Purpose: Use this children’s sermon on the last of the Ten Commandments to teach kids to be thankful for what they have instead of envious of what others have.
Scripture: Exodus 20:17
Needed: a box of small cookies and a box of large cookies
Children’s Sermon
Show your box of small cookies and ask, Who wants a cookie? (Give one to anyone who wants one.)
Those are good cookies, aren’t they? Who likes their cookie? Who’s happy that I gave them a cookie?
(Now, show your box of large cookies and eat one in front of them. Then, put the box down without offering them one.)
Do you still like the cookie I gave you?
Do you think it was mean of me to eat that big cookie in front of you without offering you one?
I am going to give you one when I’m finished, but first, let’s talk about another one of God’s Top Ten rules. Number ten in the Ten Commandments says…
(Read Exodus 20:17 , quoted here in the NIV.)
“You shall not covetyour neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
That means that you shouldn’t want what someone else has. If someone else has a nice house or cool toys or better clothes or bigger cookies, we shouldn’t want what they have.
Why do you think God doesn’t want us to want what other people have?
God wants us to be thankful for what we have. If we don’t have the nicest house, we can still be thankful for the house that we do have. If we don’t have the best toys or the newest clothes, we can still be thankful for the toys and clothes we do have. If we don’t get the biggest cookie, we can still be happy with and thankful for the cookie that we did get.
God’s tenth Commandment is to be thankful for what we have and to not want what other people have.
Closing Prayer
Lord, You’ve given us everything we have. Help us to be thankful for everything You give us and not always wanting what other people have. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
But since it’s also nice share, I’m going to give you one of my cookies as you leave. (Pass out cookies as kids go back to their seats or to Children’s Church.)
You can also find this children’s sermon for Kindle or in print in my book, Children’s Sermon about the Ten Commandments.