Free
2 Share VBS-3
Day
1
Widow’s
Mite
Jesus
sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd
putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large
amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth
only a fraction of a penny. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has
put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their
wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on.”
Mark 12:41-44 NIV®
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Each
man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or
under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV®
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Discussion
Example:
Say,
“Can you imagine such generosity? It’s hard to imagine a person who has so
little money, giving the Lord all the money she has. What’s even
more significant is that Jesus valued her fraction of a penny that she
contributed more than those who are rich and contributed lots of money.
“The
rich contributed lots of money in order to show what good church members they
were. That money was in no way near what they needed to live on, because they
had much more wealth. Do we do the same as those rich people?
“When
I ask you these questions, you don’t have to answer out loud. Your answer is
between you and God, because He sees what we do and what’s really in our
hearts. When it comes time for the local clothing drive, do you donate the
clothes you don’t like very much or are old and spotted, keeping the nicer
clothes for yourself? When they are doing a clothing drive, do you give the
older, more worn toys that might not have all the pieces, but keep the nicer
newer toys for yourself, even when you have lots of toys already? When you have
lots of food at home, do you only donate a can or two to the less fortunate?
When they are collecting money for a good cause, do you put in a small amount
of money, when you really have enough money saved to buy the latest toys you
wanted?
“We
are probably all guilty of this one time or another. You aren’t a terrible
person, just human! As Christians, we are supposed to try to live the lives
that Jesus would want. Of course, we all slip back into old patterns, but if we
keep focusing on Christ, our Savior, He will always get us back on the right
track, if we let Him.
“We’ve
talked a lot about adults contributing to the less fortunate. What are things
that you, as kids, could do to help those in need?” Listen to all their ideas and
acknowledge how much they care about others to suggest these ideas.
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Arts
and Crafts Example:
Students
will need one box per group cut with sides about an inch high that allows a
piece of paper to lie easily inside of it. They will need a plastic spoon and
several different colors of paint. (I’d have the kids put on something to
protect their clothes like an old T-shirt of a big garbage bag with a slit up
the back, and a spot for the head and arms. I’d also put the paint in a
Styrofoam egg carton. If you are using poster paint, it will allow easier
clean-up of the room and clothes, if you mix the paint with a squirt of liquid dish washing soap.)
Say,
“The Widow’s Mite was worth only a fraction of a cent. We are going to make a
picture with a penny to remind us of the generosity and giving heart of the
widow. You will be taking turns using the box. Each person will put their piece
of paper into the box. They will drop their Widow’s Mite (a penny) into one of
the paints and use the spoon to get the penny and drop it onto the paper,
turning the box in different sideways, and back and forth to allow the penny to
leave streaks of paint across the paper. They may use up to five colors and
then it’s the next person’s turn. ” (They should probably put their names on
the papers, because it may be difficult to tell them apart once they’ve dried.)
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Science
Example:
You
will need, cup with water, and a dropper like an eye dropper, a penny,
nickel, and dime for each group. Ask them, “What is your Hypothesis, educated
guess, about which coin will hold the most drops of water before spilling
over?” Listen to all their Hypotheses. Suggest that they rotate people putting
drops on coins, and someone putting tally marks, so you know how many total
drops of water they could hold.
After
they complete their experiment, let the groups share their results. Explain
that some of the differences came from some of the groups having different
sized droppers. A larger dropper would take fewer drops to fill the coin than
the smaller dropper would.
Say,
“The experiment has to do with surface tension of the water and the exterior
surface of the coin. What’ even more significant than that is, the lesson we’ve
learned about being more generous with those who are less fortunate. We’ve talked about lots of
ideas of things kids can do to help others. I understand that some of these may
not work out for you, but we still have the mind of a Christian, and we're looking for
opportunities to help others.”
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Game
Example:
Say,
“We are going to play Guess Where the Widow’s Mite Is. (This is an
adaptation of Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button.) Everyone needs to stand in
the circle with their hands together behind their back, except for you (the
person you point to). You are going to stand in the middle and try to guess who
has the button. Now, you need to know, that I will probably act like I am
putting the Widow’s Mite into the hands of each and every person in the circle
and they will act like I gave it to them whether I did or not. After I’ve been
around the circle, you’ll get to guess up to three people you think had the
Widow’s Mite. If you don’t guess it, the person who had it will give it to you
to go around the circle and give it to one person after I select the next
person who stands in the middle.” (I would suggest you pick a girl every time
after a boy as long as you are able, so they don’t say it’s unfair, because you
called more of one sex than the other.)
Upon
closing, remind students that this Widow’s Mite Game was supposed to help us
all remember to be much more considerate when contemplating giving to the less
fortunate or to programs at church like mission projects, etc.
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