The New Creation

Science Workshop

Memory Verse: “The one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:5a

Scripture Reference:

Revelation 21:1-7

Lesson Objective:

The students will learn that the earth as we know it is not a perfect place. Humans do not always take good care of the earth. In Revelations 21:5, Jesus is described as “The Spring of the Water of Life.” He invites everyone who is thirsty, (longing for God), to come and drink freely. To demonstrate this analogy, the teacher and students will do an experiment to create a fountain effect. An optional object lesson is to water a wilted plant. In about 15 minutes the plant will absorb the water and be refreshed. Students will talk about the owl, and how they can teach us to look back with gratitude to Jesus first coming, his death, and his resurrection; but also to look forward to his second coming. During journal time, the students will write New Year’s resolutions.

Supplies:

• Chip Mining: One chocolate chip cookie and two toothpicks per student
• Thirst: Wilted plant, water (optional object lesson)
• Fountain: Ball-point pen Plastic tub with lid (e.g. a sour cream container)
• Small stones Large bowl of cold water
• Green food coloring A thermos of very warm water.
• Learn from the Owls: A picture of an owl

Lesson Plan

Opening Prayer: Dear God, thank you for being a “Promise Keeper.” We are looking forward to learning more about the second coming of your son Jesus, and the better world that you have promised to create in the future. In Jesus Name, AMEN.

Dig:

Today’s Earth is Not a Perfect Place
Say: God created a wonderful and amazing world. Humans learned many ways to use the great numbers of resources placed here for our use. But not all things done to the planet Earth by humans have been good.

Chip Mining: Pass out a chocolate chip cookie, a napkin, and two toothpicks to each learner. Let’s think of these as “Earth Cookies.” Carefully check where the chocolate chips are located. Imagine that the chips are nuggets of gold you want to remove from the earth with your tools (toothpicks.) You will be paid $500 for each whole chip you get out. To make sure you take good care of the earth, you will be fined $100 for every broken cookie piece that is larger than a pencil eraser. How much did you earn in your chip mine?

Note: Use the time the students spend “mining” to talk about human suffering and damage to the earth that is caused by natural events (hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc.) and brought about by humans (wars, pollution, overuse of nonrenewable resources, etc.).

What can we learn from this?
No matter how careful we are, our cookie (the earth) doesn’t look the same as when we started. In Genesis, God told Adam and Eve that everything on this earth was for our use. Humans were put in charge of taking care of the earth. But the earth is changing, and much of it is not for the better. God knew that, and part of his Big Plan is to make a New Heaven and a New Earth. Let’s read what the Apostle Paul and Saint John had to say about this in the Bible:

Have the students read aloud: Romans 8:18-22 and Revelations 21:1-7.

Jesus is the Water of Life (Revelations 21:5)
It’s no accident that water is used as an analogy for God’s presence in the new world he will someday create. Scientists know that the movement of water is the single largest force shaping the surface of the earth, whether by a slow-moving river, a glacier, or pounding ocean waves.

Thirst: (Body Book p. 156-157, 260)
Say: Humans need water to survive, more than any other nutrient. When God created us, he gave us the gift of thirst, so we will know when we need to drink more water. Does anyone know how your body knows when to make you thirsty? It takes body-wide cooperation of all your organs, and it works like this:

• When you become dehydrated the volume of your blood is less, and your blood pressure drops.
• Arteries also contain salt sensors that report the blood’s salt concentration.
• Messages that your blood pressure is low and that your body fluids have a high concentration of salt are sent to your kidneys. This tells them to conserve water.
• The same signals are sent to your brain. A part of your brain called the hypothalamus gives you a craving for water. In other words you feel thirsty! 

Thirst is one of the many wonderful ways God helps you to take good care of yourself.
In Psalm 63:1, David said “O God you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land. My soul is thirsty for you.”
Jesus called humans from every age to drink deeply of the “Water of Life.”

It’s true! Humans are hard-wired to “thirst for God.” When we are filled with the Presence of God, that need is satisfied.

Optional Object Lesson: Pour water on a wilted plant. It should refresh in 15-30 minutes.

In Revelations 21:6, Saint John wrote “To anyone who is thirsty I will give the right to drink from the fountain of the water of life without paying for it.” We all enjoy watching the rise and fall sparkling water in a fountain. And isn’t it refreshing to stand under the spray from a fountain on a hot summer’s day! Let’s create our own fountain.

