Secure a large picture of Lincoln and have it displayed before the
audience as you speak of him as Father Abraham the Liberator. Mention
his strong faith in God; this was the big sword with which he fought
the big battles of the Union Army.
=Boys' Day. Any Day=
In some of our great cities they now celebrate what is known as
"Boys' Week." The boys run the town for an hour. In Philadelphia,
Pa., Hon. W. Freeland Kendrick at this present writing is now our
mayor; for one hour he surrendered his office to a bright boy of the
town, and all the city was glad to give the boy the first place.
This goes to prove that the boy has his opportunity in this present
day, and it is a _great_ opportunity, for it means that the boy can
come to his own if he will.
If you have a Boy Scout organization in your church ask one or more
of them to come to the platform or to serve on the floor as ushers.
Use also the members of the other boy organizations you may have in
the church. Have the entire program conducted by bright boys and
reserve for yourself only the place of the speaker.
Japan is a children's country. They have lots of holidays which
always make children glad. There is something quaint and happy in
them. There is a special holiday which they call the "Boys'
Festival." On a pole in front of almost every house in Japan there
flies a great "paper fish." These are made hollow so that the wind
can come in at the opening of the mouth and fill the paper fish with
air, and thus the fish seems to swing about in the air with a
lifelike wriggle.
Every fish kite in front of the house means that a boy lives in that
house. The parents are glad to make that fact known and are proud of
it. The paper fish is made after the pattern of the carp, which is a
favorite fish in that country. It is a vigorous fish, and no current
seems to be too strong for it. It swims against the current, and when
it comes to a waterfall it jumps high into the air and falls into the
water beyond the falls. They claim that nothing can stop it when it
determines to go ahead. Because it is such a wonderful fish they have
made it a badge for their boys. They want their boys to be just as
steady and courageous. Let all the boys of the wide world learn this
lesson. Plow your way throughout the adverse current of life.
Let it be said of every boy, "Nothing can stop him." Come to Jesus;
that is the kind of boy he makes, and that boy will make good.
Now you ask me, "Do they forget little girls in Japan?" Never, only
they hang a doll on the pole instead of a fish. If you are located
near a Japanese bazaar you may be able to get this paper fish. Secure
one if possible; it will write the lesson on the eyes and memory of
the children.
=St. Valentine's Day. February 14=
Tell the story of godly men who in ancient times were called saints.
Read Psalm 16 as the lesson.
Secure a number of paper hearts and distribute them to some of the
older children and ask them to write on the heart some good deed;
then collect the hearts, put them on a small tree which you have
placed on the platform, and call it the Tree of Good Deeds. Show that
each one can make the life like this tree if it is rooted in the
heart of Jesus. Secure now a large white heart, and pin it to the
root of the tree which stands for the heart of Jesus from which all
good comes. If your life is like this tree of Goodness it is greater
than any saint who ever lived.
=Edison's Birthday. February 11=
Secure if possible the picture of this modern miracle man and tell
the story of his discoveries. Secure an electric wire, an electric
lamp, and a phonograph record. Explain that he was a "light" man, not
that he created light, but he knew how to make men see it. So we
should all be light-givers. The light is locked up in God's wonderful
battery, the Great Bible. We are the wires; if we let God's truth
current shine through us the world will see God's light. We are
living epistles known and read of all men because they see in us
God's light.
=Washington's Birthday. February 22=
Read as the Bible lesson 1 Samuel 18:5-16.
Secure a toy hatchet and tell the story of the cherry tree. Secure a
colonial hat and tell the story of Washington's soldier days. Secure
an old colonial flag, that is, thirteen Stars and Bars, and tell the
story of our first national struggle.
=Longfellow's Birthday. February 27=
As the Scripture lesson read Psalm 95.
As an example of poetic beauty, also read Psalm 96; it contains the
same strong lines. Secure his picture if possible. Give a short
reading from his poetic work. Call attention to the fact that the
Bible gave him the master type of the highest class poetry.
=Ash Wednesday=
Read Matthew 6:16-21, which will give the Bible idea of fasting.
Secure a piece of purple goods, which stands for a penitential heart.
Every day should be Ash Wednesday; that is, it should be confession
day, for every day brings its load of sins, and the thing to do with
them is to confess them; this makes every day Ash Wednesday. Write
the word "Sin" on a card, and say if we bring our sins to God and
confess them he will forgive and cast them behind his back. As you
say these words drop behind your back the card with "Sins" marked
upon it. This was the way the ancient kings did when they were
forgiving the criminal. They tore up the charges and cast the torn
parts behind their backs, which meant there was nothing against the
offender now. This was the way a little boy made Ash Wednesday out of
Christmas. It was a cold and snowy day. The ice was thick in the
middle of the streets where the horses were trying to walk, but many
of them were falling because of the slippery places. So the little
fellow felt "sorry for the poor horses" as he expressed it; he
therefore slipped out of the house with a box of ashes, and covered
the ice with the ashes; after this the horses would not slip. That
was Ash Christmas, The truest Ash Wednesday lasts through every day
of the year.
=St. Patrick's Day. March 17=
St. Patrick was one of the early missionaries to Ireland. He held
great revival meetings as did Billy Sunday, and thousands were
converted to the true God. Today the shamrock is used as the national
leaf. It is said he chose it because it taught the lesson of the
Trinity, having its leaf divided into three large blades.
Cut out a large leaf after this fashion and say: St. Patrick was the
great preacher of the Trinity, He told them about the Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost. He was an object-teacher.
