today i was scheduled to volunteer in the children's service at church. every 3rd sunday i work in there and LOVE IT. we are on a new series focusing on hope and orphans. today was very interactive and encouraging. we focused on mark 19:16-30:
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
18"Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother, and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"
20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
27Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
28Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
we sang songs about letting the weak be strong, children waved their ribbons, children ran around sinning, and others prayed in the corner.
we read this parable and passed out 5 index cards to each kid. we had them draw pictures of possessions that meant wealth to them. lots of boys drew their wii and girls drew their dolls and bikes. we had a few kids come up. we asked them to walk 10 steps, representing the 10 commandments that this man said he kept. we then asked them, with their index cards in hands, if they would give up all of their possessions and follow Jesus. Some said yes and others said no.
i was encouraged and discouraged. how true is this? it truly is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than a man who is poor and broken. we broke up into small groups (i had the 3-4th graders) and prayed about sickness, loneliness, war, poverty, abuse, etc. it was so powerful. these children were praying for legit things. they were realizing the power of prayer and encountering God on behalf of people right here in our community and around the world.
the next activity we had them do was to pray with the "pray ball." the prayer ball is a beach ball that has sayings all over it. it said: pray for someone who is moving, pray for a friend who is sad, pray for the orphans, pray for people who are abused, etc. the kids split into groups of 3. the kid with the most green on, representing money, got all of the index cards. the person with the longest hair got 3 of the index cards. there was one person who had no wealth (index cards). these people who had index cards had to clamp them in their hands. they were not able to catch the prayer ball as we were throwing it around. within 5 minutes or so the kids caught onto the activity: it is harder to surrender and be close with God when your treasure is in your possessions. when you are poor and have nothing at all, all you can do is surrender to God.
all of the kids wanted to get kid of their wealth so they could pray! we let them cheat because we figured it was a good excuse. they prayed boldly and passionately for children without mothers, people who were lonely, and kids who did not have shoes.
i was touched. when i was in 3rd grade i didn't know people didn't have shoes. i was not in tune with war. i didn't realize poverty. i thought i deserved a barbie for being good. i did not know Jesus personally. i did not like going to church.
i was and still am in awe. poverty is real. why just leave it to older people? maybe the reason many people do not have a "heart" for the poor is because it was not instilled in them when they were young. what if we taught the younger generation to care for the poor? maybe they would grow up to be stewards of money and be compassionate people who love deeply. maybe these children would accept each other for who they are face value and realize no one is better than another.
Matthew 6:19-21 says, "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 moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
I want my treasure to be stored in heaven. I want my treasure to reflect the things that reflect the heart of God. I am so thankful for these children who bless me more than I have probably blessed them. Thank you Jesus.
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