Opening Activity: (adapted from www.teensundayschool.com/81/activities/revealing-colors.php)
What's My Color?
Break up into groups of four or five and give each student/group a small bag of M&Ms. (Use fun size individual bags for convenience or group bags to save money. )
Explain what each color M&M means from the color key below. (Pass out list on paper to each group or put on large screen. )
The groups will open their bags and let each person in turn pour 4 M&Ms into his or her hand.
Then that person shares several things about him or herself, depending on which colors he or she has according to the color key. Then the next person does the same until everyone in the group has a chance to share. And yeah, go ahead and eat the M&Ms when finished sharing.
Color Key:
Red - Share something that you are NOT good at.
Green - Share something that you are good at.
Blue - Share something that you like about your “true blue” best friend. (Example: he or she is always there for me, he or she likes me just the way I am, etc.)
Brown - Share something that really makes you "frown", perhaps a pet peeve.
Yellow - Share something that really "brightens" up your day and makes you smile.
Orange - If you could "change" one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Gather back together in a large group.
Say, "It's fun to get to know one another. How many of you had something in common with another person in your groups? (If time, you might call on a few people to share one of their answers.) Sometimes our differences cause sin in our lives.
Read Galatians 5:24-26.
Say, "Let's look at a fun example of differences causing sin.
Show "The Sneetches" short film by Dr. Suess. (You can serve popcorn and M&M's for added fun.)
Break into small groups and have adult leaders do the following:
Have students look up Galatians 5:24-26 and read it together.
What problem did the original Sneetches with stars have that
we as humans have according to this scripture? (pride/conceited, provoked
others by showing favoritism, other more specific answers accepted)
What problem did the original Sneetches without stars have
that we as humans have according to this scripture? (jealousy, other more specific answers
accepted)
In what ways do we display the same bad traits of the
Sneetches, today? (various answers, specific examples allowed but no names, be prepared to cut off students if their answers get too personal)
What did the Sneetches learn? (The Sneetches learned that
the stars didn’t mean anything. They were all Sneetches, which was their true
identity.)
Look up and read Galatians 3:26-29 together.
What can we learn from what Paul told the Galatians? (All
Christians are ‘clothed in Christ’, so our human differences no longer matter.
Our physical/human identity shouldn't separate us or cause sin in us. Our identity in Christ unites us
all as children of God. We are Abraham’s heirs to God’s promise.)
If you have extra time and need something fun and silly to do, you can explain and sing "Father Abraham" as a large group.
