letter I like this S =I= N which means sin is growing in us all the
time as we grow older and older, it gets larger and larger. The only way to get it out of our heart is to come to Jesus and ask Him by the power of His cross to cleanse the inside of the cup and He will do it.
Pin strips of _red paper over_ the =I=, and you make the Cross. This is the only power which will kill the serpent of sin and make clean the inside of the cup of life. Then when God looks in He does not see the evil of sin. That makes the cup all right. Now show the second cup and say "Here is a cup, right outside, also right inside. Let us look in as God does, and see what we find." First produce a small New Testament. If you cannot secure one small enough for the cup, write on small strips of paper short texts of scripture, and bring them out, one by one, and read them. David says "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee." That is the first big reason why the cup is clean inside. Now produce from the cup a large piece of white silk, or other thin fabric, and declare as you draw this silk out, that "what comes forth from the heart is pure, and white, and right." "Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life." Prov. 4:23. The issues are streams of good works. If you so desire you can use white ribbon instead of silk. In that case, cut the silk in small pieces and name each of them after some good quality such as Help, Kindness, Love, Truth, etc. After this produce a number of short blue ribbons which you can name Faithful, Friendship. Blue standing for "true blue" meaning true friendship. Have the ribbons tied together, meaning the pure heart and true heart makes friends who are friends indeed. At last produce a small streamer of red which stands for the cross. God looks inside of such a cup and smiles and blesses it. Let us all try to see things as God sees them and we will wear the smile that does not come off. To simplify this lesson for use of very little eyes, you can use the following objects. Secure a plain tin cup, and larger and more ornamented one, and place them side by side. Say to the children "Which is the better cup? If I should offer you one of the cups which would you choose?" They would all declare the silver cup as their choice. Now show them that is not the way God looks on things. We decide our choice by looking at the outside. God looks on the inside also. Now show them the beautiful cup is full of dirty water and the tin cup full of pure water. Which of the cups is worth more to you when you are thirsty? They will all tell you the tin cup is worth the most. Always look in before you decide. That is the way God does. He sees the heart first. In arranging this lesson, prepare the cups first. As you think it over, you will find it easy to think up other things to make up the contents, but have them all prepared before lesson time. Do not permit the children to look into the cups before the lesson or the real point of the truth you wish to teach them will be lost.
=CHAPTER XV JOHN 3:16 IN COLORS=
_Objects: A Number of Colors Arranged in Their Proper Order_
JOHN 3:16 IN COLORS
THIS lesson will help you fix the truth of John 3:16 as well as the words of this golden text in the memory and heart of the little audience for a life time.
This verse is called by Martin Luther "the gospel in a nutshell." By this remark he meant that the truth of the Gospel was condensed into a few words. These colors will help you nail down on the wall of memory this condensed Gospel of John 3:16 so it will be the Gospel not only in a nutshell but the Gospel in the heart and memory. Draw on a heavy paper, a large heart at least sixteen inches high. Pin that up on a blackboard or some back ground where all the class can see it well. Now say you will try to put the little Gospel of John 3:16 in the heart so it will stick there. Take a small strip of _gold_ paper or golden yellow paper and place it on the bottom of the heart. _Gold_ is the richest and best of all things so we will let it stand for God, Who is the Best of all things. That strip stands for "GOD SO." Just above that you place a strip of _red_ which stands for "LOVED." This represents the "Love" of God. Next take a strip of _brown,_ the color of the common earth, placing it above the red, which will stand for the earth. This represents "THE WORLD." Above the brown place a _white_ strip which represents "HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON." White stands for the purity for God's son who had no sin in Him, also "The only begotten son, as He was the only earthly being who had no sin."
Above the white place one long strip of four colors, and if possible let the colors in the strip be of a different shade from those used in the single strips. They are _red_ and _yellow, black,_ and _white. These_ colors stand for "WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH."
Red for the red races, the Indian. Yellow for yellow races--Chinese, etc. Black for the black people. White for the white people.
Other races have faces shaded from these principal colors. These papers can be made of independent strips, going completely across the heart, or of shorter colors joined together endwise.
A _black_ strip is now placed above this which stands for "PERISH." Black suggests death, and the lost soul in eternal night. Add now a _green_ strip. Green is the eternal color. The ivy and the pine trees are always green. Let this strip stand for "EVERLASTING." And so the heart is thus built up.
Now ask them to name the word for which each color stands, then put the words together as in the Bible verse. On another chart write out the verse in colors using the proper color for each word. FOR GOD _(gold)_ SO LOVED _(red)_ THE WORLD _(brown)_ THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON _(white)_ THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH _(yellow) (black) (white) (red)_ SHOULD NEVER PERISH _(black)_ BUT HAVE EVERLASTING _(green)_ LIFE, Tell them this is the Gospel of Christ in John 3:16 in colors and this should be the Gospel in their hearts.
