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Money

  • Caesar or God

    Resources for Sunday School / Children's Church Kids (Matt 22 sermon 

    Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar - Give to God what belongs to God 22: 15-22

    Idea for Children’s Sermon:

    Show the children a coin and demonstrate how you can “flip a coin” and make a decision by guessing “Heads” or “Tails.” Explain how you can trick a person by saying “Heads I win, Tails you loose.” Tell the children about how some religious leaders tried to trick Jesus and get him in trouble with a coin. If the children are very young you might want to simply go with the idea that it was impossible for them to out-smart Jesus.
     
    (Note: R.T France, N.T. Wright and J. Nolland all have a slightly different take on this passage. You may want to adjust the ending to fit your own theological take on things. I would be very easy to confuse the kids with a bunch of religious theo-babble.)
     
    Complete Children’s sermon: 
    Good morning children! (Show them a coin.) Do you know what this is? That’s right. It is a quarter. When I was young, I played soccer. We would flip a coin in the air like this (demonstrate) to decide what team would start with the ball. This side of the coin (show them) would be “heads.” You can see the head of George Washington (or the Queen if you are in Canada). This other side we would call “tails.” One player would chose “heads” or “tails,” and then we would flip the coin to see which side landed face up. The winner of the coin toss would get to start the game and pick which side of the field to start begin. (Ask one of the children to make a choice and then flip the coin.) Your right! When I was young, we would often flip a coin if we needed to make a decision. Sometimes we would play a little trick on each other. Perhaps there were two of us and we had only one candy. We needed to flip a coin to see who was going to get the candy. However, the person would say, (listen carefully) “Heads I win – tails you loose.” Can you see that this would mean that the other person would always loose. It was a way of tricking the person.
     
    In our bible reading today some religious leaders tried to trick Jesus with a coin. They asked him if money should go to Caesar the ruler, or to God. Some of the people there felt money should go to Caesar and some felt it should not. They really wanted to trick Jesus and get him in trouble. However, Jesus was too smart for them. He said to them, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.” Jesus was letting them know that they could not trick him. He was the one in control. I think he was also reminding them that they had not been very faithful in offering their lives to God.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us always to use our money and everything we have to please you. We know that no one can trick you so help us to always be honest with you and your son Jesus. In Jesus’ name – Amen!


    Copyright 2011 Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett  - Feel free to use this on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site. Thank you! A.H.

  • Children' Sermon: Rich Man and Lazarus

     

    The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31


    Money won’t get you to heaven    

     Rich Man Lazarus
    Children’s Sermon idea: Bring in tools, instruments or other items and demonstrate their use. Highlight how they work very well for one use but not at all for another use. Show the children some money and explain how it can be used to purchase various item but that it doesn’t work at all as a means of getting into heaven.
    (Note: Theologians are divided on the central meaning of the Rich Man and Lazarus. For this reason and because I’m speaking to a very young audience I’m avoiding a discussion about heaven and hell. Please forgive me for using more theological leeway than usual.)
     
    Object lesson items: Suggestions: Guitar, toothbrush, money (bills and coins)
     
    5 Minute Kids Sermon:
     
    Good morning children. This morning I brought in some things to show you. I have a guitar, a toothbrush and some money. A guitar is very good a making a nice sound. (Play some chords.) But what if I wanted to use it to hammer a nail into the wall like this. (Pretend to hold the guitar and use it like a hammer.) That wouldn’t work at all! It’s good for playing music but it doesn’t work at all for hammering in nails. Look at this toothbrush. It works well for brushing my teeth. (Give a short demo.) However, what if I wanted to use it for a microphone? (Give a demon and pretend to speak into the toothbrush) Do you think it would work well? No! Of course it wouldn’t work. Now look what I have in this little bag. It’s money! Money is very useful because we can use it to buy things we need. We can use it to buy clothes, food, and gasoline for our cars. But what if I tried to use it to buy my way into heaven. Do you think it would work for that? No, of course not.
    In our bible reading today Jesus told a story about a rich man who had so much money he could buy anything he wanted. The sad part about the story is that he seemed to think that his money would get him into heaven. He was very wrong and he ended up far away from God. Money can buy all kinds of good things but it won’t get you into heaven. It just doesn’t work for that.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Thank you for the money that we have that can buy food, clothing and other important things, but help us always to remember that money can’t get us into heaven. Help us always to trust in your son Jesus for that.
     
    Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett   Feel free to use this story on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus and consider linking your church web site to this site. A.H.

  • Children's Sermon - God and Money

     

    Put God First!           You can’t serve God and money.    Bible talk  Luke 16:1-13

     
    Children’s Sermon / Lesson idea: Show some familiar items (eg: socks and shoes / putting on toothpaste then brushing, batteries and a flashlight) to the children and ask them “what comes first?” Stress the importance of putting things in the right order. Discuss God and Money and explain how Jesus said it was important to put God first in life.
     
    Object lessonitems: Shoes and socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, flashlight and some batteries, etc. (Use your imagination) Finally bring in some money and something to represent God (Perhaps a cross, a bible, etc.) 
     
    Short Children’s Sermon:
    Good morning children! I brought some things in this morning that you may have seen before. Look at this. I’ve got a sock and a shoe. What would you say if I put the shoe on first and then tried to put the sock on after? That’s right. That’s a silly thing to do. It doesn’t work. You have to get the order right. You need to know what comes first. Here is something else I brought with me this morning. I’ve got a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Do you brush your teeth in the morning? Good. That’s important to do. What if you brushed your teeth and then put on the tooth paste? Would that be a good idea? Of course not. It’s important to put the toothpaste on before you brush you teeth. You have to know what comes first. I have two other things with me this morning. I’ve got a flashlight and some batteries. If it was dark and I was in a hurry to get some light would it work to take the flashlight and leave the batteries behind? No, of course not. You have to put the batteries in the flashlight or else it won’t shine the light. The batteries have to go inside first. You have to get things in the right order and know what comes first. Now, I brought in two other things this morning. I’ve have a Cross that reminds us of God / Jesus and I’ve got this pot of money (Give it a jingle so they hear the money). Jesus said that it was very important to get these in the right order if life is going to work right. If we put money first in life we end up in all kinds of trouble. Jesus said that it was important to put God first and not worry too much about money. He wanted us to make sure we put things in the right order!
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us to always put you ahead of money or anything else in life. Thank you that life will work when we put you first. In Jesus’ name – Amen!
     

    Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett 2010. Feel free to use this talk on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site. Thanks. A.H

  • Children's sermon - Greed

    Greed– The Parable of the Rich Fool  Luke 12: 13-21  balloons picture   How to catch a Monkey with a penny and a jar. 

     
    Children’s sermon idea: (This public domain story / anecdote has been around for a long time but I do think it works.) Tell the children how you can catch a monkey with jar and a penny. Put a penny in a small mouth jar and attach it (the jar) to a post with a rope. Explain how the monkey will reach inside grabbing the penny with his fist. Because he is holding the penny in his fist he can’t get his hand out without letting go. He gets caught because he is too greedy to let go of the penny. Explain how Jesus warned about greed.
     
    Object lessonitems: A small mouth jar or vase, A Penny, A rope or piece of string to tie onto the jar.   monkey
     
    Full Children’s Story: Good morning children. This morning I want to explain to you how to catch a monkey. We don’t have a monkey here this morning so you’ll have to use your imagination. Do you see this jar? I’m going to take this jar and put a penny inside it like this. I’ll put the jar down here on the floor. Then I’m going to tie this rope to the jar. Good. That’s nice and tight. Then I’m going to hang on to the other end of the rope and behind this chair. I’ll explain how this works. If a monkey comes along and sees the penny inside he’ll say to himself. Hmm. I want to have that penny all to myself. So he reaches in and grabs the penny. (Show them with your hand.) He makes sure he is holding it very tightly in his hand. But when he tries to take his hand out he can’t remove it because he is making a fist holding on to the penny. He can’t get his hand out as long as he holds on to the penny. He could get away very easily if he just let go of the penny but he loves the money so much he just can’t let go. Then you just need to pull on this rope and you have caught a monkey with his hand in the jar. In our bible reading this morning form Luke chapter 12 Jesus warned about greed. Greed means hanging onto money very tightly so that you don’t seem to care about anything else. Like the monkey that gets caught by hanging on to money, we can also get trapped by money. We can be so concerned about hanging on to our money that we forget about other people in need and we can even forget about God. Jesus said that happiness is not found in having lots of money and lots of “things.”
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God. Thank you that all of us here this morning have enough food to eat and we have nice homes to live in too. Help us not to be greedy. Help us to be people who share what we have with others and put you first. Thank you that real happiness comes from following Jesus and knowing his love. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    A.H. Sundaychildrensfocus.com

