Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome(1 minute)

Welcome back to the second lesson of our Superbook adventure called “The Widow’s Mite.” In our last lesson, we learned that it is important to give but even more important to give with the right attitude. God loves a cheerful giver! In today’s lesson we will continue to learn about giving. Now, let’s stand together and sing “The Superbook Theme Song” as we praise our generous God who gave His Son to us!     

Play Video: (Song) The Superbook Theme Song(2 minutes)

Preview the song so you can help the children sing along with the music.

Superbook Theme Song

SuperTruth and Discussion(1 minute)

Our SuperTruth today is: “I will give first to God.” Let’s say that together: “I will give first to God.”       

 

God wants to be #1 in our lives. He is worthy of our gifts of worship and our offerings. When we give first to God, even before we give to ourselves or give to others, we demonstrate that He is above everyone and everything in our lives.

                   

Introduce Condensed Bible Story (1 minute)

Now, let’s watch a short version of our Bible story!

If all children watched the Bible story video in the previous lesson, you may skip it here and go straight to the Bible Background Video.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (11 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

 

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to Jerusalem, where people are bringing their offerings to the Temple. When a poor widow gives just two tiny coins, Jesus says she has given more than rich people who gave much larger offerings—because she gave all she had.

Discussion (2 minute)

    

What does the word “tithe” mean? One-tenth.

 

Remember from last time how Chris described his method of giving an offering at church? He put money into the offering when he had extra.

 

Let’s watch the rest of the video to see what changes Chris’s attitude toward giving to God.   

Introduce Bible Background Video (1 minute)

In today’s Bible Background video, we’ll learn more about the Temple and the kind of money people used.  

Play Video 5: Bible Background (8 minutes)

Bible Background

Play Video 10B: SuperVerse Graphic 2

SuperVerse Graphic 2

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat the verse.

SuperVerse Discussion(1 minute)

The SuperVerse today is found in the Old Testament of the Bible. Proverbs 3:9 says:

 

 

To honor someone means to show respect for who they are. We can honor someone with our words and even more importantly, with our actions. To say we love and trust God is important. Giving to Him first is a powerful way to honor God by putting our words into action.       

 

Let’s say Proverbs 3:9 together:  

 

 

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group. If they are not able to memorize the entire verse, be sure they understand its meaning.

Prayer and Send-Off(1 minute)

Let’s pray. Dear God, help us to honor You with our words and our actions which include our giving. You are above everyone and everything. You deserve our first and best gift, all the time! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.     

 

The FIRST thing we are going to do in Small Group is to play a game where you will give to God before you give to other people or things. Let’s go learn how to play!    

 

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Rolling Game

Let’s play a game about giving one-tenth of what we have to God, which is called tithing. Hold up a dime and a quarter. In this game, each player will tithe by giving the dime as an offering. You’ll do that by standing at your team’s line and then tossing the dime into Container #1.

The dime’s value is 10 cents and reminds us that the tithe is a tenth or 10%. If you miss, just go and pick up the coin and throw it again from that spot. Keep trying until you succeed!

 

Once you have tithed, you may then toss a quarter into Container #2. The quarter is larger in size and value and can remind us that God gives us everything, then only asks us to give a small amount back to Him.

Remember, you must give the dime to God in Container #1 first—before you can put the quarter in Container #2.    

 

Divide the children into two equal teams. If teams are uneven, one player may play twice, or a leader may play.

Have the teams line up behind the line or mark.

The goal is for each player on a team to “contribute” one dime and one quarter into the correct container in the correct sequence, #1 then #2.

Give the first player on each team a dime and a quarter. 

The players stand behind the line or mark and try to toss the dimes into Containers #1.  

If the dime misses, the player tries again from the spot where it landed until successful.

The player then returns to the line and repeats this procedure with a quarter into Container #2.     

When players’ turns are complete, they must quickly retrieve the two coins for the next players. 

If a dime is “given” to the #2 container or a quarter is “given” to the #1 container, it must be retrieved and taken back to the line and the turn continues from there.

The first team to have all of its players “give” correctly to both containers wins.

Allow all players to take their turn before playing again.  

