Scripture: Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:23-41, Luke 23:32-49, John 19:18-37
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn Jesus was willing to endure a painful death to provide for the forgiveness of our sins.
- Students will learn Jesus was the ultimate and perfect sacrifice.
- Students will learn when we are baptized, we participate in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus – getting forgiveness of our sins and becoming Christians. (Romans 6:3-5)
- Students will learn how God washes away our sins and will learn the most cost effective way to wash stains out of clothing.
Guiding Question: How does God forgive us of our sins? How can we find out the most cost effective soap to remove stains?
Materials: 4-5 bowls of water, 4-5 scraps of white cotton cloth, dirt, 4-5 soaps/detergents (your choice how many/what brand)
Procedure: Review the story of the crucifixion from the scriptures above. Explain that when people say “the blood of Jesus washes away our sins” they do not mean that God uses blood to physically wash away our sins. This phrase means that when Jesus died on the cross for us and shed bled, that was the moment when all of our sins were forgiven and we could have a relationship with God and Jesus. When we are baptized, we become Christians and receive forgiveness for all of our sins.
Tell the students that in areas where people live and do not have a lot of money, that have to choose soaps well. These soaps need to clean best with the least amount of soap possible needed to clean something. Tell the students they are going to experiment with different soaps of different price points to see which one cleans the best and is most cost effective. Have the students stain each piece of white fabric with dirt (same amount of dirt on each fabric) and then wash each fabric in a bowl of water with a chosen soap in that bowl.
After experimenting with each bowl, decide which soap worked the best and is also most cost effective. The students can then put together a flier explaining their results and share it at local laundromats.
Additional Questions: How can students provide soap/detergent to those in need while providing them helpful information for the future?
Supplemental Activity: Have the students create goody bags with samples of soap, coupons for soap/detergent, hand sanitizer, etc. Have the students also include results of the experiment above along with an encouraging Bible verse. Distribute these bags in low income areas or to local mission teams.