BIG PICTURE: CELEBRATE EASTER BIG IDEA:† = ♥ BIG POINT: GOD SHOWED HIS LOVE FOR US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS

BIG WORD: FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. JOHN 3:16 (NIV)

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the conclusion of this lesson children will:

• Know that the symbol of the cross represents God’s love for us.

• Understand that God showed His love for us through Jesus.

• Discover ways to tell others about Jesus.

INTRO Did you know that Easter, like Valentine’s Day, is all about love?

Easter is when we take time to celebrate Jesus. We remember that Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sin, so we can be saved; and we celebrate that Jesus rose again.

Let me read this verse to you, John 3:16 (NIV) “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. God so LOVED the world that He sent His only Son, Jesus, for us! That’s what we’re celebrating at Easter, God’s love for us. The cross of Jesus Christ represents love. Cross = Love. God showed His love for us through Christ Jesus.

STORYTELLING † = ♥ It was a gloomy day when the time had come for Jesus to die on the cross. Beside Jesus, two rebels were also placed on crosses, one on His right and one on His left. One of the rebels said to Jesus, “Please take me to heaven with you”.

Jesus replied, “Yes, I will. Today you and I will be together in heaven”. Passers by said horrible things to Jesus as He hung on the cross. They teased him saying that if He really was the Messiah King, he would be able to save Himself and get off the cross; which He could have done. At that moment He could have had a thousand angels rush down to save Him from the cross, but Jesus chose to stay there and die to rescue all those who believe in Him. Jesus took the punishment for our sin; a punishment that each of us deserve, but He took it upon Himself and died in our place.

It was the middle of the day, but the sky turned dark. Jesus said, “It is finished!” At that moment, Jesus died. It was finished. Jesus had died to rescue all of humanity. A man who followed Jesus with his whole heart took Jesus’ body from the cross and placed it in a tomb where a big stone was rolled over the entrance. That’s not where the story ends. Three days later that sad, sad day, would be the very best day. Jesus would defeat death and rise again.

This story tells of the greatest act of love the world has ever known. Jesus was sent by God to be an example of Godly- living. He was sent to seek out and save the lost. Jesus’ death on the cross meant that every man, woman, boy and girl could get access to God in Heaven. He made a way. Through his death and his resurrection, he paid the price for everyone’s sins, everything we’ve ever done wrong. That’s why the cross equals love. The cross tells us of the love of God and the love of Jesus for everyone.

POINTS

1. SYMBOLS OF LOVE

SUPPLIES NEEDED: a wedding ring.

This is my wedding ring. It’s a symbol of my love for my husband/wife and the commitment we’ve made to each other. Wedding rings are a symbol of love that have been around for thousands of years.

A symbol represents something, like when you see this symbol, (a heart shape), you know it means LOVE. Just like my wedding ring is a symbol that represents - marriage, commitment, faithfulness, trust and love. What about this symbol? (a cross.) Have you seen it before? Do you know what it represents? It’s a cross. This symbol represents the very center of our Christian belief. This picture paints the words found in John 3:16 (NIV), “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The cross represents the greatest love of all; Christ’s love for us. ( † = ♥.) That’s why His Cross equals love.

2. GOD IS LOVE

In John 15:13-16, Jesus tells us what love looks like. John 15:13-16 (NIV), “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends; for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

When you think of the word love, I don’t want you to imagine the romantic, lovey-dovey, chocolates and flowers kind of love from the movies. Instead, think of love that sticks up for others and is strong and reliable, giving to others even when it’s tough - the best example is Jesus. He tells us that the best love is the kind of love that puts others first. Not only can we put others first and serve them, but we can also spend time with the Heavenly Father and learn from Him. God showed His love for us through Christ Jesus, and because of what Jesus has done for us, we can share that love with others too.

3. SHARE THE LOVE

Easter is a special time where we celebrate that God showed His love for us through Christ Jesus. It’s the perfect time of year to make a special effort to spread and share the message that the Cross equals love. There will always be someone who needs to know the love of God and the good news that Jesus died and rose again for each one of us. It’s a love worth sharing.

Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message), “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep an open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”

God loves us so much that He gave us a Savior, Jesus, who overcame death and is worthy of our praise.

THE BIG QUESTION DISCUSSION

1. What is Easter all about?

Easter is when we take time to celebrate Jesus. We celebrate that Jesus died on the cross and rose again to take the punishment for our sin, so we can be saved. The Cross of Jesus Christ represents love. Cross = Love.

2. How did God show His love for us?

God showed His love for us through Christ Jesus, and because of what Jesus has done for us, we can share that love with others too. John 3:16 (NIV), “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God so LOVED the world that He sent His only Son, Jesus, for us!

3. How can you share the message of God’s love to others?

We can tell our friends about what Jesus has done for them. We can invite others to church, pray for them and show God’s love in our actions. What are some practical ways we can do this? (Invite the children to come up with some ideas. E.g. Give Easter eggs with a cross equals love card that tells them about Jesus, bake some hot cross buns for our friends and share with them what the cross represents etc.)

PRAYER

Dear God, Thank You for sending Your one and only Son Jesus for us. We pray that this Easter we can share with our friends the message of Jesus and the message of Your love for them. In Jesus name, Amen

CEL2

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YOUR NAME

Big IdeaBig Word

BIG POINTTODAY I LEARNT...

PARENTS!Use these questions to kick start discussion with your children!

1. 2. 3.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)

CEL2.1 OLDER & PRETEEN ACTIVITY SH

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What does cross equals love mean?How did God show His love for us?Who can we share the message of Jesus with?

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

FOR US

HIS

USE THE CODE TO COMPLETE TODAY’S BIG POINT

find the words

eastercrossequalslovejesusgodtomblifeshareinvitegoodegg

F W J A K G X R T K I E B E J G J F T Y

H U K E T O M B E N G G E Q S S O R C X

Q G V H M H C P V A X N G U R E E J Z T

I O Y B J H D I X A S Y E A R H R S S E

L O A T Z L T N A E Y T K L S O A I P N

E D W Y U E I P A K T W E S X U H T Y X

E C T D W I K F K Q P F H R A E S E O H

P O S C V E B S E G B K Y N I V F E M T

A R D S M K T P O Z U P N Y V T K L J C

W J Y Q J F W D X T I R K U J I J O M A

GOD

YOUR NAME

Big IdeaBig Word

BIG POINTTODAY I LEARNT...

PARENTS!Use these questions to kick start discussion with your children!

1. 2. 3.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)

GOD SHOWED HIS LOVE FOR US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS 

CEL2.1 YOUN

GER CHILDREN

ACTIVITY SHEET

© 2017 H

ILLSONG CH

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What does cross equals love mean?How did God show His love for us?Who can we share the message of Jesus with?

make your way through the maze

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

FOR US

SHOWED

USE THE CODE TO COMPLETE TODAY’S BIG POINT

draw a cross

CEL2

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IG A

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