Biblestudies

Group, May/Jun 2003 by Schofield, Christina

Ask a volunteer to read aloud Romans 8:1-4. Have kids write their own translation of this passage on the front of their criminal record or file folder, then write "pardoned" in large letters.

Ask: How will you live now that you've been declared free? What hope do you have now that your past mistakes have been forgiven?

3. Declaration of Independence-(You'll need paper, pens, and a copy of the Declaration of Independence.)

Get a copy of the Declaration of Independence (check your dictionary or do an Internet search), and go over it with your kids. Then, together, write a "Declaration of Our Independence From Sin." Use the Declaration of Independence as a loose template.

Afterward, say something like: God has freed us from the sin we once were slaves to. How will you respond to the grace and freedom you've received?

Allow for a time of quiet reflection, then close together in prayer, inviting students to pray out loud.

Then say something like: You've been pardoned. You're free! Be different than before.

Christina Schofield is the wife of a campus minister, and is a Christian author and illustrator who lives in Missouri.