Object: A piece of material and a threaded needle.

Lesson: Prayer; love; healing.

As the children gather on the steps of the chancel area in the sanctuary, I pull a piece of red-and-white striped cloth out of my pocket. "What have I brought with me today?" I ask them.

"A piece of material," Deborah replies.

"A piece of material," I repeat as I take one end of it in each hand. I had, prior to the start of worship, cut a tiny slit in one edge of the material to facilitate my forthcoming demonstration.

"What do you suppose will happen if I pull too hard on the ends of this piece of cloth?" I ask.Several children respond at once: "It'll rip!" "You'll tear it!"

"That's right," I agree, "and if I keep on pulling, it will come completely apart, won't it?" As I speak, I tear the cloth in two…