=CHAPTER XVI THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE MAGNET=
_Objects: A magnet and a quantity of tacks, needles and pins_
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE MAGNET
ROBERT RAIKES, the founder of Sunday-schools in England, has left on record only one of the many lessons he taught the children of his day. It is beyond all doubt the oldest Sunday-school lesson ever recorded. It is an object lesson in which he used a magnet. He said, "You know what a magnet is, do you not? It is that strange kind of stone, or magnetized piece of steel which attracts all iron to itself. Perhaps you have seen boys and girls who had toy ducks and fishes drawn about by a magnet in the water. Well, the magnet has a strange, unseen power to draw some things to itself. Perhaps you have owned a little horse-shoe magnet, and have amused yourself drawing needles and other things to it. Now notice, I will place in this saucer a number of needles and also a number of pins. Now you know pins are made of brass while needles are made of steel or iron. You now notice that I take my magnet and hold it just a little above the saucer. Now, see what happens! The magnet attracts all the needles at once and they all fly up and stick to it. But notice the pins. They do not move, as they are made of brass, and there is nothing in them to be drawn by the magnet, so they remained quietly behind, just as they were. Now listen, the Lord Jesus is just like this magnet, and every one who belongs to Him, everyone who has repented and believes in Him, is like these needles. They have a nature now that loves the Lord Jesus, so when He comes He will draw all those who belong to Him up to meet Him, but all other people who have not been born again and have not had their natures changed by Jesus, are like these pins. They do not rise up to greet Him. There is nothing in their hearts to respond, so when He comes, they will remain behind. How is it with you, dear children, are you like the pins or needles?"
This was the lesson which Robert Raikes taught the children long ago. You have already thought out how he did it and no further explanation is needed. There are many lessons the magnet teaches which will fasten gospel truth in their hearts to stay. You may fasten the base of the magnet to a small wooden cross, and teach the lesson of the attractive power by plunging the foot of the cross into a plate of tacks and note how many tacks will cling to the cross. Call attention to the fact that they not only cling to the magnet, but to each other. The power of the magnet passes through the tack to other tacks and so on and you have a crowd of tacks clinging to the cross. This teaches us the fact--if we have the power of Christ in the heart, we will also draw others to Jesus.
=CHAPTER XVII THE STAR BOX=
_Objects: A box marked with a star containing a cluster of common things_
THE STAR BOX
IF this lesson is used simply as "The Star Box" you can use it any time of the year as it is a lesson on the "Baby Days of Jesus." Secure a fair sized box, a pasteboard box will answer if a wooden box is not available. Cover it with sky blue paper to represent the night and on the front of the box place a large golden paper star. Place this on a table before the children and tell them our lesson this hour will be from the Star Box and the baby days of Jesus. Open the box and produce the following colors and objects.
1. The Bible. The coming of Jesus was foretold by the Old Testament prophets. They longed to see His day, just as we now long to see the second coming of Jesus. Here quote some of the Scriptures announcing His first coming. These Scriptures were all like guiding stars to the Old Testament people, which would some day lead them to the baby Jesus. The New Testament says He has come and we believe it, for the Wise Men said, "We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him." If you desire you can make a scroll like the ancient scriptures and bring this out of the box; this can be used in place of the Bible book. A scroll is made like a roll of wall paper. Make it about eighteen inches long, and have on it the references in the Old Testament which declare His coming. When it is unrolled and you have finished with it, pin the object, and all other objects you produce from the box, somewhere up on the platform where all can see them, and to which you can refer if you so desire a little later in the meeting. Use glass push pins for this and all objects requiring to be pinned up before the audience.
2. Next produce from the Star Box a piece of striped goods about one foot square. This will represent the robe of the shepherds who long ago were watching their sheep, Here teach the lesson of the dignity of labor. God has given us work to do. The shepherds did theirs, and God sent them a wonderful message as they worked. They attended to their sheep. God talked to David, the Shepherd, once, and helped him to sing, and we have the book of the Psalms, the church's oldest hymn book, and many of these songs were given young David as he watched his sheep. So the shepherds just watched and worked.
3. Now produce a field of stars. Some black muslin upon which a few small stars are sewed. This represents _the night_ in which the shepherds watched their flocks. The robbers and wild beasts did their deadly work at night so the shepherds took their turn in watching by night. Here learn a lesson of faithfulness when the hour is dark. So the shepherds did not slumber and sleep by the comfortable fires, but kept both eyes and ears open for the call of the wild beast or the sudden visit of the robber, and as they watched there they heard a joyful song.
