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.   

 

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

 

Themes:  We are blessed, abundance, giving to the less fortunate, taking things for granted, thanksgiving

 

Summary:  Ask kids to help you pack up a shoe box for someone in need (This teaches about Thanksgiving but also promos the shoe box compassion project)  As you pack items in ask if any of the kids helping you have any of the items such as tooth brush,  soap, hair brush,  cleanex,  pencils, etc.   Be amazed that all the kids have all the items! Compared to most children in the world they have so much.

 

Time:  5 minutes – although this could be stretched out into a full length lesson.

 

Full Story:  Good Morning children!  Do you see this empty shoe box?   We are packing these up with things to give children that don’t have as much as we have, and I want you kids to help me pack this up.  Here is a bag full of things that these less fortunate kids might like.  (Open up the empty shoe box and from another container pull out an item to put inside.) What’s this?  A toothbrush!  Should we put that inside the box?  Yes? Ok.  Do any of you have a toothbrush? (Probably all the kids will put up their hands – be surprised) What! That’s amazing.  All of you have a toothbrush. Wow.  You know, many children in the world have never had a toothbrush.  Let’s put that inside. (You can let the children help place items in the box)   What else do I have here?  (Hold up a crayon or pencil) Should I put that in?  OK. Have any of you ever had a crayon or a pencil?  What!  All of you have!  Wow. You are so blessed.  Many children in the world have never had those before.  (Keep going with a few more articles that you know all the kids will have. (It’s ok for your amazement to sound repetitious)

Summarize:  Most of us that live here in (your city or town) have so much compared to many children in the world.  It’s good to remember how much we have and to give thanks to God.  Since we have so much it’s also good for us to share with kids that don’t have the things that we have.  (When the box is full close it up) There, I think we are done.  Thank you for helping.

 

Pray:  Lord.  Thank you that most of us here this morning have so many good things.  Help us to share and help out those other kids in the world that don’t have as much as we do. (In our church I had a stack of the prepared shoe boxes up front and I asked the kids to put their hands on the boxes as I prayed)  “Lord God, may these boxes bring help and joy to other children that don’t have so much.  Thank you that as we share with them we can make a difference in their lives.  Amen!

 

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