnamese children's game: Banh Dua (Catch the Ball). To play, collect 10 chopsticks (unsharpened pencils could work!) and a tennis ball. Set the chopsticks (or pencils) on the floor in front of you. While sitting, toss the ball in the air. With the same hand you tossed the ball with, grab a chopstick, then catch the ball with that same hand! Keep playing until you have grabbed all the chopsticks (pencils). 

 

Additional Resources

To keep digging deeper, here are resources to grow our understanding of different cultures where unreligious people live. We want to openly talk with our kids about what others believe.

For an overview of how to guide conservations about other religions with your kids, check out this article I wrote. As we increase our understanding, we can better pray for others.

1) Meet Jin: A digital lesson about an unreligious boy from northern China and how his beliefs differ from Christianity. (elementary kids)

2) Boxes for Katje: A Dutch girl receives a package in the mail from an American girl that sparks the beginning of a friendship and impacts an entire community. (Ages 4 to 8)

3) The Belgium Book Mystery: Two sisters travel with their parents to Belgium to solve a mystery. This book is a quick read, but gives a glimpse into life in Belgium. (Ages 9 to 12)

4) The Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters: Lin looks for her missing pet dragon. This book overflows with creativity and adventure! (Ages 2 to 7).

As you go about this month, remember to pray for the unreligious! Be sure to come back next month when we learn about Hinduism and finish out our series!