  • Children's sermon - Treasure in Heaven

     

    Treasure in heaven         Kids Bible lesson: Luke 12:32-40   Eek

     
    moneyandtreasure
     
    Children’s sermon idea: Show the children some “treasured” items that are broken, moth eaten or rusted. Include a picture or drawing of something that was stolen. Remind the children how most of our earthly “treasures” don’t last. Explain how Jesus said we could live life His way and actually have treasure in heaven that would last for ever.
     
    Object lesson items: Worn out, moth eaten or rusted items; some representation of a stolen item;
    For dramatic effect: Consider have a garbage can that you can throw discarded items into.
     
    Children’s sermon: Good morning children. This morning I want to show you some of my favourite treasures. Look at this nice watch. This watch cost me a lot of money and it used to be one of my favourite little treasures. But a while ago I discovered it wasn’t working. It is completely broken and it can’t be fixed. I might as well throw it into the garbage. Look at this nice sweater. It was one of my favourite sweaters that I’ve been keeping safe in a storage closet. I was sure it was safe and sound, but look at this hole! Do you know what made this hole? Yes. It was a moth. Moths seem nice and gentle but they actually love to eat the material that this sweater is made of. Now my nice sweater is worthless. I might as well throw it out. Look at this wrench. I bought this a while ago but I left it outside in the rain and now it is so rusted up and it doesn’t work at all. I’ll throw that out too. Now I have one last item to show you. (Hold up a picture of an item that was stolen) Can you tell what this is a picture of? That’s right. It’s a picture of my favourite baseball mitt. I only can show you a picture because the real baseball mitt was stolen from me. I left it on a park bench for a few minutes and when I came back it was gone! Someone had stolen my nice baseball mitt.
    In our bible lesson today in Luke chapter 12, Jesus warns us that our earthly treasures don’t last forever. They can break down, rust out, get eaten by moths or can even be stolen. Because they don’t last, we certainly don’t want to spend all our time and energy worrying about those sorts of things. However, Jesus said that we could actually make treasures in heaven that will last forever. He said that when we live life Jesus’ way (Showing love to others, feeding the poor, telling others about Jesus and his love, etc.) we actually are storing up real treasure in heaven. I don’t know exactly what that treasure looks like but Jesus made it clear that these would be wonderful treasures that would last forever.
     
    Children’s prayer: Heavenly Father, Help us not to spend too much of our lives worrying about fancy treasures here on earth. Help us to live life Jesus’ way and have true treasure in heaven. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    Copyright 2010 sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett  Feel free to use this on a sunday morning but please give credit to sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider making a website link to this page. A.H.

  • Children's sermon Grace lavished on us

    “The Riches of God’s grace that he Lavished on us” Ephesians 1:8 -

    Gospel idea: Demonstrate visually what it means for God to “lavish” his grace and goodness on us. Show the children a serving tray with a plate, bowl and cup. Demonstrate how a very stingy person might give a very small portion. Then have fun filling everything to overflowing and explain that is how God lavishes is grace and love to overflow on us, his children.

    Objects needed: Plate, bowl and cup (and perhaps a tray underneath to catch any overflow) and some appropriate food items.

    Full Children’s Message: God morning children!  One of our bible readings this morning is from the book of Ephesians (NIV or ESV). In verse 8 of chapter 1 Paul says that God “lavished” his grace and goodness on us. That is a word you may or may not know. To lavish means to be super generous. It means to give to overflowing. Let me show you what I mean.  (Pull out your tray with the plate, bowl and cup).  Now, if you came over to my house for dinner and I gave you a very small portions like this (very carefully place a little bit of food /water in the containers.) How would you feel about that?

    Now, let’s see what it would look like if I decided to “lavishly” dish out the food. (Have fun pouring large quantities of food out. Make sure you really fill things up till they overflow.) To lavish a plate with food is to make it overflowing so there is more than enough.

