First Thoughts: When we focus on the temporary nature of the world, we risk frightening the children. So we want to balance that lesson with the promise of the permanent presence and care of God in our lives. It's a lesson many of us can probably use. Many of us spend a lot of time and energy investing in things that have no permanence. Of course, much of this investment is an appropriate and necessary part of living, but it is also important that we refrain from becoming too attached. Instead we can adopt an open-handed approach to life, knowing that all things will pass away and keeping open hands to allow it, but also knowing that new things are always coming and keeping open hands to receive it. Living open-handed is the posture of a strong faith; we trust that whatever comes and goes in God's care is constant. In preparation for your lesson today, spend a day or so practicing this open-handed spirituality. As you go through your day hold each experience lightly. Know that good experiences need to be savored in this moment, since they don't last; but bad experiences need not be feared because they too will pass. See if you can get in touch with a sense of deep peace beneath the surface, where you know and trust that God is holding you.
Teaching On Your Own: (bandages indicating mild injury) Hey everybody. See these bandages? I was sort of in an accident. My friends and I were building a tree house yesterday, but I guess the floor wasn't hammered well enough, because we all fell through. Nobody was really hurt, just banged up a little so that's good. I just don't understand. It looked just like the floor in my room, and that floor's never fallen through. Why do you think that is? Maybe my house was built by people who had more experience in building something to last. What do you think? It reminds me of something Jesus says in our lesson today.
Some people were talking about the temple, how beautiful and amazing it was. Jesus told them that there would come a day when the entire temple would just be a pile of stones. He wanted them to understand that even something important like the temple was made by human hands and wouldn't stand forever. I know that's true about my tree house, but it's actually true for anything anybody builds. Even this building we are in right now won't last forever. Jesus didn't want his friends to be confused about what is most important in life. Most important are the things that last. Can you think of something that lasts forever? What about God? God is the master builder, but God doesn't use wood, hammers, and nails. God uses love. Maybe that means I should just give up on the tree house, but I still really want to build it. Maybe it's okay to build a new floor, as long as I realize that no matter how strong it is it won't last forever. What will last is the time of fun and sharing I have with your friends while we're building it. That settles it -- we're going to build the floor again. This time, though, I think I will ask someone to help me who has more building experience. I mean, I know the floor won't last forever, but it'd be nice if it can last for longer than just one day.
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 has bandages on body, indicating some kind of minor injury)
Leader 1: Oh my goodness! Were you in an accident?
Leader 2: Sort of. My friends and I were building a tree house, but I guess the floor wasn't hammered well enough.
Leader 1: Oh no! Did you fall through?
Leader 2: Yep, all of us. Nobody was really hurt, just banged up a little.
Leader 1: I'm so glad.
Leader 2: I don't understand. It looked just like the floor in my room, and that floor's never fallen through.
Leader 1: I'm guessing that your house was built by people who had more experience in building something to last. It reminds me of something Jesus says in our lesson today. Some people were talking about the temple, how beautiful and amazing it was. Jesus told them that there would come a day when the entire temple would be a pile of stones. He wanted them to understand that even something important like the temple was made by human hands and wouldn't stand forever.
Leader 2: So it's not just my tree house then?
Leader 1: Right. Even this building we are in right now won't last forever. Jesus didn't want his friends to be confused about what is most important in life. Most important are the things that last.
Leader 1: Like what?
Leader 2: Like God. God is the master builder, but God doesn't use wood, hammers, and nails. God uses love.
Leader 1: Does that mean I should just give up on the tree house then?
Leader 2: It doesn't mean you should give up on building things. But realize while you're building, even if you build a better floor, the tree house one day won't be there. What will last is the time of fun and sharing you have with your friends while you're building it.
Leader 1: We did have fun building it the first time. Maybe we'll have another go at it.
Leader 2: This time, though, maybe you should ask for help from someone who has more building experience.
Leader 1: Yeah. I know the floor won't last forever, but it'd be nice if it can last for longer than just one day.
Closing Prayer: Thank you, God, for reminding us that although other things may fall apart, your love for us is forever. Help us to invest our lives in sharing our love with other people, so that what we do will last forever too. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, provide the children with building blocks. Give them a chance to build different structures, then knock them all down. Ask how it feels for them when a structure is knocked down. It's probably different depending on how long it takes to do the building. Something we build quickly and with little effort probably doesn't bother us when it is knocked down. But if you spent a day or a week or a year building something, you might feel differently about it. In our story today, the people were admiring the temple, a beautiful building that took a long time to build and cost a lot of money. The thought of this structure being destroyed was probably upsetting to them. But Jesus wanted them to realize that even if they invested time in the building, they didn't need to invest their hearts. Their hearts should be invested in offering love and care to others. Loving others is something you can't see, so it's easy for us to forget how important it is. But those things that are invisible to our eyes are very visible with God.
For a craft idea, print out the template with this lesson and making enough copies for each child. Give the children a chance to color and cut out the "heart" dollars. Then encourage them to think of loving things they can do that have eternal importance in God's eyes. These might be forgiving someone who hurts us, helping out with chores at home, being kind to someone who is lonely or sad, and so forth. Ask them to think about how valuable these acts are and to pick which "heart" dollar would match that act. They can then either describe that idea on the back of the dollar in words or draw a picture. Close with a time of prayer.
