Redeem Halloween With This Pumpkin Gospel Presentation
Use the pumpkin gospel presentation as a children’s message in big church or your children’s ministry class.
Materials needed:
- 1 pumpkin with the top already cut open
- 4 pre-carved pumpkins with different Christian symbols for a large group presentation
- sharp carving knife
- large spoon for scooping out the pumpkin “guts”
- bowls filled with pumpkin guts
- wet wipes (one per participant)
- candles for the pumpkins
- matches or butane wand lighter
- Bible (You might want to ask an assistant to read the verses because your hands will be a mess!)
- a worship song to sing as a group
The Pumpkin Gospel Presentation
Say: A pumpkin is round and shiny on the outside. Its skin is tough and hard to puncture. It looks perfect and wonderful. Sometimes, we pretend that we are all perfect and wonderful.
But we know that’s not true. We have all made mistakes. We have all done bad things, but we keep them hidden inside thinking no one can see past our tough exteriors.
But God knows each one of us from the inside out.
Read Psalms 139:1.
First, take the top off the pumpkin and begin scooping out the pumpkin. Collect in the bowl and begin passing the pumpkin guts.
Say: God loves each one of us, but our Sin, the bad things we have done, make God sad. Read Romans 3:23.
Say: The slimy inside of the pumpkin reminds me of the bad things we’d done that we keep hidden away inside. As you touch the slimy insides of the pumpkins, think of the wrong things you have done. These things make us feel yucky, don’t they?
Show the pumpkin guts on your own hands and demonstrate how difficult it is to get off your hands.
Say: No matter how hard we try, we can’t seem to get rid of those guilty feelings by ourselves. Alone, our sin keeps a death grip on our lives. I know that when we do bad things, we deserve to be punished, to suffer and pay for our sin.
Read Romans 6:23.
Say: That is Good News! As we scrape all the slimy stringy stuff way, the pumpkin becomes clean inside.
In the same way, as we tell God we are sorry about, lying, cheating, unkind words we said that hurt others feelings — he forgives us for the wrong things we have done. He can make us clean on the inside.
How is that possible?
God sent his very own son, Jesus, down to earth to tell us how much God loves us and wants to wipe us clean of our sin. That was really good news.
Carve the Pumpkin
Cut into the pumpkin with the knife and carve a simple smiling face.
Say: Then Jesus took the punishment for all our sins. He did that by dying on a cross. He suffered when we should have suffered. Jesus paid the price…when we should have paid ourselves. After Jesus died, he was buried in a tomb.
That sounds like bad news, doesn’t it?
But I have more Good News. Three days later, Jesus came out of the tomb — alive! He conquered death so that we could have life.
Believe that Jesus is God’s son and that he died on that cross to pay the price for your sin, then came back to life three days later. Tell him you are sorry for the wrong things you have done and he will forgive you.
Light the Pumpkin
Next, light the pumpkin and dim the lights, too!
Say: When he takes away all that sin, you are not only clean inside — you’re a new creation! Jesus, through God’s word, the Bible, will teach you how to live a new life God’s way.
When we have Jesus in our lives, we shine! It’s like having a candle inside us. We want to share the Good news with all those around us.
Then turn the pumpkin around to show the carved smiling face.
For a large group, turn the pre-carved pumpkins one by one as you say John 3:16.
“God so loved the world… that he gave his only son… so that whoever believes in him should not die, but have eternal life.”
Sing a worship song together.
Finally, close with a prayer!
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