SUNDAY MORNINGS January 28, 2018, Week 4 Grade: 5

Pennies for Heaven Bible Truth: Pennies for Heaven (The Widow s Offering) Mark 12:41-44 Bottom Line: Practice living for God. Key Question: How can you live for God? Memory Verse: For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8, NIV Life App: Commitment Making a plan and putting it into practice Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (Small Groups, 10 minutes) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s Bible Truth. Before the kids arrive, pray for your time together in small group. Ask God to supply the creativity they need to process the questions and discussions you will be having today and to be able to apply the truths you ll be discussing to their own lives. Pray that they would be challenged to live for God in ways that inspire those around them to be curious about why they choose to live the way that they do. Get Your Head in the Game Made to Play: an activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and working as a group What You Need: Container filled with water and small glass jars, pennies What You Do: Gather the group around the container filled with water. Divide the stack of pennies into equal piles, one pile for each jar submerged in the larger container. Let kids try to drop pennies into the small container submerged in the water. o Depending on the size of the container, you may have several kids dropping pennies at o the same time. Also, instruct kids as to the height from which they have to drop the penny. (Do they need to stand up or can they kneel? Maybe they have to stand really high up, on a chair, to make it more challenging!) You can play this as an individual competition or divide your group into teams and tally the number of pennies in the jar(s) for all the teammates. The kid or team with the most pennies in the jar(s) wins. Wrap Up and Say: Excellent job! Interestingly, our Bible Truth has to do with dropping coins into a container. Let s head to Large Group to hear what God has to tell us today. Lead your group to the Large Group area. 2

Opener HOST: You know, I gotta say... after three weeks of exercising with you guys, I m starting to get a little bored. Most workouts are just too easy. It s just not challenging enough to test my chiseled physique any more. Like, if I have to do any more (Host says/does one of the buddy exercises from week 3), I m going to scream. I need a new arsenal of difficult exercises to excite my bulging muscles (flex gratuitously). Who s with me? Let s take this to the audience. Do any of you know exercises that are really, really, ridiculously challenging? (Allow response.) Excellent! Tell me the worst exercises you know! HOST takes answers from the audience expect suggestions like push ups or burpees or wall sits or lunges or other terrible exercises. Host writes down the worst exercises on a large dry erase board. Man! All those sound awful! They sound terrible! Those are the worst! (Beat.) Speaking of the worst, does anybody want to play a game? (Allow response) Glad to see so many of you wanting to participate because this game will require everyone. I came onto this stage with a plan to host a game full of boring, mediocre exercises. HOWEVER, my plans have just changed! The exercises you just shared would make my game MUCH better and take it to a WHOLE-OTHER LEVEL! The name of the game is The Worst Relay EVER! The game is simple. Each small group will do 5 (or 10 depending on time) reps of each exercise written on the dry erase board in the order it is written... starting with the top. Everyone in your small group must do the exercises. They don t have to be perfect you just have to try them! Not only that, they must do all the exercises at the same pace. That means, Small Group Leaders, call out the number with each rep and everyone else keeps up. Furthermore, the first group to complete The Worst Relay EVER will win the title of... THE WORST SMALL GROUP EVER, a title all of you will, no doubt, be clamoring over. Let s all gather in our groups. Briefly come up with a team name... such as the BONE CRUSHERS! Do whatever you have to do to get into to the right mindset for the worst exercises! Host allows time for groups to gather and discuss team names. Quickly, let each group share their team name. Wow! Those names are the WORST! Any complaints before you get started? (Allow response.) Noted! Let s get rolling! As soon as you hear the music, that will be your cue to start the absolute Worst Relay EVER! SFX: Upbeat Game Music The audience will do each of the exercises in succession for 10 reps with their small groups. If 10 reps seems too easy, feel free to modify the repetitions. Alright, that s a wrap! Wow, everyone, that was incredible! Your diligence is admirable or, should I say, the WORST! Let s bring up our relay winners to the stage. 5

