Object Lesson - Empty

This object lesson for youth uses eggs to make the Easter message of the empty tomb memorable and fun while re-creating, the emotions felt by Christ’s disciples upon finding the empty tomb on Easter morning.

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Games using Easter Eggs

• Armenian Egg Crush – Each youth must knock their hard boiled egg against another person’s hard boiled egg. The egg that doesn’t crack wins. Have the winners face off with other winners until only one person is left.
• Broken Eggs – Raw Eggs are placed on the floor while all the youth look on. Ask them to carefully memorize the locations of the eggs. Then ask for a volunteer who will be blindfolded to walk through the eggs without stepping on any of them. Once blindfolded, the eggs are quickly swapped with peanuts or corn chips. The blindfolded person will think they are eggs when stepped upon. (Be sure to have a vacuum or broom to sweep up the mess)
• Capture the Egg – Play a game of capture the flag with eggs. Divide into two teams and give each team 4 eggs. You’ll need a large open area with lots of obstacles and obstructions. Divide it into into three areas, one for each of the two teams separated by a neutral area. Each team must hide their 4 eggs somewhere in their area, making sure that nobody from the opposing team can see where it is. In order to win the game, you must capture the other team’s eggs and bring them back to your own territory. But if an enemy team member grabs you while you’re standing in their territory, they are allowed to take you straight to jail (which is a small area somewhere inside their territory). You can be freed from jail if one of your team members tags you, and join back in the game. When time is up whoever has captured the most eggs wins.
• Don’t Drop The Egg – Two youth pair up and stand back to back. Place an egg between them. They objective is for the youth to lower the egg to the floor without breaking it. Best done with a hard boiled egg, but if you are feeling particularly playful you could use raw eggs.
• Egg Blow – (Messy Game) Get a clear flexible tube from the hardware store, preferably of large enough diameter to hold a cracked egg inside. Youth compete against each other by placing their mouths on each side of the tube and blowing. The loser get’s a face full of egg. (Cautions: Let them place a garbage bag over clothes. You can also use an egg substitute (like Eggbeater’s) to avoid bacteria or chance of salmonella. Have moist washcloths and towels handy.)
• Egg Drop – Give each team of youth 6ft of masking tape, 1 balloon, a handful of straws, and 1 raw egg. They have to build a protection “capsule” out of those materials that will protect the egg when dropped from various heights off a tall ladder until only one egg survives.
• Egg Fan – Create a start and a finish line on a hard floor using masking tape. Each youth must use an empty medium sized 14″ pizza box to fan the egg to the finish line. They are not allowed to touch the egg and can only move the egg with gusts of air from waving their pizza box. This can be a team relay race or an individual race.
• Egg Pass – Each youth has a spoon in his mouth. Teams must pass an egg to the end of the line as quickly as possible using only the spoons. First to finish wins. Do you dare use raw eggs?
• Egg Roll – Create a start and a finish line on a hard floor using masking tape. Each youth must push the egg to the finish line using only his/her nose. This can be a team relay race or an individual race.
• Egg Roulette – Choose 4-5 volunteers from among the youth. Place 4-5 eggs on a table. The volunteers are told that one of the eggs is raw, but the others are hardboiled. (In fact, all are hardboiled) Each player takes a turn, taking an egg from the table and tapping it on the other players foreheads until it breaks. The players are told whoever gets the raw egg is the bravest. Because all of the eggs are hardboiled, the last player gets the prize before an egg is tried on his forehead.
• Egg Run – A youth is given a spoon to hold in his mouth while an egg is placed on the ground (hard boiled) in front of him. He must stoop down, get the egg onto his spoon without using his hands, stand up, travel to the other side of the arena, return to the starting place and return the egg to its starting position. This can be played as a relay or as individuals.
• Egg Toss – Pairs form two lines facing off and toss an egg back and forth. Every time a catch is successful those who survived back up a little further and try again. The pair that catches the longest toss wins. Use hard boiled or raw eggs.
• Egg Tower – Using 4 Easter eggs and 4 paper towel rolls be the first to build a tower using all the objects to create a single pillar. Be careful not to get the tower out of alignment or it will come crashing down! Play with raw or boiled eggs.
• Hot Eggs – As music plays, youth must pass the “hot egg” around the circle from person to person. No one is skipped. The youth caught holding the egg when the music stops is out, and the game begins again.
• Raw Egg Drop – (Messy Game) Choose 4-5 volunteers from among the youth. The volunteers lay down on their backs on the floor with a cup on their forehead. One teammate stands over them and cracks the egg with their hands attempting to drop the content of the egg into the cup as it spills out. Most of the egg will wind up on the participants face. It’s rather tricky. The team with the most egg in their cup wins. (Cautions: You might want to cover the floor with some newspaper or plastics bags first, and make sure the youth on the floor keeps eyes and mouth closed. Has some wet towels for cleanup)

