It's good to be a sheep
Children's Activity
Object:
Teachers or Parents: The beginning of a new year is always a good
time to look ahead. Christians look forward to the time when
Jesus will return and separate us from this unbelieving world to
be with him forever in Heaven. We want our children to have no
fear about this event. We want them to have confidence that when
that time comes, they will be among the sheep and not the goats.
*Put a bunch of black and white marbles in a container. Tell
the children that they are going to reach into the container and
pull out a marble. If they get a white one, they will get a
prize. (You can have candy or some other prize available.) When
they have all drawn one out, give the prizes to the ones who got
white marbles. Now, ask the ones who lost how they feel about
this process. Do they think it was fair? Would they want God to
do this when the end of the world comes? Would they want their
eternal future to depend on the luck of the draw? When it is
clear that they would not want this, talk about the Gospel text
and how people are separated, not by luck, but only by whether or
not they believed in Jesus. Ask how many of them believe in Jesus
as their Savior. Then give a prize to all those who failed to win
one in the draw. This is how it will be at the end. Everyone who
believes will win!
Sunday school assembly opening:
*Have all the children count off by twos and divide into two
groups, ones in one place and twos in another. Ask them if this
is the way God is going to pick who will be a sheep and who a
goat on the Last Day. When they are sure this is not the way it
will be done, discuss with them what makes a sheep different from
a goat on that day. Sheep are those who believe and goats are
those who do not.
time to look ahead. Christians look forward to the time when
Jesus will return and separate us from this unbelieving world to
be with him forever in Heaven. We want our children to have no
fear about this event. We want them to have confidence that when
that time comes, they will be among the sheep and not the goats.
*Put a bunch of black and white marbles in a container. Tell
the children that they are going to reach into the container and
pull out a marble. If they get a white one, they will get a
prize. (You can have candy or some other prize available.) When
they have all drawn one out, give the prizes to the ones who got
white marbles. Now, ask the ones who lost how they feel about
this process. Do they think it was fair? Would they want God to
do this when the end of the world comes? Would they want their
eternal future to depend on the luck of the draw? When it is
clear that they would not want this, talk about the Gospel text
and how people are separated, not by luck, but only by whether or
not they believed in Jesus. Ask how many of them believe in Jesus
as their Savior. Then give a prize to all those who failed to win
one in the draw. This is how it will be at the end. Everyone who
believes will win!
Sunday school assembly opening:
*Have all the children count off by twos and divide into two
groups, ones in one place and twos in another. Ask them if this
is the way God is going to pick who will be a sheep and who a
goat on the Last Day. When they are sure this is not the way it
will be done, discuss with them what makes a sheep different from
a goat on that day. Sheep are those who believe and goats are
those who do not.
