Objects needed for this lesson: A clear drinking glass, glass jar, or clear plastic cup; a straw; baking soda; liquid dish washing soap; a lemon, cut in half; paper towels. (This experiment will produce 10 – 12 ounces of foam so have a container that will accommodate this and allow the children to see the process.)

Today I’m going to show you how one thing can change into another. I am putting one teaspoon of baking soda into this glass. Now I’ll add one teaspoon of liquid soap. Let’s use this straw to mix these two ingredients together.

Here I have a lemon cut in half. I’ll squeeze as much of its juice as I can into the glass. (It takes a few seconds before the reaction starts and then continues to produce foam for a minute or two.) Wow, what do you think? Now we have a foamy mixture that looks nothing like the ingredients we started with.

We can explain how this happened. The change is caused by a chemical reaction that occurs when baking soda and lemon juice are mixed together. This causes the mixture to foam and expand.

Some things change and we know the reason why. Other changes are what we call supernatural – something we don’t understand.

Jesus went up on a mountain with Peter, John, and James to pray. While Jesus was praying the Bible tells us that “the appearance of his face was altered (changed), and his clothing became white and dazzling” (9:29).

The change that happened to Jesus was surprising. It was also stunning and beautiful. It was supernatural – something we don’t understand, but the story tells us that this change brought glory to God.

The Bible teaches us to live in a way that brings glory to God. God’s Spirit of Love helps us do that. We could say that when we accept God’s Spirit of Love it is as if a chemical reaction happens. We are changed into a person who is more peaceful and loving. We receive God’s love and we give it to others. This brings glory to God!

Note: The foam produced is a pleasant substance that can be used as hand soap.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2010, Richard Niell Donovan