A Sweet and Sour Scroll

Story to read: The Small Scroll
Bible: Revelation 10

The Picture

An angel gave John a little scroll and told him to eat it. (Yes, eat it — it was a special, magical kind of scroll!) John said it tasted sweet in his mouth, like honey. But afterward, his tummy felt sour.

That’s a wonderful little picture of what it’s like to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is the best thing ever — so sweet, so good! And sometimes, following Jesus is a little hard too, like when we have to be patient, or kind when we don’t feel like it, or brave. Both things are true at the very same time, and that’s okay. Jesus is still with us through the sweet parts and the harder parts.

Our Refrain

“Jesus wins, and he loves us.”

Ask: “Can something be sweet and a little hard at the same time?” (Yes!)

Activity

Sweet and Sour Taste Game: If allowed, offer a small taste of something sweet (a bit of honey or a sweet cracker) and something a little sour (a small lemon wedge or sour candy). Talk about how both tastes are real, just like following Jesus feels sweet (happy, loved) and sometimes takes extra effort — and both are okay.

Coloring option: Color a simple scroll shape, half colored in a “sweet” color like yellow and half in a “sour” color like green.

Simple Prayer

“Jesus, thank you that following you is the best thing ever, even on the days it’s a little hard. Amen.”

Note for the Teacher

Keep this light and concrete through the taste activity — there’s no need to explain what John was told to prophesy afterward. The entire point for this age is simply: loving Jesus is wonderful, and it’s normal for it to feel like effort sometimes too, and that doesn’t mean anything is wrong.