=Holy Week. Week Before Easter=
This is sometimes called Passion Week because it has to do with the
sufferings of Jesus during his last week. Common objects can be used
for each day: Sunday, a palm-leaf, and on each following day select
some object mentioned in the Scripture used on that day.
=Good Friday=
This is Crucifixion Day. The great Day of Atonement.
There were three crosses on the green hill of Calvary that day. There
are three crosses now among men. Secure three small crosses. Let the
first one be painted black. This is the cross of people who reject
Jesus, as did the impenitent thief. The second is a purple cross;
this stands for the people who are sorry for their sins and do truly
repent with the heart, as did the penitent thief. The other is the
red cross, the cross on which Jesus died and shed his precious blood.
Everything depends upon which side of this red cross we take our
stand; if on the black side, then we are lost forever; if on the
purple side, then we are saved forever. Ask the children to come
forward if they will accept Jesus and take their stand by the purple
cross. Then it will be Good Friday in their hearts.
=Saturday Night=
A representation of a spear like the one carried by the Roman guard
who stood at the door of the tomb all day. Read Matthew 27:62-66.
=Easter Day=
Read Matthew 28:1-10; also 1 Corinthians 15:1-20.
Secure a small tree, not an evergreen tree, but a common tree with
leaves just commencing to appear on its branches. This is the Easter
tree just awakening from the grave of winter. Only a few months ago
the winds whistled through its bare branches, and the snow nestled on
its limbs in peace. It was to all appearances dead.
But the gentle sun began to shine, and the soft winds began to blow,
and the tree life returned again. It was the resurrection day for the
tree, and when the green leaves bloomed it was an Easter tree. In
ancient times in a great gay cathedral far away on Easter dawn the
people assembled to greet the return of Easter Day. The great choirs
marched in, singing their glad tones. At the end of the procession
the bishop marched, carrying in his hands a great tall candle five
feet high and six inches thick. He set it into a stone socket on the
top step of the altar. Silence fell upon the great crowd as they
worshiped in the dark and waited for the dawn.
The sunshine was just commencing to creep through the cathedral
windows and at last the sun's ray had touched the tip of the great
candle. The bishop took from his robes a burning-glass lens and held
it over the candle wick centering the sun's ray upon it. The wick
smoked, then glowed, and burst into flame. The Easter sunrise had
lighted the Easter candle. The choirs sang a hymn of joy. The people
pressed forward and lit their pieces of tinder from this candle, and
as they did so they said, "Christ is risen indeed."
They carried the flickering light to their houses, from which they
lit their hearthfires. Soon the kindling caught, the logs began to
smoke, the fire began to glow, and over it they cooked their Easter
breakfast. Tradition says they never let it go out for one year,
until Good Friday came again. May all of us take from this service
today a Resurrection Light that will never be extinguished. "Christ
is risen today," is an everlasting light. Let us live in this light
evermore.
=Miracle Day. May=
Miracles are everywhere these early May days.
Just watch the new leaves come forth and you will believe in
miracles. They seem so feathery that they resemble the wings of the
beautiful butterfly. They are as tender as rose petals, and yet they
have forced themselves through the tree's armor of wood, and not a
single leaf is torn by the struggle. The days of miracles have not
gone by, every day is a miracle day when God's May days return.
Remember the story of the miracle of water turning into wine. That
was the Master's first miracle. But every time the rain falls on the
grape-vines God is turning water into wine. If I can believe in the
miracle of the vineyard I can believe in the miracle of Cana. In Cana
Jesus did in a second what in the vineyard he does in a season. It
was only a question of time. I believe in miracles because I see them
every May day and every other day.
=Tree Day. Early Springtime=
Read Psalm 1.
He shall be like a "tree planted." This is the meaning of Tree Day.
The time for the planting of a tree. Show a little acorn and say,
There is a miniature tree in this little acorn. Plant it, and
therefrom a mighty tree will finally come forth. So little acts bloom
forth into forces of strength and glory.
Little good words are acorns. Plant lots of them. Trees help the
little birds, for they fly into the branches for safety when pursued
by some wild, larger bird.
Trees mean homes for the next generation. They will live in the
houses the timbers will give. If possible, secure a young tree and
have a service of planting after the meeting is over. Name that tree
after the Junior Society of your church.
=Forefather's Day. April 18=
For this day read Proverbs 22:17-19, which exhorts us not to remove
the landmarks of the fathers.
Tell the story of the Pilgrim Fathers. Make up an Indian hat which
would stand for the Indians with whom they had to battle when they
landed on our shores. Secure an old Bible and say, This old book
contained their laws of living. Secure a school rule which you say
stands for the exactness of their daily living.
Remember our Revolutionary Forefathers also, and to visualize this
idea secure if possible a colonial gun or some old-fashioned piece of
furniture, such as was used in those days by those old worthies,
secure also if possible a facsimile of the Declaration of
Independence and call the names of the mighty men who signed it.
Introduce the Forefathers of the past to the children of the present
day--it will be a wonderful meeting. Ask the children to stand as you
read the names of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Tell them where the original of the famous old document is still
carefully preserved, guarded now against the destructive action of
the light, and urge them to use their earliest opportunity to see
this Declaration for themselves.
=Mother's Day. May 10=
Read 1 Timothy 5:1-10, and speak of the great need for a holy respect
for mothers.
Read Ruth, chapter one, and tell them the story of an old-fashioned
mother who was kind and good.
Read Exodus 20:1-12, and tell the little hearers that they are to
honor their father and mother.
Read Matthew 15:1-11, and tell over again the duty of honoring the
parents which God has given us.
I have used with good results a little card containing some timely
words for children. The title of the card is "Mother's Ten
Commandments."