Skeleton Race

Description
Even if you don't want to be involved with Halloween, you'll want to grab at least one of those plastic or paper Halloween skeletons for this object lesson / game.

Game Materials
Purchase one or more plastic skeletons commonly found during the Halloween holiday season. You can also use a paper skeleton that is already cut into parts or make your own.
(Optional) "Dem Bones" song to play in the background

Game Preparation
Separate the plastic skeleton parts into pieces or cut them out if they are on paper.

Game Play

Option 1:

1. Obtain one skeleton for each team.
2. Place all the parts for each skeleton in its own sack and give one sack to each team.
3. When you say 'Go', each team must take out the skeleton parts and correctly reconstruct the skeletons.
4. Award prizes for the fastest times. You can also give additional prizes for weirdest skeleton, etc.
5. Play some crazy music while the game is going on like "Dem Bones"

Option 2:

1. Hide the skeleton bones before the lesson starts.
2. Let the participants search for them and then reassemble the skeleton.
3. For older youth, you can hide the bones and then write out clues for them to follow to find them.
4. You can also get a few skeletons and break the kids into teams. You can have it as a free for all (i.e. hide all parts and award the first team to find one of each part and put the skeleton together), or you can add a spot of color or a colored ribbon to identify which skeletons belong to which team.
5. Team members must first find a complete set of parts... then they must assemble it correctly.

Application
One of the scary things about Halloween is the skeletons. A lot of people are afraid of death. When they see bones it reminds them of death and they become afraid. But they are just bones and there is nothing to be scared about. They can't come to life right? or can they?

The prophet Ezekiel might have had the first Halloween scare! We don't know what day it took place, but it probably wasn't October 31st.

Let's look at Ezekiel 37 to find out more!

Read the key verses from this vision.

God’s question to Ezekiel, "Can these dry bones live?" (v3) might be a question a lot of people ask on 31st of October.

But God was talking about more than a skeleton in a closet. He was giving Ezekiel a glimpse into the future when Jesus would conquer death and bring life to us. Jesus did conquer death on a cross. He also resurrected Lazarus from the dead.

Yet God was giving Ezekiel a picture of something more.

The bones represented the house of Israel and their dryness and loss of hope. (v11) The spirit of God would enter their bodies and they would experience restoration and life.

There may be a situation in your own life when you feel like a pile of dry bones. A new life may seem impossible. But like Ezekiel's response to God when asked "Can these bones live?", we can answer "You alone know." God knows and with God all things are possible.

God can breath life into any situation you are in. Not only can he bring you a new life, but he can also give you a new heart: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

• We are all dead in our sin, like a pile of dry bones (Ephesians 2:1)
• But God, because of his great love for us, makes us alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5)
• We experience new life through faith in Christ! Doing good things doesn't get us eternal life, but we are made alive in Christ that we might do good things for Him. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Lyrics to Dem Bones

E-ze-kiel cried, "Dem dry bones!"
E-ze-kiel cried, "Dem dry bones!"
E-ze-kiel cried, "Dem dry bones!"
Oh hear the word of the Lord.

(tune descends in half steps)

The foot bone con-nected to the (pause) leg-bone,
The leg bone connected to the (') knee bone,
The knee bone connected to the (') thigh bone,
The thigh bone connected to the (') back bone,
The back bone connected to the (') neck bone
The neck bone connected to the (') head bone
Oh hear the word of the Lord!

Dem bones, dem bones gon-na walk a-roun'
Dem bones, dem bones gon-na walk a-roun'
Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk aroun'
Oh hear the word of the Lord

(tune descends in half steps and we retrace the body)

The head-bone connected to the neck-bone,
the neck-bone connected to the back-bone
The backbone connected to the thigh-bone
the thighbone connected to the kee-bone
the kneebone connected to the leg bone
the leg bone connected to the foot bone
Oh hear the word of the Lord

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