 

Large Group Option: Play as one team to achieve the fastest time. The same rules apply with one player playing at a time. When the game begins, start the timer and stop it when the last coin is tossed into a container. Record the time and play another round or two for the fastest time.

 

Conclusion: The purpose of this game is to help us remember that we should always give to God first before giving to ourselves or to other things. Container #2 was placed in front on purpose. As we live our lives, we will see many things that seem bright, shiny and fun. Even if an item is something good, it should not come between us and God. At the beginning of our Superbook adventure today, Chris was so focused on buying his new telescope that he wasn’t thinking about what God wanted him to do with his money. When we give to God first, He promises to bless us abundantly.

Teaching

Who can tell me what the word tithe means? A tenth, 1/10. 

 

Show the children the plate of ten pennies. Here’s a plate with 10 pennies. How much is one-tenth of 10 pennies? One penny. 

 

A tenth of 10 pennies is 1 penny. Let’s say that you received 10 pennies for your allowance; and before you spend anything, you set aside a penny to give to God first. This is called tithing.

 

So, how is this different than an offering? Take two more pennies off of the plate.

Offerings are anything above and beyond our tithe. For example, I could choose to give 2 cents more than the tithe as an offering to a mission or a food bank.

 

The Bible tells us that the purpose of tithing is to teach us always to put God first in our lives. Deuteronomy 14:23 tells us:.  

 

 

By putting Him first, we show that we understand everything we have is from God, and we trust Him to provide all we need.

 

Let’s say our SuperVerse, Proverbs 3:9, together:

 

 

This verse in the Old Testament of the Bible instructs God’s people to bring the best, or first part of their grain, vegetable or fruit crops to God. This was their tithe or one-tenth of their harvest.

 

Was this reasonable? Without a doubt! God asks us only for the first part, only 10%, and He allows us to keep 90% for ourselves to save, give or buy what we choose.

 

King David in Psalm 24:1 said:

 

 

Everything we have comes from God. God could have said, “Tithe 90% to Me because it belongs to Me anyway, and you can keep 10%.” Yet He generously gives us all we need and only asks that we give Him 10 percent.

 

King David prayed in 1 Chronicles 29:14:

 

 

The only reason we can give to God is because He first gave to us! So we should have a humble heart of thanksgiving and honor Him by giving Him our first and best gift.

 

Tithes provide money for the various ministries, outreaches and expenses of the church or other missions. Let’s read what God tells us in Malachi 3:10:

 

 

When we tithe, it shows that we trust God—not just with our money, but with our lives. And God says that if we do, He will open the heavens and pour out blessings—more than we have room for! He even tells us to try tithing and put Him to the test to see if His Word is true! This is the only place in the Bible where we are told we can test God!

 

Let’s says today’s SuperTruth together: “I will give first to God.”    

 

Before Chris’s Superbook adventure, he said he would give a donation whenever he had extra money. In other words, God got the leftovers if there were any!   

We should never give God our “leftovers”—only the first and the best!

Hold up the pretzel bowl. Take some “perfect” pretzels from the top and show the children.

These look good don’t they? They’re fresh and unbroken. They look exactly like the picture on the bag! These are the ones I want to eat first!

Transfer the “perfect” pretzels into the empty bowl so only the broken pretzels and crumbs remain in the bowl. Show the contents to the children.

These pretzels don’t look as good as the others. They are broken with a lot of crumbs. How would you like it if when you were hanging out with a friend, you brought a bag of pretzels to share, and your friend ate all of them and gave you a few crumbs left at the bottom of the bag? Children respond.     

Not so good, right? Especially since you brought the bag in the first place!  

 

God is worthy of our first and best gift—every time—not our leftovers!

This isn’t the example God modeled for giving. God never changes; He remains constant, giving us good and perfect gifts every time. (See James 1:17.)

God sent Jesus, His only Son, the best gift He could give. Jesus was perfect and without sin.

1 John 3:5 says:

 

 

Sending His perfect gift was the only way God could save us; anything less would not be acceptable!      

 

Conclusion: So, are you ready to take God at His word, giving Him what is first and not what is left over?

