Activity (Series A3 - Lesson 2): Repentance Experiment

Sunday Schoolhouse Series Activity - Unit A3
Lesson 2: Jesus Calls Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13)

As part of this lesson the class will do a "repentance experiment":
For the experiment you will need a clear glass full of clear soda pop and raisins. Put a few raisins in the glass of soda pop. Throughout the class time watch the raisins, they will rise to the top of the glass. They may end up sinking and rising again. Explain that our lives of sin and repentance are like the movement of the raisins. When we sin we turn away from God, just like the raisins left to themselves will sink to the bottom of the class. Repentance is when we return to God in faith, like when the raisins return to the top. Some questions to consider:
a) Is it the raisins themselves that have the power to rise, or is something more at work here?
b) Is repentance something that happens just once in our lives, or is it something that needs to happen again and again?


Additional Craft Idea: U-Turn Tire Tracks
For the craft you will need a piece of light colored construction paper for each child, a dark color paint in a tray and a toy car for each child (cars with textured wheels would be the most fun). The level of detail can vary greatly. Older children could list sins or scenarios on the right side of the page and write the prayer from page 8 of the Classroom Resource Book on the left side of the page. Younger children could draw pictures of sinful behavior on the right side of the page and print "God" on the left side.

The children dip the wheels of the car in the paint and drive the car from the left side of the paper "away from God" toward sin, but then turn around and drive back toward God again. The paint will leave "tire tracks" showing how repentance works: as we find ourselves heading toward sin, we turn around and head back to God.