A Craft on Their Own

Last week, at AWANAs, the leaders shared The Legend of the Candy Cane
with my younger daughter's Sparks group and completed this craft. 

The red and white colors remind me of Isaiah 53:5.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:

the chastisement of our peace

was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (KJV)

The next day,

all my children wanted to make candy canes. 

Thankfully, I had the two needed supplies on hand.

I gathered together the pipe cleaners and pony beads, and they went to work.

On their own the three younger children made neat multi-colored patterns,

showed them to me, and hung them on our tree. 

Unknown to me, my oldest son made a candy cane as well. 

One of my other children asked, "Did you see his candy cane?" 

No, I hadn't. 

My daughter said, "It isn't pretty colors." 

At first glance, I agreed. 

Then, I realized what he had done...

and changed my mind.

Long ago, when our oldest son was first learning colors, I used the Wordless Book with him.  It is a tool using just colors to present the gospel to children.  First introduced by Charles Spurgeon in 1866 with three colors, the Wordless Book has grown to include either 5 or 6 colors depending on the variation.   My son used 6 colors for his wordless gospel. 

Wondering what the colors stand for....

Gold (or yellow) ~ God is holy.

Black ~ Our sin separates us from God.

Red ~ The blood of Jesus cleanses us.

White ~ Now, we are clean.

Green ~ We grow as Christians.

Blue ~ We are baptized to show our new life.

Wondering what the three original colors of Charles Spurgeon's 1866 Wordless Book were...

black, red, and white.