What’s the most valuable gift? This children’s message tells the story of the widow’s mite to remind kids that God wants all of us. The woman in the passage gave just a few cents, but offered all she had. In the same way, we should offer all of who we are to the Lord. Money isn’t all that we can give God. With our time, talents, prayers, and praise, we devote ourselves to Him, just as He has given us His very son.
Law/Gospel Theme: Sometimes tithing might seem like a chore, or a “work” to gain God’s blessing. It’s 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!
Optional Materials: Money in differing amounts (coins and bills)
Bible Passage: Mark 12:38-44 (Secondary 1 Kings 17:8-16)
More Teaching Ideas
- Watch the video of this children’s sermon and related Bible craft ideas
- Compare our full Widow’s Mite Sunday School Lesson
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.
Children’s Sermon (Mark 12:38-44) Give it all to God!
Greet children, and have some cash/coins with you
Hello, children of God! What do I have here? This is some money. Now, how much is this worth? What about this one? (hold up varying bills and coins, and identify their monetary value.) So which of these is worth the MOST? Well, it sort of depends…the one that has the highest value might seem like it is worth the most. But if you don’t have a lot of money, any little bit counts. If you’re wealthy and have plenty to spare, it probably feels like a one or five dollar bill isn’t too much in comparison. Many years ago, you could get a lot more with a quarter. These days, it doesn’t go too far. We place value on things according to what we have and most need.
Well, in the Bible, we read about a time when Jesus was watching people put money into the temple offering. A woman who was a widow came and put in two little coins, worth just a penny total. Jesus praised this woman because she gave all that she had. Widow had a hard time, because often they were not well taken care of and couldn’t work, so they didn’t have much money. This woman’s two cents was all she had, so it was precious in the eyes of Christ that she was willing to give it to God. Rich people might technically have put more money into the offering, but they had plenty to spare. She was special because she gave everything.
God wants us to give Him everything. Now, this doesn’t always mean money. You don’t have to walk around poverty-stricken in order to serve the Lord. You might not have much money to give. But there are other things we can give God. We can offer Him our talents, when we use our gifts for the church or for His people. We can give Him time, when we pray or read His word. We can ask God to make everything we do an offering! After all, God blesses us with every good thing. What we have comes from Him, so it only makes sense that we honor Him by using gifts and blessings to His glory.
When we do give to God (wherever that comes from), we can rest assured that He will continue to provide for our needs. There’s a story in the Old Testament of another widow, one that the prophet Elijah encountered. Elijah needed help, and was aided by a widow who gave him her last bit of food…as a result, God replenished her supplies and gave her much more food! When we are willing to give, we may find ourselves getting back even more! It’s more than likely that we will be rewarded by God for willingness to share what we have. But that’s not why we give. We do so out of love and devotion and gratitude for what He has already done.
After all, God has given everything for us. He was willing to come to Earth and die for our sake! That’s a pretty significant offering. He did that out of the love He has for us. He gave us all of who He was, and now He wants all of who we are! We can devote ourselves to Him and trust Him for all our needs.
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 your many blessings
Help us to give ourselves to you
And to use all we have to honor and serve you
Thank you for your love
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!
Bible Verses/story to Reference:
And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 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. 44 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
Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. -2 Kings 17:8-16