Lesson: God forgives you
Bible Passage: Isaiah 6:1-8
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
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It is best if this Moment can be given immediately after the reading above. Have tongs, an oven mitt, and an ice chest with large cubes of ice.
“Do you know what a hot coal is? It burns and it’s hot and … well, here – let me show you.” (Make a big deal out of putting on the oven mitt, grabbing tongs, and warning the children to “stay back!”) Pull out an ice cube.
“Do you see this ice cube? This is the opposite of a hot coal. And instead of pressing a hot coal against your lips – which you should NEVER do – this ice cube reminds you that if you are a sinner – if you have ‘unclean lips’ by telling a lie or saying something mean about someone – then God will forgive you.
God in all God’s persons – Creator, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit – knows you are a good person who loves and is loved. And before you decide to tell a lie or say something mean or hurtful, ask yourself – ‘will God need to forgive me for this?’ And if what you are saying needs forgiveness, DON’T DO IT! And wouldn’t THAT be cool?
And I know you are the coolest kids in town, because I know YOU… are a Child of God.