An Object Lesson

A lot of the games using Easter Eggs have an element of surprise. The Eggs might not be as expected. They also tend to create a variety of other emotions as well – fear, excitement, hesitation, anger, disappointment, relief, doubt, disbelief. Many of the those same emotions are found in the resurrection accounts in the gospels. The following demonstration or object lesson helps to draw out more feelings as an empty egg reminds us of the empty tomb.

Preparation

• Remove the contents of a raw egg. Some people create a hole in each end using a needle, then use a pipe cleaner or piece of wire to scramble the contents inside the egg. You can then carefully blow into the smaller hole so that the egg comes out a bigger hole on the other side. Some people use a syringe to suck the contents out. Once you have emptied the egg, and likely broken a couple trying, rinse it with a little water and then set it aside to dry. Later you can hold the egg with your thumb and finger to cover the holes on the top and bottom so they are not visible.
• You also want to have a real raw egg. You can have a dozen raw eggs in a carton to add a little more credibility to the object lesson.

What to do

Holding up the real egg, ask youth what is inside an egg. After the games they should already have a good idea. Explain that unlike some of those used in the game, this one is a raw one. Inside you would find a raw yellow yolk and the clear runny white part of the egg. Break it into a glass so they can see.

Then ask for a brave volunteer to come in front of the group with you. Ask them to stand still and take out the emptied egg and proceed to crack it over the volunteer’s head. You’ll hear exclamations of surprise from both the volunteer and those watching then there will be sighs of relief or complaints from the more mischievous ones.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

• Ask youth how they felt when they first broke an egg during one of the games or when you broke it during your demonstration? What feelings did they have?

Read the Resurrection story from the various accounts.

• What were some of the reactions people had to the empty tomb in the Easter story? Mary? John? Peter? Roman Guards? High Priests? How do you think each person felt?

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

• If you had been one of them at the empty tomb on that first easter morning, how do you think you might have reacted? What do you think you might have been feeling?
• How did those who heard the story react? How do you typically react when you hear something unexpected?
• Have you ever experienced anything in life that at first reaction shocked you, surprised you, or maybe even frightened you, but later turned out to be something good?
• Was it a good thing or bad thing that the egg was empty? Was it a good thing or a bad thing that the tomb was empty? How do you think the people in the story might have answered this question?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

When Jesus’ followers found out the tomb was empty, they weren’t sure right away what to think, just like you didn’t know what to think about the empty egg. But the empty tomb was the best news of all: Jesus was alive! And because Jesus rose from the dead, we can be saved from sin and death and live with him forever in Heaven.

• Who do you need to tell about the empty tomb of Christ this week? How do you think they might react? How does the easter story give you confidence to tell others about the Risen Saviour?
• What personal lessons can you apply from the Easter story when you face unexpected surprises in life?

SCRIPTURE VERSES FOR THE EASTER STORY

• Matthew 28:1-11
• Mark 16:1-8
• Luke 24:1-12
• John 20:1-18

Youth Icebreakers - Easter Egg Bowling

Description

Easter Egg Bowling is an Easter themed variation of “Lawn Bowling” but on a smaller scale. It’s suitable for youth, children and adults of all ages.

