Children’s Message--Sunday, November 2, 2008

Today in church, we are talking about Stewardship. Stewardship is the word that we use in church to mean how we use what we have to take care of what is important to us. When I think of stewardship, I think about how I use my time, money and skills to help make the world a better place.

Since this weekend was Halloween, I was thinking of stewardship in Halloween terms. I was thinking about that bucket of candy that you have. Maybe you only went to a few houses, so you only have 5 or 6 pieces. Maybe you did the whole street, or even the whole neighborhood, so you have a lot.

So in Halloween terms, what is stewardship about? Well, I can tell you that you were not a very good steward of your candy if you ate the whole bucket of it on Friday night. There was nothing to share, nothing to eat later, and most likely, eating a whole bucket of candy would leave you feeling bad—both for being a little bit greedy, and having a big tummyache!

So if eating the whole bucket is bad stewardship—what would good stewardship look like?
§ It might look like putting some away in your treat box or the freezer so you could save it to enjoy later.
§ It might look like giving your mom or dad or grandma or other non-trick or treating family member their choice of something from your bin.

Imagine this: you get home from trick or treating to see that the bowl of candy at your house is empty. . . there is nothing left to give out. A group of 5 or 6 kids are coming down the road. Well, you could shut off the outside light and close the curtains, but a good steward might just reach into his our her bucket and put a handful in the candy bowl to share with the other kids.

Oh, and just for the record, good stewardship also looks like unwrapping your favorite candy, closing your eyes and taking a big bite. Mmmmm. . . because, don’t forget that everything that we have—friends, family, money and things is a gift from God, meant to be cared for and meant to be shared, and also to be enjoyed.

Let’s pray: Loving God
We are thankful for all that you give us
Help us to show that thanks
By caring for these gifts
Sharing them with others
And by enjoying them ourselves.
Amen.