Saying Sorry to God
You Will Need:
- Some dark coloured stones (smooth is best)
- Some chalk of any colour..
- a small sponge or cloth
- A small container of water
Good To Know:
- Everyone does wrong things - things that make God really sad when we do them.
- Grown ups use the word 'Sin' to describe this and other things that keep us away from God.
- When we've done something wrong we should be punished, but because Jesus died on the cross (and came back to life) it meant that we can be forgiven instead - when we say sorry and mean it!
- The bible says that when we are forgiven, God chooses to forget what we did wrong - how brilliant is that?!
- Ask your grown ups more about this (Either at home or at church).
From The Bible:
'But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure'.
From 1 John chapter 1 verse 9
'He has removed our sins from us.
He has removed them as far as the east is from the west'.
From Psalm 103 verse 12
You can't measure how far the east is from the west! That's amazing!
Ponder:
Do you sometimes say sorry because you've been made to? Maybe you fold your arms and stamp your foot while you shout "SORRY!" really loudly!
Think about times you may have done something like that.
When we say sorry to God we need to mean it.
Saying sorry to God also means we'll try not to do it again (we may need to ask Him to help us with that).
Pray - Part One:
- Think about the things you have done that would make God sad.
- Scribble on the stone with your chalk whilst you tell God what you are sorry for.
- Doing wrong things can make life very messy - this is why we are scribbling on the stone
Pray - Part Two:
- Take your sponge, dip it in the water and then wipe the scribble off. Make the stone as clean as you can!
- As you are doing this, thank God that He has forgiven you.
- Ask Him to help you not to do those wrong things again.
For the Grownups:
How you approach this will depend on the age of your children.
The above is aimed at 7+ if they have a church background. But 9+ if they don't.
It is possible to simplify the activity further by just using three sections:
- We do things that make God sad.
- We need to say sorry and mean it.
- Let's use the stones to help us do that.
For older children and those who want to go deeper, it would be helpful to make the point that God will forgive, but there will still be consequences here on earth.
If you want to explain this further with them, show them the chalk residue that will still be on the stone. Although God has forgiven (and chosen to forget), we still have to face those consequences. For example - people upset, something broken, friends who are cross with us. Those things still need to be dealt with. Such as - we need to apologise, mend friendships - and anything we broke.
IMPORTANT:
Some children will do things they can’t help because there’s too much sensory input, stress or they need a safe place to regulate and calm down. This can’t be helped and is NOT deliberate. When we talk about sin- we are not talking about this. Make sure children who are neurodivergent, have gone through trauma or struggle with extreme anxiety know this Make it clear that if this is them, God understands why it happens and loves them.
