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All I Want for Christmas is a Big New Barn

Bible Story: All I Want for Christmas is a Big New Barn (parable of the rich man) • Luke 12:13-21

Bottom Line: Don’t get wrapped up in your stuff.

Memory Verse: “Be rich in good deeds … be generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18, NIV

Life App: Generosity—making someone’s day by giving something away.

Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.

GET READY

Prepare ahead of time for 4th–5th grade Small Groups this week:

Plug In: Focus the Energy (Choose one or both of these activities.)

Early Arriver

• An offering container

• 1 roll of toilet paper

Tower Power

• 10-12 paper cups for every 2 kids

• 10-12 small paper plates for every 2 kids

Catch On: Make the Connection (Choose as many of these activities as you like.)

* If you don’t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #1. Activity #2 is particularly good for children who need to move in order to stay engaged.

Coin Collection (application activity / review the Bible story)

• 2 cups

• 2 plastic containers

• 100 pennies

Optional: For a more seasonal twist, substitute individually wrapped miniature candy canes for the pennies.

Give It Up (application activity / great for active learners)

• Print the “Give it Up” Activity Page; 3 copies for every 10 kids; cut apart

Flip a Coin (memory verse activity)

• Bibles

• 1 roll of heavy-duty aluminum foil

• Permanent markers

For 5-6 Challenge:

• Paper

• Pens

• Smart phone or tablet

• Free percentage calculator app, such as “Percentage Calculators” by IBEE Software Solutions

Prayer

• Print the “Generositree Ornaments” Activity Page; cut apart; 1-2 ornaments for each kid

Note: This is an ongoing activity throughout the month. You may want to go ahead and print all ornaments now instead of weekly. Each kid will need 1-2 ornaments each week for three weeks.

• Markers

• Pens

• 5-inch lengths of yarn; 1-2 for each kid

• Tape

• Christmas tree

Note: If a Christmas tree is not an option in your meeting area, consider creating a tall, thin tree on a 6-foot length of sturdy brown packaging paper. The tree can be rolled up and stored for the weeks ahead.

Additional Resources:

• Make copies on cardstock of this week’s GodTime and Parent CUE cards.

• Tell parents about our additional family resources: , CUE Box, and the Parent CUE app. To find out more about these great resources, go to .

FOR LEADERS ONLY

GOD VIEW: the connection between GENEROSITY and God’s character,

as shown through God’s big story

Throughout Scripture we can read all about God’s about God’s generosity towards us. One of those moments, found in James 1:17, talks about it like this: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” (NIV) Every good thing we have is a gift from Him. But we also know that God’s generosity has a purpose.

God gives to us and expects us to do the same for others in return. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul reminds us, “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV)

God is generous with us, so we can be generous to others. Often we think of generosity in terms of finances, but generosity goes beyond our money. Generosity should impact everything—our time, talents, energy, and resources.

Being generous is a mark of following God, but around this time of year, it’s easy to get more focused on all that we will receive rather than what we can give away. That’s why we’re taking this month to talk about generosity: making someone’s day by giving something away. We want kids to understand that when we choose to give generously to others, we become truly rich with everything that really matters in life.

This month, let’s think about how:

(1) Generosity is a reflection of God’s character. He is a generous God.

(2) Generosity is about what we do with all that we have been given.

(3) Generosity not only applies to our stuff but also to our time and talents.

This week, we’re discovering:

We start our month about generosity in Luke 12:13-21 with a parable Jesus told about a rich man who was wrapped up in the wrong thing. He was worried about storing up more stuff and ended up losing everything that really matters.

Our Bottom Line is: Don’t get wrapped up in your stuff. We want kids to begin understanding that more stuff won’t really make us happier. Showing generosity becomes much easier when we aren’t so focused on ourselves and what we can get.

Our memory verse is 1 Timothy 6:18, “Be rich in good deeds … be generous and willing to share.” (NIV) We’re not generous because we are rich; we are rich because we are generous. Generosity changes us when we learn how to give the way God gives.

All I Want for Christmas is a Big New Barn

Bible Story: All I Want for Christmas is a Big New Barn (parable of the rich man) • Luke 12:13-21

Bottom Line: Don’t get wrapped up in your stuff.

Memory Verse: “Be rich in good deeds … be generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18, NIV

Life App: Generosity—making someone’s day by giving something away.

Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.

Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 10-15 minutes)

Focus the energy on today’s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question and an interactive opening activity.

Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Pray that God would speak through you about generosity today. Ask that God would take the kids’ focus off of the presents and onto the ways they can be generous. Pray for the kids who might not have a lot of “stuff” to get wrapped up in. Pray that they would find ways to be generous with what they do have.

1. Early Arriver Idea

What You Need: An offering container, toilet paper

What You Do:

As kids arrive, invite them to place their offerings into the offering container. Distribute a variety of lengths of toilet paper to each kid. Ask them to count the sections then tell them that each section is worth $100 dollars. Have them tally up how “rich” they are and then share what they would do with all their money. Ask them to define what they think it means to be wealthy. Who do they consider to be rich?

