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Hey Carolyn.

The passage has two distinct and very rich sections. Theologically, the first section is "justification" and the second is "sanctification."

Section 1, Verses 16-17:  = We are made new
"New" here doesn't mean "perfect/sinless." It means, "fresh start."   Slate is wiped clean. No excuses. "Justified = able to stand up, set right, saved, re-born."  

Section 2: Verses 18-21  = What God was doing in Christ, and therefore what WE are supposed to do in Christ (what do we do to be sanctified).

Verses 19-20a are a famous "memory verse" ... a "mini gospel."
"...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ...."  (I hope you have a children's Bible translation to use.)

I can see lots of visual images and motions that could be dramatized/re-enacted here.
God lifts us up, gives us a fresh start, wipes the slate clean, removes penalty/chains of sin, restraints of doubt/fear, ....so we can lift, break free, share fresh start with others.  -- help, stand, comfort, mourn with, make peace with, ...God speaks with us, so we can turn and do the same with others. (Sanctification = Pay it forward.)

Off the top of my head.... I could see an art project using mini dry erase slates (Amazon) that the kids personalize and take home. You'd walk them through adding drawing to their board --things like fear, doubt, sin until the slate is completely full and ugly, then pass a cloth that has a cross on it to wipe the slates clean, and then draw pictures of helping/sharing. Teacher or students could use permanent marker to add keywords from the verse around the slate's border: we are new, we are ambassadors (friends?) for Jesus.

Hope this helps.

Last edited by Luanne Payne

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