Help younger children understand that because of Jesus and the
cross, mistakes that left a mark on our hearts are gone when we
tell Jesus we're sorry and ask him to forgive us.
The Stuff: A white sheet, permanent markers, washable ink,
and baby wipes
Experience It: Spread the sheet on the floor or
table, and have children gather around the outer edges. Talk about
how after Jesus died on the cross, they wrapped him in a special
cloth similar to the sheet. Tell kids that Jesus died so we can
accept his gift of forgiveness. When we do something wrong, we can
tell him about it, say we're sorry, and then he forgives us so we
don't have to worry about it anymore. Jesus takes that "sin" mark
away.
Have children each use the washable markers to "paint" their
finger and place their fingerprint on the sheet as a reminder that
we all do things that make Jesus sad. Have adult leaders use the
permanent markers to draw hearts around children's fingerprints and
print the child's name under the heart. Then pray together, telling
Jesus we're sorry for the things we do wrong and thank him for
forgiving us. Remind children to look for the sheet on Easter
Sunday, to see that the fingerprint stain they left inside the
heart will be gone because Jesus defeated death on Easter
morning.
Afterward, take the sheet home and wash it. The washable ink
will disappear, leaving the hearts and names of each child. Drape
the sheet over a cross on Easter morning as a reminder to kids of
Jesus' forgiveness.
Excerpted from the March/April 2010 issue of
Children's Ministry Magazine. Don't miss another
issue,
