Read Matthew 5:16, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." Explain to the children that they are like flashlights without batteries without Jesus inside their hearts to give them the power to shine. Place a collection of batteries at one end of the room and empty flashlights at the other. Turn out the lights, closing curtains or shades if necessary to get it as dark as possible. Ask the children to come pick up a flashlight and carefully make their way to the battery station. The goal is to load the batteries in the flashlight and use it to make their way to another room for snacks or other small treat. Talk about how much easier it is to see where to go when your flashlight has power. Batteries represent Jesus' power, which shines through them. Without His power, it is more difficult to accomplish anything and you stumble around in the darkness.
Bring an egg for each child in your class. Hard boil half of the eggs ahead of time and leave the others uncooked. Hand out an egg to each child and hold a spinning contest. Time the spin of each egg. Which egg spins the longest? Ask the children for theories as to why some eggs spin longer than others. Ask if they can tell any difference between the eggs from the outside. Suggest that maybe it has something to do with what's on the inside. Crack open a few of the slower eggs first and note how runny and slimy they are, without any substance. Then crack open the longer spinning eggs to discover the solid filling on the inside. Read 1 Samuel 16:7, "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Discuss how people may look good on the outside, but the outward appearance of success or Christianity does not mean that a person is a good person unless he has the substance of Jesus in his heart.
Prepare two long, shallow, rectangular plastic storage containers an hour ahead of time at an outdoor location or on an easily cleanable floor. Mix water and cornstarch in a ratio of two pounds of cornstarch to three cups of water and mix it to a honey-like consistency. Pour the suspension in the containers until they are each half full. Stir the batch around in the container every so often to prevent separation. Prepare a foot-washing basin and provide towels. Read the story of Jesus and Peter walking on water in Matthew 14. Point out that Peter could walk on water as long as he trusted in Jesus' strength. Have the children memorize Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me." Tell them they can walk on water too. Have all the children remove their shoes and socks and separate them into two teams. Line them up opposite their containers at least 10 feet away. Explain that they need to get a running start, run across the water, and then run back on dry land and tag the next person. When tagged, each person must call out the Bible verse above and repeat the procedure. The first team to finish, wins. As each person finishes her lap, she can wash her feet at the foot-washing station.
Psalm 37:24 reads, "When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand." To illustrate this for children, have them hold their forearms parallel to the floor, palm up. Place a quarter or other small flat object about an inch from the crook of the elbow. Tell them to drop their arms very quickly and try to catch the object in their hands. Let them try it several times to get the hang of it. Explain that just like gravity pulls on the object but still allows time to catch it before it falls, so God will not let them be destroyed because He and catches them before they hit the ground when sin and temptation cause them to fall. Once they have practiced, you may choose to have a friendly competition by pairing the children off in groups of two to see who can catch it the most times in one minute. Alternatively, form teams and have each member drop and catch the object and pass it along. The team that finishes first, wins.