Who gives the most?
Children's sermon
Object:
a poster with pictures of a house, two cars, a boat, a television, and a swimming pool, and a couple of pennies
Good morning, boys and girls. Tell me what you think is a lot of money. (let them answer) Is five dollars a lot of money? (let them answer) How about a hundred dollars or a thousand dollars? (let them answer)
If you had $1.10, would you think that the 10 cents was a lot of money? (let them answer) What if you had $20.10, would 10 cents be a lot of money? If you had $50.10, would you give me the 10 cents? What if you only had 10 cents, would you give me the 10 cents?
It makes a difference how much money we have to know how important the money is to us. If I own a house, two cars, a boat, a big television, and a swimming pool in my backyard, how important is 2 cents? (show them the pennies; let them answer) But what if all I had was two pennies, would the two pennies be important to me? (let them answer) It makes a difference, doesn't it?
One day Jesus was watching people come into the temple and leave the temple. Some people came into the temple and gave an offering to God. Some of these people gave big offerings with a lot of money. Everyone knew they gave a lot of money because when they put it into the offering it made a lot of noise. Other people gave a lot of money because they had done bad things and they wanted to show God how sorry they were for the bad things they had done.
Jesus watched and listened. He didn't say anything to the people who were doing the giving. He just watched. After people-watching for a while, he called his disciples over to ask them if they saw the old woman who made her offering. She didn't say anything, she didn't make a lot of noise, and she was very poor. What difference would her offering to God make?
Jesus said she had given more than anyone else who had been there that day. The disciples were amazed. How could this poor, old woman give more than the rich people with lots of money? "How much did she give?" they asked. Jesus said, "She gave two pennies." The disciples kind of chuckled because they thought Jesus was kidding. Jesus told them that she only had two pennies and she gave it all to God.
The next time you think about your offering in Sunday school or church, I want you to think about the woman who only had two pennies and how much she must have loved God to give it all.
If you had $1.10, would you think that the 10 cents was a lot of money? (let them answer) What if you had $20.10, would 10 cents be a lot of money? If you had $50.10, would you give me the 10 cents? What if you only had 10 cents, would you give me the 10 cents?
It makes a difference how much money we have to know how important the money is to us. If I own a house, two cars, a boat, a big television, and a swimming pool in my backyard, how important is 2 cents? (show them the pennies; let them answer) But what if all I had was two pennies, would the two pennies be important to me? (let them answer) It makes a difference, doesn't it?
One day Jesus was watching people come into the temple and leave the temple. Some people came into the temple and gave an offering to God. Some of these people gave big offerings with a lot of money. Everyone knew they gave a lot of money because when they put it into the offering it made a lot of noise. Other people gave a lot of money because they had done bad things and they wanted to show God how sorry they were for the bad things they had done.
Jesus watched and listened. He didn't say anything to the people who were doing the giving. He just watched. After people-watching for a while, he called his disciples over to ask them if they saw the old woman who made her offering. She didn't say anything, she didn't make a lot of noise, and she was very poor. What difference would her offering to God make?
Jesus said she had given more than anyone else who had been there that day. The disciples were amazed. How could this poor, old woman give more than the rich people with lots of money? "How much did she give?" they asked. Jesus said, "She gave two pennies." The disciples kind of chuckled because they thought Jesus was kidding. Jesus told them that she only had two pennies and she gave it all to God.
The next time you think about your offering in Sunday school or church, I want you to think about the woman who only had two pennies and how much she must have loved God to give it all.
