Before you begin, grown-ups: Election can raise big questions. Keep the emphasis where Scripture puts it: God chooses by grace, not because anyone is better, and Jesus welcomes everyone who comes to him (John 6:37). If your child asks, “Am I chosen?” point them to Jesus—anyone who wants to trust him may come.
01 · GATHER ROUND
Start with a question.
“What does it feel like to be picked for a team? What about when you’re not picked?”
Some kids carry real hurt about being picked last. Listen gently before moving on.
02 · OUR BIG QUESTION
Are all people, just as they were lost through Adam, saved through Christ?
No, only those who are elected by God and united to Christ by faith.
New City Catechism · Question 27 · Children’s answer · Official page03 · OPEN THE BIBLE
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Berean Standard Bible · BSB
The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.
Read it slowly together. What words stand out? You can choose the translation your family knows best.
Nothing like the playground.
On the playground, two captains take turns picking teams. They usually pick the fastest kids first, then the strongest, then their friends. If you’re slow or new, you might end up last. Getting picked on the playground depends on what you can do.
The Bible says God chooses people, too. The word for this is elect, which means chosen. But God’s choosing is nothing like the playground. He doesn’t pick people because they’re fast, smart, good, or popular. The Bible says he often chooses the weak and the overlooked. God chooses out of pure grace—kindness no one earns.
We’ve seen that Jesus came to mend all creation. So does that mean every person is automatically saved? The Bible says no. Adam’s sin affected every person, but Jesus’s rescue belongs to those who are joined to him by faith. Our Bible verse talks about “those who receive” God’s overflowing grace and his gift.
Jesus said, “I am the vine and you are the branches.” Being united to Christ means being joined to him like that. A branch doesn’t make itself grow. It gets its life from the vine. When we trust Jesus, we are joined to him, and his life flows into us. Everything that belongs to him—his goodness, the forgiveness he won, his eternal life—becomes ours.
Maybe you’re wondering, “Am I chosen?” Here’s what Jesus promised: whoever comes to him, he will never turn away. If you want to trust Jesus, that wanting is itself a sign of God’s kindness at work in you. You don’t have to figure out God’s secret plans. You get to run to Jesus, who welcomes everyone who comes.
God’s choosing should make us humble, not proud—nobody earned it. And it should make us grateful and generous, eager to tell others that Jesus’s arms are open.
04 · WONDER TOGETHER
Let’s talk about it.
- How is God’s choosing different from being picked for a team?
- What does it mean to be joined to Jesus like a branch to a vine?
- Why should knowing God chose us by grace make us humble instead of proud?
Try answering one yourself first. “I don’t know yet” is a fine place to start a conversation.
05 · A LITTLE CHALLENGE
Carry the truth with you.
Try a vine-and-branch experiment. Cut a small leafy stem from a houseplant or bush (ask first!) and lay it on a windowsill with no water, next to the plant it came from. Check both each day. Talk about how the part that stays connected keeps living—just like we do when we’re joined to Jesus. And remember: Jesus holds on to his branches. He said no one can snatch his people out of his hand (John 10:28).
06 · TALK TO GOD
Let’s pray.
Gracious God, thank you for choosing your people out of love, not because of anything we’ve done. Thank you for Jesus’s promise that he will never turn away anyone who comes to him. Join us to Jesus like branches to a vine, and let his life grow in us. Make us humble, thankful, and eager to share your welcome. Amen.
Then invite everyone to add one thing they want to tell God.
07 · MAKE IT STICK
A little truth to learn by heart.
Lace your fingers together tightly as you say the part about being united to Christ by faith. Try to pull your hands apart—they hold! Say the whole answer three times, locking your fingers on that last part each time.
SAY IT. HIDE IT. TRY IT TOGETHER.
This week’s answer · New City Catechism Q27
No, only those who are elected by God and united to Christ by faith.
No streaks. No catching up. Just growing together.
Progress stays in this browser.Question 27 and its children’s answer are quoted from the official New City Catechism resource and were checked on September 29, 2026. The New City Catechism, Copyright © 2017 by The Gospel Coalition and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Published by Crossway. Devotional, prayer, and activities are original. Scripture translations are supplied through YouVersion when connected. The saved BSB reading matches the official Berean Standard Bible text; the Berean text is dedicated to the public domain.