Originally introduced by Charles Spurgeon in 1866 as a method to convey the Gospel, the Wordless Book has been a powerful tool over the years. Preachers, writers, and missionaries including D. L. Moody, Fanny Crosby, and Amy Carmichael used the same illustration. In 1939, Child Evangelism Fellowship began to print the books with instructions. Although additional colors have been incorporated into the story, the core elements have remained unchanged. Due to its simplicity and effectiveness, the Wordless Book continues to be utilized today and is included in the 4 and 5 Year ABCJesusLovesMe Curricula. Below, you'll discover activities and wording to assist you in explaining and bringing to life this impactful illustration.
Have you ever seen a book without words or pictures? Even without words, this book tells us a story about God and the best gift of all.
The Dark Page (Romans 3:23)
This page reminds me of sin. Sin is all of the bad stuff that you and I do that makes God really sad. What are some of the things that you do wrong? All of those things we just talked about are sin. We all make bad choices. Even mommies and daddies sin. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This means that there is nothing that we can do to ever make us good enough to reach God. But there is good news! God planned a way for us to reach Him.
The Red Page (John 3:16)
God’s plan was to send His perfect son, Jesus. On Christmas, we celebrate Jesus' birth, and that He grew into a young man. Jesus never sinned. Because of this, He was able to take our place on the cross and die for our sins. The red color reminds us of the blood that Jesus shed for our sins. Jesus' shed blood and death mean we can be forgiven for our sins, the bad things we do. But guess what? He didn't stay dead. Three days later, Jesus arose from the grave. Later, Jesus went to heaven. Now He is preparing a place for all those who believe in Him. Because of what Jesus did for you, you can have your sins forgiven!
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that He gave Him only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
The White Page Psalm 51:7
Do you see how clean this page is? Do you remember how black your heart is from sin? You don’t have to have a black heart. You can have a clean heart. Psalm 51:7 says: ..."wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Jesus wants to forgive you of all your sins and take them away. His blood will wash away all of that yuckiness and darkness. The Bible also tells us that when Jesus forgives our sins He totally forgets about them.
The Gold Page Rev. 21:18, 21
What color is this page? Gold reminds me of things that are very special. It reminds me of God. God is perfect and He does nothing wrong. God created you and me. Gold also reminds me of Heaven. Heaven is where God lives. The Bible even says that the streets of Heaven are paved with gold! Heaven sounds like a great place doesn’t it? But there is one thing that can not ever be in Heaven: sin. We learned that the only way to get rid of our sin is to ask Jesus to wipe it away.
(If the answer is “yes” have the child repeat after you or say their own prayer.)
Here is a sample prayer:
Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and make bad choices. Please forgive me! Thank you, Jesus, for dying for me, forgiving me of my sins, and then rising again! I ask You, Jesus to come into my life and make it clean. Please help me make good choices and live for You! Thank You for loving me! In Jesus' Name, Amen.
The Green Page (II Peter 3:18)
Once we ask Jesus into our heart, He changes who we are. We now have Jesus to help us make good choices. The green page reminds us of how Jesus helps us grow into the Christian He wants us to be! The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 3:18 that we are to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Plants need three things to grow: sunshine, rain and good soil. Christians need to pray, read the Bible, and spend time with other Christians at church. All three of these will help Christians grow up in Jesus.
If you have just prayed to God and meant it from your heart then you will go to Heaven when you die! You only have to receive the Lord once. Please go and tell your parents, brothers, and sisters that you received the Lord as your Savior and that you will be going to Heaven and tell them what they can do to go to Heaven. If they don't know Jesus as their Savior, tell them what they can do to go to Heaven.
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by Frances M. Johnston
Use a Wordless Book or Gospel Fuzzies Glove (below) to show the colors as you sing.
(Black) My heart was dark with sin
until the Savior came in.
(Red) His precious blood I know
(White) Has washed it white as snow.
(Gold) And in His Word I'm told
I'll walk the streets of gold.
(Green) To grow in Christ each day
I read the Bible and pray.
Note: In the following video the last two lines are different.
Author Unknown
Learn the in the video below and changing the words to match the Wordless Book. Below is my example with optional words written in parenthesis.
We're the Gospel Fuzzies (3x)
And we'll tell you the Good News. (We have a song to sing.)
