The Enchanted GardenSample

FORGIVENESS

Have you ever written on something with a permanent marker? Did you try to clean it off? It is almost impossible to get permanent marker off of clothes, furniture, or walls. It is a stain that we can’t do anything about. Sin is the same way. Sin leaves a stain in our hearts, and there is nothing we can do to clean it off. That’s the bad news. But there is good news!

There is someone else who can clean it off for us, and that is Jesus. Jesus is God’s Son, and He is the only one who lived a life without ever sinning. Because Jesus has no sin, He can pay the price to take away our sin. There is one problem. The consequence for sin is death.

Do you think that someone else would choose to die for something you and I did wrong? The truth is that Jesus loves us so much that He did exactly that. He allowed Himself to be killed and hung on a cross for us. His death tore down the wall of sin that separates us from God. Because of Jesus, we have a new opportunity to have a friendship with God!

Discussion Questions:

Has anyone ever done something to fix a mistake that you made?

Why do you think Jesus was willing to die for your sins?

In The Enchanted Garden, poisonous purple spots begin to cover Everly’s whole body, and she is in terrible danger. The Gardener pulls out his golden feathers and places one on each purple spot on her skin. Feather after feather, he covers her until he has no feathers left, and she looks like an eagle herself. The feathers soak up the purple stain and blow away, healing her completely. Without his feathers, the eagle can’t fly, and some wild animals from the forest charge into the garden and kill him.

This part in the Bible and in The Enchanted Garden is heart-breaking, but even this dark moment is part of God’s plan. He is not finished telling the story!