History of Lawn Bowling

Lawn bowling is very similar to an Italian game known as bocce. Because of this, many historians believed it started with Roman Soldiers throwing small stones at a target stone. It is traced back to the 13th or 12th century at its earliest, so it is unlikely that Roman soldiers played the game during the time of Christ. As the game developed over the course of history, weights were added inside a ball to cause it to travel a curved path when rolling along the ground. Today, lawn bowling is typically played on a level grass surface. Instead of placing weights inside the ball, the ball is flattened a little on one side to cause it to travel in the curved path.

Game Objective

The objective of lawn bowling is to roll a ball, closest to a target ball. In the traditional game this is a small white ball called a “jack” or a “kitty”. In this Easter variation of the game, hard boiled eggs are used instead of a an irregular shaped ball. The Easter Eggs, like the balls used in the traditional sport, are also of an irregular shape and so also roll in a curved path. The target can either be a specially colored Easter egg or another small object. You will want to limit the size of the playing area and insure the eggs are ROLLED rather than tossed otherwise you are likely to have egg mush instead of intact eggs.

Game Resources

• A basket of Easter Eggs – Typically the traditional game is played with two teams of 1 to 4 players though larger teams of youth are possible. Because of this it is suggested that there be a different color for each team’s eggs. If you have a very large group of youth you might have more than one playing area with two teams at each area or play it in stages (two teams at a time) so that the winning teams advance to the championship. Instead of real Easter eggs, you could use plastic eggs filled with rice or sand and taped shut.
• a jack (specially colored Easter egg)
• a starting mat or piece of paper for the base (A piece of cardboard works well and newsprint can be used if cardboard is unavailable)
• a playing area – soft grass or soft carpet.
• a ball of twine or string

Preparation

• Set aside Easter Eggs for each team of youth, preferably one color for each team.
• Create boundaries for the game. The traditional games takes place in a large field known as the “bowling green”, but reduce the size to limit damage to the eggs. An easy way to mark the boundaries is to use a piece of string. You can poke a small twig or plastic fork in the ground at each corner then tie the strong between the forks to mark the playing area. If you are doing this indoors with a carpeted area, simply use a piece of tape to adhere the string at each corner. If all you have is a hard surface to play the game (like a gym floor), you can get old newspapers and lay them down on the floor, overlapping them to create a softer surface. The edge of the mat of newspapers then becomes the boundary.
• Flip a coin to see which team of youth gets to set up the mat and the target. The winner of the coin toss gets to place the mat at the edge of the bowling green and toss the target Easter egg, “jack”, into the center as the target. If the target Easter egg is too close to the edges of the playing area it can be centered (between the left and right side) but maintaining the same distance it was tossed.

How to Play

1. Youth take turns tossing their Easter Eggs toward the target.
2. After each team of youth has rolled all of their eggs, the score is calculated. You should choose in advance how many rounds will be played or a specific score to be reached in order to win. The team of youth which loses a round gets to set the mat and target for next round.

Rules for Game Play

• Youth must keep ONE foot on the mat when releasing the Easter egg toward the target.
• An Easter egg may temporarily roll outside the boundary, but must stop inside the boundary to be a valid toss. Once it has come to a stop, if it rests outside the boundary it is not considered in scoring UNLESS it touched the target Easter egg before it rolled out of the boundaries.
• There is no penalty for hitting the target Easter egg, and in fact moving the target egg with a hit might be a viable strategy. If the target egg is knocked out of the boundaries the round can be replayed or re-centered between the left and right boundary but maintaining the distance from where it went out of bounds.
• There is no penalty for hitting an opponent’s Easter egg and knocking it out of position or completely out of bounds.
• It is perfectly legal to roll an Easter egg into a position which blocks opponents.

Scoring

The team of youth which has the Easter egg closest to the target receives a point. A piece of string is a great way to measure the distance. Each Easter egg belonging to the same team of youth that is closer than any of the competitor’s Easter eggs adds an additional point. Play continues until a specific score is achieved or a set number of rounds is completed.

