John 3:16-21, NIRV

¹⁶God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. ¹⁷God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him. ¹⁸Anyone who believes in him is not judged. But anyone who does not believe is judged already. They have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹Here is the judgment. Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light. They loved darkness because what they did was evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil deeds hates the light. They will not come into the light. They are afraid that what they do will be seen. ²¹But anyone who lives by the truth comes into the light. They live by the truth with God’s help. They come into the light so that it will be easy to see their good deeds.

Objects:

Easter basket
Plastic egg large enough to hold a small video game cartridge.

Message:

If I asked you to name one verse in the Bible, what would you say? My guess is that most of us would say John 3:16. John 3:16 is the favorite verse in the Bible for many Christians. It is a great verse to memorize. That’s because it tells us the good news. Many think that John 3:16 summarizes the entire Bible in just one verse. It gives us a glimpse of what being a Christian is all about.

God loved the world so much that God gave us Jesus. What an incredible gift!

I want you to imagine getting a really big and wonderful gift. Maybe it’s during your birthday party, Christmas, or for no reason at all. Once you are given the gift, you then put it immediately in the closet without opening it. Raise your hand if you would want to do that with this wonderful gift. (Allow children to respond.) That might seem strange to most of us to get a gift, not open it, and place it out of sight. If you decided to do that, your life would go on just the way it had before. You would lose out on all that gift has to offer.

In the verses that follow John 3:16, the words teach us about those who do not receive and open the wonderful gift that God has to offer. John says that those in the dark, remain in the dark; those who receive God’s gift are in the light. Verse 21 says, “But anyone who lives by the truth comes into the light. They live by the truth with God’s help. They come into the light so that it will be easy to see their good deeds.”

Remember each week during Lent, I have with me this large Easter basket. So far, there are four eggs inside. Does anyone remember what is in the egg from last week? (Allow a child who was present to answer.) That’s right, a pair of small socks. These socks remind us that church shouldn’t be a time for spending money and going shopping. Church should be a place for us to worship God and learn how our lives can be different when we choose to follow Jesus. We should use our time of worship to refresh us as we continue to live out our lives and show the love of God to others!

Each week during Lent, I will bring with me a plastic Easter egg with something inside to help us remember our Bible lesson throughout the week. Let’s see what is in the egg today. (Create some excitement as you open the plastic egg.)

Today, I have a small video game cartridge. If you received a great gift like this, would you open it to play it? Raise your hand if you would open that gift immediately. (Allow children to respond.). If you decided to open and enjoy the gift, your life would never be the same again. You could enjoy playing the game right away. Now, raise your hand if you would take this gift and put it in the closet and not play the video game. (Allow children to respond.)

I wonder if you would receive the gift that God offers with the same excitement. My prayer is that you would. For that’s the way it is when you accept the gift of Jesus. You start enjoying eternal life with God right here on earth! This video game cartridge also serves as a reminder this week as you place coins in the Lenten coin jar. Every time you see something around the house this week that provides entertainment for your enjoyment, I want you to think about those who haven’t experienced the wonderful gift that God has to offer. Pray for them that they may receive the best gift of all. And that they will open it!

If we “open” the gift God has to offer, then, as the Bible says, we come into the light. When we do, we offer the love of God to a world that needs it. God’s gift begins with love. God so loved the world – that’s each of us! And that love spreads across this world, as we receive eternal life. The gift from God offers eternal love and eternal life. Won’t you open this wonderful gift?