Saturday, April 25, 2015

April 26: A Story of Investing (Luke 19:11-27)

April 26: A Story of Investing (Luke 19:11-27)

Supplies:
1 copy of coloring sheet for each child
Crayons

Activity Before Story:
            Allow students to color picture while reading the story.

Story:
            Jesus liked to tell stories that taught lessons. He told a story about a king going out of town. Before he left, he gave his servants some money to invest. The first and second servant put their money into the bank to draw interest. The third servant was scared. He did not want to lose the money, so he dug a hole in the ground and kept the money hidden.
            After a few months, the king came back. He asked the servants to show how much money they had. The first servant said he made ten times what he started out with. The king was so impressed he put the servant in charge of 10 cities. The second servant showed the king that he made five times what he started out with. The king put him in charge of 5 cities. The third servant was nervous. He told the king that he didn’t want to lose any money, so he put his in a hole. The third servant had the same amount of money as when he started. The king was very angry. He took the money from him and gave it to the first servant.
            Jesus explained this story. Because the first two servants invested the money like the king told them to, they were given rewards. The third servant did not do anything with the money, so was not allowed any rewards. The first servant worked the hardest, so he was given ten cities, plus the third servant’s money. When we do what God wants us to, we are rewarded. The better we do, the better our rewards. We might not see the rewards right away, but God knows. He keeps tracks of our good deeds!


Summary & Questions:
            If I were to give each of you $20, what would you do with it? What if you only had $20 to last an entire month, would you spend it differently? You would soon realize that money is only useful if you keep getting more to spend. Sometimes your mom or dad, or a family member may give you money, but without them, you soon would not have any. It is the same with the gifts that god gives us. The gift of caring, understanding, sharing, building… even doing homework. These are gifts designed to help us live our lives, but they are also designed to help others. What are things you do well? These are your gifts. Even though it’s not money, like in the story, they are still things you use to help others, like your friends and family. What does God want us to do with the gifts He has given us?
           
Activity After Story:
            Decorate the dollar-bill coloring sheet to show different ways kids can use their gifts to help others.

            

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