Pleasant to the Sight

Theme: Creation is to be enjoyed.

Bible Verse: And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. (Genesis 2:9)

Materials Needed:

• Old newspapers

• Scissors

• Rubber bands

Bible Lesson

Trees and other vegetation supernaturally appeared on the earth during the third day of creation. The sun was not made until the next day, but God nevertheless cared for his newly formed plants and trees. As far as we know, the earth is the only place in the universe where plants grow. There is no convincing evidence of life occurring anywhere else, whether on the moon, Mars, or any distant planets.

Trees were given to us by God to serve many useful purposes. Ask the audience for reasons why God made trees. There are many reasons, including the following:

Food such as apple pie and maple syrup

Building materials and furniture

Many products such as paper and rubber

Shade and shelter for animals and people

Medicines derived from trees and plants

Erosion prevention from wind and water

Climbing (a child’s suggestion!)

On a more technical note, trees help maintain the health of our atmosphere. All types of vegetation produce oxygen for us to breathe while they absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Vegetation also evaporates or transpires moisture into the atmosphere, humidifying the air. A single tree may move hundreds of gallons of water into the air during each growing season.

There is an additional purpose of trees that hasn’t yet been mentioned. Our key verse states that trees were made to be pleasant for us to look at. Whether in summer or winter, there is a beauty and majesty to be seen in trees. God created the earth to be a home for us and also to be a delight before our eyes. We should praise God for his artwork that appears all around us, including the trees.

A camping trip or hike in the woods can be very refreshing. One obvious reason is that we are then surrounded by God’s creation. For a short time the daily complications of life are put aside, including its interruptions. Many of us make important life decisions while in such an outdoor setting. In this technological age, we need to occasionally refresh our lives by gazing upon the trees and other details of nature that God makes available to us.

Science Activity

Since paper can be made from trees, this activity humorously reverses the process and attempts to remake a tree from paper. Begin by rolling fifteen to twenty sheets of newspaper together. Each piece should be half of a newspaper page, about 14 inches by 23 inches. Newspaper sheets can easily be torn in half at their crease to make this size. Overlap each newspaper piece by several inches as it is placed on the roll. Wrap the sheets somewhat loosely. When completed, the roll can be held together with rubber bands. Now from one end cut half of the way through the roll in several places with scissors. This is a bit difficult if a greater number of sheets are rolled up; try cutting a few sheets at a time. These cuts will provide the tree branches.

With a large group it is recommended that the roll be almost completed and also cut ahead of time. Then simply add the last couple of sheets and make some final cuts to show the technique during the activity. Now announce that you are about to make a tree. Pull slowly upward on the innermost sheets of the roll. The paper should easily pull upward to an impressive height, at least 4 to 6 feet tall. The scissors cuts will allow the “branches” to spread out and droop downward on all sides. The audience will laugh at the silly appearance of your paper tree, which looks nothing like an outdoor tree, and that is the idea. It is impossible, of course, for anyone to make a real tree. Only God can make a living, beautiful tree.

An artificial tree can be made from rolled-up newspaper pages.

Science Explanation

Our word paper comes from papyrus, a tall plant that ancient Egyptians pressed, dried, and wrote on. Actual papermaking has been traced to Asia nearly two thousand years ago. In recent centuries, wood pulp replaced rags as the principal source of paper fiber. It was noticed that wasps made paper-like nests by digesting tree and plant material. French scientist Rene Antoine Reaumur described this natural paper production in 1719:

The American wasps form very fine paper. . . . They teach us that paper can be made from the fibers of plants without the use of rags or linens, and seem to invite us to try whether we cannot make fine and good paper from the use of certain woods.

Paper is just one of the many benefits that result from studying the details of creation.

Over the centuries, the process of papermaking has remained essentially unchanged. First, wood fibers are separated and wetted to make paper pulp, or stock. This pulp is thinly spread out and compacted to remove water. Binding materials, fillers, and colors may also be added. Many different grades of paper result from these preparation techniques.

The tallest living things on earth are the redwood trees of California, some growing to heights of over 360 feet. Trees are also the oldest living organisms on earth. Some of the living bristlecone pine trees of the western United States are about 4,500 years old. Trees truly are a magnificent part of God’s creation and a pleasure to gaze upon.