Ephesians 1
Explanation and Bible story for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 3-6)
The Explanation
Once, a man named Paul picked up his pen. He wanted to write a letter. Far away lived some friends. They loved Jesus. Paul loved them too.
"Dear friends," Paul wrote. He thought about them. He smiled.
Paul wanted to tell them something big. Something warm. Something true.
He wrote: God loves you. God chose you. Long, long ago. Before the sun. Before the moon. Before anything at all.
Think about that. Before you were even born, God knew you. God wanted you. Like a papa picking his very own child.
What Does This Mean?
Paul kept writing. His hand moved fast. He had so much to say.
God sent Jesus, he wrote. Jesus came close. Jesus gave everything, so we could be forgiven. All the wrong things, gone. Washed away. Like dirt washed off little hands.
Paul smiled again while he wrote. He knew a secret. A good one. God was making a plan. A plan to bring everything together. The sky things. The earth things. All of it, close to Jesus. Like gathering scattered toys back into one big box.
The Common Thread
Right in the middle of the letter, Paul wrote the best part. Jesus died. But then, God did something amazing. God raised Jesus up. Up from being dead. Up to sit beside him, in heaven.
Jesus is not far away and small. Jesus is strong. Stronger than anything. Stronger than the dark. Stronger than being afraid.
And Jesus is the head. The church is like his body. Close to him. Held by him. Full of him, like a cup full of warm milk.
For You
Paul was not finished. He prayed for his friends too. He asked God to open their eyes. Not the eyes on their face. The eyes in their heart.
So they could see. See how much God loves them. See how big his power is. See how good their story is going to be.
You have a heart too. God can open your eyes, the ones inside. Then you can see Jesus. Close. Strong. Loving you.
Talk About It
Before you were even born, did God already know you?
What did God do for Jesus after he died?
Praying Together
Dear God, Thank you that you chose me. Thank you for Jesus, who is so strong. Open the eyes in my heart. Help me see how much you love me. Amen.
Questions about Ephesians 1
Short answers for anyone reading about this for the first time.
What is Ephesians 1 about?
What does Ephesians 1 say?
What does Ephesians 1 teach us about God?
What can toddlers learn from Ephesians 1?
Why is Ephesians 1 an important Bible story?
What others discovered
Paul says Christ is seated "far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named." Every name. The diagnosis you were handed. The label someone stuck on you as a child. The fear you cannot even spell yet, waiting in the age to come. All of it sits under his feet, not beside him.
To the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ."
Paul doesn't say we should give praise. He says we should be praise. Your rescued life, the way you forgive now, the way you keep hoping when nothing has changed yet, that itself is the song. Someone is reading you today.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Notice the order. Grace first, then peace. You cannot reverse it. Peace is not something you work up on a hard morning; it arrives after grace has done its quiet work in you. So stop hunting for calm. Receive the gift, and peace follows it home.
Looking for something for slightly older children?
We also have dedicated versions for elementary age (7-12) and teens (12 and up).
Open in the Children's Bible tool
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