Children's Liturgy Series: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Cycle C)

In today's Gospel we learn about how God sent Jesus to us as a gift.  If we choose to accept the gift, we can have eternal life.  

Father in Heaven we praise and glorify you. We thank you for bringing us together for this Children's Liturgy lesson.  Please send us the Holy Spirit, fill us with peace and love.  Help us to have the wisdom to understand the message you have for us today and to accept Jesus into our lives. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus said to Nicodemus:"No one has gone up to heavenexcept the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Sin is like breaking God’s rules—it leaves us with a debt we can’t pay. But because God loves us so much, He sent Jesus to pay for us, just like when someone pays a fine or takes a punishment for another person. That’s what it means when we say Jesus died for our sins.

Here are some real life examples that help us understand what God's love is like:

A boy accidentally throws a baseball through his neighbor’s window. The neighbor is upset, and the boy knows he should pay for the damage. But he doesn’t have the money. Because the boy is genuinely sorry, his father steps in, and pays for the new window himself. Just like the dad covered the cost of something the boy couldn’t fix, Jesus paid the cost of our sins so we could be forgiven. 

A girl forgets to return a library book for many weeks. When she finally returns it, the librarian says she owes $50 in late fees. She feels terrible for being irresponsible and she doesn’t have the money to pay the fine. Because she is genuinely sorry, her older brother steps in and pays the fine for her. The debt was real, but someone who loved her paid it. That’s what Jesus did for us on the cross.

A boy misbehaves in class and is given detention. But then his best friend goes to the teacher and says, “I’ll serve his detention so he doesn’t have to miss soccer practice.” The teacher agrees, and the friend sits in detention instead. Jesus took the punishment we deserved, even though He was innocent.

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for dying on the cross for us, to pay for all of God's rules that have been broken, by us and by all the people in the whole world. Help us to never forget what you did for us and to show you our gratefulness by coming to visit you at mass every Sunday. Just as you showed your love to us, we want to show our love back to you. We know by believing in You, and showing you our love, we will have eternal life. Amen.