Store Up in BarnsLUke 12:16-21

Kids will understand:•TheparablethatJesustoldaboutthefarmerwhobuiltmorebarns.

•ThatGodisnotpleasedwithgreed.•Whatitmeanstostoreuptreasuresinheaven.

2

2013June 30

This iKnow kidzmatter.com2

SUPPLIeS•bucketofgrassseed• smallpapercup•2emptysoupcans•2largecans• redconstructionpaper

ActIvIty

For each pair of kids you will need an object that they can wrap their hands around securely. This may sound weird, but an object that works very well is a potato, and they don’t bruise easily. (You also may use empty pop cans.) The kids will work with a partner on this activity. One partner will clinch their hands around a potato as tightly as they pos-sibly can. The other partner will try to pry their fingers away from the potato. Take turns so that both kids get a chance to be the one who is holding tight and the one who is prying away the fingers.

If your potato had been a burning piece of charcoal, would you have held on so tightly? Did you know that the Bible tells us to grab hold of some things and to hold loosely to others? That’s what we’re going to talk about today … what the Bible says about what to “store up” and hold on tightly to.

BIBLe AccoUnt

Beforehand, wrap some red construction paper around 2 empty soup cans and 2 large empty cans to signify that they are barns. You might want to draw a barn door on them, just so the kids immediately under-stand that the cans represent barns.

People were always asking Jesus questions, and this day was no dif-ferent. A man yelled from the crowd, “Hey, Jesus, make my brother give me my fair share of our family inheritance!” Doesn’t that sound like something a brother would say? Make him give me what I want! I can imagine that Jesus just shook his head and rolled his eyes. The Bible tells us that He turned to the other people surrounding Him and told them to make sure they guard themselves against greed. Then, He started to tell a story—a parable. Do you know what a parable is? It’s a made-up story about something or somebody we know, but through the story we learn something about the Kingdom of God. Here’s the parable Jesus told.

There was a farmer who planted a field. When it got time to harvest, he put the grain in his barns … until the barns were completely filled up. (Use a small cup to dish out some seed from the bucket until your soup cans are full and overflowing.) He’d never had that much grain in his harvest! He sold some of the grain and bought beautiful things, but his barns were still full and he didn’t have anywhere to put his new possessions.

The farmer asked himself, “What am I going to do with all this grain?” The solution he came up with was to tear down all his old barns and build new ones that would be much bigger. (Pour what’s in the smaller cans into the larger cans. Then, use the cup to dish out more seed from the bucket until the larger cans are full and overflowing.) He’d never

SUPPLIeS•potatoes

This iKnow kidzmatter.com3

had that much grain in his harvest! He sold some of the grain and bought more beautiful things, but his barns were still bulging at the seams.The farmer was feeling pretty good about himself. He would never have to plant and harvest again, because he had enough grain to last him for the rest of his life. He had big plans to take it easy, retire, and just have a great time doing all the things he had dreamed about! Then, God showed up with news for the farmer and questions for him. “Do you know what tonight is? Did you know that tonight is the night you are going to die?” And then, God asked the farmer another ques-tion, “Who is going to enjoy your barns of grain and all the things you have bought now? What good is all of your grain and beautiful stuff when you’re not going to be here?”

Then Jesus told the people to be careful that they did not become like the man who was rich with things, but not rich with God.

A parable tells us about the Kingdom of God, but what is the Kingdom of God? It is where God’s will is done. When God’s will is done, then Jesus said that’s where the Kingdom of God is. Was the man doing God’s will? Jesus didn’t say that having a grand harvest was wrong. I’m sure Jesus would have celebrated the harvest with the man. It was what the man did with his wonderful harvest that Jesus didn’t like. The man kept it for himself; the man was greedy with what God had given him. Greed is not part of the Kingdom of God—where God’s will is done.

GAme

Divide the kids into teams with equal number of kids on each team. (There can be as many on a team as you like. If you want lots of smaller teams or just a few larger teams, it will work either way. Or you can choose a few kids to demonstrate to the rest of the kids.) Give each team a pair of kitchen tongs (and it’s important that all tongs be alike) and a lunch sack. At the other end of the room, place a large bucket of small wrapped candies.

