Grace
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God.” – Ephesians 2:8
Look at our verse again for this week. Grace is a free gift. We can’t earn salvation by being pretty, smart, funny, strong, having a lot of money or even by being good. We receive salvation through grace that comes through faith. Yes, this faith will result in a life change, but we are, in no way, trying to earn God’s favor. This lesson was meant to drive that point home. I found the essence of this idea here, but I just did with my own slight variation.
I put a sign on our front door that said, “Welcome to Heaven.” Yes, I encouraged them to use their imagination since our house is a far cry from heaven. I gave them a purse with all of the keys but the once that said grace. They took turn trying each key as I told them what the key represented. Before I handed them the key, I would ask, “Do you think being funny will get you into heaven?” They would try the key, and it wouldn’t work. They were suddenly out of keys. I asked what we should do. We are looked out of heaven. They didn’t know, so I pulled the grace key out of my pocket, and it worked. We were then able to talk about there is nothing that will get us into heaven except the grace of God achieved by faith.
cool idea!
Thanks. It was great to watch the girls absorb it.
I love it! I may try this with my three boys . . . if I can find some extra keys. 🙂
Yeah – I had to dig a bit. I was going to write directly on them, but they’re still usable keys, so I made the tags. It really drive the point home and the girls connected with it, so I hope you’ll do it too.
Hi there! I think my readers would benefit from you linking up to my link party Make A Difference Mondays! Check it out! I love your stuff! http://www.mariadismondy.com/2012/4/empathy/
I’m completely behind on linking up at my normal spots. I just can’t do any extra this week although I appreciate the invitation over. Have a great week!
What a powerful lesson! I plan to use it in my kids time at church! Thank you!
Thanks so much for letting me know. I love that these lessons are being used at churches around the globe. It’s so exciting, and I appreciate your work with the kids in your area.
Using this with my church children’s group tonight – thanks for the great idea!
Thank you so much for letting me know. I’m so excited to know it’s being used.
Perfect! Wonderful idea!
So glad you like it. 🙂