Day 5 Virtue Demonstration: HOPE
You’ll need:
- 1 lemon (sliced in half)
- 1 tall clear glass (empty)
- 1 tall glass of water
- 1-2 tbsp. of sugar
- 1 spoon
Ask:
What is hope?
To expect something good will happen, a confident expectation of good things to come, etc.
Who can tell me what I’m holding? A lemon.
We all know that lemons, on their own, taste very sour. We often wonder if anything good or exciting can come out of a lemon?
Sometimes, this is how we view the world and all its problems. We ask ourselves, “Can we really change the sour things about this world or the people who live in darkness?”
What are some things in the world you’d like to change, but sometimes feel like there’s no hope? World hunger, sickness, cancer, fighting/war, crime, divorce, swearing, abortion, bad music/movies, etc.
Explain:
Often times, we don’t act or do anything because we lose hope! We think the problems are too big or impossible. We sit there like sour lemons and wait for someone else to make a change.
Guess what? The good news is that there is always hope! Who is our hope?
Jesus is our hope!
Jesus can help us change the most impossible situations into great possibilities! The Bible says, “All things are possible with God!” Mark 10:27
It also says: “ For I know well the plans I have for you, says the Lord, …plans to give you a future full of (pause) hope” Jeremiah 29:11
Ask:
What are some ways we can offer hope to a hurting world? We can donate clothes, money and food for the poor, we can smile and bring joy to people’s lives, we can visit people in the senior’s homes, we can pray for those that have lost hope, etc.
Together, with the help of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we can make great changes in our world. Have you heard the saying: “When life hands you a lemon, make (pause) lemonade.” So, that’s what we’re going to do!
Demonstrate:
I’m going to need a volunteer to come up.
Give your volunteer 2 halves of a lemon and a clear glass/cup. Have them squeeze both halves of a lemon into the clear glass. Be sure they squeeze all the juice out of the lemon.
This lemon represents each one of us in this world. We can add some zing!
The sugar represents God the Father for He is our Source of Power. Dump 1-2 tbsp. of sugar in the glass. Do not mix it yet.
The water represents Jesus because He is the Living Water; He gives us life.
Hand the water to the volunteer and have him pour the water into the glass.
The spoon represents the Holy Spirit for He helps stir things up. Hand him the spoon to stir things up in the glass.
What a recipe for change!
Have the child taste and see how the Lord is good! Wow! It’s amazing how a sour lemon can help make something so sweet n’ good! God wants our hearts and hands to make great changes for the world. We can be the hands of hope!
