Masterpieces Are Not for the Closet (Sunday School Lesson for Kids)

Small Group Study / Produced by partner of TOW

This lesson is part of God's Story of Work for Kids, a 12-week curriculum that teaches children to see work through God's perspective.

Main Idea:God designed each person uniquely.

Props

  • vase
  • real flower (lying by the vase)

Opening

Leader: Take a look at this vase. Someone thought about it and designed the shape, color, and look of it. There was thought and time that was put into making this vase. Let me share two scenarios of how this vase could be used.

First, imagine after all of the thought and work that went into making it, this vase gets put into a storage closet and the door is closed. It just sits there for years, gathering dust on a shelf, unseen and forgotten by everyone. do you think this is what the vase was made for? No, the vase was made to be seen and used.

Now imagine a different story. Instead of being put into a storage closet and forgotten, the vase is put in the middle of the living room table. It's used to hold fresh flowers. (Put the flower inside the vase.) Every day it's seen by people in the family and the guests they have over. The color and design of the vase is seen and enjoyed by others.

Which of these do you think is the better story? (Invite children to respond.) It seems like the second story is better, because the vase is being used in the way it was intended. Also it adds something to the lives of others by being seen and used.

The same is true for you. No one in this room, and on this planet, was created by God just to exist and then die. Each of you was created with specific gifts, talents, abilities, and personalities. You were put in a specific place, not to be hidden away. God wants you to use all your gifts and abilities to be part of God's team, working on his project to restore the world.

God never does things in a hurry or sloppily. He is thoughtful and intentional in how he designs. Just think - no two fingerprints in the world are the same. He knows how to make more than 7 billion fingerprints differently. No two people are exactly the same. When God made you, he gave you unique gifts, talents, personalities, and passions. The way you think about things, the way you like to work, the things you are able to do are all unique to only you.

Every single person has a special part to play using the unique ways we are made. In God's kingdom, no one is created for the sidelines. God's restoration project, his work to restore the world back to his original good design, is so big that there is room for every single person on this planet to play a big part. The project can make use of a team of 7 billion people at one time.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a masterpiece? Ephesians 2:10 tells us that "we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life."

Some translations say that we are God's "handiwork" or his "masterpiece." Either way, we are made by God to do good works, not to be put away in a storage closet. Through the unique ways God has made you, you are able to partner with God to accomplish good things.

Scripture Lesson

Read aloud or ask a child to stand and read for the group.

1 Corinthians 12:12-20

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body.

Leader: It would be silly if every part of the body wanted to be an ear. The body wouldn't function. We would not be able to eat, talk smell, or breathe.

Every part of the body is important and has a special design and function. The same is true of you. You have a special design and function in God's plan. No one in history or on this planet right now is exactly like you. You are able to do things that others can't because of your unique background and abilities.

Take a look at someone near you and tell them, "You are a masterpiece!"

When we use who we are for his glory and not ours we will discover joy because this is what we were created for. Whether you are an introvert or extrovert, creative, mathematical, spontaneous or planning, you were created in a specific way to use your gifts for God.

A lot of times, the news and television shows focus on certain people over others. Because of this, we might sometimes want to be like a famous athlete or a movie star or leader. But no one can be a copy of another person. God is so creative and loving that he has designed unique life stories for each of us. Think about it, it would be a lot easier for God to make all of our stories the same. Instead, he takes the time to design each of us in a unique way. If we are true to how God made us, we will find joy because it's who we're supposed to be and God will receive glory.

Instead of looking at others, today in small group you will be looking at yourself. What are your gifts and talents? What's your personality? What do you care about? What do you love doing? What do you dislike doing? Let's go discover the nose or ear or tendon or kidney - whoever you're supposed to be.

Closing

Leader: God, you made each of us so unique and beautiful. There's not a single person here whose name you don't know. Thank you for loving us so personally. Would you help us to discover what our unique design is? Help us to see and appreciate who we are instead of trying to be like someone else. Bless each person, God, and may each of us live out the design you have given us for your glory. In Jesus' name, amen.

Masterpieces Are Not for the Closet (Classroom Activity for Grades 2-5)

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This lesson is part of God's Story of Work for Kids, a 12-week curriculum that teaches children to see work through God's perspective.

Props

Opening Activity: Different from You (5 minutes)

Sit in a circle and have each person think of 3 things that they think are probably unique to them and that no one else has done. Go around the circle and have each person share their 3 things. If no one has done any of them they get 3 points. Deduct a point for each thing shared that others have also done.

Review: Though we might have some things that we've done that are similar, how we felt about them is not exactly the same. Each of us has been designed quite differently.

Worksheet: The Me God Designed (15 minutes)

Have students fill out the worksheet. When completed, have each student share 1 or 2 things from their worksheet with the group.

Review: What do you like most about yourself? What do you find the most interesting about someone else in the group?

My Puzzle Piece (10 minutes)

Have kids decorate their puzzle piece with things that represent who they are. (You can either decorate large pieces of a real puzzle, or cut puzzle piece shapes out of paper for each child.) For decoration ideas, the children can use their inventory worksheet. Tape the puzzle pieces together or hang them on the wall.

Review: What do you think about how God made people? What is something new you appreciate about how God made you or someone else in the group?

Share & Pray (5 minutes)

Remind the children that God uniquely designed them in the unique ways they described in the worksheet. God has a special purpose for each child in his plan. Ask children if they have anything about their unique design that they want to thank God for. Ask if there are any things they have a hard time accepting about themselves, and ask for God's help. Pray for the requests or invite a child to pray for the class.

Masterpieces Are Not for the Closet (Take-Home Activity for Parents and Kids)

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This lesson is part of God's Story of Work for Kids, a 12-week curriculum that teaches children to see work through God's perspective.

This Week's Focus: God has designed each person uniquely

This week we learned that just as the eye and nose each have a unique design and function, we each have unique and important parts to play. God has designed each person with a purpose. When we try to be someone else, we miss out on the joy of fully seeing our unique design and how it fits into God's plan. When we know God and live for him, using all our gifts and skills, we find great joy and purpose. Sometimes it's hard to see ourselves, though. Kids need encouragement from their loved ones about who they are and what they bring to the family.

Do This Week's Workout: Family Inventory

The Weekly Workout is a great way you can work out the week's focus with your child. Invite the whole family into this time. God is at work.

Write each person's name on the top of a blank sheet of paper, one for every member of your family. If everyone in your family can write, pass the papers around. Each person writes down the unique gifts, personality traits and abilities they see in each person. Or if your children are too young to write, brainstorm out loud about each person in your family:

  • What do you think this person is good at? (think about talents as well as natural abilities like problem solving, listening to others, fixing things, etc.)
  • What do you enjoy most about this person's personality?
  • What does this person add to the family dynamic? (for example, silliness, laughter, preparation, safety, etc.)

Talk about it: Go around the family circle and share the answers to these questions:

  1. What are you surprised to hear about yourself from your family?
  2. Did hearing this feedback change the way you think about yourself?

Consider throwing a party to celebrate how God designed your family.

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