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33:  

 

 

When we put God first in our living and giving, we will have everything we need. He is the source of everything we have now, tomorrow, and forever!   

 

It’s now time for the Discipleship Challenge.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application 

Give the Discipleship Challenge materials to each child who missed Lesson 1; see Lesson 1 for details.

 

Display the model craft of the Giving Bank. Encourage the children to complete their craft at home so they can participate in the Discipleship Challenge.

 

The first Cheerful Challenge verse was 1 Chronicles 29:14; was anyone able to learn the verse; and if so, would you like to say it for us now? Everything we have has come from You, and we give You only what You first gave us! 

 

God never stops giving to us; He is our loving heavenly Father who delights in being generous! He is our source for all we have and will have now and forever; we can only give because He gives!

 

Raise your hand if you were able to drop coins into your Giving Bank in the first challenge. Children respond.  

Would anyone like to share an opportunity you had to give to God or others? Children respond.

 

Challenge #2 of the Cheerful Challenge is listed on your bookmark and Coin #1. Read and try to learn 2 Corinthians 9:8 and continue to be generous with God and others! He has given us more than enough to provide for our needs with plenty left over to share! Pray for opportunities to share and always remember to thank God for His love and care!     

 

Optional: read 2 Corinthians 9:8:

 

 

When we meet again, you will have a chance to share your experiences with this Cheerful Challenge!      

SuperVerse

Let’s say Proverbs 3:9 together:

 

 

The “best part” in this verse is also called the “first fruits” offering. This was an Old Testament offering required by God of the Israelites to bring the best of their harvested crops to God. 

 

God is our creator and provider. He deserves the first and best; not what was left or picked over. Today, we are to honor God with the tithe, which is the first 10% of what we earn from an allowance, chores, or a job.

 

God does not need our money—He owns everything. He asks us to cheerfully give our offering to help us learn to always put Him first in everything and to participate in the work that He is doing in the world. It is an honor and privilege that He gives to us!     

 

Let’s say the SuperVerse together very slowly:

 

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 

 

Erase the SuperVerse at the top of the board. Carefully remove the paper to reveal the random words at the bottom of the board.

 

Ask the children to raise their hands to tell you what word comes first, second, etc. As the children guess, write the word at the top of the board (in order) and ask the children if they agree. If it is correct, erase the identical word at the bottom of the board and move to the next word. If incorrect, ask children to guess again. Repeat until the verse is completed.

 

Say the SuperVerse together.

 

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.    

 

Conclusion: In this activity, every word of the SuperVerse was written on the board but not in the proper order. Giving isn’t meant to be random and inconsistent. God has a proper order for giving. We are to give to Him first; then, everything else will fall into place!         

  

If children cannot memorize the SuperVerse, be sure they understand its meaning. Remind them to keep working on the verse at home.

Prayer

Our SuperTruth today is, “I will give to God first.”

Sometimes doing this is easy; and other times, we are tempted to give to other things first—many times, ourselves!

 

Like Chris in the Superbook adventure, we may have something we are excited about buying; and it is easy to make this a priority for our giving. God wants us to have good things and to enjoy them. However, it is important not to make “things” more important than God.

 

In Matthew 6:33 (CEV), Jesus said:

 

 

When we put God first, we will be able to enjoy the other things even more! 

In our prayer time today, let’s silently ask the Holy Spirit to give us the desire and the strength to always put God first in our giving.

 

Jesus loves us so much that He left heaven and came to Earth to sacrifice His own life on the cross to save us. By doing this, He showed how much He loves us. He knows us even better than we know ourselves, so He knows what is best for our lives. He gave His life for us, and so He asks us to give our lives back to Him. This means inviting Him to be the ruler or master of every area of our lives.

 

Please bow your heads and close your eyes. Take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything or anyone who has become more important to you than your relationship with God. Allow children time to speak with the Lord.         

 

Now, let’s silently ask the Lord to forgive us and help us keep Him first in our lives! Allow children time to pray.  

 

Close in prayer. Heavenly Father, there is no One like You! You deserve to be #1 in all areas of our lives, including our giving. Help us to dedicate our lives to You and to give our whole hearts to You every day. We pray in Jesus’ name, the name above all names, Amen.

