Items Needed:
- Charcoal
- Large bowls of water
- Towels for drying hands
Overview:
When God created the world it was without fault, completely perfect. Human beings were made in the image of God and completely blameless. But when sin entered the world it was no longer a perfect place. We are no longer perfect people.
We are people who lie, who cheat, who gossip, who get angry, who don’t show kindness to each other.
(You may like to draw a charcoal mark on people’s hands as you say this. Do make sure that they don’t mind or think you’re attributing that particular weakness to them!)
On your table (or at the front) there is a piece of charcoal. Use it to draw a mark on your hands. This mark represents the sin that separates us from God, the things that we have done wrong.
The bible says that if we confess our sins then God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all the things we’ve done wrong. On the table at the front there are some bowls of water and some towels. We invite you to wash and dry your hands as a sign of confessing your faults to God and receiving forgiveness.
Leave space for people to wash their hands and return to their seats. It can be helpful to have some music in the background at this point. The words to Purify My Heart by Brian Doerksen are perfect for this.
Finish with a prayer thanking God for his gift of cleansing and forgiveness.