Free Children’s Church Lesson: Jesus Invites Us to Serve Others (Matthew 20:20-28)
Use this free New Testament lesson for children’s church to inspire kids in your ministry to have servant’s hearts. You could consider teaching it on or around Veterans Day! On Veterans Day, we honor the people who serve (or have served) in the U.S. military. What a perfect time to talk about how Jesus invites us to serve others!
Prepare for Your Lesson
You’ll Need:
Review Bible Background for Leaders
Read Matthew 20:20-28.
The mother of James and John, two of Jesus’ disciples, came to Jesus with a request. She wanted her sons to sit in places of honor next to Jesus in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus said that only God could determine who would be seated next to Jesus in heaven. The other 10 disciples were indignant when they heard what had been asked. So Jesus used the incident as an opportunity to teach all 12 disciples that, in his kingdom, whoever wanted to be a leader had to be a servant—just as Jesus was.
The kingdom of God isn’t a place where leadership is grasped through displays of power. Rather, leadership in the kingdom of God is servanthood.
New Testament Lesson for Children’s Church
Explore the Bible!
Have kids help you place chairs in a circle. Then hold a kitchen timer and sit in one of the chairs.
Say: We’re going to play a game. I don’t really have a prize for you, but you need to play as if the winner gets a brand-new smartphone. As soon as I start the timer and say “go,” walk around the circle in Musical Chairs style. When the timer goes off, the person who sits in the chair on my right side wins!
Set the timer for different amounts each time as you play several rounds.
When the game is over, say: Our Bible passage today reminds me of this game!
Read aloud Matthew 20:20-28.
Say: Two of Jesus’ friends—James and John—wanted to sit at Jesus’ side in his kingdom. Jesus responded by asking the two if they were ready to suffer the same way he would.
Explain that you’re going to play the game again.
Say: This time we’ll play the same way, but along with our pretend prize is a pretend price. If you win, you have to imagine you’d get the smartphone, but not until you hang upside down from your toes while listening to the song that most annoys you—on repeat for an hour. If you don’t think that’d be worth it, don’t play. Set the timer and see who still plays.
Lead this discussion:
- How did you decide if the suffering would be worth it?
- How would you feel if you won the game and found out there was no prize but you still had to suffer?
Say: The disciples each wanted to be first. It’s hard to serve others when we’re just thinking about what we want. But to be first in Jesus’ eyes, it takes a servant’s heart. Jesus invites us to serve others.
Act It Out
Say: Most of us have a natural tendency to think of ourselves first.
Have kids find partners.
Say: Think about a time you put yourself first. Without speaking, act out that incident. For example, if there was one cookie left and you snagged it before your brother could, act out grabbing and eating a cookie, and then demonstrate the crying brother. See if your partner can guess your action.
Allow a couple of minutes for kids to act. Alert them after one minute so both of them get a chance to act.
Say: Jesus said we need to change that thinking. He said whoever wants to be a leader needs to be a servant.
Explain that kids will do the acting activity again. First, give these instructions: Now think about how you can change your original action to show a servant’s heart. For example, maybe you’ll see that last cookie…and then offer it to your brother, who smiles and nods and pats his heart gratefully. Act out a servant’s heart.
Allow time, and again provide a signal at one minute.
Then lead this discussion:
- Explain which comes more naturally to you: putting yourself or others first.
- When you notice you’re acting selfishly, what can help you change your thinking?
Say: Let’s listen to a verse that explains how God wants us to treat others.
Have a volunteer read Philippians 2:3-4. Then ask:
- What do you think it means to think of others as better than yourself?
- How can thinking of others as better than yourself help you serve others?
- How do veterans live out that verse through their service?
Have another volunteer read aloud Luke 6:31. Then say: It feels good to have others treat us as important. And Jesus wants us to treat others the same way we want to be treated. When we consider others better than ourselves, we put their needs above ours. And that helps us serve others.
Apply the Lesson
Say: Most of the time when we play games, we’re trying to get or win something. For a change, let’s play a game where the object is to give it all away.
Have kids place chairs in a circle and stand behind them. Place 10 slips of paper on each child’s chair.
Say: The object of this game is to get rid of all your paper by putting it on someone else’s chair. As others place paper on your chair, keep giving it away. But you can move only two papers at a time, and you can’t stop someone from giving papers to you. Ready? Go!
Play a song while children try to get rid of their papers. When the song ends, call time and determine the winner by counting the number of papers each child has. The child with the fewest slips of paper is the winner.
Lead this discussion:
- What was it like to play this game?
- How’s this game like or unlike serving others?
- Tell about someone you know who always seems to be serving others.
Give examples from your own life. If you’re teaching this lesson around Veterans Day, share about how people in the military serve others. Then let kids share their own examples.
Say: When we give of ourselves, we’re serving them. In this game it seemed pretty hard for everyone to give all of the paper away, because people kept getting more paper even as they gave it away. Our lives are the same way. As we give of ourselves—as we serve—God uses the service of others to bring blessings and joy into our lives as well. Jesus invites us to serve others, and he honors those who do.
Pray: Dear God, we know it pleases you when we put others first. Help us set aside our own desires so we can serve others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
This lesson is adapted from Group’s Grow Together Now, Volume 1. Check it out for more lessons about forgiveness, peacemaking, and having a servant’s heart. Need another Veterans Day idea for children’s church? Try this one!
