We all Scream for Ice Cream!

This activity requires ice cream, any flavor topping and pepper. You will also need a second ice cream scoop or big spoon that you have labeled Mercy. Hide this scoop until it is needed. Gather the family around the table and place two distinct scoops of ice cream into a bowl using the unmarked scoop or spoon. Next, generously sprinkle pepper on just one of the scoops. Explain that the pepper represents being dishonest like lying. Ask for examples of how people are dishonest. To “cover up the dishonesty” take the ice cream topping and cover both scoops being careful to cover all the pepper. (If you are using a light-colored syrup, make sure before you start that the pepper will not show through. If you do not have a darker syrup, use salt instead of pepper). Now that you have covered up the lie, ask if it made the lie go away. If they say yes – offer them a bite of the ice cream with the pepper. Ask about how God feels when we are dishonest? What if you feel bad about lying? Explain how God grants us Mercy when we are sorry. Get out the scoop or spoon labeled Mercy and use it to remove either the whole scoop with the pepper or just the top if you want to save as much ice cream as possible. Explain that God’s Mercy and Forgiveness takes away our sin, but we will still have to repair any damage our dishonesty caused. That does not magically disappear.

After you finish the activity, process it with these or similar questions:

• Did you like that demonstration?
• What do you think the ice cream with the pepper tasted like?
• How do you feel when others lie to you?
• What do you think about God’s Mercy when we are sorry for something we have done?
• Do you think we should keep this scoop labeled with Mercy as a reminder?