Last year I decided to incorporate making slime into our Good Friday and Easter Sunday services. The kids were so into making slime at the time that I knew it would hold their attention while teaching them a story many of them had heard a few times. I am shocked that kids are still so into making slime this year. I thought I would share what we did last year in our services for anyone looking for a fresh way to share the Easter story with their kids.

 

Good Friday Message (Black and Red Slime)

When God created humans they were created in His image, they were sinless and blameless at this point. Make white slime with borax, water and white glue. He formed Adam from the dust of the Earth and breathed the breath of life into Him. He also took a rib from Adam and formed Eve. Separate half of the white slime into another bowl. God gave them everything in the garden except one thing. God warned them in Genesis 2:16-17 “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

Unfortunately, sin entered the world through temptation. Pour black food coloring into one of the bowls of white slime. A snake came to Eve and tempted her into eating the fruit from the one tree God told her not to eat, and to make it worse she talked Adam into doing the same. Because they chose to disobey God, they were banished from the beautiful garden and sin was now a part of human life. Every time any one messed up and sinned they would have to offer an animal as a sacrifice to God.

Fast forward to the New Testament. Jesus came down to earth. We know that he lived a perfect and sinless life while he was on earth so He could replace those sacrifices as the ultimate sacrifice for all of our sins. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says. “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” When Jesus died on the cross at the end of His life on earth, He took all of our sins on Himself all at once. Allow black slime to completely cover your hand. 

Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for us by giving his life and shedding His blood for us on the cross. Add red food coloring to the other bowl of white slime. Jesus died one of the most painful and humiliating deaths for us. He didn’t deserve it, He did it for us. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” We deserve to die because of our sins, but because Jesus made the sacrifice for us, we have the opportunity to have our sins forgiven and to live forever in heaven.

Response time

We covered a large cross with white butcher paper and had it standing on the stage during the entire message. At the end of the message I invited the kids to write sins they were struggling with on the cross with black markers. We gave them a few minutes to spend some time remembering Jesus’ sacrifice and thanking Him at the foot of the cross.

Do not get rid of your black and red slime! Also, do not take down your cross or remove the paper. You will be using all of these items for the Easter Sunday message. After the kids left on Friday night we spray painted the paper on the cross with gold paint for Sunday morning to symbolize Jesus taking our sins away. If you do not have a separate Good Friday service, you can use these two messages combined for one message on Easter Sunday. 

Easter Sunday Message (Gold Slime)

Recap Good Friday Message

On Good Friday we talked about how sin entered the world way back at the beginning, in Genesis 3 with Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve allowed temptation to get the best of them and they ate fruit from the only tree God had forbidden them to eat from. Ever since then, we all have sin in our lives. Romans 3:23 says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Hold up black slime. Jesus, who was perfect and completely without sin, took all of our sins on Himself on the cross. Hold up black slime in hand and allow it to cover your hand. Show cross picture with all the sins written on it from Friday night. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for all of us when he gave His life and shed His innocent blood on the cross. Hold up the red slime.

Did Jesus deserve to die? Allow kids to respond. Who deserved it? Allow kids to respond. All of us. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, Jesus died on the cross. Let’s imagine for a moment what it must have been like the weekend that Jesus was dead, for his disciples and followers. Jesus had told them himself multiple times that he would have to die, but that he would come back to life on the third day. Matthew 16:21 says, “From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.” However, many of them seemed to have forgotten that.

The Good News

Jesus’ death wasn’t the only important part of the story. If Jesus had stayed dead after he was crucified do you think anyone would have believed that He was who He said He was, the Messiah, the Savior of all mankind? No! When Jesus rose from the dead He completely washed all of our sins away, He made us right with God! Add water and borax to the bowl. Romans 4:25 says, “He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” While the cross is proof that Jesus sacrificed himself for our sin, the resurrection is proof that his sacrifice was enough to free us from our sin. Jesus’ resurrection proves that He is God. It fulfills all the prophecies and things that had been said about Him by the prophets. Romans 1:4 says, “and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The resurrection proves that Jesus had the POWER to forgive our sins, and the power to defeat death. Add glue and water to another bowl, and combine both bowls. Show the kids how the mixture instantly changes. Romans 6:9 says, “We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.” Jesus instantly changed the game for all of us when rose from the dead. He showed that He has the power to defeat death for all of us as well.

Once Jesus had come back from the dead, He didn’t need to stay on the Earth for much longer. He went around revealing Himself to some of his closest disciples and about 500 others so there would be people to spread the news that He truly was alive. After about 40 days it was time for Him to go back to Heaven. Mark 16:19 says, “When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” Add gold paint to slime mixture. Jesus made the way for each of us to join Him in the place He has prepared for us in Heaven through His death and resurrection. We have the choice to believe in Him and follow Him or not. Offer a prayer of salvation/altar call if desired. 

Gold Slime Eggs

On Easter Sunday, each kid went home with an easter egg filled with gold slime to remind them of Jesus’ resurrection.

Slime Recipe

  • 2 Mixing Bowls
  • 1 teaspoon Borax
  • 1 ⅓ Cups Hot Water
  • 2 Cups White School Glue
  • 1 ½ Cups Hot Water
  • Red, Black and Gold Food Coloring/Paint

Instructions

  • Combine borax and hot tap water. This slime recipe produces the ideal, runny goop. Begin by retrieving a mixing bowl, a teaspoon, and a measuring cup.
  • Measure 1 teaspoon borax. Pour the borax into the mixing bowl.
  • Measure 1 ⅓ cups hot tap water. Pour the water into the mixing bowl.
  • Mix the water and borax together with a spoon. Mix thoroughly.
  • Combine white school glue, hot tap water, and food coloring/paint. Retrieve a second mixing bowl.
  • Measure 2 cups white school glue. Place the glue into the mixing bowl.
  • Measure 1 ½ cup hot tap water. Add the water to the bowl.
  • Add 3 to 5 drops of food coloring/paint. Stir the contents together. Make sure to mix thoroughly.
  • Combine the two sets of ingredients and store. Pour the borax mixture into the mixing bowl containing the glue mixture. Stir for several minutes until you achieve the desired consistency—when you hold the spoon above the bowl, the slime should slowly drip off.
  • If the color is not quite right, add 1 to 3 more drops of food coloring.

I hope this object lesson will help out other leaders who are looking for a new way to share the Easter story in their ministries this year. What are you doing this Easter to teach your kids and get them excited about coming to church?