Making God and the things of God a renewed priority in your life
The following video demonstrates both how to do the object lesson AND what to say. You can find variations of the demonstration/presentation on YouTube that demonstrate slightly different message, both sacred and secular. This one from Children's Ministry is perfect for "renewing," "recommitting," and "re-ordering" your priorities.
My Notes:
- You first fill the jar with sand, and then with rocks.
- Then you take the rocks and sand back out.
- Then you fill the jar again, this time starting with the rocks first.
You can do the demonstration with a smaller jar and smaller rocks. Just be sure to practice it and measure what you need. You need the right amount of sand and rocks so that the rocks will not fit in the jar if the sand is put in first, but all the sand will fit in the jar AFTER all the rocks have been put in.
I ended my children's sermon by saying that "having good habits like coming to Sunday School each week" is one of the habits we can use to keep our promises to make God first in our lives.
I've done this with painted and labeled rocks (time for prayer, time for helping others, time for reading my Bible, etc), and I've done it with just plain rocks. I prefer the painted and labeled rocks because the kids can read them out loud and they make a great display AFTER the service for everyone to see. Include some unlabeled rocks too to invite other responses from the children. it was an extra step, but it looked nice and the jar became part of a classroom display.
Both times I've done this as a children's sermon, we brought in a table so the adults could see what I was doing. I had the kids stand with me behind the table and help me put the sand and rocks in the jar. When I did it using some labeled rocks, I had the kids read them out loud before putting them in.
After the children's sermon, we left the jar on the Communion Table as a visual reminder. The pastor included the "priorities" theme in the prayers.
Where to get a big clear jar:
- A big plastic jar of cheeseballs works great.
- I've also used a clear flour container.
Just remember to adjust the size and amount of rocks and amount of sand to the size of your container.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the standards of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
A modern paraphrase of Romans 12:2 might sound like this:
Do not order your life the way the rest of the world does. Instead, transform your life by the renewal of your mind and heart. That's how you come to know God's will and way.