    Now the bible says God “lavished” his grace, forgiveness, love and goodness on us. He has given us these things in abundance so that they can overflow in our lives.

    All of us have times when we feel sad and alone. However, if you are feeling that way remind yourselves that God’s love for us is lavished on us to overflowing. His grace (unmerited favor) towards us full to overflowing too.

    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, thank you that you are not stingy with your forgiveness, love and grace. Thank you that you lavish these on us so that they overflow from our lives into the lives of others. In Jesus’ name, Amen!  Feel free to use this on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and please "like" this page. 

    Grace lavished illusration

     

     

  • Children's sermon on the widow's mite

    Short Fun Children's Sermon on the Widow's offering  (or The Widow's Mite)

    Mark 12: 38-43 Children's message for Trinity 22 - a Widow's offering

    Children’s Sermon Idea: Spontaneous Drama: Have one of the children pour a large container of coins into a box. Add pomp and ceremony with the kids doing cheering, drum rolls and trumpets. Have another child come up and add two pennies. Discuss with the children the astounding truth that she actually gave more.
     Widows mite
     
    Object Lesson items: (1) Large jar with many coins. For the paper money you could use monopoly money if you have it. (2) Two pennies (3) Some box to serve as the treasury container. A metal box will produce better sound effects.
     
    Full Widow’s Mite Children’s Sermon: Good morning children. Today’s bible reading is from Mark 12 where we hear about people bringing offerings to the temple treasury. Some of the rich people liked to be noticed (or show off) when they gave large amounts of money. But this didn’t impress Jesus. I’ll show you what it was like that day. Here is a jar with a large amount of money in it. I need someone to pretend to be the rich person. Thank you Michael. The rest of you children can help celebrate as this large offering of money is put into this treasury box. Let’s practice doing a drum roll with our hands on the benches just like this. (Have a little drum roll practice) That’s great. Now, what would really draw attention to this great offering gift would be some trumpets. Let’s pretend to make the trumpets sound (da da da dat tad ah!). On that day in the temple there was also an older lady who was a poor widow. She was only able to give two small coins. I need another volunteer to be that poor lady. Thank you Carol. Here are two pennies. I’ll explain what to do when we come to your part.
    Let’s act it out now. One day Jesus was watching as people were putting money in the temple treasury. Rich people came and put in large sums of money. As Michael walks forward to give his huge offering lets do a drum roll. (Start the drum roll and get the children to follow along.) Now let’s sound the trumpets. (Start a trumpet call and get the children to follow along). Now Michael, impress us by pouring in your large offering. Let’s listen to see if the congregation is impressed. (Hopefully they will join in with Oooos and Wows as the money is poured into the box.) That was impressive. Then there was a poor widow who came up and put in two small coins. Hardly anyone noticed at all. (Motion to the girl to put in the small coins.) What is amazing about this event is that after Jesus saw this he told his disciples that it was this poor widow that gave the most of all! Jesus said that she gave all the money she had. The large sums of money looked impressive but it was really just extra money. In God’s eyes the poor widow actually gave more because she gave everything she had. If we could hear what was going on in heaven the loudest cheering would happen when the poor widow gave!
    Members of the congregation. Let’s give these children a hand for helping out so will with my little skit.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God. Help us to be generous in giving for your work. We may not be very rich but Jesus showed us that what little we give can actually be a lot in God’s eyes. If we ever do have large amounts of money to give, help us not to show off but rather be thankful to you for what we have. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen!
     
    Copyright Andrew Hewlett - Please use this on Sunday morning but link to this sight of "Like" us on facebook. Thank you!  A.H.

  • Children's sermon The Rich Fool

    Children’s talk on the Rich Fool Luke 12:13-21

    (This is a slightly different angle from the original parable but I think it still works)

    Rich Fool

    Children’s sermon idea overview: If you focus your life on accumulating stuff / things you won’t be able to do the work that God has for you: Have two people stand in front of the children. (You could use adult volunteers) Load the first person down with all kinds of “things” so they can barely move. Give just a few good things to the second person. Then ask the first to help you out with some act of compassion. (Putting on a band aid, helping a pretend injured person get up, etc.) They won’t be able to help you since they are carrying all that stuff. Get the second person to help you.

