The sin-disease connection
Children's Activity
Object:
Teachers or Parents: The theme of healing continues this
week with Jesus healing the paralyzed man who was lowered through
the roof by his friends. In this reading, we see Jesus connect
disease and sin very directly. He heals the paralysis by saying
to the man that his sins are forgiven. We also need to make this
connection and be sure that our children understand that all the
disease and other problems in the world are the direct result of
sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, they loosed sin into the world and
it will remain with us as the source of all our grief until that
final day when Jesus returns and makes everything perfect again.
*Label some dominoes as Disease, Accident, Fear, Grief,
Unhappiness, and Death. Label one as Sin. Line these dominoes up
so that they will all fall when the first one is toppled into the
line, and place the Sin domino at the end. Ask one of the
children to push the Sin domino and watch as all of them fall.
Discuss with them how sin is the cause of all the problems in our
world. When sin entered into the world, it caused all the other
bad things to happen, just as the Sin domino caused all the
others to fall.
*Ask the children to name as many diseases as they can and
list several on the board or easel. Then ask them if they can
tell you what causes these diseases. If they can name any cause
like germs, bad hygiene, or anything else, list that cause next
to the disease. Finally, tell them that, in reality, there is
only one real cause of all diseases and that cause is sin. Write
the word SIN in bold letters over the listed diseases and explain
how it is the real cause.
Sunday school assembly opening:
*Write the word Perfection in large print on a board or
easel. Explain to the children what the word means. Then go away
or look away while you have an accomplice come in and quickly
smear the word or erase part of it and then disappear. Act
surprised that your word has been marred in some way and rewrite
it. Repeat this process several times, always complaining that
you can't figure out who or what is messing up your word.
Finally, catch the accomplice and then explain that this is what
sin does. Sin ruins the perfection that God wants us to have.
week with Jesus healing the paralyzed man who was lowered through
the roof by his friends. In this reading, we see Jesus connect
disease and sin very directly. He heals the paralysis by saying
to the man that his sins are forgiven. We also need to make this
connection and be sure that our children understand that all the
disease and other problems in the world are the direct result of
sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, they loosed sin into the world and
it will remain with us as the source of all our grief until that
final day when Jesus returns and makes everything perfect again.
*Label some dominoes as Disease, Accident, Fear, Grief,
Unhappiness, and Death. Label one as Sin. Line these dominoes up
so that they will all fall when the first one is toppled into the
line, and place the Sin domino at the end. Ask one of the
children to push the Sin domino and watch as all of them fall.
Discuss with them how sin is the cause of all the problems in our
world. When sin entered into the world, it caused all the other
bad things to happen, just as the Sin domino caused all the
others to fall.
*Ask the children to name as many diseases as they can and
list several on the board or easel. Then ask them if they can
tell you what causes these diseases. If they can name any cause
like germs, bad hygiene, or anything else, list that cause next
to the disease. Finally, tell them that, in reality, there is
only one real cause of all diseases and that cause is sin. Write
the word SIN in bold letters over the listed diseases and explain
how it is the real cause.
Sunday school assembly opening:
*Write the word Perfection in large print on a board or
easel. Explain to the children what the word means. Then go away
or look away while you have an accomplice come in and quickly
smear the word or erase part of it and then disappear. Act
surprised that your word has been marred in some way and rewrite
it. Repeat this process several times, always complaining that
you can't figure out who or what is messing up your word.
Finally, catch the accomplice and then explain that this is what
sin does. Sin ruins the perfection that God wants us to have.