2. Tower Power

What You Need: Paper cups, small paper plates

What You Do:

Pair kids up. Tell one partner in each pair to lie down on the floor face-up. Give the other partner one minute to make a tower on his partner’s forehead by alternately stacking a paper cup and plate. The team with the highest tower wins. Get kids to trade places and play again. (Note: It will help if the partner on the floor holds on to the cup or plate that is resting on her forehead.)

Repeat the game with other challenges such as working with their eyes closed, one handed, or building and balancing the tower on the palm of one partner’s hand.

What You Say:

“You guys really know how to ‘use your head’ when it comes to stacking cups. In Large Group we’ll learn about a guy who built something super big. Paper cups weren’t invented yet, so he had to use some other stuff. He thought his plan was fairly clever. [Transition] Let’s find out what Jesus had to say about this man’s building project.”

5-6 Challenge: Instead of using partners to build the towers, have kids try to build the tower on their own forehead. See how high the kids can build their tower before it falls down. (Or before they can’t reach the top anymore!)

Lead your group to the Large Group area.

Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 25-30 minutes)

Make the connection of how today’s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive activities and discussion questions.

* 1. Coin Collection (application activity / review the Bible story)

What You Need: Pennies (or individually wrapped candy canes), cups, containers

What You Do:

Form two teams and give each team a cup and a container. Have each team stand on opposite sides of the room. Scatter the pennies (or candy canes) on the floor in a wide area between the teams.

Tell the kids that they will take turns sending out a runner with a cup to snatch up as many coins as he can in five seconds. The team with the most coins in their cup will be asked to answer a review question from the lesson. If their team answers it correctly, they can take the coins from the other team and add them to their own in their team’s big container. At the end of 10 questions (see below), the winner will be the team with the most pennies.

Before the final coin count (without kids knowing it ahead of time), tell the teams to switch their “Coin Collections” with the other team. Count the pennies and determine the winner.

Review Questions:

1. Describe the main character of the parable Jesus told in today’s story. (Rich man, seemingly greedy, or at least not thinking of others)

2. Where in the Bible can you read the parable of the rich man? (Luke 12)

3. What problem did the rich man need to solve? (He had more crops than he knew what to do with.)

4. True or False? The rich man shared his abundance of crops with those who were poor. (False)

5. How did the rich man decide to solve the problem of an abundance of crops? (He tore down his small barns and built bigger ones.)

6. Describe how the rich man felt as he gazed out over his huge barns stuffed with grain. (Satisfied, set for life, pleased)

7. What word does Jesus use to describe the man in the parable? (Fool or foolish)

8. What did Jesus say would happen to the man before he completed his project? (He would die.)

9. Why did Jesus call the rich man a fool? (He got wrapped up in his stuff. He thought riches were more important than serving God through generosity.)

10. What is today’s Bottom Line? ([Impress] Don’t get wrapped up in your stuff.)

After the game, let kids share how easy or hard it was for them to let go of the coins their team worked hard to gather (after you told them they had to switch buckets). [Apply] Ask them to brainstorm ways they can guard themselves from greediness. Let them define what they think it means to be rich in God’s eyes and then discuss ways to build generosity into their lives right now.

5-6 Challenge: After the teams gather their coins (or candy canes), have each of the teams huddle and create questions about today’s Bible story. Have teams go back and forth asking their questions. If Team A stumps Team B, Team B has to give Team A one of their coins. If Team B gets the question right, Team A needs to give Team B one of their coins.

What You Say:

“Jesus used a story to get His point across to the crowd, but essentially He was saying what today’s Bottom Line says: [Impress] Don’t get wrapped up in your stuff. He wanted the people to understand that being rich in God’s eyes is much different than having a huge room stuffed with clothes, money, games, cool shoes, books, pizza, videos, or any other stuff we think we gotta have. None of those things will last forever. In fact, most of it probably won’t even last for a year! Especially not the pizza! The point is, whatever you have in your piggy bank or closet isn’t as important as how willing you are to share it with others.

[Apply] “Being generous begins by thanking God for all that you’ve been given—whether it’s a lot or a little—and then asking Him to help you use your stuff to do good for other people. [Make It Personal] (Was there a time when you or someone you know gave out of an “empty barn” rather than from abundance? How did it meet a need? Share the story with the kids.)”

2. Give It Up (application activity / great for active learners)

What You Need: “Give It Up” cards (Activity Pages)

What You Do:

Give each kid an equal number (4-5) of “Give it Up” cards. It’s okay if they have more than one of the same card. Tell the kids to walk around and begin trading cards with one another for several minutes. They can trade as many times as they want. Explain that the goal is to give up the cards they don’t want in exchange for the things they want more of.

When the time is up, bring the kids together and let them share what cards they kept, what they tried to get rid of, and why.

If you lead mostly older kids, consider asking these discussion questions:

• Is it wrong to have a lot of stuff? Why or why not?

• Why is it unwise to get wrapped up in stuff?

• What could happen if you do get wrapped up in your stuff?