    Note: Make sure you don’t tell this in a way that condemns those who are blessed materially but are faithful stewards!

    Preparation: 2 volunteers (best to have adults who have been primed), various items to have the volunteers hold (For the first volunteer try to include lots of useless luxury items.)

    Full Children’s sermon: Good morning children! You’ll notice I have two adult volunteers to help me with my talk this morning. Our bible reading this morning from Luke 12 (13-21) Jesus tells a parable about a very foolish rich man who was not rich towards God. Watch this and it might help you to understand that parable. Now, Fred, I’m going to pretend that you spend all you time thinking about how to get lots of things in life. Maybe you spent all your time thinking about your comfort (Load them up with a big pillow, a tv remote, a box of gold (rocks!), etc. Keep going until they can barely move.) Now for my second volunteer. Maybe you don’t have quite as much. (Give then 2 or 3 things to hold).

    Look at these two people! There is quite a difference. No let’s pretend that someone is hurt here. Sally, would you lie down and pretend you’re hurt and need help. Now, Fred, can you come here and help this person out? No, I guess you can barely move! It looks like you are scared that you might have to let go of some of those things. Well let’s ask our second volunteer Brian. Look at that, he is free to kneel down and help right away. He wasn’t weighed down with so much stuff.

    Kids, God has provided lots of good things in life for us to enjoy. He wants us to enjoy those good things with thanksgiving. But we never want to spend all our time thinking about what we want and forget to think about God or ways to serve God. Whether we are rich or poor we always want to be rich towards God.

    Children’s prayer: Dear God, thank you for the many good things we have in life (food, clothing, toys etc.) No matter what we have, help us always to be rich to you by being generous to others and by living the way you want us to live. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    Copyright 2022 SundayChildrensFocus.com Feel free to use this but it would be great if you can give credit to this website and consider linking or “liking” this. Blessings – A.H.

  • Church Treasure

    Theme: The real treasure of the church is not gold and silver -

    (a Children's Sermonor an introduction for a Sunday School lesson)

     Church Treasure
     
    Props:Fancy box/container. A Bible (representing the Gospel). A picture of the congregation or church directory (something to represent the people)
     
    Basic idea for the Children's Sermon: The real treasure of your church is not a fancy golden trinket, it’s the Gospel and it’s the people that make up the congregation.
     
    Full Children's Sermon / Bible Lesson: Good morning girls and boys. This morning I want to show you something very special. This morning I’m going to show you the treasures of the church! Would you like to see the treasures? (Bring out a very fancy looking container. Get some of the children to hold onto the box and process (adding dome pomp and ceremony) to where you want them to sit down.) Inside this box are the most valuable treasures that our church has. (You might let the children guess what that is) Now this is so important I need the congregation to do a drum roll. (Get the people to tap on their chairs or thighs.) I also need some of you children to make the sound of a trumpet. (Show them how to pretend to make a trumpet call – dut dut dut duhhhh!)
    Now, have one of the children slowly open the box. What do you see? That’s right a bible and a picture of our congregation. (It’s a little anticlimactic) Now, this may not look like fancy gold or treasure but it is our most important treasure. This bible contains the Gospel – the good news of Jesus and his love. That is a priceless treasure. Without the Gospel we would be lost. It’s so important the we never forget what Jesus did for us.
    Now this picture represents the other great treasure. It’s the people that make up the church. Each one here, and that includes each of you, are very precious – much more precious that gold or silver. The people are the other great treasure of our church.
    We might not seem like a fancy or wealthy church but I think we have the most valuable treasures in the whole world; we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we have all the peoplehere that make up the family of God.
     
    Children's Prayer: Lord, thank you for these two great treasures. Help us always to be thankful for your great love and help us to be ready to share the Good News of Jesus with others. Also, thank you God for our family and friends in the family of God – each person is a precious treasure too.
     
    Copyright sundaychidrensfocus 2009

     

     

     

     

     

  • Fund Raising Ideas for Youth Ministry

    Fundraising for Sunday school and Youth Group 

     
    Sunday school and youth group fund raising ideas   

    Raise money for    :
    - A mission trip
    - Sponsoring a child a 3rd world country (Ministry of Compassion)
    - Trip to Praise Fest
    - Raise money for a local food bank
    - Purchase equipment for Sunday School or to enhance Youth Ministry
     
    (NOTE: In the past I felt that all funding for youth events should come directly from fellowship. However, now I've seen how this can be such a posative learning experience for kids.Fund raising can teach initiative, financial stewarship, team buildingand many other important lessons of the Christian life.)

