Single lesson
Ephesians 1: Paul’s Greeting to the Ephesians
Ephesians 1:1–2; Ephesians 1:3–14; Ephesians 1:15–23
Ephesians 1 begins with Paul’s greeting, then a long praise to God for blessings in Christ, and then a prayer for believers to know God better. This lesson helps children notice what God gives, what Paul prays, and how Jesus is described.
Before you teach
In Ephesians 1:1–2, Paul greets the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus with grace and peace. In Ephesians 1:3–14, he praises God for spiritual blessings in Christ. In Ephesians 1:15–23, he says he thanks God for their faith and love, and prays for wisdom, hope, inheritance and power.
Students will be able to name at least three blessings or truths from Ephesians 1 and explain one way Paul’s prayer fits the chapter.
Welcome: Grace and peace
4 minWelcome children and introduce today’s reading as a letter opening that quickly grows into praise and prayer. Read Ephesians 1:1–2 aloud. Explain that Paul calls the readers saints and faithful in Christ Jesus, then greets them with grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask children to listen for repeated words as the chapter continues.
Ephesians 1:1, Ephesians 1:2
Read and explain: What God has given in Christ
9 minRead Ephesians 1:3–14 in small parts. Help children spot what God has done in Christ: blessed believers, chose them to be holy, adopted them as children through Jesus Christ, gave redemption and forgiveness, and sealed believers with the promised Holy Spirit. Point out the repeated idea that this brings praise to God’s glory.
Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 1:5, Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 1:14
Discuss: Paul’s thankful prayer
6 minRead Ephesians 1:15–19. Explain that Paul heard about their faith in the Lord Jesus and love toward all the saints, so he gave thanks and prayed. Help children notice what Paul asks for in these verses: that they know God, know the hope of his calling, know the riches of his inheritance, and know his great power toward believers.
Ephesians 1:15, Ephesians 1:16, Ephesians 1:17, Ephesians 1:18, Ephesians 1:19
Make and respond: Reminder card of one key truth
7 minChildren choose one short truth from the passage to place on a reminder card, such as grace and peace, forgiveness, hope, or Jesus is head over all things for the assembly. Encourage them to add a simple drawing and say why this truth matters in the chapter. Share cards with a partner using the words of the text where possible.
Ephesians 1:2, Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 1:18, Ephesians 1:22
Closing: Jesus above all
4 minFinish by reading Ephesians 1:20–23. Explain that the same power Paul mentions is shown in Christ being raised from the dead and seated above all rule, authority, power and dominion. Jesus is head over all things for the assembly. Review the lesson by asking children to say one blessing, one part of Paul’s prayer, and one truth about Jesus.
Ephesians 1:19, Ephesians 1:20, Ephesians 1:21, Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 1:23
Questions to explore
Which words in Paul’s greeting show what he wants the readers to receive from God?
Look closely at the blessing in the opening greeting and name the two gifts Paul speaks over them.
Ephesians 1:2
What are some of the blessings named in Ephesians 1:3–14, and which one stands out most to you from the passage?
Use the actual words of the verses, such as adoption, redemption, forgiveness, inheritance, or being sealed with the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:5, Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 1:11, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 1:14
What does Paul pray believers will know, and how does that match what he has already said about Christ?
Connect Paul’s prayer for wisdom, hope, inheritance and power with the earlier praise for God’s work in Christ.
Ephesians 1:17, Ephesians 1:18, Ephesians 1:19, Ephesians 1:20
Make, think or respond
Ephesians 1 Reminder Card
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or textas
- Bible text
- scissors
Try it together
- Ask each child to choose one truth from Ephesians 1, such as grace and peace, forgiveness, hope, inheritance, or Jesus is head over all things.
- Fold or cut paper into a small card and write the key phrase or verse reference on the front.
- Draw a simple symbol that matches the truth, such as a heart for love, a seal shape for the Holy Spirit, or a crown for Jesus’ authority.
- On the back, write one sentence explaining how that truth fits the chapter.
- Invite children to show their card and read their sentence to a partner or the group.
The card helps children remember that Ephesians 1 moves from greeting, to blessings in Christ, to a prayer that believers would know these truths more deeply.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, pre-select 3 short phrases from the passage and let them choose one to copy and illustrate.
- For older or stronger readers, ask them to find repeated phrases such as in Christ or to the praise of his glory and explain why repetition matters in the chapter.
An optional closing prayer
You may pray: Father, thank you for grace and peace. Thank you for blessing your people in Christ. Please help us know you better, understand the hope of your calling, and remember that Jesus is above all. Amen.
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Ephesians 1
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love,
5 having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,
6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved.
7 In him we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
10 to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in him.
11 We were also assigned an inheritance in him, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will,
12 to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ.
13 In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.
15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you and the love which you have toward all the saints,
16 don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might
20 which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.
22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.