Jesus, the Fountain of the Water of Life
Warm Water Fountain, The Usborne Book of Science Experiments p. 48

• Make two holes in the plastic tub with your ball-point pen: one in the lid of the pot and one in the side near the base of the pot. Fill the bowl a couple of inches from the top with cold water.
• Cover the hole in the side of the pot with your thumb and fill it to the brim with warm water. Add a few drops of green food coloring to the water. (Green symbolizes life.) Then put the lid on the pot.
• Stand the pot in the bowl of water and put stones on its lid to hold the pot down. Make sure that the hole in the lid is uncovered. What happens to the colored water?

The warm (colored) water will rise. As it cools, the colored water will fall, creating a fountain effect.

How the Fountain Works:
When liquids are heated, they expand and become less dense. This makes them rise above cooler liquids. As they cool, they become more dense and sink down again. That is why the warm water rose out of the top of the pot into the cold water and then slowly sank towards the bottom of the bowl.

Say: So the next time you see a beautiful fountain, a bubbling spring, or a glass of fresh ice water, remember that Jesus is the Fountain of the Water of Life. All who are thirsty can drink freely and be filled with his life-giving presence.

How should we live now? Take a lesson from an owl? “Looking Both Ways”
Say: What does the story of the New Creation tell us about how we should live now, as we watch and wait for the second coming of Christ? We can learn a lesson from the owl. Our Creator gave owls a very special ability. Can anyone tell me what that is?

It’s true, owls have excellent eyesight and amazingly sensitive hearing. But the owl has one especially unique feature: an owl’s head is mounted on such flexible bearings that it can rotate at least 180 degrees. (A Longeared Owl can actually rotate up to 270 degrees!) So an owl’s body can face one way, while its head is looking in the opposite direction.

Humans cannot physically face their heads both ways, like an owl. But spiritually we can and should. Let me explain: Christians are always facing both ways, for we gratefully look back to the first coming of Christ on the original Christmas Day, and to his death and resurrection. At the same time, we look forward to his second coming at the end of the world, when Christ will return in “power and great glory.” Mark 13:26b.

For now, we are caught between two worlds. Holy Communion reminds us of these things. The apostle Paul wrote, “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” I Corinthians 11:26 Both the past (the Lord’s death) and the future (the second coming) are mentioned in this verse.

Reflection:

Journal Time: New Year’s Resolutions
Say: Today we learned what a wonderful and happy place the world to come will be. Until then, however, things that happen on this earth are not always good, and people are not always happy. What did Jesus ask his disciples (and us) to do while we wait for that wonderful day to come?

We recently celebrated the birth of a New Year, 2005! A wonderful tradition is to write a New Year’s resolution. Can anyone tell me what a resolution is? (Accept all answers.) A dictionary describes a resolution as “a firm determination to do something.” Today, let’s write a special resolution in your journals—one (or several) that will help us act/live like Jesus has taught us.

Idea List: Pray – e.g. He taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer.

• Worship with your church family.
• Take part in the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is also called “Communion,” because it is a special time to experience “communion with God.”
• Make disciples of all nations: Before Jesus was lifted up into the clouds, he told them to go everywhere and tell the good news of eternal salvation.
• Be kind to each other: The greatest commandment Jesus taught was “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Be thankful—remember to tell God thank you every day.
• Go to Sunday school each week, and learn more about Jesus from the Bible stories.
• Obey your parents. (Honor your father and your mother, is one of the 10 Commandments.)
• Find ways to help people who are hungry or poor. (Bring food to the Food shelf, offerings for the Sunday school project, etc.)
• Forgive others, just as Christ has forgiven you!
• Bring baby clothes or blankets for our church’s layette mission. (The layettes go to families who are in need.)

Closing Prayer: God of Love, thank you for the first coming of your Son, Jesus born on earth to be our Savior. Thank you for the Water of Life that satisfies our soul with peace and love. Help us to live in close communion with you, looking forward to that wonderful day when Jesus will come again. In Jesus Name, AMEN.

Resources:

• Geology Rocks! By Cindy Blobaum, Williamson Publishing ISBN 1-885593-29-5 p. 5 Chip Mining
• The Usborne Book of Science Experiments, by Jane Bingham, EDC Publishing ISBN: 0746008066 p. 46, 48
• The Body Book, by Sara Stein, Workman Publishing, NY ISBN 89480-805-2 p. 156-157, 260 Thirst
• The Birds Our Teachers, by John Stott, ISBN 0-8010-1238-4 Baker Book House Company p. 23-32 Owls
• Scripture references taken from Today’s English Version, except where noted.

A lesson by Kirsten, from: Augustana Lutheran Church,
Saint James, MN

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