4. Here produce a piece of _white silk or cloth_ which represents the angel's song of "Peace on earth, good will toward man." The white silk is an emblem of peace. So they heard the angel's song and its good message of "peace on earth." It is a wonderful thought that God used songs to first announce the glad tidings of the coming of the Son. It is God's way yet--a message of song often finds the heart quicker than a golden word. Learn to "sing for Jesus." Perhaps God may use you, as he did the angels, to bring the message of heaven to some poor heart on earth.
5. Now produce a piece of _yellow cloth_ or felt. This stands for the yellow straw which the shepherds found in the manger when they went to Bethlehem to see the things the angels said had come to pass. Here you may produce, if you desire, a small handful of straw tied tightly together, so it will hang up all right. This straw made the bed for the humble Christ. We should not complain if we are spending our days in humble quarters. Jesus thus spent His baby days.
6. Now produce from the box a piece of violet silk or cloth. This stands for humility, which was displayed when the shepherds bent the knee before the baby Jesus and worshipped Him. They knew He was as poor as they were yet they knew God and knew Jesus was God's son, the new-born King so they bowed the knee to Him. Some kings have been born amid splendor, and placed in cradles, decked with gems, but they were not kings. We only call them so. They were princes, they did not become king till the death of the king, which in some cases was years after their birth, and sometimes they died before the king did and so they were never kings. Jesus was the only one born a King. The shepherds knew this, and that made it all the more wonderful, so like the little modest violet, they bowed their heads before the new-born King. We should bow our hearts always to Jesus; that is, we should have a _violet_ heart. We should be humble.
7. Here produce a star, sewed on a black background. This represents the star seen by the Wise Men from the east, and when they had followed it, they found it led them to the house where Mary and Joseph were dwelling with Jesus. Some people think they know too much to be a Christian. They say, "When I part with my brains, I will follow Him." And these wise men and all other wise men do part with their brains when they do _not_ follow Him for all really wise men have joined in the procession which started a long time ago across the desert to find Jesus. The greatest wisdom of the world is to follow Jesus. There are five letters to the word Jesus, five points to the star, and the star points spell "Jesus."
8. Now produce from the box three colors--yellow for gold, gray for frankincense, purple for myrrh, all fastened together as if in a cluster. The yellow for the gold they brought Him, for He had none of His own. Gray for frankincense which represented or resembled gray smoke when ascending in the sacrifice. These were gifts, the first gifts Jesus ever received. The first Christmas gifts ever presented to anyone in the world. There seems to be no record in Scripture of many gifts ever being given Jesus when He was here among men. He, who was all the time giving good gifts, received but few, if any, in return from the children of men. He never owned a home. He slept for three days in a borrowed grave. Let us learn from the Wise Men, a sweet lesson of giving gifts. It pleases Him.
9. Now produce from the box, an _empty bag._ This represents the need of the poor--the condition of many a poor soul. They have nothing of their own. In the name of Jesus we bring gifts to them. If we do it in His name it is accepted by Him as gifts to Him. Here put in the bag a few small things if you desire representing the things they need and say, "This is my Christmas present to Jesus."
10. Here produce from the box _a small heart._ This is my only Christmas present I can give directly to Jesus. My heart He asks of me. My heart I will give to Him. When we give our heart to another, we mean that we give ourselves.
_"Here, Lord, I give myself away Tis all that I can do."_
11. Now take from the box a Cross. This can be cut from pasteboard and as you hold it up, fasten the heart to it. This means you will give your heart to Him and make humble confession to the world of what you have done by taking up your cross and following after Him. Salvation is an affair of the heart. It is an affair of _the lips,_ and we must openly proclaim him our Savior, for with the lips confession is made of salvation received. Now ask the children to tell you the truth each object represents.
=CHAPTER XVIII HOW MAY LOST A BEAUTIFUL DOLL=
_Objects: A small common china doll and a doll in a beautiful dress_
HOW MAY LOST A BEAUTIFUL DOLL
ONCE there lived a father in a little country town, far back from the great city and its wonderful streets and shops, who said to his little girl that it was his plan to go to the city after things, and that he would take her with him if she cared to go. Of course she was full of glee as she thought of the wonderful things she would see in the great windows of the city shops. Her father had planned to purchase for her a beautiful doll, but kept the thought to himself so it would be a glad surprise to May. When they reached the city, May's eyes were open wide, and like all little girls, she wanted lots of things at once. As she and her father passed through the streets, May's eyes fell on a large box on the outside of a toy shop filled with a large number of cheap little dolls. They were made of celluloid, and cost only a few pennies. (Secure one of the sort and show the class and say, "This is a poor cheap doll, wears only painted clothes, will last only a few days, and is very common as well as cheap.") Her father said, 'Wait, dear little May, I will get you a doll by and by." But May would not wait. She wanted that little painted doll now. Her father said, "I promise you that you shall have a doll, dear, before we go home. Just be patient and wait. Father knows best.'? At this denial May grew angry and said, "You don't love me, father, or you would get me what I wanted. I won't wait, | want this doll. I'm going to have it right way." And as she said this, she took one out of the box, and held it tight in her hand and said she intended to keep it. She stamped her foot, and cried, and said, '"'I won't wait any longer, I won't give this doll up. I will keep it and not put it back."
