Heal

Children’s Sermon

11 January 2026

Hey, guys. It’s good to see you. How were your holidays?

So, we just heard a remarkable promise, here in Church. We heard, in the words of St Peter, that everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of our sins.

Hunh. I guess my first question would be: What do you think a sin is?

Those are good answers. We understand that a sin is anything that separates us from the love of God, anything that damages the relationship that we have with God and with one another. Have you ever done something that damaged a relationship, that hurt someone you loved?

I know I have. When we sin, we fall short. We miss the mark. We don’t love one another, care for one another, in the way that God would want us to care for all of His children, for everyone He loves.

But in Jesus we receive forgiveness of our sins. That sounds pretty good. But now I guess my next question must be: What’s forgiveness? How do you forgive somebody?

Does forgiveness mean that we just pretend that a bad thing never happened, that we get away with it? Is that how our parents forgive us, when we do something wrong? No?

Well, then, does forgiveness mean that nothing changes, and we just go on like we did before? Not really. I don’t think so.

To truly forgive, we must acknowledge how we hurt one another—we have to tell the truth—so that we can then go forward together. We heal together, learn together, grow together, even if that means that our relationships have to change, or have to grow in different directions.

Because love doesn’t mean that we never make mistakes. Love doesn’t mean that nothing ever changes, or that we never learn anything. And love certainly doesn’t mean that it’s okay for us to hurt each other. But love does mean that we want, and we choose, what’s best for each other.

That’s what forgiveness is. It’s both honesty and love. It’s the only way that we can heal.

When we believe in Jesus, we know the truth about God, the truth about our sins, and the truth of God’s eternal love for us. And so, in Jesus, we already have forgiveness. In Him we are free to go forward together.

Sound good? Okay. Let’s pray.