Taking it to the Next Level

One of the key ideas in this game is that there is a target and we try to get as close to that target as possible while avoiding obstacles, getting knocked aside sometimes, dealing with a natural curve or bias, and striving to stay within boundaries. Some of the possible targets that could be discussed are love, evangelism, becoming Christlike, and pleasing God. (see the scriptures below for more detail)

Discussion Questions for Youth

• What is the target of life as a Christian youth?
• Do other youth ever try to block us from that target or even try to knock us away from it? How? Why?
• What are some of the reasons youth fall short of this target?
• What are some of the biases or tendencies youth have to overcome?
• What are some of the strategies youth can use to become closer to the target?
• What lessons can we learn from this game that apply to the Christian walk of youth?
• What is something you will personally do as a result of what you have learned from this game?

Scriptures

• 1 Timothy 1:5 – Our goal is love
• Matthew 28:16-20; 2 Peter 3:9 – Our goal is making disciples (evangelism)
• 1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 1:11-12; 1 Peter 2:9; Jeremiah 9:23-24 – Our goal is to please God
• Romans 8:29; Ephesians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18 – Our goal is to be transformed into the likeness of Christ
• Ephesians 4:22-24 – Our goal is to be like God in Righteousness

Object Lesson - Balloon Faith

Balloons are enjoyed not only by children and youth, but by people of all ages. We see them at birthdays and celebrations throughout the year. And like many things we enjoy in the world around us, they can be metaphors for spiritual lessons as well.

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What You Need

• Lots of balloons
• The Object lesson at the end requires Additional Resources

Some of my favourite Balloon Games for Youth

• Air Race – Be the first to get a balloon to the other side of the room by blowing it up and letting it go. Where ever the balloon lands, the youth can pick it up and repeat the process.
• Balloon Bump – Divide youth into two teams and give each team a different colored balloon. The team must hit its balloon in the air and not allow it to touch the ground. If a team’s balloon touches the ground the other team gets a point. To add to the excitement, add more balloons. Vary the game by choosing the body part that they must use to bump the balloon – elbows, knees, head, etc.
• Balloon Capture the Flag – Give each team a color. Randomly hide balloons of the various team colors throughout the building. Teams start from a central BASE and must explore the building rescuing balloons of their own color by bringing them back to the BASE. All balloons inside the base are safe. Teams can also pop opposing team member’s balloons by sitting on them. At the end of a designated time period the team which rescued the most balloons of their team color wins.
• Balloon Caterpillar – Split the youth into teams of 3 to 6 and have them line up with their hands on the hips of the person in front of them. Attach a balloon to the backside of the last person in the line’s belt. If they don’t have a belt you can use a length of string around his or her waste. Teams must move around, keeping their hands on the waist of the person in front of them and try to pop the balloons at the end of the other teams. The only person that use his or her hands is the person at the fron of the caterpillar.
• Balloon Duels – Split the youth into two teams. Line up each team from shortest to tallest. Then Ask them to count off so that each youth on a team has a number. Tie an inflated balloon with an arms length of string to the ankle of each youth. To play, call out a number. The two players with that number come to the center of the room and try to stomp each other’s balloons. If you pop your opponent’s balloon first, your team gets a point. Repeat this process until all have played. The team with the greatest number of points wins.
• Balloon hacky sack – See how many taps or how long a team can keep a balloon in the air without it touching the ground.
• Balloon Identity – Everyone must write one piece of information about themselves on a small strip of paper and place it in a balloon. They then blow up the balloon and throw the balloon in the center of the circle of youth. One by one, participants select a balloon, pop it, and try to guess which youth matches the piece of information.
• Balloon Juggling – Inflate an equal number of balloons for each team and place them in a plastic trash bag. The team must keep all the balloons in the air. Start with one balloon and every few seconds add another balloon until one of them touches the floor. The team that is able to keep the most balloons in the air wins.
• Balloon Shaving – Divide into teams and give each team a fully inflated balloon to be held in one team member’s mouth. Cover it with whip cream or shaving cream and give each team a disposable razor. First team to remove the shaving cream wins.
• Balloon Smashdown – Each youth is given a balloon with her or her name on it and must keep it in the air by tapping it from below. But at the same time others can tap it from above and try to get it to touch the ground. Everyone begins standing up, but if a balloon touches the ground the own must then get on their knees. If it touches the floor again they must sit, then lie on the floor, then they are out.
• Balloon Stomp – Using an arm’s length of string or a rubber band, tie a balloon to the ankle of each youth so that it drags on the floor a few inches behind their feet. Then they must run around the room and try to pop each other’s balloons by stepping on them while also trying to prevent their own balloon from being popped. Last person to have their balloon unpopped wins. Best played with shoes removed. You can even make it more fun by adding a freeze portion. When the music stops, everyone must stop.
• Balloon to Chair Relay – In teams, each person on the team must inflate a balloon, tie ot off, then race to a chair at the opposite end of the room and pop it by sitting on it. This can be very funny as some balloons refuse to pop easily and the youth are hopping up and down on them to pop them. First team to complete the relay wins.
• Balloon Volleyball – Set up a divider across the room and play a game of volleyball with balloons.
• Hot Air Race – Have a competition to see who can be the first to blow up a balloon until it pops.
• Human Foosball – Seat the youth in rows, either on chairs or on the floor so that every other row turns around and faces the opposite direction. Use a balloon to bat around like a volleyball. A point is scored when a team taps the balloon past all of the opposing team and hits the wall (indoors) or beyond a boundary (outdoors). Highest number of points wins.
• Sumo Wrestling – Teams choose the smallest person to be a “Sumo Wrestler” who will put on an oversized sweatshirt and pants. Each team is given an equal number of balloons to blow up, tie them in a knot, and “stuff” them in the pants and shirt of the Sumo Wrestler. The first team to blow up all balloons and make a Sumo Wrestler wins. For a part 2, the first Sumo wrestler to pop all his or her balloons first wins.
• Twins – Youth are divided into pairs and placed back to back with a balloon in between them. The first pair to pop the balloon using only their backs wins.
• Two Man Balloon Run – A two man team must run through an obstacle course using only their stomachs or head to hold the balloon between them. Anyone holds the balloon in their hands or lets the balloon touch the ground must stop and go back to the start to begin again.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

