John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”.

Have the kids go grab your favorite toy.  When they return, read John 3:16 to them.

Share with them:  This verse is the heart of the father.  Because we live in a sin filled world, God knew we would not be perfect and not sin against Him.  Remember that sin is when we are disobedient to God.  Adam and Eve sinned when they ate the apple because God told them not to do that.  God says the penalty of sin is death. God will always stay true to His word so why didn’t Adam and Eve die at the moment they ate the apple … because God already had a plan.  He sent His son Jesus to bear the cost of all of our sins, the sins of the whole world.  This gift is the reason we can know we are saved from the ultimate price for our sins as long as we believe this to be true. 

Mom: Tell your child that you will give their favorite toy to another child who threw all their toys in the trash after stomping on them and ripping them up but you will give them this toy anyway.  Do you think they deserve to get your favorite toy? Some might say this child does not deserve it. The wonderful thing about God is even though we do not deserve it we gave us a gift. If we do something wrong, we should be punished but because God loves us He decided to give us a gift instead. The gift of His son, Jesus. God sent His son to pay for our sins even though we did not deserve it.  Even though we make mistakes and do not always listen to God, God has given us a way to stay in good standing with Him, His son.  If we believe that Jesus came to save us from the cost of our sins then God has prepared a place for us in heaven to be with Him when the time comes.

Let’s sing the song “Jesus Loves Me” to remember God’s love for us through the gift of His son Jesus and Jesus’s love for us for paying the price for our sins!