Danger of Riches

"Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, 'You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.'"

(Mark 10:21)

Ask the children if they think that they would be happy if they were rich. Then ask them how much money they would need to be considered rich. Give each child the opportunity to name a dollar amount. Write down the amounts suggested so the children can see these amounts. Inquire how they would feel if another child were richer by comparison. Most likely, they will decide to increase their previous amount to equal or exceed the highest dollar amount. When we make wealth our goal, we can never have enough!

Share with the children the story of Rumpelstiltskin.You can find this story at the public library or on the Internet. Now read the story of the rich young man from Mark 10:17-31. Compare the rich young man with the king in the children's story.

Ask the children what was most important to both the rich young man in Mark and the king in the Rumpelstiltskin story. (Answer: Their wealth.) Could they have shared their wealth and still have had enough money to meet their needs and their family's needs? (Answer: Yes.) The king took advantage of a young girl because of his greed. Greed often keeps people from helping others. But Jesus taught that we will have treasures in heaven if we use our wealth to help others. Wealth is a gift from God to be used to benefit others, not to benefit ourselves alone.

Encourage the children to discuss their own wealth — their money and possessions. Are they using what they have to help others? Encourage the children to participate regularly in the offering.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help us to remember that everything we have is a gift from you. Help us to use money and possessions in ways that are pleasing to you. Guide us in how to be better Christian stewards of money and things. Amen.

Discussion Questions

• Why do people usually seem to want more money?
• What does it mean to have "treasure in heaven"?
• What are some ways we could use our money and possessions to help others?
• For older children — Can you name ways in which a wealthy company has taken advantage of poor workers because of the company's greed? How could this be corrected?

Janet Zimmerman is an ordained United Methodist deacon, who serves as Christian Education Director at Church of the Lakes in Canton, Ohio.

Posted in 2005.