Relay Game

 

How much did the poor widow give? Two small coins, two mites.

 

Hold up a penny. A mite was worth about 1/5 of a penny!

 

The widow’s offering was so small, it may have been the smallest one given that day. Even so, Jesus said she gave more than all the rest because she gave all she had!

 

God takes what we cheerfully give and He multiplies it in His kingdom. In doing this, God receives praise and glory!      

 

Divide the children into teams of five. If possible, mix older and younger children on each team.

For each team of five, have teams select players for the following roles and stand at these positions:

·      Two players will stand at the starting line and travel back and forth to the storehouse/church.

·       One player will stand at the storehouse/church bowl to receive the tithe.

·       Two players will stand at the chairs and stack the coins.        

 

Hold up 2 pennies and walk to the different stations as you talk. In this game, two players on each team will take turns bringing two small coins or mites to the church or storehouse and place them into the bowl (bowl halfway to the team’s chairs). The players will travel back and forth, one at a time, as one player returns to the starting line. 

 

Hold up a craft stick in one hand. You know what? You look like you can handle a greater challenge!

Place two coins on the end of the craft stick. You will carry the coins like this using only one hand to hold a craft stick. You cannot use your other hand to help as you travel. If a coin falls, you must return it to the craft stick before continuing.

 

The player at the storehouse will take the coins from the offering bowl and carry the coins on a craft stick to the two players by the chairs and put the coins in that bowl. The player then returns to the storehouse to receive more offerings.

 

The two players at the chairs represent what the tithe supports/funds inside and outside the church:

Chair #1: Church ministries.

Chair #2: Missions and outreach.

They will each take one of the two coins out of the bowl and stack them into a tower on a chair.

The winner is the first team to build two towers of 10 pennies each.  

 

Optional:

Play as one team with a timer for the fastest time in two or more rounds for all the coins to be given, distributed and stacked.

Play additional rounds with players switching stations and responsibilities.

For smaller classes, play on teams of 3 with one person at each station.      

 

Conclusion: What if the players did not bring enough coins to the storehouse, could the towers have still been built? No!

 

For the church and all of its ministries to function, people must cheerfully give to God!

Are you ready to trust God and give to Him first? Whether it is a small coin or a large gift, when you give cheerfully, be ready for God’s blessing because the windows of heaven will open!

Guessing Game

God first gave to us and He continues to give. James 1:17 says that every gift from God is good and perfect and He never changes. We are a priority to God; that means we are most important to Him, more than all the rest of His creation. In fact, He made us in His image, and He sent His Son to die for us! He is the ultimate example of love and of giving.

 

God should be our priority, which means He is above all things and most important to us. That is why we must give to God first! Let’s say Today’s SuperTruth together: “I will give first to God.” 

 

It is important to commit to putting God first every day. Nothing in our lives should have a higher place or priority than God.

 

I would like you to think of something that is really important to you; something so important that you could probably spend a lot of your energy, time or money on, like a hobby or sport. Think for a moment but don’t tell anyone! 

 

Each of you will have a chance to draw your answer on the board or act it out if you prefer. The rest of the class can try to guess it in 30 seconds or less. Remember that you cannot speak, only draw or act it out—it is your choice. You also may decide to do a combination of both if one way isn’t working! However, you can’t speak.   

 

Select the first volunteer and start the time. You can choose to have children shout out their guesses or you can have them raise their hands to answer. If a child prefers just to guess but not draw or act, that is fine. Other children may want to take more than one turn.

 

Conclusion: It is good to have things in our lives that we are passionate about like sports, hobbies, music, or relationships. In the Superbook adventure, do you remember what was so important to Chris that he saved all his money for over 2 years to buy it? A telescope.

 

God wants us to enjoy good things and to have fun. However, it is important to make sure that we give our time, energy and resources to God first! 

Faith Activity

Let’s say our SuperTruth together. “I will give first to God.”

We have been learning that giving to God is a priority. We are to honor the Lord with our wealth and the best part of everything that we have.

However, giving our money is not the best or only gift we can give to God. There is something even more important that is the biggest and greatest offering we can ever give to God!

What is the best gift that God gave to us? His Son, Jesus.

