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Free Sunday School Lessons: Lectionary - These stories and Children's sermons can be adapted to make great Sunday School Lessons. These lessons are designed to be fun, interactive, and biblical. They require minimal preparation and they are short- generally about 5 minutes long. I've thought up most of these lessons, but some are spin offs of ideas I've picked up from other places. They can be used anywhere although they are designed to be used in our Sunday Morning children's focus which takes place immediately prior to our Sunday School. 
Almost forgot: The adults at our church learn a lot from these stories too. In fact, although they usually forget my sermons they almost always remember the message from the Children's focus!
Object lesson title: God wants to change us from the inside out
Object lesson themes: Change, authenticity, the heart, hypocrisy, God can change our hearts
Objects needed: An old bruised banana, some yellow paint with a paintbrush
Summary: Take an old discolored banana and ask the kids if they would like to eat it. (Yuck) Then cover it with yellow paint and ask them if they want to eat it now that it’s painted bright yellow. Of course it has only really changed on the outside. God does not want to just make us look good on the outside. Through Jesus, he wants to change us from the inside out.
The full Bible Lesson talk:
Good morning boys and girls. I have my favorite fruit in this bag. What is your favorite fruit? (Interact with the responses). Well, here is my favorite fruit, a banana. (Hold an old, bruised banana up for them to see). That sure looks good doesn’t it? Would you like to have some of this? (The kids shake their heads –no). What! Why don’t you want it? (They will say it’s because it looks so rotten). Hmmm. Well, I’ve got an idea. Here is some yellow paint. I’ll paint it over so it’s nice and yellow again. (Hold up banana and quickly paint it while the children watch). Great! Now it’s painted nice and yellow. Who would like to eat my banana now? What you still don’t want to eat it. Why? (Let the children explain that it is still old and rotten on the inside). Hmm. I guess you are right. It looks good on the outside but it is really the same on the inside. TRANSITION Children, God wants to change us from the inside out. Being a Christian is more than putting on a smile and doing certain good things. Jesus wants to come into our lives and make us new from the inside out. He wants to put his love in our hearts and give us his life so we are changed into the people he wants us to be – on the inside and the outside!
Prayer: God, we know that you don’t want us to just look good on the outside – you want to change us on the inside too. Thank you that through Jesus we can be all that you created us to be. Lord Jesus, as we follow you, change us with your life, your power, and your love, from the inside out. In Jesus name. Amen!
Copyright Andrew Hewlett sundaychildrensfocus.com Feel free to use these stories at your Sunday morning service but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and also consider putting a link to this site on your web page. Thank you! A.H.
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