Host brings up the winning small group and leads the crowd in a round of applause. Your effort was completely inspiring. Your small group unity was a sight to behold. And your entire group has won the title of being THE WORST SMALL GROUP EVER! Congratulations. As they head back to their seats, let s welcome [Communicator] to the stage! Host and winning small group exits. Communicator. INTRODUCTION COMMUNICATOR: Have you ever heard the phrase going all out while someone is doing a task? (Allow response.) Going all out means to work with all one s might or at full speed or to be incredibly determined. Usually we will go all out when we play sports or when we are learning a new instrument or when it s crazy hair day at school. Most of the time, it makes sense to go all out in certain environments or locations. Consider going all out when playing football. You would likely run extra sprints to give you the edge in chasing down a deep ball. You would drill your coach with a ton of questions about proper techniques or routes. And, of course, you would throw your body around the entire field to get better. You would go all out on the football field. It would be weird to go all out playing football in the grocery store or your mom s dining room, right? What if you wanted to go all out playing your brand new, extra-loud trumpet? You would likely take private lessons to hone in on your technique and ask your band director if you could stay late after band practice to work on your new songs. You might even show up early to the band hall to go over sheet music. However, it would be weird to go all out playing the trumpet at your grandmother s house or in a restaurant, right? TENSION COMMUNICATOR: But what if we wanted to go all out for God? If band stuff usually happens in the band hall and football usually happens on the football field, does God stuff only happen at church? Do you only sing praise and worship when you re here, in the Base? Do you only talk about the Bible when you re in Small Group? Do you only pray to God when you re in the church? Well, I hope not! Our faith isn t supposed to be something that stays in the church. In fact, our faith comes with us everywhere we go! It s with us at home, school, the sports fields, and beyond! It s our job as Christians to GO ALL OUT with our faith and be ready to grow or share it wherever we go! But what does that look like? What does it mean to go all out for God? Well, I m glad you asked. Today we will be looking at a lady who went all out for God... and it s probably not someone you d expect. Part of her life story can be found in the book of Mark. Mark was one of the first followers of Jesus. He hung out a lot with Peter and the rest of the disciples. He loved what he learned about Jesus so much that he wrote down the stories so people like you and me could learn about Jesus, too! 6

TRUTH COMMUNICATOR: As Mark tells us, all kinds of people would come to the temple to worship God. The richest of the rich, the poorest of the poor, and everybody in between would enter the grounds. It was customary to give an offering or money to the temple. Some offering boxes were designated for tax while other boxes were designated for people to give whatever amount they chose. In Mark 12, we read about Jesus sitting in the temple doing some people watching. His seat was positioned across from the offering box, and He could see all the people giving money. He saw some people giving gobs and gobs of money while others gave little. Now, I want to illustrate this scene. However, we do not have gobs and gobs of money, but we do have something as good as gobs and gobs of money cheese balls. If money were cheese balls, the scene might have looked something like this... Host comes out, laden with several cheese-ball barrels-- maybe 2-4 individual buckets. Host is well dressed and looks uppity. Imagine a well-dressed man walking up to give money. The man obviously was wealthy... just look at the amount of cheese balls. (Referencing Host.) He had cheese balls for days... and days. As he reached into one of his cheese ball buckets, he glanced around to make sure people noticed his incredibly generous donation and dropped the cheese balls into the offering box. Host scoops out a single handful and dumps it into a large, clear vase. Host starts to walk away but pauses. Host backs up and gives one more handful into the vase. As host exits stage, he eats a couple cheese balls. Quite a chunk of cheddar. But the amount was weak considering the immense amount of cheesy goodness the rich man possessed. Regardless, the watching bystanders seemed impressed by this offering. It was two whole hand scoops of puffy, cheesy num-num. This is how it was for many of the people giving that day. They carried around gobs of money and gave a portion of that money as an offering to the temple. Host returns to the stage dressed as an old lady with an old blanket draped over his head while wearing a grey wig. Host is carrying a small, clear cup with two cheese balls inside. But then, along came a poor widow. Not only was she poor, but she had also lost her husband. Without a husband to provide, a woman during this time would have very limited options for making money. As she approached the offering box, I imagine her offering would have gone much unnoticed. She didn t have buckets and buckets of cheese balls, and nothing she wore was flashy. She had a small cup with only two meager cheese balls. And she gave all of it away. Host pours cup into vase and exits stage. 7

Jesus noticed. He called His disciples together and told them (open Bible and read Mark 12:43b-44 NIrV), What I m about to tell you is true. That poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others. They all gave a lot because they are rich. But she gave even though she is poor. She put in everything she had. That was all she had to live on. APPLICATION COMMUNICATOR: Obviously, she didn t pour two cheese balls into the offering box. The Bible says she put in two very small copper coins worth only a few pennies known as a mite. You might be wondering, why the big hub-bub over such a tiny offering? Don t forget this it was all she had. And all she had she gave! Jesus pointed out the significance of her actions. She gave her absolute best. Not only that, but she gave us a realistic glimpse of what it looks like to go all out as a follower of Jesus. It s true the wealthy people Jesus observed would have given significantly more than the poor widow, but it would have been a small fraction of their wealth. In other words, they gave lots because they had plenty of money, but it didn t really cost them. The widow, on the other hand, didn t have much, so what she gave mattered. A lot. She gave LITERALLY everything she had to God. She went ALL OUT! It was this reason that Jesus said she gave more than anyone else. If you really want to grow stronger in your faith, you must learn how to LIVE ALL OUT for God. And what that means is that everything you do... everything you say... and everything you give are all for God. To live all out means you are taking everything you know about God and applying it to all aspects of your life. Your faith should invade school, sports, free time, slumber parties, snowball fights, mealtimes, and any other aspect of your every day. This won t be easy. Let s say you re at home. I don t know about you, but whenever my parents used to ask me to do things around the house, they d have to ask me approximately thirty-six thousand times before I actually did anything. When you re living for God, though, you can take care of things around the house BEFORE your parents ask you. You take the initiative to get it done. Or perhaps you re involved in some after-school sport like soccer. Sure, you can do your team well by maintaining good sportsmanship during soccer practice... but what about displaying good sportsmanship to the opposing team during a game... when you get kicked in the shin? To show God s love to your opponents even when things don t go your way is living all out for God. It takes a lot of practice and training. But the reward is great. Remember our verse? CG: Memory Verse Slide For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8, NIV Living for God is something you ll work on your entire life. Even adults continuously work to live out their faith in all areas. Some moments you will succeed. Other moments you will fail. It takes commitment... it takes practice. LANDING COMMUNICATOR: I m excited you re here today because this is an opportunity to talk through what it looks like to live all out for God just like the poor widow. I have a feeling that your Small Groups can 8

