Check out this page each week for easy ways to bring home what your child has been learning.

Judges have a tough job. They take an oath, or promise, to uphold justice and fairness. During a trial, if a person is found guilty, the judge must decide on the appropriate sentence, or punishment. It is the judge’s responsibility to be impartial and fair in her decision. 
 
The Bible teaches us that God is just, which means He is perfect in His judgments and His punishments are always fair. Because God is holy, sin must be punished. He can’t overlook it or give a lighter sentence to some people–that wouldn’t be fair. That’s bad news for us because we’re all guilty of sin and deserve to be punished. 
 
But the good news of the Bible is that Jesus came to take the punishment we deserve. Though He was innocent, He took the guilt that belonged to us and faced God’s justice for us. Sin had to be punished and the sentence was death, but Jesus gave His life to save ours. 
 
Jesus was unfairly sentenced to die although He did no wrong. Jesus was the perfect substitute for us, dying on the cross for our sins and rising from the dead. Everyone who trusts in Jesus has forgiveness and life with God forever.

For Fun
Visit a local courthouse. If possible, speak to a judge or a lawyer about their jobs. Help kids understand that the system is meant to protect the innocent and punish those who commit crimes. Talk with kids about how Jesus was innocent yet was sentenced to death on the cross. Discuss why this was part of God’s plan to rescue us from sin.

To Serve
Make a monetary donation to your child’s school or a local elementary school to cover outstanding lunch debt. Talk with kids about how the debt was owed by someone else, but our gift will erase the debt and provide a fresh start. That kid will no longer owe lunch money. Remind kids that Jesus took on our debt—the punishment for sin that we owed—and He gives new life to all who believe in Him.