Prepare some fancy food beforehand by cutting regular sandwiches into tiny squares. Serve them on fancy plates along with veggie sticks, cheese and crackers. Pour glasses of water or juice and plan to serve them with lemon or orange slices as a garnish. While you are preparing the food, have your children begin collecting dress-up clothes and old sunglasses. Finally, you will need to cut out black paper circles to cover the lenses in the sunglasses. Ensure you have a roll of tape handy.

Have fun dressing up with your kids. Pretend to be movie stars or other famous figures such as athletes or musicians. As you play, explain that many people who star in movies, concerts or in sporting events become so popular that whenever they go out in public, people swarm around them, asking for their autograph or to have their picture taken with the star. To avoid being recognized by the general public, popular figures sometimes wear dark sunglasses as a disguise. Give each of your children a pair of sunglasses to put on as well, to conceal their identity from the “adoring public.” Take turns strutting around the house and being “mobbed” by fans (other members of the family) who persistently request autographs or photo opportunities.

As your kids begin to tire of this pretend play, explain that stars are often invited to nice restaurants. Restaurant owners like to have these popular people visit their restaurants regularly, because then other people want to eat there too, making the restaurant famous. Pretend your kitchen table is a fancy restaurant and have your kids “order” special food. While you are enjoying your snacks, use the questions for discussion to guide your conversation about the dangers of popularity.

Questions for discussion

• Would you like to be famous some day? Why or why not?
• Is anyone in our family famous?
• As much fun as it is to be the centre of attention, why might popularity be dangerous?
• In what ways do you think famous people are tempted to sin?
• When might you or I be tempted to think we are “pretty good”?

At this point have your children tape black circles over the lenses of their sunglasses.

• What can you see now?
• How is pride like the black paper on your glasses?
• If you or I think we are righteous, what are we then tempted to do?
• Are you fooling anyone if you say that you are not a sinner? (1 John 1:8-10)
• Is anyone really righteous?
• How does God view our righteous acts?
• Who do you fool when you think that you are “really something”? (Galatians 6:3)
• Whose actions are you to “test” or judge? (Galatians 6:4)
• Should you say good things about yourself? (Proverbs 27:2)

Key concepts

There are advantages and disadvantages to being famous or popular. Certainly it is fun to be invited to parties and to have other people give you a lot of attention. But one of the disadvantages is that popularity can tempt a person to begin to think too highly of themselves. If you are always the centre of attention it is easy to start thinking, “Everybody likes me so much; I must be pretty special.” Even if we are not famous, there are still ways that the sin of pride can sneak up on us. For example, if we are very good at a particular sport or activity, we can start to feel proud of ourselves.

Another way we can be prideful is when we start to compare ourselves to others, judging the sin we see in their lives. Pride is like the black paper on our glasses, because it “blinds” us from seeing our own sinfulness. Just as popularity can “blind” famous people from seeing that everyone is as valuable as they are, so pride makes us unable to see our own faults.

If we are proud of our own righteousness (thinking we are someone special), we fool ourselves. The Bible tells us that nobody is righteous and that we all have sinned. Each of us is to be concerned only about our own actions. God doesn’t want us to judge others for their actions. Instead, He wants us to look at and evaluate our own hearts. The Bible also tells us that we should let others praise us, rather than praising ourselves.

Close by praying and asking God to give you all humble hearts that desire to honour Him, instead of trying to gain attention and recognition for yourselves.

Relevant Scripture

Proverbs 27:2 “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.”

Romans 3:22-24 “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 6:2-5 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.”

1 John 1:8-10 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives.”