At the signal, the first person from each team will take their tongs and run to the bucket of candy. They can get as much candy as they can grab with their tongs. They have to take the candy back to their team and put it in the lunch bag. Sounds easy enough. But, here’s the prob-lem. If the person carrying the candy drops a piece of candy on the way back, then all the candy they tried to carry has to be returned to the bucket. Once the candy has been successfully dumped in the lunch bag, then the tongs are passed to the next player. If any of the following players drop a piece of candy when carrying it with the tongs, then they lose the candy they are carrying, BUT they also lose all the candy that is in the team bag. Let’s see which team can get all their players to the bucket and back first.

SUPPLIeS•bucket•kitchentongs• lunchsacks• smallwrappedcandies

This iKnow kidzmatter.com4

Stop play when one team has all their players use the tongs. Then, the teams will count how many pieces of candy they were able to get in their bag. Let the team members from the team with the most pieces distribute a piece of candy to everyone!Now, let’s talk about what happened. Why did some people drop a piece of candy? More than likely, it’s because they were trying to carry too much at one time. They were getting GREEDY! And, when they got greedy, what happened? They lost everything! How is this game like the parable that Jesus told about the farmer?

meSSAGe

Place a big dry sponge in a pan so that the kids can see it. Many of us “store up” and I think we don’t even realize it. We have way more than we can use or actually need. Let’s think about some of the things that we might be storing up. Each time you mention one of the ways, pour a small cup of water onto the sponge.

(show slide #2)

Many of us have more food than we can eat. Don’t believe me? How many of you have ever thrown food away because you couldn’t eat it all? How many of you have ever helped clean out the refrigerator and found some food that had changed colors, stunk, and was growing hair? You had more food than you could eat and some of it spoiled. (Pour water on sponge.)

(show slide #3)

Many of us have more clothes than we can wear. Some of you are looking at me like I don’t know what I’m talking about. Do any of you have good clothes in your closet or your drawers that you’ve outgrown? Has anybody ever found something that still had the tags on it, but you forgot that someone had bought it for you? Are there t-shirts or pants or a dress that you can’t remember when you wore it last? (Pour water onto the sponge.)

(show slide #4)

How about this one. Count the number of places in your house where someone could sleep. Are there empty beds when everyone goes to sleep at night? Some houses have more beds than they have people in them! (Pour water onto the sponge.)

SUPPLIeS•bigsponge•bucketofwater• smallcup•pan•PowerPointslides

This iKnow kidzmatter.com5

(show slide #5)

And TVs. How many TVs do you have at your house? Count all of them—little and big ones. Don’t forget the one in the van, if you have one there. Are all those TVs something we need or something we want? (Pour water onto the sponge.)

(show slide #6)

Name some of the games in your closet. When was the last time you played them? Do you have more games than you actually play with? (Pour water onto the sponge.)

(show slide #7)Areourhomesliketheman’sbarns?

Food, clothing, beds, TVs, toys, and there’s lots of other things. These are all things that we gather and keep for ourselves. We store them in our closets, under our beds, in our houses—what the Bible would call our “barns.” This wet sponge represents all the things that we gather up. When we keep things because it makes us feel good that we have them, that’s greed.

God was not upset at the farmer for having a good crop. He was upset with the farmer, because he kept his good crop to himself and didn’t do anything for other people with it. (Now, wring out the sponge.) This is what God wants us to do with our stuff—don’t keep it to yourself! He intends for us to use the “things” He has given us to help others and show them His love.

PrAyer

Encourage each child to think of one thing that is super important to them. Then, provide them with a small piece of paper to write it on. After they have that “one thing” written on their paper, they will put it in one hand and clench their hand tightly around it. Remember how we held onto the potatoes at the beginning? Maybe you’re holding on to something you own too tightly. God does not want us to hold tightly to the “things” that belong to this world … our stuff. If you need to loosen your grip on the “thing” that is super important to you, then, as you pray, open your hand and let go of what you are holding onto too tightly.

Let’s pray now, with your hands open so that we can all let go of what-ever it is that we’re holding onto tightly. Let’s pray that we will let go of any desires we have to be greedy. And, let’s pray that we can learn how to use the things we have to help others and to show them God’s love.

Hold your hands out and open. Let go of whatever you are holding onto too tightly.

