Signature Smile

Scripture:      Proverbs 15:13; Mark 10:13-16, Matthew 9:36, Luke 19:21, John 15:11, Galatians 5:22-3

Introduction

A smile, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary is “a facial expression in which the eyes brighten and the corners of the mouth curve slightly upward and which expresses especially amusement, pleasure, approval and sometimes scorn; it is a pleasant or encouraging appearance.” Smiling is a universal expression of happiness. No matter where you are in the world, people smile to express joy. Everyone’s smile is unique—a signature smile! This program is in honor of World Smile Day, which is celebrated annually on the first Friday in October and is a day devoted to smiles and acts of kindness.

Decorations

Decorate the room with yellow tablecloths (smiling is like sending sunshine into people’s lives; yellow is also the color of smiley face emoji), vases filled with sunflowers. Add smiley emojis around the room.

Refreshments

There are lots of healthy foods that are good for your teeth and gums and promote a good smile. Serve some as refreshments: cheese, yogurt, leafy greens, crunchy vegetables such as celery and carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, strawberries, kiwi, almonds, green tea, are some suggestions.

Smile Quotes

Display these quotes as part of the décor. Have the women read the quotes and discuss them.

• Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. Dr. Suess
• A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. Phyllis Diller
• A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. William Arthur Ward
• A smile is the universal welcome. Max Eastman
• I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile. Goldie Hawn
• We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. Mother Teresa
• Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. Mother Teresa

Smiling Games

Prizes could be toothbrush and toothpaste (to protect those pearly whites), Chapstick or lip gloss to accentuate those smiles, or anything with a smiling emoji on it.

Guess the Smile. Display pictures of famous people with the top of their faces covered and only have their smiles showing. Can you identify who these people are by their “signature smile?”

A variation on this game is to get pictures of the women in your group, or people from your corps.

Discussion question: Who has a beautiful smile? What does a smile say about a person?

What makes you smile?

Watch this video of kids answering the question: What makes you smile? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AETk_YKNCvQ

Check out this article for the top 30 things that make people smile: https://nypost.com/2024/06/03/lifestyle/study-reveals-the-top-30-things-that-make-americans-smile/

From the video display the top ten items from the list in a mixed-up order. Have the women rank them individually and then compare the answers. It might be fun to share the list of all thirty things and have the women indicate what makes them smile.

Discussion Question:

What are the top three things that make you smile?

Send a Smile

Show this talk by Giovannie Maroki, a first grader, and how he shares that smiles are contagious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNMOKdSilTA.

In this talk he says that “every time I smile it is like sending sunshine in their lives.”  Send a smile, and spread sunshine by writing encouragement cards to women who have not been in attendance lately, might be going through sickness or shut in. Perhaps write cards to your corps officers (pastors) and the local leaders at the corps (church) since October is Pastor Appreciation Month.

Songs to Make You Smile

While the women are writing cards of encouragement, enjoy these songs:

You’re Never Fully Dressed without a Smile (2014 Annie Movie) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKjJ6DQF7xY

Sidewalk Prophets – Smile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15V2sXSJ8Co

Kirk Franklin – I Smile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8SPwT3nQZ8

You Can Smile

At the corps (church) I grew up in, there was a young lady named Lori who had Multiple Sclerosis, which left her in a wheelchair, and unable to communicate with words.  She could turn her head left and right to answer yes and no questions. She could also communicate by moving one of her arms to various sections on her wheelchair board that had various words and topics. Although she was limited in her ability to communicate, she was able to smile. Growing up, every time I saw her, she had a smile.

One of the songs we always sang in Sunday School (and was one of Lori’s favorites), “You Can Smile” and it says this:

You can smile when you can’t say a word.

You can smile when you cannot be heard.

You can smile, whether cloudy or fair

You can smile anytime, anywhere.

A simple song with a great reminder. A smile is powerful. It is amazing how simply smiling at someone can brighten their day. I can communicate concern, care, and empathy without saying a word to someone.

It is interesting that we read a lot about Jesus and what He did in the Bible. We know that He ate, slept, got angry, and even cried. But nowhere does it say that He smiled. Of course He smiled; it is a human thing to do. But the Bible does not specifically say that He did.

In Mark 10:13-16 we read, People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”

Now the Scripture does not say anything about Jesus smiling, and at first when Jesus is indignant with his disciples for blocking the children’s entrance, I can guarantee that Jesus did not have a smile on His face. But when the children came to Him, I can see Jesus bending down to be at their level, with a big grin on his face and His arms opened wide ready to receive the beautiful children into a large embrace.

The very fact people flocked to Jesus meant He was approachable. What makes a person feel approachable – the expression on their face. If He were stern and cross all the time, do you think people would feel comfortable coming to Him with their needs? I don’t. Matthew 9:36 says this about Jesus, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” I do not think you can express compassion for someone with a stern or angry expression on your face. The easiest way to show someone you care is to simply smile at them, letting them know that they are noticed, and that you care.

Luke 10:21 tells us that Jesus was “full of joy through the Holy Spirit.” In Greek, this verse suggests “shouting and leaping with joy.” Jesus taught about joy and encouraged us to have His joy. Jesus states in John 15:11, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” So, if Jesus was full of joy, He had to have smiled.

Paul writes about joy as well. In Galatians 5:22-23, he writes about the fruit of the Spirit, which is the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in the believers’ lives. The second quality he lists is joy. Joy is evidence of the Holy Spirit doing a work in our life. The fruit of the Spirit is the display of Christ-like qualities in us, and joy is one of them.

The best way to share the joy of the Lord is to put a smile on your face. Proverbs 15:13 says “a happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” If you have a happy heart, because you know Jesus, then let your face show it. As another Sunday school chorus goes, “If you are happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.” Evangelist Andrew Palau writes, “All it takes to make someone’s day is a moment of your time, a smiling face, and open ears.”

Smile because that is the Christ-like thing to do. Smile when you cannot say a word and share His joy with others today.