Two Kingdoms
Children's sermon
Object: A cut-out Roman denarius. Go here to download printable PDF.
Note: For added fun, you can do a simple role-play of this message. When you introduce the Pharisees, pick a couple of children to stand and look mean and bully-like as they watch the others in the story. Then, as you introduce each group of workers, pick a couple of children to stand and pretend they are picking grapes. Have fun with it!
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great!
One day, Jesus and his friends were on their way to Jerusalem, and when they got to the town of Jericho a big crowd of people came to see him. Jesus saw that some of them were very sick, some could not walk, and some were blind, and they had all come to see if Jesus would help them. So, he did. Everyone was excited as Jesus healed each one of them.
Well, not everyone. Jesus saw some others in the crowd, too. Do you know who he saw? (Let them respond.) It was those Pharisees again. Do you remember the Pharisees? (Let them respond as you select a couple of children to stand and be the Pharisees.) They were the very important religious leaders from Jerusalem. They believed that if someone was sick, blind, hungry, or poor, God was punishing them for something and wanted them to be sick, blind, hungry, or poor. The Pharisees believed that they were right and everyone else was wrong, and that meant they were better than everyone else.
When Jesus saw the Pharisees, he stopped and told this story.
He said that early one morning, a farmer went to town to find some people to work for him. (Select a child to be the farmer and have them stand in front of the rest of the group.) The farmer told them he would pay them one denarius if they would come and pick the ripe grapes in his vineyard all day. They went with him and started working. (Have a couple of children get up and follow the farmer to a spot where they pretend to pick grapes.)
Then around nine o’clock in the morning, the farmer went back to town and found a few more people to pick his grapes. (Have the farmer go back to the rest of the children.) He said he would pay them a fair amount. They followed him and started picking grapes. (Have a couple of children get up and follow the farmer to a spot where they pretend to pick grapes.)
The farmer went back to town at noon and hired more people. (For each of these times, have the farmer go to the group and get more children to follow him back to the vineyard.) He went again at three o’clock in the afternoon and hired more people. He went again at five o’clock in the afternoon and hired more people to pick his grapes.
Then, around seven in the evening, the farmer told the workers they could stop picking grapes because it was getting too dark. (Have the farmer tell the pickers to stop picking.) He went to the workers who had just started picking grapes at five o’clock and gave them one denarius for their work. (Have the farmer give each of the children in the last group their denarius.) The workers who had been working all day got excited. If those people had just been working for two hours and got paid a whole denarius, just imagine what we are going to be paid!
Then the farmer went to the rest of the workers and handed each of them one denarius. (Give each child a denarius.) When he was finished paying them, some of them complained and said he was being unfair. Who can tell us why they thought he wasn’t being fair? (Let them respond.) The workers who came to the vineyard earlier and had been working all day said, “It isn’t fair! We have been here longer than they have and should be paid more than they are.”
The farmer told them, “But I was fair. I gave each of you exactly what I promised I would give you.”
The workers who came earlier said, “But we have done more work and that means we deserve to be rewarded more than they are. “
Jesus’ friends started grumbling too, because they agreed with the workers who thought they should be rewarded more for their work.
And then Jesus said, “Yes, that might be the way it is in your kingdom, but it is different in my father’s kingdom. My father loves everyone the same, and in my father’s kingdom no one is rewarded more than anyone else.”
Then Jesus looked right at the Pharisees and said, “Those who are first in your kingdom, will not be first in my father’s kingdom.” I’ll bet that made the Pharisees angry, don’t you? (Let them respond.)
Sometimes we start to believe that we are somehow more special and deserve more than someone else, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Maybe we have been coming to church longer, or we believe we have been working harder for God than someone else and that makes us more special than them.
Jesus wants us to remember that God loves and takes care of every one of us just the same, no matter what. And to remember that God wants us to not just take care of those people who look important or special, but every person.
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And 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 added fun, you can do a simple role-play of this message. When you introduce the Pharisees, pick a couple of children to stand and look mean and bully-like as they watch the others in the story. Then, as you introduce each group of workers, pick a couple of children to stand and pretend they are picking grapes. Have fun with it!
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great!
One day, Jesus and his friends were on their way to Jerusalem, and when they got to the town of Jericho a big crowd of people came to see him. Jesus saw that some of them were very sick, some could not walk, and some were blind, and they had all come to see if Jesus would help them. So, he did. Everyone was excited as Jesus healed each one of them.
Well, not everyone. Jesus saw some others in the crowd, too. Do you know who he saw? (Let them respond.) It was those Pharisees again. Do you remember the Pharisees? (Let them respond as you select a couple of children to stand and be the Pharisees.) They were the very important religious leaders from Jerusalem. They believed that if someone was sick, blind, hungry, or poor, God was punishing them for something and wanted them to be sick, blind, hungry, or poor. The Pharisees believed that they were right and everyone else was wrong, and that meant they were better than everyone else.
When Jesus saw the Pharisees, he stopped and told this story.
He said that early one morning, a farmer went to town to find some people to work for him. (Select a child to be the farmer and have them stand in front of the rest of the group.) The farmer told them he would pay them one denarius if they would come and pick the ripe grapes in his vineyard all day. They went with him and started working. (Have a couple of children get up and follow the farmer to a spot where they pretend to pick grapes.)
Then around nine o’clock in the morning, the farmer went back to town and found a few more people to pick his grapes. (Have the farmer go back to the rest of the children.) He said he would pay them a fair amount. They followed him and started picking grapes. (Have a couple of children get up and follow the farmer to a spot where they pretend to pick grapes.)
The farmer went back to town at noon and hired more people. (For each of these times, have the farmer go to the group and get more children to follow him back to the vineyard.) He went again at three o’clock in the afternoon and hired more people. He went again at five o’clock in the afternoon and hired more people to pick his grapes.
Then, around seven in the evening, the farmer told the workers they could stop picking grapes because it was getting too dark. (Have the farmer tell the pickers to stop picking.) He went to the workers who had just started picking grapes at five o’clock and gave them one denarius for their work. (Have the farmer give each of the children in the last group their denarius.) The workers who had been working all day got excited. If those people had just been working for two hours and got paid a whole denarius, just imagine what we are going to be paid!
Then the farmer went to the rest of the workers and handed each of them one denarius. (Give each child a denarius.) When he was finished paying them, some of them complained and said he was being unfair. Who can tell us why they thought he wasn’t being fair? (Let them respond.) The workers who came to the vineyard earlier and had been working all day said, “It isn’t fair! We have been here longer than they have and should be paid more than they are.”
The farmer told them, “But I was fair. I gave each of you exactly what I promised I would give you.”
The workers who came earlier said, “But we have done more work and that means we deserve to be rewarded more than they are. “
Jesus’ friends started grumbling too, because they agreed with the workers who thought they should be rewarded more for their work.
And then Jesus said, “Yes, that might be the way it is in your kingdom, but it is different in my father’s kingdom. My father loves everyone the same, and in my father’s kingdom no one is rewarded more than anyone else.”
Then Jesus looked right at the Pharisees and said, “Those who are first in your kingdom, will not be first in my father’s kingdom.” I’ll bet that made the Pharisees angry, don’t you? (Let them respond.)
Sometimes we start to believe that we are somehow more special and deserve more than someone else, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Maybe we have been coming to church longer, or we believe we have been working harder for God than someone else and that makes us more special than them.
Jesus wants us to remember that God loves and takes care of every one of us just the same, no matter what. And to remember that God wants us to not just take care of those people who look important or special, but every person.
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And 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.