• How is being rich in God’s eyes different from having a lot of possessions?

• How does changing the way we see people and stuff help us become generous?

What You Say:

“God is generous. He blesses us with many, many things. The problem isn’t with having stuff; the problem starts when all we care about is our stuff and getting more stuff. When things start to become more important to us than our relationship with GOD, we’re headed for trouble. And if all we care about is our stuff, we’re definitely going to have a problem with generosity. [Apply] God wants us to loosen our grip on the things that don’t last and be willing to share what we have with others. [Impress] Don’t get wrapped up in your stuff. Instead, be willing to give it up! Trade what doesn’t last for the stuff that will.”

3. Flip a Coin (memory verse activity)

What You Need: Bibles, foil, permanent markers

What You Do:

Ask kids to locate the month’s memory verse: 1 Timothy 6:18. If they can’t find it on their own, use the tip below to help you. Once they’ve found and read the verse, ask them to say it together a couple of times, for practice.

Finding verses with 4th-5th graders: Our verse is from 1 Timothy. Ask kids to tell you whether that’s in the Old Testament or the New Testament. (New) That means it’ll be toward the back of their Bibles. They can flip to the back section, past Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. If they get to Titus, Hebrews, or James, they’ve gone too far. When they find 1 Timothy, explain that the big numbers on the page are the chapter numbers. Explain that the small numbers are verse numbers. Ask them to find the book of First Timothy, then chapter 6, and then verse 18.

Ask kids to share what they think it means to be “rich in good deeds.” What would it look like to be “poor” in good deeds? [Apply] What good deeds can they come up with that are possible for them to do this week?

Give each kid a foot-long section of foil. Have them tear off pieces, form a ball, and then flatten the ball into the shape of a coin. Instruct them to smooth the top and bottom and then use a permanent marker to write different amounts of time from 5-30 minutes on each “coin.” [Apply] Encourage the kids to make someone’s day by giving some time away this week. Suggest that they give their coin to a friend, neighbor, family member, or whoever, and then tell that person that they get to pick how they spend time together. They can help that person with a project, play a game, prepare a snack, or do something fun with them.

When the coins are completed, ask the kids to hold them in one hand. Lead them in reciting 1 Timothy 6:18 together. As they say the verse, tell kids to begin loosening their grip on the coins so that the coins fall to the floor when they say the last word of the verse.

What You Say:

[Impress] “Don’t get wrapped up in your stuff the way the rich man did in today’s story. Save plenty of room for God and plenty of time for others. Don’t let anything get in the way of people and your love for God.”

5-6 Challenge:

What You Need: Paper, pens, smart phone or tablet with a percentage calculator app

According to WebMD®, the average 10-year-old gets about 9 hours of sleep each night. That means, on average, kids are awake for about 15 hours. Ask the kids what they do during their 15 hours. (Possible answers will include: going to school, homework, sports, dance, etc.) They should write those down on their papers.

Talk with the kids about how much time they spend doing those activities:

• playing video games

• going to school

• doing homework

• sports or other extra curricular activities

• reading

Use a smart phone or tablet with a percentage calculator app to figure out the percentages of time they spend on these activities. Use the percentage (what % of) calculator with 15 hours as the base number. (Kids can also use an exact number based on how long they are awake during the day.)

Based on those percentages, talk with kids about where helping others could fit into their schedules. Use the coins from the activity to talk about how they can fit those times into their week. [Apply] Ask them to keep a log of how they spend their time this week. If they get close to the end of the week and they haven’t been generous with their time, challenge them to schedule in some time to give to others.

Pray and Dismiss

What You Need: “Generositree Ornaments” (Activity Page), Christmas tree, markers, pens, yarn, tape

What You Do:

Chronicle the acts of generosity your kids do over the course of the month by creating a “Generositree.” If a Christmas tree is set up in your meeting area, the “Generositree Ornaments” can be hung on it. If space for a tree is not an option, consider creating a tall, thin tree on a 6-foot length of sturdy brown packaging paper. The tree can be rolled up and stored for the weeks ahead.

Set out markers, pens, and “Generositree Ornaments.” [Apply] Instruct kids to write a brief description of a generous deed they want to do this week for someone. Have them tape a loop of yarn onto the ornament.

Before hanging the ornaments on the tree, have kids exchange theirs with someone else in the group. Ask everyone to sit down quietly. Tell the kids to pray silently for the person whose ornament they’re holding. Allow a few minutes for prayer and then close, asking for God’s help to live out today’s Bottom Line this week by showing generosity to others.

What You Say:

“Dear God, we know that what you call ‘rich’ is different from what most people think. Forgive us for sometimes loving our stuff more than we love You or those around us. Please help us to see generosity the way You do. We need Your help to make someone’s day by giving something away. Help us this week so that we don’t get wrapped up in our stuff, especially as we begin to get ready for Christmas and the celebration of Your most generous gift to us. Amen. Let this be a week of generosity, and [Impress] don’t get wrapped up in your stuff!”

Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent CUE cards as adults arrive to pick up.

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