The Story of the Jack-O-Lantern

Let Your Light Shine
Jack-0-Lantern

"How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You clean the outside of the cup and dish. But on the inside you are full of greed. You only want to satisfy yourselves. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish. Then the outside will also be clean. How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You are like tombs that are painted white. They look beautiful on the outside. But on the inside they are full of the bones of the dead. They are also full of other things that are not pure and clean. It is the same with you. On the outside you seem to be doing what is right. But on the inside you are full of what is wrong. You pretend to be what you are not.

Matthew 23: 25-28

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If any of you hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me."

Revelation 3:20

How is the stuff we pull out of the pumpkin like sin in our hearts?
Both are yucky! They're inside us, sticky and smelly!

How is the way we cleaned out this pumpkin like
the way Jesus cleans us out when we confess our sins?
All the yucky stuff is taken away!

"Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come!
It is all from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ's death on the cross.
And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ."

2 Corinthians 5:17

"God made us. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus.
Now we can do good things.
Long ago God prepared them for us to do."

Ephesians 2:10

How have we made this pumpkin a "new creation"?
He was a pumpkin, now he is a jack-o-lantern!
How do we become a new creation when Jesus comes into our hearts?
We learn to love him more, our light shines and we become God's children!
"Treasure is kept in clay jars. In the same way, we have the treasure of the good news in these earthly bodies of ours. That shows that the mighty power of the good news comes from God. It doesn't come from us. We are pushed hard from all sides. But we are not beaten down. We are bewildered. But that doesn't make us lose hope. Others make us suffer. But God does not desert us. We are knocked down. But we are not knocked out. We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies. In that way, the life of Jesus can be shown in our bodies."
2 Corinthians 4:7-10

When Jesus comes into our hearts, we become new creations.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can't be hidden. Also people do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand. Then it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine in front of others. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will praise your Father who is in heaven."

Matthew 5:14-16

How is the way the candle light comes through the pumpkin
like the way God wants our light to shine?
God wants our light to shine and help others find their way to Him.

"God said, 'Let light shine out of darkness.' He made his light shine in our hearts.
It show us the light of God's glory in the face of Christ."

2 Corinthians 4:6

What happens when we hide our light so others can't see it?
They might stay in the darkness without hope for a new life with God!

Let Your Light Shine for Jesus!