The Big Give | Think Outside the Box
Every good and perfect gift comes from God. In fact, generosity is at the very core of God’s character—He even gave us His own son, Jesus! Jesus showed unwavering generosity as He traded His life for ours. And, because God gave us Jesus and Jesus gave His life, we can be generous towards others. Not only that, but when we are generous towards others, we prove that we love God by loving the people He loves. We pray that this Christmas, as kids celebrate God’s amazing generosity, they’ll see how they can be generous with their family, friends, and neighbors.
WEEK 1 Key Question: What do you have to give? Kids don’t immediately know what they have to offer. They don’t have a lot of money, and may not have a lot of stuff either. Thankfully, generosity isn’t just about money and stuff. Kids will discover the heart of generosity and realize that they have more to give then they might have thought.
We start our look at generosity in 1 John 4:9-11 where we discover that generosity starts with God. Because God loved us so much, He sent Jesus to be our savior and make it possible for us to be with God forever.
Bottom Line: Because God gave, I can give. John goes on in this passage and writes, Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we should also love one another, (NIrV). As kids respond to God’s generosity in their own life, we pray they will be generous with their family, friends, and neighbors.
WEEK 2 Key Question: Why is it important to give to others? Kids have been told since they were very young that they should share and give to others. As they grow into adolescence, it’s important for them to understand why that’s true. We’ll give kids a chance to answer that question for themselves, and discover that generosity changes your entire perspective on the world God made. Life isn’t about me. It’s about what God is doing through me to show His love to the world.
In Luke 12:13-21, we find Jesus sharing a parable about a rich young man. This rich man experienced such a harvest that he ended up with more than he needed. Instead of seeing how he could use the extra to help others, he stores it up for himself. He loses his life and doesn’t get to enjoy it anyway.
Bottom Line: Don’t miss your chance to give. When it comes to what we have, we need to think about others and focus on relationships more than getting more stuff. Being generous is difficult when we’re consumed with wanting more. We want kids to understand that when we focus on others, we’re more likely to see the needs around us and be generous in how we help meet those needs.
WEEK 3 Key Question: What are some ways you can give this Christmas? By this time in the month, kids might know what gifts they are giving to others. This question isn’t about the physical gifts kids can give, but the creative ways they can show generosity to others throughout the Christmas season.
We will take a look at important generosity principle Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:18. Command the rich to do good. Tell them to be rich in doing good things. They must give freely. They must be willing to share, (NIrV). Paul knows that our wealth isn’t based in how much we have but in what we do with it.
Bottom Line: Look for creative ways to give. As we have gifts and giving on our minds, Christmas is a natural time to talk to kids about generosity. Often, they feel like they don’t have anything to give. Thankfully, all of us can be rich in good deeds. We’ll help kids discover how they can look around and discover all sorts of ways they can give to others with their time and talents.
WEEK 4
Key Question: What does Christmas mean to you? The Christmas story is one of the most familiar stories in the Bible—even if you didn’t grow up in church. At some point, kids need to decide for themselves if they believe it’s true, if Christmas is more than the presents and time with family. We pray this will be the Christmas many kids will see Jesus in a new way and decide to put their faith in Him.
It’s Christmas! We head to the familiar story in Luke 2:1-18. While people expected a new king born in a palace, God had other plans in mind. Jesus was born in a place where they kept the animals. No royal robes, not much public fanfare, just Mary and Joseph cuddling Jesus for the first time. God announced His gift to shepherds helping us realize that Jesus was a gift for everyone.
Bottom Line: God gave us Jesus. Kids will get the chance to celebrate Jesus, God’s most generous gift. They’ll discover why God sent Jesus for us, as well as, what that means for how they show generosity to the people in their life.
WEEK 5
Key Question: How can you be more generous? Isn’t it true that although we know we should be generous, we often do the bear minimum when it comes to giving? What if kids decided to go above and beyond with their generosity? We think that if kids were generous with their time and energy, with their patience and grace, that life would look different for them. They’d show others what it means to follow Jesus and show the world a glimpse of how generous He is to us.
We wrap up Christmas week in Matthew 2:1-12, and find wise men traveling from the East to show generosity to a newborn king. After discovering a unique star in the sky, they followed it and it led them to the home of Jesus. Each one of their gifts for Him were thoughtfully chosen and fit for a king.
Bottom Line: Give like you’re giving to God. While Christmas is a time to think about giving big, we want kids to realize that they can give big all throughout the year. As we focus on the people God has put in our lives, we’ll soon notice how we can be generous towards them. When we show big generosity, we give like we’re giving to God.