An Object Lesson using Balloons

What You Need

• Two balloons – Add a little water into one before you inflate it and tie it off. The other should just have air.
• A candle and something to light it with.
• NOTE: Practice this yourself first before trying it with the youth.

What to do

1. Begin by lighting the candle.
2. Explain that the balloon (the one without water in it) represents a person’s life.
3. Explain that there are some things we face in life that are painful or even destructive.
4. Hold the stem of the balloon and touch it to the flame and it will pop.
5. Some people’s lives are destroyed by the difficulties they face.

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL
Read James 1:2-4

• What are some of the things youth experience in life that are painful?
• Ask the youth to share some of the trials a typical youth may face?
• What are some trials that Christians may face?

1.  Take out the balloon with a bit of water in it without drawing attention to the water inside.
2. Move the balloon with water in it toward the flame.
3. while holding the stem of the balloon, move it in a very small circle on top of the flame so that it is directly over the flame, but so that the flame is not concentrated on one spot for two long. You can do this for quite a long time – at least 10 seconds without the balloon popping. This is because the little bit of the water in the balloon draws the heat away from the balloon and disperses it.
4. Explain that the balloon has a bit of water inside it and this allows it to withstand the fiery trial.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

• In John 7:37-38 Jesus promises us that if we come to Him, he will give us living water.
• Romans 8:28 tells us that when Christ is in our lives, all things work for good.
• If we have Jesus, the living water, in our lives, we will be victorious over the circumstances of life and the fiery trials.
• What are some of the circumstances, trials, or difficult situations you face in which you can you let Christ take the heat for you?
• What difference does Christ make in a person’s life?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

• What difference has Christ made in your life?
• How can Christ help you to face the your own circumstances trials or difficult situations?
• What can you do differently this week to trust Christ in the situations you will face?

KEY SCRIPTURE VERSE
James 1:2-4

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”