Tax collector and Pharisee

Today's selected readings: – Luke 18: 9-14

Kids Address

• What sort of things are you good at? (Discuss)
• Do you think you are better than everyone else because you are good at these things? (Discuss)
• What sort of car does your Mum or Dad drive and how old are they? (Discuss)
• Now if all these cars were lined up and asked to drive 1000km to Sydney, at the normal legal speed who do you think would get there first? (Discuss)
• But assuming that all these cars had been serviced regularly, and looked after, all of them would eventually get to Sydney. Some faster than others. But just the same, they would all get there. Would you agree?
• In todays reading, a man called a Pharisee looked down his nose at a tax collecter. He saw him as being not as good as he was.
• Sadly today, there are people who do treat others as not as good as them, just because they can't afford the same clothes that you wear, or their parents may not be able to afford to let them go on school excursions etc.
• Jesus is saying in the story, everyone is equal. No-one is better than another.
• Today we have been asked to come dressed in our work gear to show what our harvest is. Let's see if we can work out what some of these people do as a job or to help others in their retirement. (Kids check out the congregation)
• We are very lucky to have such a wide range of jobs represented today because our world only works well when we have people doing a wide range of things for a living.
• The Doctors, Nurses, Teachers, Plumbers, Garbage Collectors etc All of these jobs are different, and without someone doing them, our world would be a really mixed up place.
• So it is not looking down ones nose because so in so does this or that for a living. I know I am very thankful to know when I put my rubbish bins out on the correct night, they are emptied for me the next day.
• It is the same with your friends. They are all different, but valued by God in exactly the same way he does you.

Kids Church Activity:
Outline of a figure on card about A4 size showing face of Pharisee on one side – Proud and on other side Lazarus – Humble man with a big heart. Slogan on Pharisee side says “God does not like people who think they are better than others” – On Lazarus side slogan says “God loves those who care for others”

What you need to get ready:
A4 size outline with silhouette of side on view on card, textas, paints to show Lazarus large heart or to make one out of material with padding behind it to become 3D in style, Textas