In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of the world, thereby making it possible for each of us to be reconciled to God.
When the hour arrived, Jesus prayed to His Father to ask, one last time, if there was any other way.
There was no other way.
In this lesson, the atonement of Jesus Christ is presented in a child friendly yet thoughtful and reverent way
We hope these resources and activities will help your children begin to understand and appreciate the sacrifice that Jesus Christ has made for all of us.
LESSON BUNDLE DOWNLOADS:
➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 O P E N I N G S O N G : "He Sent His Son"
➤ P R E P A R A T I O N
Print the “Object Lesson” page with the word “atonement” on it, and cut out the large rectangle shape along the dotted lines. You will also need some scissors, a roll of clear tape, and a popsicle stick for each person participating in the lesson.
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N
Pass out the popsicle sticks. Tell the children that on the count of three, you are all going to break the sticks! Count down together from three and then break the sticks. Now invite each of the children to try to put their popsicle sticks back together! Give them a moment or two to make their best attempt.
Next, hold up the printout of the word “atonement” and ask the children to repeat the word together with you several times. Explain that you are going to learn about the meaning of the word atonement. Take the scissors and cut along the lines of the printout so that all of the letters of the word atonement are separated. Invite the children to gather together and to help you reassemble the word and tape it back together. Explain that if something is separated or broken apart, and you bring it back together again as one, that’s what the word “atonement” means.
After you complete the activity, discuss the question below:
1) The atonement of Jesus Christ brings things back together again that were separated. Can you think of anything that used to be together that is separated right now? (We used to live with Heavenly Father, but because of sin, we are separated from Him. The atonement of Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to be together with Heavenly Father again!)
🎥 V I D E O : "The Garden of Gethsemane | Animated Scripture Lesson for Kids"
ay: “Now we are going to watch a video about the atonement of Jesus Christ. In this video, Jesus goes to a special garden to perform the atonement. Watch and see if you can remember the name of this garden!”
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) Can you remember the name of the garden that Jesus went to? (The Garden of Gethsemane.)
2) Why did Jesus go to the Garden of Gethsemane? (He went there to atone for the sins of the world. He suffered for all of our sins so that there could be a way for us to be together with Heavenly Father again.)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Read the following scriptures and discuss the questions that follow.
And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
1) What did Jesus mean when He prayed to have the “cup removed” from Him? (It’s like if someone wanted you to drink something really gross, and you didn’t want to drink it. It was going to cause Him so much pain, He didn’t want to have to do the atonement if there was any other way.)
2) Why did Jesus do it? (Because He loves us, and He loves Heavenly Father! He told Heavenly Father He would do it anyway if that’s what Heavenly Father wanted Him to do.)
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as if there were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
1) What does the word “agony” mean? (It’s more than feeling pain just once. It’s when something keeps hurting you a lot, over and over. It means suffering for a long time.)
2) Why did Jesus start bleeding from His skin? (Because He was suffering so much, for such a long time!)
And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
1) Is there any other way for us to be forgiven of our sins and to be together with Heavenly Father again? (No. There is no other way, only through the atonement of Jesus Christ.)
➤ C O L O R I N G P A G E S
Pass out the coloring page, one to each child. Invite the children to color the image of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Use this time to talk about Christ’s atonement and His willingness to suffer and be in agony so that we can be back together with Heavenly Father.
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
Do you know what your kids are watching?
The Lord isn’t the only one who knows about the trusting, believing and curious hearts of little children. The adversary knows this too, and he’s working overtime to gain access to their hearts through “children’s” media and entertainment.
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