Bible Passage: Exodus 34:29-35, Luke 9:28-36
Lesson: You Can Shine in Jesus’ Love!
Preparation calls for bar soap, a box cutter and a cross template. I used the least expensive brand of soap I could find, which is soft-milled and scented. Soft-milled is good, as it won’t crumble when cut. Scented is not so good, as it can be overpowering. Any knife can be used, but a box cutter allows you to regulate the depth of the cut, making the job easier and the “Jesus Soap” more uniform. A cross template can be made from two “craft sticks” – and yes, they are Popsicle sticks and don’t pretend otherwise – tied together with a rubber band. However, if you carefully lay your finger across the soap and mark it with the blade (the soap, not your finger), you can cut out the cross that way. I hope the photo below is helpful.
The Bible passages we just heard talk about how Moses’ face and Jesus shone with radiance. Do you know what “radiance” means? (Wait while kids stare dumbfoundedly) It means there was a brightness coming off of them like there was a bright light shining out of them. When we want our faces to shine brightly, what do we use? (You may need to lead the children down the path until they get to soap. See the video link below to see where we went!)
I have here a bar of soap. (Take the soap out of the box you are using and using slight of hand, show the “good” side of the soap – NOT the side with the cross. If this is not possible, have a regular bar of soap.) Now, when we wash with this soap, we get clean. (Put the soap back in the box.) But if we wash with Jesus soap, (Take the soap out of the box with the cross showing. Figure you have lost the kids at this point, but keep talking as you hand out the soap) we can glow and radiate from the inside, with the light of Jesus. We will do the things that Jesus wants us to do like be good to our family (caution: try to avoid saying “Mother and Father” as not all children live in a “traditional” household), be nice to strangers and show the love Jesus has for us in everything we say and everything we do.
(Close in Prayer)
To see a video of this, go to Shine Like Jesus!