What is God like?
This 15-25 minute lesson is designed for use with about 50 non-Christian children at an outdoor camp, but it could be used with a group of any size or stage. Indoor or outdoor setting is fine, but because of nature-focus, outdoors is better.
Blindfold activity - get one blindfolded child to reach into a bag and pull out an item. They must describe it to the seeing children. Then get seeing children to help with descriptions. Remove blindfold - was this what you'd imagined the item would look like? Repeat. (Can be done in small groups, swapping items.)
(Choose odd looking items for the bag - ones that children won't be able to fully describe by touch. I had colorful bottles with bright pens inside, posters, homemade crafts, etc.)
Nobody has seen God. In some ways it's like He's here, but we have on blindfolds. How do we know what He is like?
The Bible says:
"God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made" Romans 1:20 (CEV).
Let's look around us - what do you see that God has made - what could that be telling us about what God is like?
Use a child and sunken 3-D picture behind glass to illustrate next part:
Feel picture - tell us what it's like. We could get a good idea of what each item was like from feeling it. But it was still an incomplete picture. Just like we can look at things God has made to see what He is like, but it's not a clear picture. Get another child to describe it to them.
The Bible says:
"No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like" John 1:18 (CEV).
Only when people who could see it told us what it was like, could we get a better idea.
Jesus is like that. He came to earth as a person to show people what God is like. His teachings, his stories and everything he did was like living out a description of what God is like.
All of that is recorded in the Bible - so we can look in there to see what God is like through reading about Jesus.
Give a written a description of the picture to the describing child to read out to blindfolded child. We can also read the Bible to see more of what God is like, because it comes from Him.
"Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live" 2 Timothy 3:16 (CEV).
To child - Do you have a pretty good idea of what the picture you're holding is like? Do you think it will be different to what you expect? Take off blindfold and describe changed picture in mind.
For those who decide to trust God and follow his way, we still don't have a perfect picture of God. But the Bible promises us that we will see Him face to face one day and understand what He is like.
"Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don't know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us" 1Corinthians 13:12 (CEV).
So if you ever wonder what God is like, what do you do?
1 Look around you at what He has made. What does that tell you about His character?
2 Read about Jesus in the Bible - He was a picture of God on earth that we can learn from.
3 Read God's Word, the Bible.
4 Decide to trust God and do what He wants you to. You are guaranteed to see Him face to face one day, and He will be more amazing than you can imagine!
Pray.
Finish with Blindfold game - all children blindfold themselves and have to play tag - can't give out names - only physical descriptions. They must correctly identify 5 others before removing blindfolds. When removed, they help lead others who are blindfolded and give them clearer descriptions. When all have removed blindfolds, game ends.
Copyright 2006 Shirley Booth
Operation Mobilisation New Zealand - A World Of Opportunity
http://www.om.org.nz
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