Black (Dark) means I'm a sinner (3x)
And I can't get in (there).
Red means Jesus died (3x)
And He rose again.
White (Clean) means I'm forgiven (3x)
When I trust in Him.
Gold stands for Heaven (3x)
Where I want to go.
Green means I am growing (3x)
If I read and pray. (In Him every day.)
Gather and order a piece of black, red, white, gold, and green construction paper. Print the Wordless Book story cards. Cut apart the boxes. Glue the boxes on the backs of the pages so that you can read the information as you shuffle through the colors. (Move forward through the cards as you tell the story rotating the colors back.) On the back of the green construction page, glue the information for "black." On the back of the black page, glue the information for "red" and so on.
Tell the story using colored Legos or M&M's.
For little girls, tell the story using fingernail polish. Paint each finger a color of the Wordless Book and have the girl wiggle the correct finger as you tell the Wordless Book story.
Our Memory Verse Packets are designed to make Scripture memory fun and easy to learn. Each packet includes key Bible verses set to songs with simple actions to help kids memorize God’s Word. A fun, hands-on way to build a strong foundation of faith!
Using Pony Beads and Solid Suede Lace, create a bracelet. Put the beads in order of the book's pages.
Make a "Gospel Fuzzies" glove to match the Wordless Book story and songs. Using a Stretch Glove, sew or glue a pompom to each finger representing the Wordless Book. Wiggle the finger needed as you tell the story or sing the songs.
Or, on a piece of paper trace around the child's hand and glue on the correct colored pompoms. Point to the finger as you tell the story or sing the songs.
Cut small squares or rectangles of cardstock (black, red, white, gold, and green). Punch a hole in the corner of each color and attach together with a craft ring or piece of string. Help the child tell you the Wordless Book or use as you sing the song.
Cut a paper egg carton to make a single line of containers. Turn upside down and paint each container. Add black pipecleaners for antennae, a mouth, and googly eyes. To use with the Wordless Book theme, paint the caterpillar black, red, white, gold, and green.
Cut a black, red, white, yellow, and green circle. Glue on a piece of paper in order. Add a face to the green circle.
Cut a black, red, white, yellow, and green circle. Punch one hole in the black and green circles. Punch two opposite holes in the red, white, and yellow. Join the circles with brads. Add a face to the green circle.
Place some black, red, white, green, and yellow M&M's or jellybeans in a bag. Seal and add the Wordless Book Card. Have the child give the bags away and tell the Wordless Book Story.
Items Needed:
3 layered round cake - red, green, and chocolate layers
White frosting
Yellow frosting
Candles
To make the colored layers - mix a white cake according to the box/recipe directions. Divide the batter in half. Drop several drops of green food coloring in one half, and red food coloring in the other half. Pour each into 8" round cake pans and bake according to recipe directions. When cooled, stack the chocolate layer, red layer in the middle, ending with the green layer with white frosting in between. Frost the entire cake with white frosting. Add yellow decorations and candles to the top.
Symbolism:
The chocolate layer reminds us that our heart is full of sin.
The red layer reminds us that Jesus shed His blood for our sins.
The white frosting reminds us that Jesus will forgive our sins and give us a clean heart.
The green layer reminds us to grow in Christ through praying, reading the Bible, and worshiping.
The yellow decorations remind us of heaven.
The candles remind us Jesus is the Light of the world.
Discover more ideas in the Happy Birthday Jesus Workbook!
Based on the colors in the wordless book:
Black (sin) - black berries, prunes, or "black" cherries
Red (Blood of Jesus)- strawberries, raspberries, or watermelon
White (washed clean) - peeled apples, pears or bananas (or I may decide to be extra generous and use a leftover marshmallow from our rolls)
Gold/yellow (heaven) - mango, pineapple, or peach
Green (growth)- green grapes, kiwi, or honeydew
Enjoy celebrating Jesus' birthday with the Happy Birthday Jesus Workbook! This resource provides fun activities and meaningful discussions that help children ages 3-12 grasp the significance of His birth. This workbook streamlines your planning process to allow everyone an oportunity to enjoy the time.
The Betty Lukens Through the Bible Flannelgraph set includes nearly every Bible story you might desire. But should there be a specific story you wish to narrate that isn't covered in the manual, some adjustments can help you create what you need, even when teaching the Wordless Book! Read more...
