The Offering
Children's sermon
Object: A small “money bag” filled with coins, and two additional pennies. A fancy-looking piece of cloth, and an old, worn-out piece of cloth for children to wear as robes or shawls.
NOTE: For the roleplay, for the most fun, pick children you know can ham it up a bit to be your characters.
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. (vv. 41-42)
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) I have another story for you today, okay? (Let them respond.) Great!
This story is about a day Jesus was visiting the temple in Jerusalem, watching people who were coming there to give their offerings. They didn’t give their offerings like we do today. They didn’t have people pass a plate around so we could put our offering in it, but everyone walked up to the altar, and one at a time they put their offering on the altar. Today, the people had come to give their offering to help other people. It was a really big crowd, and there were all kinds of people there. But instead of me just telling you the story, I think it might be more fun if we roleplay it, okay? (Let them respond.) Great! Let’s do it!
We can all be a part of the story, so let’s all stand up in a line like we are waiting to put our offerings on our altar here. (Have the children stand and get in a line.) But, to tell the full story, I am going to need a couple of volunteers. Would anyone like to volunteer? (Let them respond and pick one child to play the rich man. Give the rich man the “money bag” and help them wrap the nice cloth around their shoulders as you continue.)
You are going to play the part of a man who was giving his offering. He is a very rich man. He wore fancy clothes, carried a bag filled with money, and he walked around like he was very, very important. (Have the child stand and walk like he was someone very important.) He believed he was important, too. When he went to parties, he sat at the head of the table and was served his food before anyone else. When he came to the temple, he didn’t wait in line with the other people, but usually just walked past the others and went straight up to the altar. (Have the child move through the others and walk to the front of the line.) And before he put his gift on the altar, he always said a prayer. And boy, did he say a prayer! He stood up nice and tall, raised his arms and looked up to the sky and said his prayer loud enough so everyone in the temple could hear it. (Have the child raise their arms, look up, and say “Hello God! It’s me!” very loudly.) The man was important, and he wanted everyone to know that he was praying.
When he finished praying, he pulled out his moneybag and held it up so everyone could see how full it was. (Have the child do that.) Then he lifted the bag, poured out a handful of coins into his hand, and put them on the altar. (Have the child do that, making a big show of it.) Then everyone watched him as he walked away, looking very proud. (Have him walk away.)
Now I need another volunteer. (Let them respond and pick one child to play the poor woman. Have the poor woman hold the two pennies in her right hand, and help them wrap the worn-out cloth around their shoulders as you continue.)
Then Jesus saw a woman walking to the altar. She didn’t look very important at all. Her clothes were old and worn out. Her sandals were old and worn-out. She waited for her turn in line, and as she walked very slowly to the altar she was all bent over and looked very, very tired. (Have the child walk and stand like she is old and very tired.) Some of the other people shook their heads when they saw her because she looked so poor and unimportant. And as she walked, she held the fist of her right hand tightly closed and held it close to her heart. (Have the child do that.)
When she got to the altar, she didn’t look around, but just looked at her right hand as she opened her fist and then looked at the two pennies inside it. (Have the child do that.) Then she slowly took the two pennies and carefully put them on the altar. (Have the child do that.) She stood there looking at her small gift for a few seconds, then turned and slowly walked away. (Have the child do that.)
As she walked away, Jesus called to his disciples, “Did you see that?”, he said. “Did you see THAT?”
The disciples didn’t understand, so Jesus said, “That poor old woman just gave a gift that was greater than any gift anyone else has given today!”
That sounds funny, doesn’t it? The rich man gave a whole handful of money, and the woman just gave two pennies, but Jesus said her gift was greater. Does anyone understand what Jesus meant? (Let them respond.)
Jesus said the rich man might have given a bigger offering of more money, but it wasn’t really all that big for him, since he still had a lot more money in his moneybag. He had just given enough to make it look like he was so important.
“But she,” Jesus said, “she gave everything she had in the world to live on.” She gave everything she had, not so she would look important, but because she believed that God wanted her to help take care of other people.
Which one showed they cared the most about other people, the rich man or the poor, old woman? (Let them respond.)
Yes, the poor, old woman did, didn’t she? She believed that God wanted her to do whatever she could do to help others, so she gave as much as she could give. I’ll bet it was scary for her, don’t you? (Let them respond.) But she believed that if she helped take care of others, God would somehow take care of her, too.
I hope you will remember how much God loves you, and how much God wants us to love others and do as much as we can to help take care of other people.
