|
| |
R
- Materials: Several
heave objects (books, bricks, etc.) label each object with a sin that may be pertinent to
the lives of your students (optional)
Activity:Ask one student to volunteer. One by one
stack the heavy objects in the volunteers arms as you tell everyone about the sin
represented by each object. Have that student hold all of your heavy objects while you
explain to the rest of the class that when we do things that we know are wrong they build
up inside us to become a very heavy burden (use your own words to explain this concept at
a level your students will understand.) As the volunteer begins to demonstrate the strain
he is experiencing from holding all the "sins", explain that while God knew we
would all sin at some time in our lives. He has provided a way that we can get rid of the
burden those sins cause. Explain that through the sacrifices Christ made in the garden of
gesthemane we can in a sense give the burden of our sins to him and lighten our load.
Explain that this is done through repentance. As you talk about repentance take the heavy
objects one by one away from your volunteer. When you have removed all of the
"sins", ask that person to tell what it feels like to be free of his heavy load.
- Materials: Several
onions (the more the better)
One lemon
Activity:Ask one student to volunteer who will be
somewhat daring without telling them what they will be doing (or you might not get a
volunteer). Hold up one onion, and explain that over our lifetime we all sin.
Every sin we make will eventually have to be paid for, because God is a just God. And with
each of his laws is a consequence. Tell the class that the onion represents the payment
that must be made for the sins we may make in our lives. Ask the volunteer to eat the
onion. Wait until he/she takes a bite of the onion. Try to encourage a disgusted reaction,
if you don't just naturally get one. Then pull out the rest of the onions for display.
Explain that even though just one sin tasted bad, most of us over our lifetime will aquire
many sins and will have to eat many onions. Tell your volunteer that because most of us
make many sins over a lifetime he/she will need to continue to eat all of the onions. Ask
your volunteer how he/she feels about doing that. Ask him/her if he would prefer that you
ate all the onions for him, so that he would not have to. Your volunteer should agree that
it would be better if you finished eating the onions.
Agree that you will not make him/her finish the onions, if he will eat just one lemon
instead. Your volunteer should agree to those terms. Explain that the lemon represents
repentance. And that like the lemon repenting can seem to taste sour (have your volunteer
eat the lemon) but it tastes much better than the alternative of eating all the onions
ourselves. Explain that just as you agreed to take the onions yourself so that your
volunteer would not have to eat them, Christ has agreed to pay for our sins so that we do
not have to do it ourselves. And just as you asked your volunteer to eat a lemon in
return, Christ also asks us to repent as a part of the deal. Although repenting may seem
sour, it is better than the alternative. Repenting cleanses our soul, and the lemon will
cleanse the mouth of your volunteer, so he/she wont continue to smell like onions or have
that bad onion taste in his mouth.
- Materials: A card
listing a sin for all but one of your students.
Activity:Give a "sin card" to all but one of
your students. Have them sit in a circle with the student who does not have a card in the
center. Explain that for the purpose of our activity the person in the center represents
Christ.
Start with one student having them read the sin on their card. Then ask him/her if they
would like to pay for that sin themselves, or if they would like the student representing
Christ pay for that sin. To pay for a sin the students do several push up's. The students
will most likely want to get out of doing push up's so they will want to have the student
representing Christ pay for the sin for them. After a few students have read there card
and the student in the center of the circle has done several dozen push up's try and get
one student to take pity on the student in the center and pay for there sin themselves.
When this happens let the student with the card do some push up's and then instruct the
student representing Christ to do some more push up's too. Then explain to the students
that the sins of the world have already been suffered for by Christ and that if you don't
repent and let the atoning sacrifice work for them then you not only suffer for your sins
but Christ also suffers still.
- Materials: Popcorn, Large Jar, Ping pong ball
Activity:If you take a magnet and pass is over the top of some metal shavings, the will jump up and cling to the magnet. The magnet doesn't have to physically touch the shavings, just come close. We should always take care to be found with honorable people of character because your reputation is like those metal shavings. If you are around rebellious, shady people, their reputation will eventually stick to you. Even if you never actually do anything bad yourself, by hanging around dishonest or evil friends, that is the reputation you draw to yourself like a magnet.
|