think of some amazing ways you can LIVE ALL OUT for God. So as you head to small group, think about this question... CG: Key Question Slide How can you live for God? Today is a great day to work it out. We will see you next time. Let s pray. Communicator leads group in a prayer related to what they just heard then dismisses them to small group. SFX: Play high-energy music as the kids exit. 9

Pennies for Heaven Bible Truth: Pennies for Heaven (The Widow s Offering) Mark 12:41-44 Bottom Line: Practice living for God. Key Question: How can you live for God? Memory Verse: For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8, NIV Life App: Commitment Making a plan and putting it into practice Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 15 minutes) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible Truth applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 9:00 & 11:30 Verses to Take with You What You Need: Bible, Rebus Verse Activity Page, pencils/markers What You Do: Ask: o Imagine you have a million dollars and you gave the church $1,000. What affect, if any, do you think giving the money would have on your day? What does your gift to the church say about your faith and your relationship with God? o Now imagine you have $5 and you gave the church $2. What affect, if any, do you think giving the money would have on your day? What does your gift to the church say about your faith and your relationship with God? Read 1 Timothy 4:8. Ask: o o What are ways you train your body? What are the benefits of training your body? What does it mean to be godly? What is the value of being godly? What can you do to train to be godly? Give kids a Rebus Verse Activity Page and a pencil. Let students have a few minutes solve the puzzles to read what God says about how He wants us to live. Kids can check their answers using the verse reference on each puzzle. Review the verses and discuss what each verse says about how God wants us to live. Additional challenge: As a group or individually, create a rebus for the memory verse to share with someone. Answer Key: o Rebus 1: Do not steal. Tell the truth. Do not be jealous of others. (Exodus 20:15-17) o Rebus 2: Think and talk about good things. (Philippians 4:8) o Rebus 3: Treat people fairly. Show kindness. Be humble. (Micah 6:8) o Rebus 4: Love God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:30-31) 10

10:15 Bible Extension [Talk about God Bible Review] Made to Connect: an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding What You Need: Bibles, index cards, pencils/markers What You Do: Read Mark 12:41-44. Give each kid an index card and a pencil. Using one sentence, kids answer the following question on their index card: o If you had to say what was the most important take away from the Bible Truth, what would it be? Collect the cards, shuffle them and fan them out face down in front of the kids. Ask one student to go first and draw a card. o That student should read the sentence on the card in a super-short phrase (3 or 4 words). o Repeat the process a couple more times, as you have volunteers. Review the words and discuss: o Are any of the words the same? Do the words convey the same thing? o Do the words capture what message Jesus was telling His disciples and us? Why or why not? 11

All Service Times Pray and Dismiss (5 minutes) [Pray to God Prayer Activity] Made to Connect: an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding Make it Personal with Prayer [Pray to God Prayer Activity] Made to Reflect: an activity that creates space for personal understanding and application What You Need: Prayer Verse Card ; one per child What You Do: Give each child a Prayer Verse Card Review the verses together. Ask: o Is there one verse that stands out to you? o Do you sometimes struggle with speaking the truth or maybe you find yourself jealous and wanting what your friend has? o Maybe you want to work on showing kindness? o Maybe you like to be positive and you enjoying talking and thinking about good things. Encourage kids to pick a verse and commit time this week to memorizing the verse and doing what it says. Close in prayer. Dear God, Your ways are perfect! And You gave us Your Word to help teach us how You want us to live. Help us this week to live a life You want us to live, to be focused on You and on Your ways, and to show the world with the way we act and talk that we trust You no matter what. Amen. Pass out Parent CUE cards as adults arrive for pick-up. 12