Gift of Grace
Items Needed:
- Grab bag
- Gift cards
To help your children understand the concept of grace, allow each child to pull a gift card out of a grab bag. Take them to the restaurant or store to spend their gift card.
Talk about it on the way home:
What did you have to do to earn your gift card? (Nothing; It was a gift.)
A gift is not earned, and it doesn’t cost you anything. The giver pays the price of the item.
How is this like what Jesus did for us? (Jesus paid the price for our sin so we could have salvation.) What was the price Jesus paid? (He died on the cross.) God’s gift of salvation is free to us. Jesus paid the price so we could be forgiven.
The Way
Items Needed:
- Bible
- Post-It Notes
- Marker
Review Ephesians 1:3 with your children.
What are some blessings God has given you? (Family, Home, Friends, Belongings, etc.) Our best blessing from God is our salvation. God didn’t have to forgive our sins, and we certainly don’t deserve His forgiveness. But because of God’s grace, giving us something we do not deserve, we are forgiven. Christ died for us, and He loves us even though we sin.
Ask:
Where do our spiritual blessings come from? (God)
What do we have to do to earn gifts from God? (Nothing)
Do you know what grace is? (God giving us good things we don’t deserve)
Write the words from the Bible verse on post-it notes. (You might want to review only part of the verse if you have young children.) While your children aren’t looking, hide the post-it notes around the house. Allow your children to find all the post-it notes, put them in the correct order, and then say the verse together.
For extra practice, invite someone to take away some of the post-it notes and see if they can still remember the verse.
It’s Yours!
Items Needed:
- Gift wrap
- Small gift
- Money
This might be a good time to talk with your child about accepting Christ. Wrap a small gift or a dollar bill. (If you have older children, a five dollar bill might be even better). Tell your child you have a gift for him or her and hold it out.
After he or she takes it, ask:
What did you have to do to get the gift? (I had to accept it.)
What would have happened if you said you didn’t want it. (The gift would NOT be mine.)
God has a wonderful gift for you. Romans 6:23 says the “gift of God is eternal life through Jesus.” God made a wonderful place called Heaven, and He wants you to live there forever with Him.
There is one problem—there is no sin in Heaven and the Bible says “all (everyone, including me) have sinned.” (Romans 3:23)
Ask:
Have you ever sinned? (Caution: If your child does not understand sin or won’t admit that he or she has sinned, they might not be ready to receive Christ. Say a simple prayer with them for God to help them understand and bring it up at a later time.)
God made a way for you to have your sin taken away. He sent Jesus to take the punishment for your sin and mine. This is a blessing. When God gives us good things we don’t deserve, He is showing us grace. You have a choice: do you want to accept Jesus and the forgiveness for your sin?
You can say a simple prayer:
Dear Jesus, I believe You died on the cross for my sin and came alive again. Please come into my life and take away my sin. Thank you.