The father desiring to teach her a lesson, said, "Well, May, if you know best and better than your father, who loves you, you may keep the doll. I will pay for it. You need not wait for a doll any longer. It belongs to you now." Now May thought on her ways and said, "I wish I had not been so naughty about it. Dear father was good and kind to me, and I was hateful to him." She was silent but thoughtful, when her father stopped before a window of the toy shop, and there in the window was a beautiful doll (borrow a beautiful doll for this lesson and produce it). Her father said, "Look, little May, there in the window is the doll I intended to purchase for you if you had waited for me to get to this shop. I intended to surprise you. That was the reason I did not tell you, but since you would not wait or trust your father's word, I will not purchase it for you, but you must be contented with the doll you have, the doll you said you would have and so the doll you would not wait for will stay in the window. It cannot be yours. My little May must learn that Father knows best and that it will always pay to wait for father's time." It was a hard lesson for May to learn but that day she said to herself, "Father knows best. I will wait for his time, because it is the best time." This is how May lost her beautiful doll. There is a lesson in this story for us all. God has a plan for our lives. Wait for Him to work it out. If we seek our own way our lives will be full of disappointments and sorrowful failures. Wait for God's time. It is the best time. It will bring us to the best of everything.
=CHAPTER XIX THE PRODIGAL SON IN RAGS=
_Objects: A collection of rags in many colors_
THE PRODIGAL SON IN RAGS
THIS is the story of the Prodigal son told in rags. Have a common rag bag brought in, and its contents emptied on a table. This will make quite a display of rags. Heap them up a little so the audience will see them all. The ragman's bag is going to preach a sermon. Among these rags is a bunch of rags fastened together with a pin to keep them separated from the others, which you will not use in this lesson. Take out the pin. Spread out these rags which you have thus kept together and arrange them in their proper order. Now say, "I will tell you the story of the Prodigal son as the ragman sees him. I will tell the story of the _LOST SON IN RAGS._" Now put up a rope across the back of the pulpit, or before the meeting have one put there, and from the pile of rags place upon this line the following:
I--_A yellow cloth,_ a square piece of cloth as the Prodigal has not yet come to rags. The yellow stands for the home he left,--the land of plenty. Yellow stands for the rich grain fields, and is also the color of the bread he found on his Father's table. Full and plenty and for the fields, ripe for harvest. How often he had sung the harvester's song in the field when working with his dear old father when they lived together on the good old farm. Now from the rag table pick up
II--_A piece of red._ This should be cut in the shape of a heart. Red stands for love and the heart of red for the loving heart of his father. It should not be forgotten that the big point of this parable is "The Loving Father," not the wayward son. It teaches how kind is the great heart of the loving heavenly Father and how sweet is His welcome to the wanderers who seek His face and favor. The son in rags knew this and no matter how far he got away from God, he never got away from the memory of the fond old father at home, yet he left it all for rags. Now pick up
III--_A blue piece of cloth._ This stands for the dissatisfied heart of the boy. He had "the blues." Tired of home; longed for excitement; unhappy in his father's house. So he thought of the big town where he thought he would be happy, and told his father so; he asked for his share of the estate because he wanted money. He must have money to be happy. So his father granted his request. Now pick up
IV--_Gray cloth._ The color gray was the color of the silver coins which his father gave him. (Make this cloth crooked.) This was a crooked step. He was crowning his own will. He was turning from the wisdom of his father. That alone was crooked. The misuse of money is often the first crooked step the youth takes. So often they leave home for larger wages, not because of the privilege of saving, but the sin of spending. After the estate is settled, the youth, with his new inheritance, gets the crooked foot, forgets God and His counsels. In one of our great high schools a prize essay was to be written. This was the subject: "If you had ten thousands dollars, what would you do with it?" In discussing this question, most of the boys had selfish answers. One would spend a year in traveling, another would make investments which yielded large returns quickly, etc. One lad said he would give it to his parents to save for him. This boy won the prize; he would never be a prodigal because of the misuse of money. The Prodigal wanted it for self use, and he got a handful of rags in return. Now pick up
V--_A gay rag of several colors,_ or a cluster of gray colored ones (cut crooked). This represents the gaieties of the far off country into which he had plunged. The sins of the far-away country seemed tipped with gold; he fell for it at once. Satan whispered here is joy, let loose; you are away from home; no one knows you; plunge in; and he