THINK TOGETHER
Is God with us right now? How do you know?
READ TOGETHER
In the beginning God made Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden so that they could live together and enjoy each other. But then Adam and Eve sinned. They tried to be equal to God. Do you remember what happened next? Adam and Eve had to leave the garden and God's presence didn't they?
The rest of the Bible is God's story of how he would live with people again. Because he loves us, God has always wanted to live with us. But because of sin we haven't been able to live with God and be fully in his presence. In the Old Testament God lived among his people in the center of a temple (sort of like a really big church). But a very thick curtain in the center of the temple separated God from the people. Nobody was allowed to go past that curtain into the room where God was. Only one man, the High Priest, on one day a year was allowed to go into God's room to ask him to forgive the sins of the people.
But when Jesus died on the cross something amazing happened. As soon as Jesus died that very large, very thick curtain in the temple was torn in half opening up the way into God's room. Here's how Matthew's gospel records it:
Matthew 27:51. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
Later in the Bible it will say that Jesus himself was the curtain that was torn in half opening up our way to be with God forever. Jesus wasn't literally a curtain was he? But when he died on the cross it became possible to be forgiven of all our sins and be holy like Jesus is. Now when we trust in Jesus we are always with God and God is always with us. Nothing separates us from God's love. Not even our sin. Jesus has taken all our sins away and he lives in our hearts forever.
Because of Jesus nothing can separate me from God's love.
With Jesus I am with God and God is with me all the time.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Watch the final scene from the Wizard of Oz together. When the curtain is torn down by Toto revealing the "wizard," Dorothy and the gang are angry and disappointed. They got to see how weak the wizard really was. But when God tore down the curtain in the temple we got to see how powerful God's love for us is.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, because you died on the cross I can be with God forever. Help me to always remember that you are with me every day. Amen.
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