The Free Gift

[Note: I enlisted the help of my husband and son on this one and it was very highly received by the entire congregation. Props: I purchased a dozen small gift bags and filled them with candy canes, an activity pad, pens and other small gifts from the dollar store and placed them on the raised area in front of the choir where the father and Son would be sitting. When the kids were called up for the Children’s Chat, I had them sit on a rug about 8 feet away from the Father and Son, so it was impossible for them to get to the Father/Son without help.]

Ask the Kids “Who is the man up there in the red shirt? (pause for kids to answer) Yeah,, That’s Mr. Shaune, Alex’s FATHER” “Who’s the guy up there in the Green shirt?” (pause for kid’s answers) Yeah, That’s Alex, Mr. Shaune’s SON. So we have a FATHER and a SON. Now Alex’s father loves his only Son very much.

But Alex and Mr. Shaune love you guys too. See that bag up there that Mr. Shaune’s got? It’s a gift for each of you, it’s totally free. Mr. Shaune’s SON Alex already paid for them and they want you to have them just because they love you. All you have to do is go up to Alex and his Father and they’ll give you your FREE gift. But there’s one rule. YOU MUST NOT TOUCH the Carpet, (not with shoes or your clothes or hands or feet).

Now who’s gonna be first to go up to Alex’s Father and get your FREE GIFT? (at this point the kids are looking at you like you’ve got 3 heads. Remind them of the rule-can’t touch the carpet!)

When kids decide it’s impossible to get up to the Father /Son (one of my little girls came right out and said It’s impossible if you follow the rules!”), the Father whispers to Son who comes down and whispers in my ear. I tell the kids that Alex, Mr. Shaune’s SON told me he’s come to take you to his FATHER to get your Free Gift and all you have to do is BELIEVE that Alex, Mr. Shaune’s Son is brave enough & Strong enough and GOOD enough to take you up to his Father for your FREE gift. Who believes Mr. Shaune’s Son is brave enough and strong enough and good enough to carry you to His Father to get your free gift—Raise your hands. (Alex gets the kids 1 at a time and carries them up to his Father, sets them down and comes to get the rest till all are setting at the feet of the Father.)

Wow, Alex, that was hard work carrying all these kids up here to your Father to get their free gift. It was IMPOSSIBLE for them to get up there by themselves, no matter how smart or good they are, just like it’s impossible for us to get to God by ourselves. So God, sent his ONLY Son, Jesus, down from Heaven to die on a cross to pay for us to have the FREE gift of eternal life of living with God the Father and His Son Jesus forever! In John 3:16 the Bible says “that God so loved the world that He sent His ONLY son that whoever believes in Him would live forever in heaven with God and Jesus.

God wants to give everybody the FREE gift of Salvation so we can live forever with Him in Heaven; and Jesus, His Son, has already PAID for the gift when He died on the cross. All we have to do is believe that Jesus was Brave enough to die for our sins, and Strong enough to take us to Heaven and GOOD enough to wash our sins away and we can come to His Father for our Free Gift. It’s the ONLY way to get the free Gift of Eternal Life – in The Bible Jesus tells us that there’s only one Way to get to the Father, Jesus said “ I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” No body can get to heaven by ourselves. It’s Impossible. We must believe in Jesus and trust HIM for our Free Gift.

Bow your heads and close your eyes…Jesus, thank you for paying for our free gift of salvation when you died on the cross for our sins. It would be impossible for us to get to God without your help because we could never be good enough. Please remind us all that our gift of salvation was FREE to us but Jesus paid for our gift with His very blood on Calvary. Let us worship Him for His Gift to us. In the precious name of Jesus…Amen.