Today’s Post…
This week, we will take a look at some Parables that aren’t the most well known. They all focus on spiritual verses earthly rewards. I wrote these lessons for a team taking a mission trip to Alaska. Hope your family enjoys them!
Attention Grabber:
Object Lesson – Object Lesson Materials: enough pennies for everyone in the group
Procedure: Give everyone a penny. Ask what money is used for. Share that Jesus had a lot to say about money. Money itself isn’t bad – we need it to buy the things we need to live such as food, a house and clothes. God wants us to use our money wisely though, not just spending it on ourselves, but to help others. Tell them to look closely at the penny. What saying is written on your penny? “In God We Trust”, This reminds us that everything we have belongs to Him -he blessed us with our money, so we should honor Him with the way we spend it.
Bible Study:
Read Luke 16:1-13.
There was a man who had a steward or manager. This person was to manage the man’s household and finances. He was not a good manager. If fact, he was wasting the man’s goods.
When the owner found out, he told the man he was planning to fire him.
The manager thought, but I don’t know how to do anything else. I can’t dig (do manual labor) and I’m ashamed to beg. What am I going to do?
So, before he was officially fired, the manager made some agreements with people that owed the owner money. He agreed that they could pay less that they owed and the debt would be satisfied. The people agreed happily and didn’t question it, since they believed the man was still manager and had authority to do so. Those people were very happy with the manager for giving them these good deals.
That’s why the manager did it! He knew that once he was let go, he could go to those men and they would happily take him in – since he’d been so nice to them.
When the owner found out, he was actually impressed at the manager’s cunning. He had been outwitted.
Most unbelievers are wise in the things of the world. The manager used money to buy friends.
Christians are to try to gain friends for eternity by investing in the kingdom gospel. When they arrive in Heaven, those people will be there to welcome them. They will indeed be so happy to see them since they helped them get out a debt they could not pay – sin and death, by sharing the Gospel with them. What does it mean to “share the Gospel?” (Tell them the story of sin, Jesus birth, death, and resurrection, and they can be saved – by believing this and repenting of their sins (being sorry for, turning away from) and praying and telling Jesus this.
Craft: Penny Necklace.
In advance, tape penny to piece of wood. Drill a small hole in each penny. Let the kids shine their pennies using this solution then add the string.
Penny Cleaning Solution:
* 1/4 cup white vinegar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* Non-metal bowl
* Paper towels
What to do
Pour the vinegar into the bowl and add the salt – stir it up. Put about 5 pennies into the bowl and count to 10 slowly. Take out the pennies and rinse them out in some water. Admire their shininess! Dry with paper towels.
Penny Solution recipe came from: https://sciencebob.com/clean-pennies-with-vinegar/
Activity:
Tic Tac Toe Frisbee (the Frisbee kind of looks like a large coin…well, it’s a stretch;)
Use blue painters tape to make a tic tac toe board on a large sheet. Use different colored Frisbees for the pieces. You could use other things for the pieces if you don’t have Frisbees, such as paper plates, but the Frisbees will be a lot of fun!