Children’s Message on Mark 12 on “Honoring and Thanking the Lord.”
Main Objective: What does motivation mean? For young children, motivation often comes from extrinsic things, but we want to teach them to honor God as the center of what we do and how we do it. This message uses the story of the widow’s mite to explain what motivation is and how we can focus on it. We can give to and serve God in a lot of ways, but we want to do so out of sincere love for Him. We shouldn’t be concerned with getting credit as much as honoring the Lord and thanking Him for His many blessings.
Law/Gospel Theme: This story reminds us that serving God isn’t just a chore or obligation, but blesses our lives and the lives of others. God has given us all that we have, material things as well as life itself. It should only be natural to give back to Him out of gratitude. It’s also important to remind children that God doesn’t just want our money; He wants all of us, and He desires us because He loves us. When we give Him our all, He will bless us in wonderful ways. He has given us all of who He is in His Son Jesus!
Mark 12:38-44, Children’s Sermon- The Widow’s Mite
Optional Materials: Something to be used as motivation (money, treats, etc.), coins (optional).
Bible Passage: Mark 12:38-44
Message: Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this are adaptable and should cater to timing as well as to your audience and student needs.
Greet children, and invite them to do a challenging task.
Hello, children of God!
I have something I’d like you to do. Can you do ten push-ups and twenty jumping jacks? Adapt challenge to meet the needs of your group and setting. Does that sound challenging? Do you think you might not want to do it? Well, what if I offered you something in return…Show a prize of some sort. let’s say that if you do the exercises, I’ll give you a reward, maybe some money or your favorite candy? That might change how you feel, don’t you think? Just doing it because I said so doesn’t mean much. You might be a little more motivated to do it if there was a prize awaiting you. It’s all about motivation. But what does motivation mean? Motivation is our reason for doing things. It’s the “why” behind our “what.” For instance, you might have to get out of bed in the morning because your parents tell you it’s time for school. But if you get up because you’re going on vacation, you’ll probably feel a lot more motivated. You want to do it more in that case.
But what should be our motivation as Christians? Why and how do we live for God? Some people think that God is scary and wants to punish us, and that we should obey Him out of fear. Others might imagine God like a Santa Claus or vending machine, giving us what we want if we put enough in. But we should want to honor God out of sincere hearts. We don’t serve Him in order to gain recognition from others, but because we know He loves us and wants us to be close to Him.
Jesus addressed this in the Bible. He warned against people who do things just to get noticed. Some of the people who worked in the church at the time wanted to do things that would gain attention. They said loud wordy prayers that would impress others, and when they gave offerings they made a big deal out of it so that everyone would know. Jesus said that was not the way to live. He then pointed out a woman who was a widow. Her husband had died, which in those days made it very hard for a woman to have enough to live on and be provided for. This widow came to the temple and put two small coins in the offering, worth just a penny. Jesus said that this woman had actually given more than anyone else, because she gave to the church everything that she had. She didn’t do it to gain attention, but she genuinely offered what she had to God.
What does this mean for us? It’s a reminder of the importance of sincere living. When we serve the Lord, we should do it for His sake and not ours. Of course, we don’t have to give our last pennies to the church in order to please the Lord. And we don’t earn our salvation or extra “points” with God. In fact, giving is not just monetary. We can offer God our treasures, whatever they might be, but we can also serve Him with gifts of time, or by using our talents for His glory. We honor Him by loving other people.
We do all of this out of love for the Lord. We want to do what pleases Him, and we recognize that He loves us more than we can ever understand. When we give to Him, He promises to bless us and take care of us. We also need to remember that God is the one who gives us all that we have. Everything about us, from money to abilities, comes from the Lord. He’s sort of “loaned” it to us, so it’s only natural that we give back to Him. Everything belongs to God. So our motivation, whether it’s giving offering or living our daily lives, should be to thank and praise God for His continued blessings. We can do this with grateful and sincere hearts of service, knowing that He is near to us always.
Let’s pray and ask God for help in using His blessings to love Him and each other…
Prayer:
(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for giving us all we have.
Help us to give back to you
And serve you for the right reasons.
Thank you for your love.
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!
Mark 12: 38-44 Meaning for Kids
And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
-Mark 12:38-44