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Please choose from the following children's sermons:

• How can we give to God?  Mat 22:15-22
  by Rev. Randy Quinn  (see below)
   
• Giving Makes the World a Better Place!
  Theme:  tithing/stewardship by Rev Frank Schaefer
  (please scroll down)

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How can we give to God?
a children's sermon based on Mat 22:15-22
by Rev. Randy Quinn

In our Sunday School class today, we talked about the Ten Commandments.  Is that what the rest of you talked about, too?

One of the commandments was "You shall not make for yourself an idol."

How many of you know what an idol is?  What is it?  (I suspect they will say it is a statue or a model of a god that people worship.)

I think it's anything that keeps us from worshipping God.  One idol I think a lot of people have is money, but we don't usually worship it like we worship God.  I  mean, what if we sang songs about it.

"Money loves me, this I know, for the bankers tell me so . . ."  It sounds pretty silly, doesn't it?

"This little dime of mine, I'm gonna let it shine . . ."  Just as silly, huh?

There really is only one God, isn't there?

In our story today, Jesus tells us to give things to God that belong to God.  Can you name some things that belong to God?  (I hope they'll come up with lots of ideas, if not, I'll plant the seeds of plants, animals, food, water, home . . .)

How can we give those things to God?  (I'll let them answer as best they can.)

We can also remember to pray and thank God for letting us use them or see them.

 Let's pray: "God, thank you.  Thank you for making the grass for us to play on.  Thank you for making the sun in the sky to make us warm.  Thank you for giving us food.  And thank you for your church.  Help us remember that all these are gifts to us from you so we can find ways to share them with others.  Amen."

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Giving Makes the World a Better Place!
a children's sermon based on the theme of tithing/stewardship
by Rev Frank Schaefer

Props: an offering plate and 10 coins of your currency (e.g. 10 dimes)

Preparation:  Ask a child volunteer an easy bible trivia quiz question (i.e. who was the man in the bible whom God asked to build a huge ship...) and, after   answering correctly, give the child ten coins.

Take one of the regular collection plates/baskets you use for the offering in your church. Show the children the offering plate and tell them that God asks us to give back a portion of what he gives us. Ask the child who has the 10 coins how many of the coins he/she thinks God wants him/her to give back.

[Most likely the child will think it is more than one]. Ask the child to put one coin in the offering plate and say to the children: "God only asks us to give one--one out of ten. God only asks us to return a little portion of what he gave us. Do you think that is asking too much?" [Shake your head in order to encourage a no answer] "No it isn't, especially if we consider that God has given us all we have in the first place.

Now, why do you think God wants us to give to his church?  What does the church do with the offerings like this coin you have put in [lift up the plate with the coin]?   What does the church need money for?  [Let the children suggest things].    Add some things to their list, such as missions givings, givings  toward medicine, food for the developing nations, adopt a child programs, neighborhood emergency fund, support for the local soup kitchen, food/clothing supply for homeless people, etc.

All of these things that the church does is to help people who are poor, hungry, homeless, and those who are ill but have no money for a doctor's visit or medicine.   What do you think, is it important to give offerings to God and God's church?   Is it important to help feed and clothe others?    Absolutely.   When you start earning some money, will you give to God?   [nod head slightly to encourage a yes answer] Who of you gives offerings already, perhaps from your weekly allowance?  That is a wonderful thing and God will bless you for blessing others.

Let us pray: "Dear God please help us to remember that giving offerings to you is very, very important.  Especially because a large portion of our church collections go to help those who are poor and hungry.   Let us never forget those who are needy and let us always be willing to share with others what we have.   Amen."