Let’s have our prayer and ask God to help us remember to do the things God wants us to do to take care of each other.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. Please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
NOTE: For the roleplay, for the most fun, pick children you know can ham it up a bit to be your characters.
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. (vv. 41-42)
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) I have another story for you today, okay? (Let them respond.) Great!
This story is about a day Jesus was visiting the temple in Jerusalem, watching people who were coming there to give their offerings. They didn’t give their offerings like we do today. They didn’t have people pass a plate around so we could put our offering in it, but everyone walked up to the altar, and one at a time they put their offering on the altar. Today, the people had come to give their offering to help other people. It was a really big crowd, and there were all kinds of people there. But instead of me just telling you the story, I think it might be more fun if we roleplay it, okay? (Let them respond.) Great! Let’s do it!
We can all be a part of the story, so let’s all stand up in a line like we are waiting to put our offerings on our altar here. (Have the children stand and get in a line.) But, to tell the full story, I am going to need a couple of volunteers. Would anyone like to volunteer? (Let them respond and pick one child to play the rich man. Give the rich man the “money bag” and help them wrap the nice cloth around their shoulders as you continue.)
You are going to play the part of a man who was giving his offering. He is a very rich man. He wore fancy clothes, carried a bag filled with money, and he walked around like he was very, very important. (Have the child stand and walk like he was someone very important.) He believed he was important, too. When he went to parties, he sat at the head of the table and was served his food before anyone else. When he came to the temple, he didn’t wait in line with the other people, but usually just walked past the others and went straight up to the altar. (Have the child move through the others and walk to the front of the line.) And before he put his gift on the altar, he always said a prayer. And boy, did he say a prayer! He stood up nice and tall, raised his arms and looked up to the sky and said his prayer loud enough so everyone in the temple could hear it. (Have the child raise their arms, look up, and say “Hello God! It’s me!” very loudly.) The man was important, and he wanted everyone to know that he was praying.
When he finished praying, he pulled out his moneybag and held it up so everyone could see how full it was. (Have the child do that.) Then he lifted the bag, poured out a handful of coins into his hand, and put them on the altar. (Have the child do that, making a big show of it.) Then everyone watched him as he walked away, looking very proud. (Have him walk away.)
Now I need another volunteer. (Let them respond and pick one child to play the poor woman. Have the poor woman hold the two pennies in her right hand, and help them wrap the worn-out cloth around their shoulders as you continue.)
Then Jesus saw a woman walking to the altar. She didn’t look very important at all. Her clothes were old and worn out. Her sandals were old and worn-out. She waited for her turn in line, and as she walked very slowly to the altar she was all bent over and looked very, very tired. (Have the child walk and stand like she is old and very tired.) Some of the other people shook their heads when they saw her because she looked so poor and unimportant. And as she walked, she held the fist of her right hand tightly closed and held it close to her heart. (Have the child do that.)
When she got to the altar, she didn’t look around, but just looked at her right hand as she opened her fist and then looked at the two pennies inside it. (Have the child do that.) Then she slowly took the two pennies and carefully put them on the altar. (Have the child do that.) She stood there looking at her small gift for a few seconds, then turned and slowly walked away. (Have the child do that.)
As she walked away, Jesus called to his disciples, “Did you see that?”, he said. “Did you see THAT?”
The disciples didn’t understand, so Jesus said, “That poor old woman just gave a gift that was greater than any gift anyone else has given today!”
That sounds funny, doesn’t it? The rich man gave a whole handful of money, and the woman just gave two pennies, but Jesus said her gift was greater. Does anyone understand what Jesus meant? (Let them respond.)
Jesus said the rich man might have given a bigger offering of more money, but it wasn’t really all that big for him, since he still had a lot more money in his moneybag. He had just given enough to make it look like he was so important.
“But she,” Jesus said, “she gave everything she had in the world to live on.” She gave everything she had, not so she would look important, but because she believed that God wanted her to help take care of other people.
Which one showed they cared the most about other people, the rich man or the poor, old woman? (Let them respond.)
Yes, the poor, old woman did, didn’t she? She believed that God wanted her to do whatever she could do to help others, so she gave as much as she could give. I’ll bet it was scary for her, don’t you? (Let them respond.) But she believed that if she helped take care of others, God would somehow take care of her, too.
I hope you will remember how much God loves you, and how much God wants us to love others and do as much as we can to help take care of other people.
Let’s have our prayer and ask God to help us remember to do the things God wants us to do to take care of each other.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. Please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
