Come Follow Me 2026 · Week 42
Family Activities
October 12–18 - Isaiah 58–66
This week's one thing
True fasting means loosening the burdens of others, and the Sabbath is a gift we can call a delight.
Opener: The One Rope Family
Hand one person a single rubber band and ask them to lift the heavy book by hooking the band under it and pulling. Watch it stretch and strain. Then loop several rubber bands together, let a few people hold on, and lift the book easily together. Say, 'One band alone almost snaps. Linked together, they carry the weight.'
Isaiah 58 describes fasting as loosening heavy burdens, and burdens lift when we carry them together.
Scripture Story
Isaiah tells the people something surprising. They fast and go without food, then wonder why God does not seem to notice. God answers, 'Is this the kind of fast I want? You skip meals but still fight and ignore the hungry.' Then He tells them what real fasting looks like. 'Share your bread with people who have none. Bring the poor into your home. Give clothes to someone who is cold. Stop pointing fingers.' God promises, 'Do this, and your light will break out like the morning sun. When you call, I will say, Here I am.' He also says, 'Call the Sabbath a delight. Make it my holy day, and I will lift you up.' The people learn that fasting is not just an empty stomach. It is an open heart and open hands. What do you think a hungry family felt when someone finally shared their bread?
Discussion Questions
Little Kids (ages 4–7)
- Who is someone you could share your food or a toy with this week?
- What is one thing that makes Sunday feel special and happy for you?
Big Kids (ages 8–11)
- God said the people were fasting but still fighting. Why do you think going without food does not help if we are unkind at the same time?
- What would change about your week if Sunday felt like a delight instead of a day of rules?
Teens
- Isaiah says our 'light breaks forth' when we help the hungry and the burdened. Why would God tie our own blessings to how we treat people who can give us nothing back?
This Week's Challenge
Pick one hungry or burdened person or group this week (a neighbor, a food bank, a lonely classmate) and do something real for them. On Sunday, tell the family what you did and how it felt.
Song Suggestions
The Burden Chain
Ages 3-10~10 min- 1
Step 1: Cut paper into strips about one inch wide.
- 2
Step 2: On each strip, draw or write one way to help someone (share food, sit with a lonely kid, do a chore).
- 3
Step 3: Loop the strips into a paper chain, taping each into a link, and hang it where everyone can see it.
Each link is a burden we can loosen for someone else, and linked together they make our family stronger.
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