A Story To Tell (Youth)

Announcements

IceBreaker - Two Truths and a Lie with the Leaders

Testimony - Hiram

Game - Kickball

Object Lesson - Tin can with coins

Opening

Summary – It is so easy to look at people through the lens of where they are, rather than where they have been.

Rather than trying to understand people, we are fine to make judgements based on their surface rather than their story.

There is something powerful about getting to know someone’s story.

You might find that instead of judging them, you begin to pray for them. Instead of minimizing where they currently are, you begin to celebrate how far they’ve come.

Main Idea – Beneath Every Person’s Surface is a Story.

Lesson

Let me read you a short story from the Bible that has such an important lesson

Mark 12:41-44 Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.” (MSG)

Offering Facts

The vessel that the Jews would put there money in was a metal funnel trumpet shaped chest

It was narrow at the top and wide at the bottom

When money was dropped in, the sound of the coins was amplified by the metal ‘trumpets’ for everyone to hear. Everyone would hear the sound of a pile of shekels being unloaded

The Temple was noisy

It was full of the sound of people talking and singing

Animals meant to be sacrificed, mooing and bleating

Priests, praying and directing traffic

Pharisees and scribes, arguing and debating about Scripture

Object Lesson

When these rich Jews would come in and give their offering, it would make a loud clanging noise

They were “sounding the trumpet” so to speak

This would get the attention of those around them

Wow, so generous

They would get the honor of men…recognition…people only saw the surface

Then the widow put in her two small coins

It would have barely made any sound and would certainly be drowned out by the noise in the temple

Nobody would have turned their heads to look

Nobody would have congratulated her on her generosity

Noone would have even noticed her contribution

But Jesus in typical fashion noticed her

Her offering, although it didn’t speak volume physically, was the loudest noise in the temple that day, and Jesus explains why

Jesus calls his disciples and brings recogniton to this woman

She gave all she had

while others were giving casually out of their abundance, she was giving sacrificaially out of her need

Jesus saw beyound the surface, and saw her story

She was a widow, that didn’t have much to offer, but she gave everythign she could

Application

Although this is a story about giving, I think the application goes far beyound that

I said at the beginning:

Summary – It is so easy to look at people through the lens of where they are, rather than where they have been.

While everyone else saw the surface, Jesus saw her story

We can make judgements on the surface

According to the noise of the offering, these rich men were much more Godly than this woman.

This woman is just disposable

We can look at the people around us and begin to judge them on their surface rather than their story

People that act a certain way…we judge them based on what we see, when if we knew their story we might find out they are acting in responce to pain in their life

Story of Kid whos dad was in jail in Kids Ministry

We assume one person is better than another

CS Lewis example of two different women

When you understand people’s stories, you might find yourself acting more like Jesus

that instead of judging them, you begin to pray for them.

Instead of minimizing where they currently are, you begin to celebrate how far they’ve come

Beneath Every Person’s Surface is a Story

Salvation

Jesus sees your story

Maybe you feel misunderstood, judged

He understands, he cares

That’s why he did the greatest thing anyone has ever done.

He inserted himself into your story

By coming as a man to die on a cross

The end of our story by ourselves is not a good one, but with Jesus everything changes

He makes you a new creature

Salvation Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus I believe you're the son of God. I believe that on the cross you took my sin, my shame, and my guilt, and you died for it. You faced hell for me so I wouldn't have to go. You rose from the dead to give me a place in heaven, a purpose on earth, and a relationship with your father. Today Lord Jesus I turn from my sin to be born again. God is my father, Jesus is my savior, the Holy Spirit is my helper, and heaven is my home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sources

Source: https://www.bible-history.com/court-of-women/the_temple_treasury.html

These thirteen chests were narrow at the mouth and wide at the bottom, shaped like trumpets. There were actually eleven treasure chests of the Temple for the voluntary offerings of money, and then also two at the Gate of Susan, for the half-shekel tax.

It is probably in ironical allusion to the form and name of these treasure-chests that the Lord, making use of the word 'trumpet,' describes the conduct of those who, in their almsgiving, sought glory from men as 'sounding a trumpet' before them (Matthew 6:2)--that is, carrying before them, as it were, in full display one of these trumpet-shaped alms-boxes (literally called in the Talmud, 'trumpets'), and, as it were, sounding it.

Source - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51a21f3ee4b062a74b56fce5/t/5be842dec2241bb5cb7b9ec4/1541948126425/nov11.18.pdf

The kind that get lost in all the noise at the Temple in Jerusalem. That no one notices in the bustling commotion of everyone bringing their offerings to God. The temple was not a quiet place. It was full of the sound of people talking and singing. Animals meant to be sacrificed, mooing and bleating. Priests, praying and directing traffic. Pharisees and scribes, arguing and

debating about scripture. You would hardly notice a widow. You would hardly notice her dropping two little coins into the offering box.

On top of these offering boxes were large metal funnels shaped like trumpets. When money was dropped in, the sound of the coins was amplified by the metal ‘trumpets’ for everyone to hear. Everyone would hear the sound of a pile of shekels being unloaded.