    Raise money with a Car Wash --  
       Have Fun!(If you want to be successful you have to have fun! If you have lots of water and youth you will have fun.)
    - Builds community
    - Great connections with church fellowship (Church members will be your number 1 customers.)
    - Great PR in the community (Make sure you have some big signs that can’t be missed.)
    - Lets members of the congregation know there are financial needs (You will often get donations.)
    - TIP: Make the car wash by donation. This really gives a sense of blessing your customers. It will be more profitable that if you charged a set fee.
     
    -- Raise money with Bake Sales – Even young kids bake goodies. You might consider teaming up older members of the congregation to assist in preparation.
     
    -- Sponsor students to: 
          Run a marathon
          Fast or 24 hr famine
           Help paint the church
     
    -- Use youth group members skill to serve the community. Remuneration by donation.
        Prepare a list of young people available to use their gifts. This could also be done as a silent auction.
     
    -- Gift wrapping -- The local mall may donate space if the funds go to a good cause.
     
    -- Raise money with hot dog sales after church – Our youth group does this. They make tons of money by setting a BBQ just outside the back door of the church on Sunday.
     
    -- Professional fund raising companies: Not my first choice but they can be effective. You need plan well and make sure you keep good records.
    - Candy bars, chocolate almonds, cookie dough, etc.
    - Coupon booklets and scratch cards
    - Candle fundraising
     
    -- Talent Night Fund Raiser –  Showcase the gifts that your kids have. Sell tickets. Build up your kids self esteen, have fun, and raise money for a good cause!
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  • Jesus and the rich young ruler


    5 minute Children's Sermon: Rich young ruler    

    Children’s sermon idea: It has been said that you can catch a monkey by putting a penny in a jar that is fastened to a cord. The monkey will reach in to get the penny but his clenched fist cannot fit out through the small opening. He just cannot let go of the money so he stays stuck. This is just like the account of the rich young ruler in Mark chapter 10.

     
    Objects: vase or jar with a small opening, a penny or some other coin, small piece of string
     
    Full children’s sermon:
    Good morning children.  Our bible reading this morning is about a young rich man that loved his money so much that he couldn’t let go of it in order to follow Jesus. The bible says that this man just couldn’t let go of his money and that he went away very sad. This bible story reminds me of something else I head a while ago. It is about a way to catch a monkey. I’ve never done this before but I will tell you how it is supposed to work. First of all you get a small jar like this one here and you tie a piece of string around it. Then you get a penny or other coin like this one here and you put it inside. You then hold onto the string and hide around the corner so that you can’t be seen. I show you what then happens. I’ve been told that if a monkey comes by and sees the penny in the jar it will reach inside to get it. When it clenches its fist to hold onto the penny he can’t get his arm outside. It’s stuck because the clenched fist with the penny won’t fit through the opening of the jar. Now you might think that it would be easy to get away. The monkey could simply let go of the coin and then his hand could come out easily. However, most monkeys love holding on to the money and don’t want to let go – and they are trapped. Then you can pull the rope and you have caught the monkey. Now children, I have never done this before but it seems like it might work. Humans can be a little bit like this monkey too. The rich young man in today’s bible story could not let go of his money. Jesus said that he had to let go of his money if he was going to be a disciple. Jesus loved him and wanted him to experience his wonderful new life but unfortunately he just could not let go of his money.
     
    Children’s prayer: Dear God, help us to always to remember that following you and knowing your love is so much greater than all the money in the world. Thank you that we have money for buying the things we need. Yet, may money never trap us and keep us from following you. Amen!

  • Kids Sermon Riches in Heaven

     

     

    Riches in Heaven    Luke 12: 32-40    

     
    Kids Object lesson:  Use a piggy bank or money jar to demonstrate how to save up money. Explain that it is even more important to store up treasure in heaven by living the life Jesus wants us to live.
     
    Object lesson items: A piggy bank, money jar or purse.
     