 

What did Jesus sacrifice or give for us? His life!

 

Yes, and He died for us while we were still sinners! (See Romans 5:8.)

No one could ever show more love than Jesus did by dying to save us.

So the question is, if Jesus gave His life for you, what is the best gift we can give back to God? Children respond. 

Let’s see what the Bible tells us.

Read Romans 12:1:

 

 

The answer is—US! Each one of us, including me! God loves us so much that He CHOSE to send His Son to die for us. So, the best thing we can give back is ourselves as a LIVING sacrifice to Him!

 

Our verse tells us that we are to be a LIVING and holy sacrifice! God wants to use our lives NOW in service to Him! Wherever we go, whatever we do, it is the BEST gift we can ever decide in our hearts to give!

Demonstrate walking along the surface of the table with your fingers through your craft and have the children copy you. 

 

Conclusion: It is important to give first to God. Even more important to Him is surrendering our lives to Him for His glory and purpose every day as a living sacrifice!  

Bible Activity

God first gave to us. The only way we can give is because He first gave to us. Tithing is giving a tenth back to Him. In this activity, you will look up verses about tithing and giving back to God.               

    

Have the children sit in pairs. Try to pair an experienced Bible user with a child who isn’t as familiar with the Bible. Give each pair a Bible. The experienced Bible user can quickly look up the verse while the other player writes the answer on a sticky note. The notes are then stuck to the board. If both players are experienced Bible users, the players can alternate looking up a verse and writing down the answer. Have children close their Bibles before you announce the next verse.

Note that the suggested answers are from the New Living Translation. If children are using different translations, their answers will vary.

 

I will say a Bible reference and then say O.T. for Old Testament and N.T. for the New Testament. Then I will write it on the board. At this point, you may begin to find the verse. As you do this, I will read a fill-in-the-blank question which you will find the answer or answers to in that Bible verse.

I will repeat the question one more time, if needed. The player who is not looking up the verse will write the answer or answers on a sticky note and then walk quickly to stick it on the board. You have 30 seconds to do that. The first team scores 10 points for the correct answer; all other teams score 5 points for the correct answer stuck to the board within the time limit. Every pair will have a chance to finish, so don’t give up! The team with the most points wins. Are you ready to learn more about the work of our Creator?

 

Allow spelling errors because of the fast pace of the game. Do as many verses as time allows. Be prepared to help any children with special needs.

Read the verse reference but do not read the actual verse until after the questions are answered. 

If time permits, have a child read the verse. Do as many questions as time allows. 

 

1. Proverbs 3:9—O.T.: We should honor the Lord with our ______ and the ______ part of all we produce. (Wealth, best)

 

  

2. Matthew 23:23—N.T.: Jesus said it was important for the Pharisees to _____but then not to _____ the more important things like justice, faith and mercy. (Tithe, neglect) 

 

 

3. 1 Chronicles 29:14—O.T.: _____ we have comes from God. We give God only what He _____ gave us. (Everything, first)

 

 

4. 2 Corinthians 8:12—N.T.: God accepts what we give if we give it _____ and according to what we _____, not what we _____ have. (Eagerly, have, don’t) 

 

5. Malachi 3:10—O.T.: The tithe is to be brought into the _____ and when we do, He will open up the _____ of heaven for us. (Storehouse, windows)

 

 

6. 2 Corinthians 9:7—N.T.: You must decide in your _____ how much to give and not in response to _____. God loves a person who gives _____. (Heart, pressure, cheerfully)  

 

 

7. Mark 12:43–44—N.T.: Jesus said that the poor _____ gave more than all the others who gave out of their _____. (Widow, surplus)

 

 

8. Malachi 3:10—O.T.: God said that when we tithe, He will _____ out a blessing and to put Him to the _____. (Pour, test)

 

 

9. Luke 6:38—N.T.: When you give, your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, _____ together, to make room for _____. (Shaken, more)

 

10. Acts 20:35—N.T.: Jesus said that it is more blessed to _____ than to ____. (Give, receive)

 

 

Conclusion: All we have is from our loving Heavenly Father. It’s a blessing and a privilege to give to Him.