For families with little ones (preschool age), this could be a 3-5 minute talk! It doesn’t have to be much. For older children, you can opt in for more of these options to extend your study time together. I recommend doing this with (especially little) children over a meal – whichever meal is the least chaotic in your home (for my family right now, that’s lunch), or saving the questions for while you’re on a walk or playing outside together. Have fun!
1. Read the scripture together: Matthew 20:1-16. The important thing is that you’re reading scripture together! If you’re looking for different ways to engage your children while reading, here are some fun ways to read scripture as a family
Every Reader takes a verse
Ask each child to pick two words they don’t understand to talk about after you read it. (For longer scriptures and younger children, you may need to split up the reading in order to do this.)
Draw a picture of what you read
Act it out as a family (And please send documentation of this to children.sjumc@gmail.com because we could all use a laugh right now!)
Sing it!
Use Legos or dolls to tell the story
2. Tell your kids that this scripture about people who showed up at the end of a work day receiving the same pay as someone who showed up in the morning and worked all day. This parable is meant to teach us that “the first will be last and the last will be first.” Jesus wants us to learn that God takes care of those of us who aren’t the fastest, or come first, or “the best” at everything. God wants us to take care of those people, too.
3. Discussion Questions (as always, pick and choose which questions you’d like to discuss!):
Imagine this: You get to school or church early for something you are excited about, and you were first in line. Maybe it’s a lesson, to watch a movie, for a piece of candy, or to join a sports team., You waited patiently. Other kids lined up behind you. Some kids didn’t come until after the activity started! When the teacher started handing out items, they started with … the people who came late! Not you! After you waited so long! They got the same candy as you, and they got it first!
How would you feel? How do you think the kids in the back of the line would feel?
Why do you think the kids were late? Is it because they didn’t work as hard as you? Maybe. Maybe there are some other reasons kids might be late to something exciting. Can you think of some? (Their parents had to work, they had to do school work, they had to wait for a ride and the driver was running late, etc.)
How do you feel when you’re running late for something you’re excited and/or nervous about? How do you feel when you show up to work on a project and don’t feel like you’re able to do as much as some of the other kids?
Can you think of a time that at first something didn’t seem fair, but was also the right thing to do?
What is a way you can help others who might be “last in line” or not have as much as you?
4. Close in Prayer: Dear God, thank you for teaching us that sometimes Your way may not seem fair at first, but it is the best way. Thank you for taking care of all of us, loving all of us, wanting the best for all of us – no matter if we are first or last or somewhere in between. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
~ Erynne DeVore, director of Children’s Ministry