    Full Kids sermon / Sunday School talk:  Good morning children! Do you know what this is? That's right! It's a piggy bank. When I was younger I used a piggy bank like this to save up money. Perhaps there was a special toy that I really wanted to buy. If I had some money like this coin, I would put it in this slot at the top and drop it in. When I wondered if I had enough money saved up I would shake it like this (give a demonstration) and listen to the coins jingling around. Saving up money is a good thing. We certainly don't want to waste money. However, in our bible reading today from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus said that there was another place we should always be saving up riches and treasure. That special place is heaven. We can't see this place called heaven, but Jesus said it's real and that one day he will welcome us into that wonderful place. Jesus said that when we live the life that God wants us to live (give some examples – showing love, helping those in need, etc) we are actually saving up riches and treasure in heaven. Jesus said that heaven is the most important place to store up riches. He also said that it is the safest place of all because no one can steal it way. So, I hope you will be wise and save up some money here on earth. But I hope you will be very wise and save up treasures in heaven by living the life that Jesus wants us to live.
     
    Children's Prayer: Dear God, show us how we can follow Jesus and live a life of love and service to others. That way we can know that we saving up riches and treasures in heaven – the most important place of all. In Jesus' name, Amen!
     
    Copyright 2013 Andrew Hewlett and Sundaychildrensfocus.com    Feel free to use this kids talk at church or youth group but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com   Please consider linking your church web site to this site. Thank you!

  • Render Unto Caesar - Render unto God

    Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s – Matthew 22 21 -

     Giving to Caesar and Giving to God – Matthew 22 -

    Overview:

    In this object lesson, use jars and coins to help children understand the concept of "Rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar's" from Matthew 22. The lesson aims to teach children about the importance of fulfilling their civic responsibilities while also remembering their spiritual duties. I believe it’s also important to include the idea that we are stewards of all that God entrust to us. Note: You could also include the idea that the religious leaders tried to trick Jesus.

    Materials:

    • Two clear jars or containers, labeled "Caesar" and "God."
    • Coins (real or play money).
    • Bible (Matthew 22:15-22).

    Interactive Text for Children:

    Teacher: Today, we're going to learn an important lesson from the Bible about giving to Caesar and giving to God. Do any of you know what "Caesar" means?

    Child: (Responds)

    Teacher: Great! Caesar was like a king or a leader in the Bible times, and he wanted people to give him money, just like our government collects money from us today. The government uses the money to build roads, provide drinking water and many other important things.

    Now, I have two jars here. (Show the labeled jars) This one says "Caesar," and this one says "God." (Point to each jar as you say its name. Under the label “God” write; giving to our church, giving to missionaries, helping the poor etc.Under the label on the jar named “Caesar” write: building roads, providing for the leaders of our country, etc. Ask the children if they understand this.

    Child: (Answers may vary)

    Teacher: We're going to use these jars to learn a lesson about money and responsibilities. The Bible tells us that everything we have belongs to God. So, we should give a part of what we have to God to show our love and thankfulness and to support His church (Place some coins in the "God" jar)

    Child: (Observe and engage)

    Teacher: But, the Bible also says that we should give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. In our time, Caesar means our government, and we give them money to help our community and our country become a better place. (Place some coins in the "Caesar" jar)

    Child: (Observe and engage)

    Teacher: Now, let's try something fun! I'm going to give each of you some coins. (Distribute coins) You can decide whether you want to put your coins in the "Caesar" jar or the "God" jar. If you put it in the "Caesar" jar, it's like paying taxes to help our country. If you put it in the "God" jar, it's like showing love and thanks to God. Perhaps you want to give some to each.

    Child: (Children place their coins in the jars)

    Teacher: Great job, everyone! Just like we've learned, it's essential to give to both Caesar and God. By paying our taxes, we help make our community better, and by showing love and thanks to God, we strengthen our faith, help the family of God (our church) and our missionaries.

    Child: (Engage in a short discussion or questions, if time permits)

    Teacher: Let's close with a simple prayer. Dear God, thank you for all the blessings you give us. You are the owner of everything and everything we have is yours. Help us to be responsible and caring citizens by giving to Caesar and giving to you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

  • Sunday school resources - Parable of the talents

    Sunday School Resource: Children's Sermon/    
     

    Object lesson on the Parable of the Talents  Matt 2514-30

    buried gifts

    (I just remembered it is Shoe Box(Samaritan's Purse) Sunday at our church. I'm going to substitude the first-aid kit for a Shoe Box gift box.)