SUPPLIeS• smallpiecesofpaper•pencils

SUPPLIeS• steelwool• shallowdish•water•Bibles

SUPPLIeS•video“HappyBirthday,Spud!”

This iKnow kidzmatter.com6

ActIvIty

It’s Spud’s birthday and he had a wonderful party. Show the Tater Tale and read the captions as each slide appears. This is going to be one that most of your kids will relate to. After the video, challenge the kids to think about how they store up things, and don’t even realize it. God is happy with a generous heart!

ScIence exPerIment

A few days before you’re going to be with the kids, run a piece of steel wool under water and then place it in a shallow pan. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Now, let this stand for at least 3 days.

Show the kids a new piece of steel wool. Ask a couple of the kids to touch the steel wool and describe what it feels like. Now, show the kids a similar piece of steel wool that has been sitting in water for 3+ days. Ask those same kids to describe the difference in this piece of steel wool.

What happens to steel wool when it sits in water for several days? It rusts and falls apart. he main use of steel wool is to scrub off some-thing that is stuck to a pot or onto a pipe. It is really tough and strong. If we tried to scrub a pot with this rusted piece of steel wool, what would happen? It would fall apart. It’s not worth anything once it’s rusted. It has no use.

Get out your Bibles and look up Matthew 6:19-20. What part of this verse reminds you of our science experiment? What does this verse tell us about the things that we store up? What does verse 20 tell us is more important?

The treasures that we store up in heaven won’t rust; they won’t rot.

Matthew 6:19-20“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth or rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.”

ActIvIty

Get a large supply of wooden hearts from the craft store. You’re going to be hiding these, possibly outside, so if you substitute a different kind

SUPPLIeS•woodenhearts• signs

This iKnow kidzmatter.com7

of heart, make sure it won’t blow away. You could use craft paint to put red hearts on rocks and that would work fine.

Hide the hearts all over your area or outside. (A couple of teenagers would love to help you out doing this.) The kids will find the hidden hearts, just like they would for an Easter egg hunt. Each child should bring back all the hearts they find.

On tables, post individual signs: compassion, prayer, thoughtfulness, generosity, forgiveness, kindness, joy, cheerfulness, amusement park, movies, toys, clothes, vacation, pizza, hanging out with friends, watch-ing TV, video games. The kids will then place the heart(s) they found at the signs that are important to them. Encourage them to be as honest as they possibly can. What is it that you think about a lot? What do you really want? What gives you a really good feeling deep down inside? Which of these things would you choose over the others? Would you rather have a closet full of stylish clothes or be considered a thought-ful person? Honestly, now! Does being thoughtful matter to you? Is it more important to you that you give your money to help someone who really needs it or save your money for a cool souvenir on vacation?

•What did this activity tell you about yourself? •Are you guilty, or at least sometimes guilty, of acting like the

man who was storing up in barns? •Did this activity help you see what you really treasure?•How can you start storing up treasures in heaven?

mUSIc

Praising God through music helps change the condition of your heart. Do you believe that? I sure do. When there’s not enough music in my life, I tend to get cranky and greedy—with my things, with my time, and with the attention I show others. Music helps me relax and gives me strength when I praise God.

Enjoy singing along with Yancy. The two downloads you have with this lesson are: “This Changes Everything” and “Paid in Full.” Through this music, let God remind you that what Jesus did for each of us is our greatest treasure! If you’d like more of Yancy’s music, go toyancynotnancy.com.

BLeSSInG

May you give God a generous heart this week.

SUPPLIeS•musicDVDdownloads

SUPPLIeS•walnutsintheshells• largebowls• spoon•oatmealboxes

SUPPLIeS•5emptyshoeboxes

This iKnow kidzmatter.com

ScrIPtUre memorIzAtIon

Galatians3:22(NLT)“The Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God’s promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.”

What was the man in the parable a prisoner to? His stuff had control of him and it came across as greed. Being part of the Kingdom of God, being in God’s will, means having a generous spirit, not a greedy attitude.

Each team will need an empty oatmeal box to represent their team’s barn. You can even cover it with red paper and make it re-semble a barn—just for fun. Each team will also need a large bowl of unshelled walnuts and a regular-sized teaspoon. One player from each team will stand at their bowl of walnuts. At the signal they will fill their oatmeal container by moving the walnuts from the bowl with their teaspoon. The “barn” is considered full when at least one walnut is sticking up above the top of the box. When a player fills their barn, they will yell, “I need to build a bigger barn!” The player who does this first will lead his team in saying the memory verse. Play more rounds, each time choosing new players from each team.

