Disappearing Bottle (God Answers In His Way) | Object Lesson
Here is a link to the Youtube video explaining how it is done. It is unlisted so you can only see it with the direct link.
Needed:
You need a super latex Coke bottle which has a top part that pulls away from the bottom and you can store stuff in the bottom of it, in this case the handkerchiefs. In the top is a small compartment that you can pour the soda out of. You can use a similar vanishing prop, like the Sports Drink version I found on eBay (link below) that’s specifically designed to pull apart. You’ll also need a stack of handkerchiefs to store in the bottom section of that bottle, which is where the unexpected twist comes from.
Here is a link to the magic trick (I have no affiliation with this company and you may be able to find it elsewhere for less):
https://www.boardwalkmagic.com/products/super-coke-half-by-twister-magic-trick
You need to start off by asking the kids point-blank if they’d believe you if you said you could make a Coke bottle completely disappear into thin air. They’ll likely say no, and that’s the launchpad for the lesson. Explain that their disbelief is just like us sometimes with God. He’s told us some truly incredible things, promises that feel unbelievable. We know He isn’t going to lie, but it can be tough to wrap our heads around them. Remind the kids of promises about comfort when they are scared or lonely: He said, “I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you” (John 14:18) and they can cast “all your care upon Him, for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). He even promised peace when things are rough: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee” (Isaiah 26:3). Now, perform the first part of the trick: the upright fake bottle disappear/reappear sequence.
After the first “disappearance,” they’ll be suspicious. Ask them if they think you lied. They’ll probably figure out you were hiding the bottle. But you need to tell them, “Wait a second, maybe I’m not done yet!” That’s just like God. Sometimes we think He has failed us, but He hasn’t even really gotten started yet! Ask them for other promises God has made. Hit them with the good stuff: He promised to take us to Heaven (“I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again, and receive you unto myself” John 14:2-3). And the best part: He promised to love us with an unfailing love that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Now, immediately perform the second sequence: the upside down fake bottle disappear/reappear.They might think you failed this time, too, but tell them that sometimes God does things we just don’t expect. He does MORE than He promised! Now you hit them with the great reveal: PULL OUT THE HANKIES from the bottle’s secret compartment. God told us He could do incredible things, like forgive us (Matthew 18:21-22) and wash away every sin we have ever committed. He promised to heal us when we are sick (James 5:14-15). The truth is, there are many times there will be twists and turns along the way, and sometimes things don’t happen the way we think they should, but the bottom line is this: GOD NEVER FAILS US! Now, THROW AWAY THE BAG and send them home with the final thought: you told them something incredible would happen, some didn’t believe you, but it happened anyway, and that’s just like your God.
