"Responsibility and privilege"

Tigers Christian Club -- Lesson for Wednesday, March 27, 2018
Adapted from “Responsibility and Privilege” from Kids Honor Club from Biblical Parenting

Song: “Who’s the king of the jungle?”

Intro and follow-up questions: We’ve been talking about what honor means and how we can show honor to our families.  Honor means treating people as special. It also means doing more than what’s expected and having a good attitude.

Today we are going to talk about what Jesus said about responsibility and privilege and how they go together. 

What is responsibility?  You can think of it as taking care of yourself, taking care of others and taking care of the environment around you.

What are privileges?  Privileges are special treats or rewards for a job well done -- like getting dessert after eating a good dinner, or getting to play with a friend after finishing chores like cleaning up your toys, or enjoying a nice environment -- whether that’s inside a clean house or outside at the park.

Poster: Does anyone know the name of this bridge?  It’s the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Sydney, Australia.  I’m using this picture to show how responsibility and privilege are connected -- just as these towers are connected by the bridge.

Can you name some responsibilities you have?  And some privileges?  (Place ideas for responsibilities and privilege under the headings on the poster and talk about how they go hand in hand.)

My suggestions:

Demo:  Can I have a volunteer throw this napkin away for me?

Now...let’s make it harder…

Bible verse:  Matthew 25:23 says, “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.”  Can you say that with me?

Volunteer 2: Carry this basketball and throw away the napkin.

Volunteer 3: Wear your coat and backpack on your front and carry the basketball and throw away the napkin.

Volunteer 4: Wear your coat and backpack on your front and carry the basketball and three books and wear a blindfold and throw away the napkin.

Story/Skit: Who will help me act out this story?  (Need the company owner and three workers)

From Matthew 25:14-30: “One day a man went on a trip but he needed some people to take care of his business while he was away.  He chose three people and gave them each a different job and different amounts of money to keep track of.  To the first man he gave five talents.  A talent was a lot of money. He gave two talents to the second man and one talent to the third.  (Hand each worker a bag and fill each with five, two or one of an item representing the talents.)  The reason the workers received different amounts of money was because they had different abilities and could only handle what was given to them.

While the man was away on his trip the workers were supposed to use the money they were given to make more money.

When the man came back from his trip he checked on the workers to see how they had done.

The first worker who had received five talents had gone to work right away and now had five more talents to give to the man.  He had done a good job. The second man also did well. He worked with the money he had received and earned two more talents. The owner was very pleased.  He had given them jobs, and the workers were responsible with the jobs. The owner decided to reward them by giving them more privileges.

He said, “Because you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things.” (have child echo)

Jesus doesn’t tell us what kind of work they did, but here’s an example.  Say a neighbor of yours is going on vacation. Your neighbor might ask you to take care of his mail and water his plants or take care of his pets while he’s gone.  If you do what he asks then the neighbor says he’ll pay you for the job. You agree, and the neighbor goes away on vacation. You do the job. When the neighbor returns and sees the good work you’ve done, he rewards you by paying you for the job, but then he says since you did such a good job he wants to give you another opportunity to earn more money -- a job like shoveling snow or weeding the garden.

Privileges like earning money and being asked to do jobs come to people who are responsible. Privilege and responsibility go together.

Now there’s a third part of the story we were telling.  It is the one sad part. Here it is: “The third worker wasn’t responsible.  In fact, he was lazy and didn’t do anything with the talent he was given. In fact, all he could do was give excuses instead of being responsible.  So, he lost privileges and his privileges were given to someone else. (Take that worker’s bag and hand it to one of the other workers.)  That’s what happens in life too.  If you aren’t responsible with what you have now, you will lose privileges.”

“Our Bible verse for today talks about the importance of being faithful with the responsibilities we have.”  Can you say it with me one more time?

“You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.”  Matthew 25:23

Closing:  Let’s review now what we’ve learned today.

Today we have talked about how responsibilities and privileges go together.  If we are responsible, we earn more privileges.

Prayer: Dear God, Teach us how to be faithful with the responsibilities we have already.  Help us to see the privileges we enjoy instead of taking them for granted. Give us the ability to be responsible with the things you’ve given to us.  Amen.

Build your own bridge: I have paper plates and cups you can decorate and put together to make your own bridge that connects responsibility and privilege.  There is also a coloring page. On the back there is a place where you can make lists of your own responsibilities and privileges.

Parting on the rug: Enjoy some gummy candy!