Ideas for Edible Fruits

A cooking activity where the children make fruit salad using the nine fruit of the Spirit Fruits.

First Presbyterian Church-Jackson, TN
Mary and Martha’s Kitchen-Cooking Workshop
Fruit of the Spirit

This lesson set is the copyrighted property of Rev. Dr. Lonnie Atkinson. Permission is granted to copy this material only for non-commercial use.

Scripture Reference: Galatians 5:16-26

Paul wrote his Letter to Galatians to churches he would have started on his missionary journeys in Galatia (now part of Turkey). He wrote to prove that what some leaders were teaching was false. Some leaders said that Gentile believers must obey the Jewish Law in order to be saved. Paul reminds the believers that we are saved by faith and that we are to live by the Spirit, not by the Law. During this four week Rotation, we will explore what a life controlled by the Holy Spirit looks like.

Theme:

1. Open yourself to the Fruit of the Spirit;
2. Learn about these gifts and encourage their growth in you and others;
3. Celebrate the giving and receiving of the fruit of the Spirit
4. Seek to keep in step with the Spirit. (vs. 25)

Memory Verse: “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23a (NLT)

Objectives and Life Application:

Children will

• locate the story in the Bible.
• know that Paul wrote letters to new believers as he traveled, and that Galatians is one of those letters. The students will be able to find Galatians in the Bible.
• understand that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are awarded to those who live by faith.
• know that the Holy Spirit will help them make the right decision.
• know the memory verse.

PREPARATION AND SUPPLIES:

• Read lesson materials and Background Information in preparation for teaching.
• Gather the ingredients… shop for fruit! Be creative using common and exotic fruit varieties. You will need nine different fruit for this special fruit salad. Cut the fruit and have it stored in separate bowls so the children can pick the fruits they want in their own salad. (For older classes try more unique fruit varieties.)
• Have bowls and utensils ready.
• Create “Spiritual Fruit” name cards for each of the fruits you are including in your salad. The cards will name the nine spiritual fruits described in our Key Lesson. (i.e.; love, joy, etc.) You can assign each fruit a name of your choosing. Display the name cards and fruit on the counter or a table in the kitchen. OR, if time permits: Have the students discuss and assign fruit names as part of the discussion of the fruits based on their attributes. (For example, maybe bananas are "joy" because they are shaped like smiles and peaches are "gentleness" because they are soft.)
• Pray for the young learners and for the gift of peace… one of the spiritual fruit.

Important Notes for Cooking Workshop Leaders:

• Children LOVE to cook and create various concoctions in this workshop. But occasionally the cooking activity does not have as obvious or concrete a connection with the lesson as do some of the other activities. Help the children make that connection by intentionally discussing the way the activity relates to the lesson of the day. Discuss during preparation, eating and clean-up times.
• Each workshop begins with the Bible story. One of our primary goals is to improve the children’s Bible literacy! If children did not bring their Bibles from home, use the classroom Bibles. You should help the children locate the stories. Use the Background Information to help you introduce the story.
• Remember that as the rotation progresses; the children will become more familiar with the story. When this happens, allow the children to tell you what they know. The children should still locate the story in their Bibles every week. Use the bold headings in their Bibles to guide your discussion. You may want to review some of the Bible notes as well. Be sure to fill in any missing information and add additional details using the Background Information to help you. One of the greatest advantages of this model is that children who come regularly learn the story in great depth.

LESSON:

Welcome and Introduction: Welcome the children and introduce yourself. Remember that teachers rotate often and children may not know you. Tell the children that today they will be making a delicious fruit salad.

Opening Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit and all of the special gifts of the Spirit. Teach us how to learn and share these gifts. May the fruit of the Spirit feed us every day. As we grow in faith may we grow in love. Amen.

Bible Study
Read the Bible. Galatians 5:22-23—Have children read it to each other, if they are old enough to know how to read.

Discuss with the Children: Emphasize that you cannot fake these fruits, but they are evident when you become a Christian. When you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes to you and helps you to live a better life. Still, these fruits do not come naturally. Just because you have an apple tree does not mean that you get apples. You have to take care of the tree by watering it, pruning it, and picking the apples.

Memory Verse: Each rotation we ask the children to memorize one scripture verse. Have the children locate the verse in their Bibles and review it with them at this time:

“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23a (NLT)

Cooking Activity: Fruit Salad

Show them the nine fruit of the Spirit fruits they are going to use to make fruit salad. Highlight the variety of color, size, shape, texture and taste.
Talk briefly about the nine spiritual fruit. How the Spirit of God is the gift giver of these spiritual gifts… how we all have some… we have different ones.
Describe each fruit by the spiritual fruit name you or they gave it. (i.e.; apple is love, banana is goodness, etc.)
Invite the children to create their own “Spiritual Salad.” You are encouraged to reinforce the names and qualities of these nine gifts of the Spirit.

As they eat discuss the following:

Imagine yourself at a fresh fruit market. What fruit do you see? What is your favorite fruit? What do you like about it… taste, texture, appearance, etc.? What fruit would you select for a fresh fruit salad? What fruit would you not include? Why?

Consider the list of the “fruit of the Spirit.” What is your favorite “spiritual fruit”? Why? What ‘spiritual fruit’ do you possess? How do you share it? What ‘spiritual fruit’ do you need to shop for and take home?

Imagine receiving this letter from Paul, a respected church leader, and trying to understand what his message is for your life? For the life of our church? For the world?

How do we teach, gather and share the fruit of the Spirit?

Choose one of the “fruit of the Spirit.” Who have you met who possesses and shares that gift? How have you experienced that gift? How could you teach others of the importance of that fruit of the Spirit?
Let everyone help clean up. If you have time, the children can do their journals.

Reflection/Journal Time:

The last 10 minutes should be reserved for Journal and Reflection time. This is an opportunity for processing and reflection about what the children have learned. Pass out the journals and pencils/pens and the journal sticker for the day. Put the date in the journals. Workshop leaders should sit down with children in small groups to facilitate discussion and writing in Faith Journals. Memory verse stickers are also included for each lesson, give one to each child to take home. Children may also copy the memory verse and illustrate.

Journal Questions:
Grades K-2: Draw 3 ways you can be joyful or kind today.
Grades 3-5: Name 3 ways you can be joyful or kind today.

Clean-up: Put away all supplies and wipe off counters and tables. Encourage children to help clean up and put away supplies.

Closing prayer: Gather the children together and encourage them to come back next week and to bring a friend, especially a friend who does not have a church home. Remind them to bring their Bibles. Pray: “Lord, We ask you to send the Holy Spirit to help us behave in a way that others can see we are joyful people, that we are full of goodness and gentleness, that we are not angry, that we are faithful and loyal to you and to each other, that we have patience in situations where others are impatient, and that we just OOZE love for others! Thank you Lord for the peace you give us when we are fruitful people! Amen.