Offering in Kids Church

Our fabulous offering pot 'Milky' the milk machine died recently (broken I mean) and we have been looking for a replacement to help encourage our kids to get into a good habit of being generous with their money (1 Chronicles 21.24) and use some of it to worship God, a practice that is more common to us as adult Christians. We challenged the kids to design their own 'offering' pot to use in Kids Church and this is what one of them came up with. Meet "The Money Machine"...

God looks after us

Matthew 5.25-34 

Something to say

We all tend to worry about different stuff, some big stuff and some little stuff. What am I going to have for dinner, will I make it into the football team, will my mum buy me that new jumper/pair of trainers I want, what would I get for Christmas, will I pass my exams, what if I get that question wrong? But Jesus tells us not to worry about anything. He said to look at the world all around us and see how he provides for us and everything in it. He provides for all creation, the animals, the birds, the flowers - They don't worry and he provides for them and they look beautiful and have what they need. He provides for them because he loves them.

But you know what God loves most in all of creation? It's man – you and me. He loves us most and sent his son to come and save us. Jesus said something amazing - he said that if God provided for and took care of all the birds and all the flowers and gave them all they needed to survive and be beautiful, how much more would he do for us who are his number one creation. So we shouldn't worry God takes care of us. The people who worry are those who do not know about God and his amazing love for us.

Something to show

Pick some different flowers or buy a bunch of flowers to show the children how beautiful the flowers look. Do the flowers looked worried? Show a picture of a bird or bring a soft toy bird to show the children. Does the bird looked worried about what they will eat? The bible says that God cares for the flowers of the field and the birds of the air. How much more will he care for us?

Something to pray

 Ask the children to sit and close their eyes. Ask them to think about the things that worry them. All the things that bother them, no matter how big or small. Now ask them to picture God there with them, and ask them to hand over all their worries and concerns to him and trust him to take them away. Now ask them to picture a field of flowers in the summer, all beautiful and swaying – if God has taken care of the worries of these flowers, we can trust him to take care of our worries and concerns.

Filled Full!

Something to say:

Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9

In this story there were lots of people that needed feeding. A boy offered Jesus his packed lunch. It was something really small (5 loaves and 2 fish). It was all he had to offer but Jesus turned it into something great, a meal for 5000 people! It was an incredible miracle. When we offer ourselves to God (even if all we have is something small) he can use us to do great things!

Something to show:

The Superhero Groups see below - we all have our powers, but God will use us whatever! It doesn't matter who you are, what your skills, what you've done or where you come from, he'll pick you!

To pray:

For the courage to put our hand up and be used by God. For the faith to step out and know that he will provide, and for the eyes to see beyond the 'groups'

Notes:

- Grouping games

- Video 1st Half

- Superskillz

- Video 2nd Half

- Jesus uses us all, superskillz or not!

- Pray for the superhero next to you

- Finish

Talk:

(Dressed as a superhero). Good morning kids church! And welcome to my school for superheroes! *do silly actions*. Now as I look around this room I can definitely see a lot of superhero potential, I can see superpowers that have remained undiscovered until now. But this morning we are going to find your super power, bring it out, and even think of a cool name to go with it!

So to begin day one of your superhero training I'd like to start with something a little different, and for that I need you all to get onto your feet because I have a few challenges!

• 1: The first challenge I have for you, is to get into a line in order of how tall you are. So I want the tallest at one end and the smallest at the other end. You've got 60 seconds go go go!!!

Right fantastic work, now you (tallest) come sit here, and you (smallest) come and sit here. You two don't need to take part in the next challenges.

• 2: For the second challenge I'd like you all to get in a line in order of age, the oldest at this end and the youngest at this end, don't worry about the months just the year.

Good work everyone, now you (oldest) and you (youngest) can sit here please. You don't need to take part in the next challenges.

• 3: Now, for the next challenge I'd like to see how high you can jump. So on 3, I'd like you all to jump as high as you can! (Same again, highest, lowest)

• 4: Running (fastest and slowest)

• 5: Most breakfast  (least and most)

Feel free to add other superpowers 

Tallest, smallest, oldest, youngest, highest jump, lowest jump, fastest, slowest, most breakfast, least breakfast!

Right, now that you're all grouped up this is perfect timing because we have just received an emergency incoming transmission! *Play first half of video* (Jesus story book bible 'Filled Full)

Right guys, the situation is that there are 5000 people on the hill, they've been there listening to Jesus all day and need feeding but we haven't got any food. This is going to be a tough one, we need to see what skills everyone has, let's start over here.

Take a look at this, we have our tall guy here. What kind of things can they do because they're so tall? What advantages do they have?

* Reach high places, look out for trouble

Ok very good, you can sit down for me, now how about our small guy here? So maybe they can't reach the high places, but being small has its advantages, can you guys suggest what advantages they might have?

* Nippy!! Quick on there feet

Get the children to think of advantages for all the different children

Oldest

*wise 

Youngest

*quick, has energy, can help the elderly

Highest jump

*can escape from tricky places, climb out of trouble

Lowest jump

*can get through small gaps

Fastest:

*can escape from trouble

Slowest:

*is careful, cautious

  

Most breakfast:

*good at finishing the plate- can always be relied on

Least breakfast:

*good at storing food, like a squirrel- never greedy

Ok fantastic, so I think we've got this sorted guys. We can feed these 5000 people with our super skills. But hang on, I'm just receiving another incoming transmission. Let's see what happened next! *Play rest of video*

So.. that little boy. With his little lunch box who would have thought that he could feed 5000 people! I mean he's just a little guy with a little lunchbox right? That's like me trying to feed everyone in this room with a rice crispy! It's madness! How could the little guy, with his little lunch box possibly help? I thought he would need our speed runner and our high jumper.

But here's the thing; that little boy was just like all of us! He didn't look any different to anyone else. Didn't wear a cool cape or have a superhero name. But what he did have was a heart that God could use! He was ready to be used by God wasn't he? It didn't matter what skills he did or did not have. God just needed someone who was happy to serve him. You see when God looks at all of us at the tallies and the smallies, the big eaters and the small eaters, the high jumper and the low jumpers. And he absolutely loves those things about us. But you know what, even if you didn't have those things he would still love you and still wants to use us to do great things for him. All he asks for is a heart that says yes!

- Bring group together

Turn to the superhero next to you, and pray with me...Jesus thank you that you love (name) and you have a plan to use them for your great work, help them to have a heart that says YES to you!