ActIvIty

Tell the children this true story (although the name has been changed).

This is a true story about a 2nd grader named Misty. Misty heard about a group called Samaritan’s Purse that took shoeboxes of toys to children who had never gotten Christmas presents before. She saw a movie that showed how happy the children were when they received their boxes. Something happened to Misty when she watched the video and saw the excitement the children had over the small gifts in a shoebox. Her heart told her that she needed to do something to help. Misty’s birthday was coming up and her mother started planning Misty’s party. But, Misty wanted something special put on her invitations. She asked all her friends to bring a shoebox of little toys, instead of a wrapped present for her. What a great party it was! At the party the kids looked at all the fun toys they had brought and then they wrapped their shoeboxes in pretty Christmas paper. Misty was so excited to send 12 shoeboxes to Samaritan’s Purse! It was a birthday she will never forget and she didn’t miss presents at all!

8

This iKnow kidzmatter.com

•2puppets•boxformoney• lemonadesign

SUPPLIeS

Show your kids 5 empty shoeboxes and challenge them to bring some-thing next week to put in the boxes. If you have a church newsletter or email that goes out during the week, include a reminder about this for parents. Next week, celebrate the results of the kids’ generosity! This is one way to store up treasures in heaven.

Go to samaritanspurse.org for drop-off locations and instructions.

PUPPetS / SkIt

#1 (slowly counting money) 1,2,3,4,5,6dollars.

#2 Whatareyoudoing?

#1 I’mcountingupthemoneyImadetoday…7,8,9 dollars.

#2 Doingwhat?

#1 Isetupalemonadestand…10,11.

#2 Forwhat?

#1 I’vebeenwantingoneofthoseRocketBlastersandI thoughtmaybeIcouldmakeenoughmoneyata lemonadestandtobuyone.Itsurewouldmakesummer vacationfun!

#2 Howmuchdoyouneed?

#1 LasttimeIchecked,theycostrightaround$12.

#2 Well,doyouthinkyoumadeenough?

#1 12,13

#2 (interrupts the counting) Yes!Youmadeit!You’vegot enoughtobuyaRocketBlaster!Theyaresocool.I hopeyou’llletmewatch.

#1 Wait,wait,wait!That’snotall.I’mnotdonecounting.

#2 Whatdoyoumean?You’vemadeenoughforthe RocketBlaster.

#1 Iknow,butthere’smoreinmymoneybox.Givemea minutetofigureouthowmuchisinhere…14,15,16,17, 18,19,20,21dollars.

#2 Wow!$21!

9

This iKnow kidzmatter.com

#1 That’snotall.There’sa$10billstillinhere.Imade$31. Canyoubelievethat?

#2 Whatareyougoingtodowiththerestofit?Let’ssee …$31minus$12foraRocketBlaster…youstillhave $19left!There’sallkindsofstuffyoucoulddowith$19.

#1 Likewhat?

#2 Well,youcouldbuyyourmomsomethingspecialand surpriseher,‘causeit’snotherbirthdayoranything. Youcouldgetsomethingreallynice.

#1 (quietly) Iguess.

#2 Or,youcouldbuysomecansoffoodforthefood pantryatchurchthathelpspeoplewhoarehungry.

#1 (not excited by the idea) Yeah,IguessIcould.

#2 Or,youcouldbuymeaRocketBlaster,too…andstill havemoneyleftover!

#1 I’llhavetothinkaboutthis.

#2 Isn’tthereanythingyoucouldgetexcitedaboutdoing withtherestofyourmoney?

#1 ThereISonething.

#2 What’sthat?

#1 InsteadofaregularRocketBlaster,Icouldgetthe brandnewTurboMegaBlasterXL!Itwouldtakeallmy money,butI’dhavethecoolesttoyaround.It’smy moneyandthat’swhatIwanttodowithit.

What do you think, kids? What’s your opinion of our puppets? Have you ever found yourself in that situation? Do we always have to spend everything we make or get on ourselves? Give the kids time to share.

10