God’s forgiveness is one of the most essential truths for children to internalize. Read below how Marian Christopherson has taught this idea to her Sunday school students at New Luther Valley Lutheran Church.

To teach the concept of forgiveness,

ASK: Do you remember a time you had to ask someone for forgiveness? (Young children will share their stories freely!)

Write the word SINS in the center of a whiteboard or chalkboard.

SAY: We all need forgiveness from God, and sometimes from others too. Let’s list some of the temptations and sins we struggle with.

Teacher and students take turns writing words or phrases on the board. If time allows with each one, talk about the struggle, how we should respond, and how God can help us. With a small class, each person could write 3 or 4 words or phrases.

Share 1 John 1:9 and assure that when we confess our sins, God forgives us. He washes away our sins and cleanses our hearts.

Take turns confessing each sin to God and then erasing it from the chalkboard, one by one. (Tell children it’s okay to pray with our eyes open sometimes like we are doing today. We often pray with our eyes closed to keep from being distracted.)

While the words are being erased (or after you are done), share other Scriptures that demonstrate God’s forgiveness:

Isaiah 38:17 says that God tosses our sins behind His back. They disappear! (To demonstrate, have students crumple a sheet of paper into a wad and toss it behind their backs. Ask if they can see the paper behind their backs. Some will try!)

Micah 7:18-19 says God casts our sins into the depths of the sea where they can’t be found. (One student said he thought he could find them!)

The Bible tells us that when God forgives our sins, He doesn’t remember them anymore (Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12). We might still remember them, but God does not. He erases our sins!

We have a small Sunday school, and I currently have one student in my class. When the teacher next door (who happens to be my husband) learned what we were going to do, he asked if he and his student could join us. So the four of us stood around the board and had casual conversation, which works well in a small group. (In a larger class, you may want to have the students seated but take turns coming to the board.) In our small class, we each wrote 4 items on the board and confessed and erased them one by one. Then we thanked God for His forgiveness and asked for His help in our struggle against temptation and sin.

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If you have an idea to share, please send it to parished@aflc.org.