Tuesday, October 30, 2007

The Christian Pumpkin

Last Sunday when we went to the Reservation for our Porcupine Mission, we took with us a bunch of pumpkins. These were donated by some good friends of ours. We had a total of 32 pumpkins.
I carved the largest pumpkin in front of the class for as the lesson. I got this idea from my youngest daughter who every year in her first grade class carves a Christian Jackolantern using the pumpkin prayer.

The Pumpkin Prayer
Dear God,As I carve my pumpkin help me say this prayer:
Open my mind so I can learn about You;(Cut the top of the pumpkin)
Take away all my sin and forgive me for the wrong things I do.(Clean out the inside)
Open my eyes so Your love I will see;(Cut the eyes out in star shapes) The star also reminds us about the star that shown the Wise Men the way to Baby Jesus that first Christmas.

I'm so sorry for turning up my nose to all you've given me.(Cut a nose in the shape of a cross)
The cross shows us what Jesus did for us, died on cross in payment for the sins of the whole world.
Open my ears so your word I will hear.(Cut the ears shaped like the Bible) I only drew the Bible ears.
Open my mouth so I can tell others You're near(cut the mouth in the shape of a fish) this is the sign for Christian.
Let Your light shine in all I say and do! Amen.(Place a candle inside and light it)

The children and the adults really enjoyed this object lesson and just maybe now, when they think of Halloween and all the scary spooky things happening around this time of year they will be reminded of the free gift of Jesus, our Light and Salvation and that we all can let our Light so shine before men, that they might see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. Mathew 5:16

It was amazing that when we started counting and handing out pumpkins that there were exactly enough and wouldn't have been had not two older siblings had volunteered to share one larger pumpkin. The children only got to wipe off the dirt and draw a face on their pumpkins but they were encouraged to have a older family member help them at home and then tell the lesson about the pumpkin prayer.


When I looked in my craft bag, I found a free gift, absolutely free, I excitedly opened the gift and it was a candle in a glass holder that had a Bible verse on, The Lord is My Light and Salvation Psalm 27
Salvation is a free gift, there is nothing we can or have to do to receive this free gift, It was fully purchased by Gods Son, Jesus.
For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8



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