Because He Loves Us

TEXT: Luke 22:39-44; 23:33-38

"Grandpa," Sally touched him softly to get his attention, ''why are you crying?"

Grandpa put his arm around Sally and said, "I'm reading the Easter story in the Bible, Honey."

''But, Grandpa, if it makes you cry why do you want to read it?" Sally asked.

''That's a good question, Sally. But, before I answer it, let me ask you a question. Okay?" asked Grandpa.

Sally giggled. "Okay, Grandpa, ask me anything you want."

Grandpa's face grew serious as he looked at her. "Do you remember the day your mother's beautiful vase fell off the table? She had told you never to touch it because it was very expensive and that it could break easily."

"I remember, Grandpa. But I really didn't think it would hurt anything if l just felt the design on it," Sally said. "I had just reached up to touch it when Uncle Andy suddenly came into the living room. I jumped because I thought it was Mommy. I accidentally hit the vase and it fell off the table and broke into tiny pieces. Oh, I was so scared! I ran to my room and hid!"

"Do you remember what Uncle Andy did for you?" asked Grandpa.

Sally was quiet for a moment. ''Yes, Grandpa, I sure do. When Mommy came to my room to find me, I thought I would really be in trouble. But she said that Uncle Andy had asked her to forgive me! He said he knew I was wrong to touch that vase but he wanted to pay for it because he loved me very much. Oh, Grandpa, I love Uncle Andy so much. When Mommy brought the new vase home and put it on the table, I promised her I would never touch it. I had learned my lesson. It makes me almost cry whenever I think of what Uncle Andy did for me. It cost him a lot of money but he did it because he loves me!"

"Now can you see why I cry when I read the Easter story?" asked Grandpa. "I love Jesus so much for what He did for me and all the other people of the world. God knew that people were sinful and should be punished. But He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us so we could be free from sin.

''The people who did not love Jesus were mean to Him. They nailed Him to that cross. They called Him bad names and said terrible things about Him. Still, Jesus was willing to die for our sins because He loves us."

PARENT'S CORNER

The narrative telling what Jesus went through on Calvary for us is a story that is very touching to young children, and this is the lesson we will be studying next Sunday. We want each child to realize that one of the ways we can worship our King is by remembering His suffering.

Our memory verse for this week reflects the reason why we worship Him—because He carried our griefs and sorrows to Calvary. To reinforce this verse in your child's mind, study it carefully together.

As an activity, write out each word of the verse on a separate piece of paper, scrambling the letters. Let your child unscramble each word and then arrange the verse in its proper order.