Salvation Stations:  A Journey of Faith

St. John Lutheran Church

Cooking Station

Story: Martin Luther

 Station Summary

The students will snack on various food items that represent parts of the story of Martin Luther. They will then decorate a cupcake or cookie to look like the Luther Rose.

Preparation

1. Review Bible Background notes.
2. Pray for the children and for your teaching of the lesson.
3. Materials List:
   • Bibles (found in classrooms)
   • Pencils, crayons, markers, paper, scissors (found in guide boxes kept in classrooms)
   • Hand sanitizer
   • Cheese straws (Trader Joe's has these style crackers)
   • Red hots
   • Heart-shaped candies or Hershey's kisses
   • Graham crackers
   • Goldfish crackers
   • Small bowls
   • Small paper plates
   • Large sugar or butter cookies (another option would be unfrosted cupcakes)
   • Plastic knives
   • Picture of the Luther Rose (end of lesson)
   • White frosting
   • Black and yellow cake decorating gel
   • Blue sugar sprinkles
   • Red fruit roll-ups, cut into heart shapes
   • Coloring sheets (see end of lesson)--one per student
4. Advance Preparation:
   • Refer to schedule and decide how you will make adjustments for the different ages.
   • Place the various snack supplies in different bowls.
   • Pre-cut the fruit roll-ups into small hearts.
   • Make a sample of the rose decorated cookie.

Introduction

1. Introduce yourself to the students.
2. Briefly explain what you will be doing today and what you want them to learn.
3. Open with a prayer.
   
   

Presentation

Introduction & Bible Story

 Give each student a small paper plate.

Say: We are going to learn about our story while we make a snack. You can eat as we go through the story.

 (Have the guide distribute each [ingredient] as you come to it in the story.

Keep one of each ingredient on YOUR plate, to aid the students in retelling the story.)

Our church is called St. John LUTHERAN Church. The word Lutheran comes from the name of a man called Martin Luther. We are learning about him this month. Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany in 1483 (9 years before Columbus discovered America).  At first, Luther wanted to be a lawyer but God had other plans for him.  One day, he was caught in a violent thunderstorm and feared that he would die. These [cheese straws] can remind us of the lightning bolts that Luther feared. Luther  promised that if he survived the storm he would become a monk in the Catholic church (which was the only church at the time).He kept that promise. Martin Luther became a Catholic priest and then a professor.

 Luther loved to read the Bible. In fact, his studies of the Bible led him to believe that the pope, the leader of the Catholic church, was teaching things that were not in the Bible.  The Catholic church taught that after you died you went to a place called purgatory, that was between heaven and hell. This was a place where people suffered--we will use these [spicy red hots] to remind us of the flames and pain. By the way, Lutherans do not believe in purgatory because it is not mentioned in the Bible. The Catholic church taught that you had to stay in purgatory until you were good enough to go to heaven. In fact, the Catholic Church sold indulgences; you could buy the good works of the saints-- kind of like a get out of jail card.  Martin Luther disagreed with this practice because it was not in the Bible.

 As Luther read the Bible, he learned that the only way that people got to heaven was through Jesus! Luther realized that God loved him. These [heart candies or chocolate kisses] remind us of that love.  Jesus loves us and died on the cross for the sins of everyone. We are forgiven because of the grace of God.  Faith that God forgives us because of what Jesus did is how you get to heaven. Forgiveness and salvation were gifts from God. There is nothing that you can do and there is no paper that you can buy that will get you into heaven.

 Martin Luther wanted everyone to know this good news.  He wanted to talk about this with the leaders of the Catholic church, so he wrote down his ideas.  In his case, he ended up having 95 ideas, called the 95 Theses. Then he nailed them to the door of the Wittenburg Cathedral. This [graham cracker] looks like a wooden door. He nailed them to the church doors on October 31, 1517--500 years ago this year! It was an act that began the Reformation and changed the world. 

 The printing press had recently been invented by a man named Guttenberg. Copies of Luther's 95 Theses were printed and sent all over Germany. Many people listened to what Luther had to say about what was in the Bible. Many people agreed with Luther, but he angered the church leaders and was called again and again to explain his position.

 Finally, Luther appeared before Charles the fifth, the emperor over much of Europe, at the Diet of Worms. No, they didn't eat worms!  In those days, a meeting was called a diet.  And this particular meeting--or diet--took place in a town called Worms, so I am giving you a [gummy worm] as a reminder. The church leaders demanded that Luther take back what he had written, but Luther said that everything he believed was based on the Bible.  He said: "I cannot recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.  Here I stand.  I cannot do otherwise.  God help me. Amen!"  There are lots of ups and downs for Luther but, over the years, many of the leaders ended up agreeing with Luther.

 And now for a few personal things about Luther. There was a group of nuns who agreed with Luther's teachings. They decided to leave the convent, but running away was very dangerous.  So they came up with an escape plan.  They climbed into some empty fish barrels [hand out the goldfish crackers] and hid.  The barrels were taken to Wittenburg.  They climbed out of the barrels and started new lives.  One of these nuns was Katherine von Bora. Martin and Katie were married and eventually had 6 children--three boys and three girls.

Cookie/Cupcake Activity

Luther's Rose Cookie (or cupcake)                               

 Now we are going to make Luther's Rose cookies/cupcakes.  Show them a picture of the rose. Each color and symbol in Luther's Rose represents a part of his faith.  Distribute cookies and plastic knives (and a new plate if needed).

 Have the children decorate the cookies using the following materials and explaining the meaning of each part of the Luther Rose:

1. Frost the entire cookie with white frosting. 
2. Place a fruit roll-up red heart in the center.  The heart reminds us that it is faith in Jesus that saves us.  One who believes from the heart will be saved.
3. Make a black cross in the middle of the heart with the black decorating gel.  Faith in the Crucified One--”Jesus Christ--is what saves us. 
4. The heart is set in the middle of a white rose (the white frosting) to show that this faith brings joy, peace and comfort that the world cannot give.  The rose is white instead of red, because white is the color of spirits and angels.
5. The white rose is placed on a field of heavenly blue, because such spiritual joy and faith are a beginning of heavenly joys to come.  Place blue sprinkles around the edges of the cookie to outline the shape of the white rose.
6. Around this field of blue is a ring of gold, to signify that the bliss of heaven endures forever and is more precious than all earthly pleasures and possessions.  Draw a gold ring around the edge of the cookie with the yellow decorating gel.

 Reflect/Closure:

Memory Verse

 Read the memory verse and have the children repeat it:

 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves,

it is the gift of God.--Ephesians 2:8

 Ask: How does this verse connect to what we learned today about Martin Luther? (saved by faith; not something we do; salvation is a gift)

Review

Hold up the snack ingredients and have the students retell the story.

 Hold up your cookie and have them tell you the meanings of Luther's Rose. You can give them a coloring sheet to take home.

 4. Closing Prayer:

Additional Suggestions

Show a picture of Martin Luther to help children visualize him and the time that he lived.  He is often confused with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

If this station is taught later in the rotation, review the story of Martin Luther with the candies, asking questions, rather than completely retelling the story.

Age Adaptations

Younger students:  They may need some assistance with the decorating. 

Resources

This image of "Luther Rose" is by Daniel Csorfoly.  This image is in the public domain, accessed via Wikimedia Common.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/.../File:Lutherrose.svg

Guide Information

How the guide might help (this might be changed by the teacher): 

Hand out the paper plates at the start of the story. Hand out snack ingredients as the teachers tells the story. Assist students, as needed, with decorating their cookies. Hand out the coloring sheets before the students leave.