Passage: Luke 17:11-19

What we talked about:

• The story of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus.

• That only one leper came back to thank Jesus for healing him.

• That God wants us to be thankful.

Experiment:

Things needed: different types of fruits and vegetables, paper bags

We have all seen moldy food at some point, and this is an experiment where moldy food is ok! Gather a few different types of fruits and vegetables and some paper bags. Put each item in a paper bag and label the bags, then put them on your kitchen counter (or somewhere else in the house where they will not be disturbed). Give everyone a chance to guess and see which one will get moldy the fastest and which one will stay healthy the longest. Write down your guesses, and after a few days or a week, look at them to see if you were right. In this experiment, we got to see how mold takes over a fruit or vegetable and ruins it! Molds are fungi that grow on things, and reproduce as the fruits and vegetables rot. Molds are like diseases that cover the fruits and vegetables, similar to the way leprosy takes over a person’s body. This is also similar to how sin takes over our lives! The only way to be healed from our sin is to ask God to forgive us and make us clean and new!

*Note: do not sniff or eat moldy food as this may be dangerous. Discard moldy

Craft:

In the Bible story, Jesus heals 10 lepers, and only one of them comes back to thank Him. Often, we do not thank Jesus for what He does for us! Today, you can make something that will serve as a reminder to thank Jesus every day! Everyone will make a thank you card for Jesus, just as you would for someone who gave you a gift. Jesus has given many gifts and blessings to all of us. Try to think of as many as you can, and write them on the card. Then put the card somewhere where you will see it daily, and it will be a reminder to always be thankful for the many blessings God has given.

Activity:

Get a Scabble game and put the tiles in a bag. Family members will take turns drawing out a single tile and telling something they are thankful for that begins with that letter. For fun, add up the points on each player’s tiles to see who got the highest thankfulness score!

Family Bible Time:

Read the following verses and use the questions to discuss what you read.

1 Chronicles 16:8

• What does this verse tell us to do?
• What has God done in your life, or given you, that you can give thanks for?
• How can you make this message known among the nations?

1 Thessalonians 5:18

• When does this verse say we should give thanks?
• Who do we give thanks to?
• How can we know God’s will?
• How can we give thanks in ALL circumstances? Have you ever given thanks during a difficult circumstance?

Adapted from @2012 The Kitchen, Year 3, Quarter 1.