Suggested Song: O Be Careful Little Eyes What You See

Objects needed:  Match, Knife, Gun, Hand


Match: Is this match evil?

(It's just a match; it’s not evil and it's not good.)

Our parents might say, “Be Careful with matches.”  Why do they say this?

How can matches be used for good? (a fire to warm you, a fire to cook, etc.)

How can matches be used for evil? (Burn down a house, start a forest fire, etc.)

If a match is used to start a forest fire, is that match evil?  (No, the problem is with the person who uses the match.)

Knife:  Is this knife good or evil? (Neither)

How can a knife be used to do good? (Have the children think of examples.)

How can a knife be used to do evil? (Many people are murdered by knives.)  Cain may have used a knife to slay his brother and commit the first murder (although the Bible does not tell us this specifically).

What if we had a knife covered with blood which had murdered someone? Would that knife be evil? No, the person who used the knife is evil.  The knife is just a tool and it can be used for good or for evil.
 

Gun:   If you bring a real gun, make sure it is not loaded.  A toy gun would suffice.

Is this gun good or evil? (Neither)

How can it be used for good?  (protection, Police, stop crimes, etc.)   For evil? (murder, etc.)

Many people today say that GUNS are a big problem in our country. Is that true?   Remember, a gun only does what the person using it wants it to do.  

If someone uses a gun to kill someone, does that make the gun bad? (No the person who used the gun to murder is bad. He’s a murderer. The gun is not a murderer. We don’t put a gun in jail because it killed someone.)

Lay gun on table: Can that gun hurt anyone lying on that table? The gun cannot shoot itself. The gun can only shoot if someone uses it, and that person who uses it can use it for good or for evil.

Hand

Show your hand. Is this hand good or is this hand evil? How can you use that hand for good? (Use it to pick up things to help your Mom!  You can lend a helping hand to others.  You can pat someone on the back for encouragement:  "You scored a basket; nice shot!  etc.) How can you use that hand for evil? Hit someone, shove someone, hurt someone, poke someone in the eye, etc.

The main point:  To illustrate that the main problem lies with the sinner, not with the amoral instrument that the sinner uses.

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