The Widow's Mite

Games/Missions Workshop - "Abraham’s Arcade"

Grades 3-6

Lesson Objectives:

• To show the students that trusting God sometimes means giving up something that is important to us.
• To have the students think about some of the talents they have been blessed with.
• To show the students that there are other ways of giving besides giving money.

Supplies List:

• “Wheel of Fortune” wheel
• Paper cups
• Chalkboard or large white paper
• Markers
• Big bag of Skittles

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture ahead of time.
• Gather the materials.
• Go Over the game.

Presentation

Opening - Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Welcome the students when they arrive. Tell them that this month we are going to talk about offerings and giving to the church. Why are offerings important? How do you know what amount to give in your offering? Are some people’s offerings better than others? Today’s story talks about a widow and the offering she gave. But first let’s begin with prayer.

Open with a prayer: Dear God, thank you for all the things you have given to us. Help us to be generous in our giving to you. And all God’s children said: AMEN.

Dig - Main Content and Reflection:

Read the story:

Start by reading Mark 12: 38-40. Why does Jesus say that these men will be punished the most severely?

Explain to the class that in the temple of Jerusalem there was a large treasury box. This box was used to give offerings to the poor. It had trumpet like horns extending out from the box. When wealthy people placed their offerings into the brass horns, the horns would make a lot of noise with all of the coins clanging down into the box.

It was thought at this time that if you were rich, you were blessed by God. So a rich person could show off their “blessing” by making lots of noise when they put their offering in the box.

Next read mark 12: 41-44. Why does Jesus say that the widow put MORE into the treasury box than all the others?

Tell the students that it is important to understand that the widow not only gave up her possessions, she also showed her trust in God. By giving everything she had, she risked the possibility of not being able to buy her next meal. But she trusted that God would provide for her.

Activity:

Tell the students that there are others ways a person can give to the church besides giving money. They can also give of themselves with their individual talents.

The students will be playing “Wheel of Fortune.” The words that they will be trying to guess are ways that a person can contribute to the church through their participation or with their talents. Some possible words are WORSHIP, CHOIR, ACOLYTES, YOUTH GROUP, USHERS, MEALS ON WHEELS, LECTOR and SUNDAY SCHOOL.

The “wheel” for the game can be made in one of the following ways:

• Use the wheel from the actual “Wheel of Fortune” game.
• Use a round piece of cardboard to create your own wheel. The cardboard from a frozen pizza would work well for this.
• Use a spinner from another board game.
• Use a dice. Alter whichever “wheel” you use to allow the class to earn 1-6 points for each spin.

Game Play:

1. Divide the class into 2 or 3 groups. If you have a very small group, you could have each person play individually.
2. Each group or person takes a turn spinning the wheel.
3. When they see what number they have spun, they select a letter.
4. They receive the number of points spun times the number of letters that are in the words or phrases they are trying to solve.
   
   For example, if someone spins a 2 and picks a letter that appears 3 times in the word or phrase, they would earn 6 points. Have the shepherd write down the letters on the paper or chalkboard.
5. Each group or person keeps spinning the wheel and guessing letters until they fail to guess a letter in the word or phrase. The points they have earned remain the same and the next group or person gets a turn.
6. A group or person has their choice of guessing the word or phrase at anytime instead of spinning. If their guess is incorrect, it is the next team’s turn. Remember to rotate who starts guessing for each game.
7. Once a person or group correctly identifies the word or phrase, they keep the number of points they have accumulated at that time. The other groups point totals go back to zero.
8. The workshop rotation website suggested using Skittles. You can award each team or individual 1 Skittle for each point they earn. However, do not pass out the Skittles until the end of the class. Total each team’s total points for the day, divide it by the number of players on the team, and give them their appropriate number of Skittles.
   
   The reason for waiting until the end of class is that the students are not going to get ALL of the Skittles that they have earned. Emphasize the importance of giving to others. Talk about what it means to tithe. Then give each student 2 paper cups. Fill one cup with the Skittles they can have. And give them another cup that they can share with someone in the church. They can give the cup to an adult, a brother or sister, or another student.

Journal:

Have the students write the memory verse at the top of the page. Ask the students to think about the talents that they have. Tell them to write and then answer this question in their journal: Besides giving offering, how can I give to my church?

Closing:

Dear God, thank you for showing us that there are other ways of giving besides giving money. Help us to share the talents you have given us with our church and with others. And all God’s children said: AMEN.

Resources:

• Widow’s Mite-Lesson set from the Kirk of Kildaire https://www.rotation.org/topic...the-kirk-of-kildaire
• Sunday School Cirriculum Bible Basis by Pastor Dean E. Larson

A lesson written by Rick from: Augustana Lutheran Church
St. James, MN