    Children’s talk idea: Show the children a first-aid kit, discuss its contents and demonstrate how items are used to help an injured person. Discuss how tragic it would be to refuse to open it up and use the contents for good. We are a bit like the first-aid kit. God has given us talents and abilities that need to be opened up and used. How tragic it would be to “play it safe” and not share what we have. Discuss the parable of the talents and the danger of burying what has been entrusted to us.
     
    Object lesson items: A small first aid kit. If it is new (wrapped up and sealed) all the better.
     
    Children’s Sunday School Sermon:
    Good morning children! Have you ever seen a box like this? Do you know what it is? That’s right! It is a first-aid kit. What are some things that might be inside? Let’s open it up and look inside. It’s all nicely wrapped up so I will have to remove this plastic first. Look how nice and neat it is inside. (Examine the contents and discuss how various items could be used to help an injured person. You might have one of the children pretend to be injured.) Now, what if this first-aid kit was so special to me that I was afraid to open it up and use it? (Clutch the first-aid kit in your arms.) What if I said to myself, “I only have 5 band-aids and I don’t want to use them up”? Or, “The kit is so neat and tidy, I don’t want it to get messed up.” Or, “I’m going to keep it safe by wrapping it up and burying it over here in a safe place.” That would be very sad. The parent of that child would be angry that we cared more about keeping my kit safe than helping their child.
     
    This is a bit like today’s bible reading, the parable of the talents. In this parable, the master gave money to his servants. He wanted them to use money for good. Some of the servants put the money to good use but one of the servants buried it in the ground. He was keeping it safe but it certainly didn’t help anyone. He was a bit like someone who was afraid to open up his first-aid kit. God has given each of you special gifts, talents and abilities. (You could give some examples.) It is important that you use what you have for good. Like this first-aid kit, we have gifts and talents that we can use to help others. We certainly don’t want to hold them all inside and keep them from being used. What’s amazing is that Jesus actually said we would end up having more when we give our gifs away. Now that is a miracle!
     
    Children's Prayer: Dear God, thank you that each of us has gifts and abilities we can use to help others. Help us to open up our lives and share those good things with others in need. In Jesus’ name – Amen!


    Copyright 2011 Sundaychildrensfocus.com    Andrew Hewlett   Feel free to use this on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus and consider linking to this site.  Thank you!  A.H.

  • The Widows Mite and the Remembrance Day Poppy

     

    The  Widows Offering (Mite) Mark 12:38-44 including a message for Veterans / Remembrance Day.   

     
    Kids Sermon idea:  Hold up 2 small pennies and explain how they remind you of the widow in Mark chapter 12 who  “Gave everything she had.” Hold up a poppy and explain how this reminds you of soldiers who “gave everything they had.”
     Remembrance day poppy
    Object lesson items:  2 pennies or cooper coins and a Remembrance Day poppy. (or other Veterans Day item)
     
    Childrens Sermon:
     
    Good morning children! Look what I have here this morning. In this hand you can see that I have 2 small pennies. In this other hand you can see that I have a red poppy.
    The two pennies here remind me of the poor widow mentioned by Jesus in the 12th chapter on Mark. People were giving large amount of money into the offering box at the temple (their “church”). A poor older widow then put in 2 small pennies. These two pennies were not worth very much but Jesus said that she gave more than everyone else. Jesus said that she gave the most because she gave everything she had! So this morning, these 2 pennies remind me of this poor widow who was so generous that she gave everything she had.
     
    This poppy also reminds me of some people who gave everything they had. This poppy reminds us of the men and women who gave their lives so that we could live in freedom. The red colour of the poppy reminds us of soldiers’ blood. Today is Veterans Day (Remembrance Day) and we remember the many men and women who fought and died in the great wars. We thank God that they gave everything they had so that we could live in peace.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the faith of this elderly widow who was willing to give everything she had to God. We also thank you God for the men and women who died at war so that we could live in freedom and peace. 
     
    Copyright - Andrew Hewlett 2018 Please use this on Sunday morning but please "Like" on facebook or link to this site. Blessings, A.H.