Think with me for a minute about your school supplies at the END of last school year. What did they look like? Did they look like the same supplies that you took on the first day of school?   No way!!! If you are like my kids, they ended up coming home with a dirty looking pencil box full of broken erasers, half pieces of crayons, and dull markers. Everything they had started school with looked a little worn out by the end of the year.   Thankfully, the beginning of a new school year means a fresh set of school supplies. And honestly, the new school supplies is probably my favorite part of starting school.   The picture of the old worn out school supplies and then the fresh set of school supplies is similar to what happens in our life when we become a Christian. You see, before we come to know and follow Jesus, our hearts are like the old dingy supplies. Rough and used and worn down by sin.   But, the Bible tells us that when we come to know and follow Jesus then we become like those brand new school supplies! He makes us new! How? Because of Jesus’ love for us and because He has the power to make our hearts new!   Don’t believe me? Listen to this! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Can’t you hear the excitement in that verse?! I think Jesus gets so excited to see someone’s heart go from old to new. From dirty, old and worn out to bright, shiny, and fresh.   So, here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and there’s no wrong answer to these. The point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it! What do you think it means to be a new creation in Christ? Why do you think God would want us to be a new creation? Now, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. Oh, and since we are about to start school where you’ll have to use inside voices, let’s take this opportunity to use a crazy loud voice when you repeat after me. Just to send summer out with a bang and get us excited about starting school. Okay, repeat after me in your loudest voice. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17