Back when I was a child, an item I had written on Santa’s list at least a couple of times was a certain Lego set. When it wasn’t to be found under the tree on Christmas Day, I just couldn’t understand why. All year I tried to be a good boy. It was only when I became a father myself did I finally understand. Being a father of four, my wife at the time a stay-at-home mom and my own employment being seasonal work, money was extremely tight. Lego was expensive. We just couldn’t afford that certain set of Lego on the list.

But as a family we were blessed in so many ways. All the way through the years when my wife Lynne and I were raising our family we were given incredibly high quality hand-me-down clothes for the children. We were given hand-me-down books, puzzles, toys and as time went on, lots of hand-me-down Lego. In fact, gathered all together there is two huge drawers worth. If someone were to buy that Lego new as sets nowadays, I’m guessing it would likely would have cost several hundred dollars.

The kids are now grown, but the other day I was looking at all that Lego, and it brought back a flood of memories. How blessed we are. It is amazing that for many people, you just don’t outgrow Lego. Such a person in Lego jargon is call an AFOL or Adult Fan of Lego. The history of Lego goes back to Billund, Denmark in 1932 when Ole Kirk Christianson started a small carpentry workshop which produced wooden toys. The name Lego comes from the Danish phrase “Leg Godt”, meaning “play well”. In the 1940’s Kirk Christianson switched over to plastic. The Lego brick in its’ present form was launched in 1958, the year I was born. The interlocking design hasn’t changed since. In the year 2000, Lego was awarded “The Toy of the Century“, beating out the teddy bear, Action Man, and Barbie. Since the company’s inception, over 600 billion Lego bricks have been produced. That’s 86 bricks for every person on earth. Lego is still run by the Kirk Christianson family.

State of the art LEGO Campus at its world headquarters in Billund, Denmark. Image Source.

In 2011, Lego made it to the International Space Station to see how it behaved in microgravity. In the medical world there is “Lego Therapy“, which is prescribed for patients dealing with acute, episodic, or chronic stress. There has been several Lego movies produced including The Lego Movie (2014), A Lego Brickumentary (2015), The Lego Batman Movie (2017), The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017), The Lego Movie 2 (2019) and Piece by Piece (2024). The original Legoland theme park opened in 1969 in Billund, Denmark near Lego World Headquarters. Since then other locations for Legoland theme parks have been added. They are, Legoland Windsor, Legoland California, Legoland Germany, Legoland Florida, Legoland Malaysia, Legoland Dubai, Legoland Japan, Legoland New York and Legoland Korea. Diehard Lego fans will actually plan their vacations around those destinations to try and complete a bucket list of visiting all the Legoland theme parks in the world. Though not a theme park, closer to home there is a Legoland Discovery Center. It is found in Vaughn, which is the north part of Toronto.

These statistics highlight the rich history, cultural significance and global impact of Lego. Making it much more than just a simple toy. But beyond the fun and creativity, Lego can teach us profound spiritual lessons about our relationship with God. Come join me, as we learn how Lego can teach us about God and our walk of faith.

The Lego Foundation

If you were to purchase a Lego set that is a building most likely it came with a base. Build with the base, you don’t want to put all that work into building your structure only to have it wobble, tumble and fall and break apart. How discouraging is that? In the same way we need a solid foundation for our lives. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus teaches about the importance of building our lives on the solid foundation of His words. Just as a house built on rock stands firm against storms, a life built on Christ’s teachings remains steadfast in trials. Our lives need a firm foundation in Christ to withstand life’s challenges. If we build our lives on the rock of Jesus’ teachings, we will stand firm.

Every Piece of Lego Has a Purpose

A typical Lego set would come with blocks in all shapes, sizes and colours. Some Lego pieces may seem insignificant, but every piece, no matter how small, has a specific purpose and place in the overall design. Each piece is vital to completing the model. The same way with our bodies. I Corinthians 12:12 states, “You can easily see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts–limbs, organs, cells–but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body” (Msg). In Ephesians 5:29 we’re told “… no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church”. So how do we nourish/cherish our physical body? Some examples might be feeding it nutritious food, exercising to make it stronger, cleansing it by taking a bath, shower and shave or putting on clothes that make us feel good. If I’m sick, I’ll see a doctor. If my teeth hurt, I’ll go see a dentist. And once in a while I might even pamper myself or entertain myself. The other day I got a haircut, and boy it sure made me feel better. Those are just some of the ways you and I nourish and cherish our mortal bodies. But now, God is telling us that we’re part of a huge spiritual body, and He’s asking us personally to help take care of that body. 1 Corinthians 12:18 reads, “But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.” Paul also describes in 1 Corinthians 12:12 of the church as the body of Christ, where each member has a unique role. Just as every Lego piece contributes to the final build, each believer has a specific function within the body of Christ. Consider a complex Lego set with hundreds of pieces of many varying differences. Each piece, even the smallest one, is essential to complete the picture. Similarly, each of us has a unique role in God’s plan. Recognize your value and the value of others in the body of Christ. Together, we complete God’s beautiful design for His church.

Those Creative Lego Masters

Lego allows for limitless creativity, you can build anything you imagine, reflecting the creative nature that God has instilled in us. I have been watching this series on Netflix with my wife called Lego Masters. It started with a thousand entries. Then it was narrowed down to one hundred. Then the final eight. The show started with those eight teams of two. The build room consisted of over one million bricks, seven hundred types and forty vibrant colours. The teams are told what the theme will be and at the end of several hours they will show to the judges what they have created. The Lego creations are always so amazing, but unfortunately one team will have to go home. Each show one team is eliminated until there is a Lego champion. It is very serious because the winning team gets $100,000 dollars. God is such a creative God. Just look at nature. Think of beautiful creatures like the giraffe. Or the monarch butterfly, the weight of a paper clip yet migrates as much as 4,500 kilometers from Canada to their wintering grounds in Mexico. In Genesis 1:27 it says, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Being made in God’s image means we share in His attributes, including creativity. Our ability to create and innovate is a reflection of God’s own creativity and ingenuity. It is wonderful to witness the creativity within the people of the three churches I minister at. The big difference here is no one is eliminated like in the Lego Master show. Our different ways we show creativity compliments one another and makes for a beautiful body of believers. Francis Schaeffer writes, “The Christian is the one whose imagination should fly beyond the stars.” Think about the endless possibilities with Lego. You can build castles, spaceships, or entire cities. This creativity mirrors our Creator. Use your God-given talents and creativity to bring glory to God and to bless those around you.