Looking for a power-packed object lesson? Reach for the fruit punch! You can blend fruit punch from a packet or buy a bottle of pre-mixed punch. When working with this colorful juice, remember that it can stain your skin and clothing. If you enlist the help of a child, have an apron handy to protect his clothing. Keep extra punch handy to serve up during snack time.
Sweet or Unsweet
This object lesson illustrates how God doesn’t want us to speak both bad language and His holy words. God wants us to use our mouth lift people up with encouraging words, not curse them. Here’s the verse I use: “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” (James 3:11 NIV)
Supplies: 2 packets of Kool-Aid, sugar, two pitchers, long-handled spoons, plastic cups, two trays
Prepare: Mix up two batches of Kool-Aid, one with sugar and one without. You should be able to remember which juice is sweet and which is unsweet. You could pour up some cups ahead of time. You need one cup for each child.
Say: Yummy! I love fruit punch and I am going to share mine with you today. First, let’s read a verse together. It’s James 3:11. Grab your bibles and let’s search. When you get there say, “I love Kool Aid!” (Ask a child to read the verse aloud or read it together.)
Okay, remember that verse. Now, I want to invite each person to come on up and pick a cup. Don’t drink it yet though. We will drink them together. (Pass out one cup to every child.)
Now that we have our drinks, let’s drink it up. I’m going to count to 3! 1-2-3! (Some kids will have the unsweetened drink. Have paper towels ready in case they decide to spit it out. Pass out sweet drinks so they can drink away the sour taste.)
Who had the yucky drink? That was pretty gross wasn’t it? When you were drinking it, did you expect to have a good drink? Did it look different?
That’s right! You expected something sweet and each cup looked exactly the same. Sometimes Christians can look exactly the same but inside of them is sourness. Don’t be a sour Christian. Be a sweet one! Speak good words—God words and you will always offer your loved ones something sweet.
Read more from Mimi by visiting her blog at Tools for Kids Church.
Fruit Punch Object Lessons
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I have used this with one pitcher and one packet of Kool Aid. Tell the kids that the plain water is like us without Jesus. When we go to Sunday School, we learn about Jesus (pour in the Kool Aid). That’s great and Jesus adds color in our lives, but if we don’t REALLY believe in Jesus, the Kool Aid is no good. It’s sour like our lives without Jesus in our hearts. But when we accept Jesus into our hearts (add the sugar), now our lives are sweet with the love of Jesus. He puts the love into the Kool Aid and into our lives. Now, I have a question. (This is the best part.) Who can take the Kool Aid and the sugar and make it just water again? No one. That’s because once we have Jesus in our hearts, no one can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:38). Nothing that you do will ever keep Jesus from loving you. I want you to remember that every time you drink Kool Aid from now on. Remember that Jesus loves you and He will never leave you.