Props: water, ice, jar containing water and covered in
plastic, and/or a cup of hot water. Allow the water in the jar to set for a few
hours in the heat so that water droplets form on the inside of the
plastic top.
God In Three Persons:
The Bible teaches us that God is three unique persons, yet he is
ONE GOD. He is God the FATHER, God the SON (JESUS), and God the HOLY
SPIRIT. We call this the Trinity*, or
triune nature of God*. This is hard to understand, even for adults.
However, water is a great
example of how something can be three different things, and at the
same time remain one thing. Water can be a liquid, a solid (ice), and
a gas (vapor/steam).
Show the different props as you name the different states of
water. When you get to gas, show the jar with water droplets and
explain that the water is vaporizing or becoming a gas. You cannot see
the process of water turning into a gas, only the effects of the gas after it rises to the top and lands on the plastic. You can also
use a hot cup of hot water and allow the children to feel the warm steam
rising to touch their hands.
Even though there are three uniquely different states of water,
(liquid, solid, and gas) they are still water. In the same way, these
states of water can remind us of the triune nature of God.
The solid form of water (ice) reminds us of God the
FATHER. Ice is hard.
It is solid. In the same way, God the FATHER is our solid
foundation. ("Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you." Psalm 89:14)
The liquid form of water reminds us of God the SON. Water is useful
for cleansing. In the same way, God the SON, died on the cross to
cleanse us of our sin. ("How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"
Hebrews 9:14)
The gas form of water reminds us of God the HOLY SPIRIT. Gas cannot
be seen, but you can see the effects of it. As we
did when we saw
the water droplets on the plastic, or felt the warmth of the steam
from the hot water. In the same way, the HOLY SPIRIT cannot be
seen, but the effects of his presence can be seen and felt in our lives as the
HOLY SPIRIT works to make his will known to us and to change us to be
more like him. ("I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
John 16:12-15 )
The next time you drink a glass of water, or eat an ice cube, or
feel the effects of steam, let this lesson on water remind you that
God is three Persons in One!
* The Bible never mentions the word, trinity,
or triune nature of God. However, there are plenty of
references to the trinity. Here are just a few:
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in
our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
John 1:1-2, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were
made; without him nothing was made that has been
made...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among
us.
Matthew 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means,
"God with us."
John 14:9,11 "...Anyone who has seen me (Jesus) has
seen the Father...Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and
the Father is in me..."
John 14:25-26 "All this I have spoken while still with
you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in
my name will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I
have said to you."
Ephesians 1:13-14 "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.
Colossians 1:15-20 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."
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Copyright 2001 Sarah
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