Welcome back to C-Kers Online. It’s been a month since the last one, but we’re back with more vids, another story and more activities. Let’s start off with a video called Odd Jobs.
This is another parable Jesus told. Remember that a parable is a “heavenly story with an earthly meaning. Jedsus told these stories to explain important things about God. Here’s the story as Jesus told it in Matthew chapter 20 verses 1 to 16:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a man who went out early in the morning to hire some men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them the regular wage, a silver coin a day, and sent them to work in his vineyard. 3 He went out again to the marketplace at nine o’clock and saw some men standing there doing nothing, 4 so he told them, ‘You also go and work in the vineyard, and I will pay you a fair wage.’ 5 So they went. Then at twelve o’clock and again at three o’clock he did the same thing. 6 It was nearly five o’clock when he went to the marketplace and saw some other men still standing there. ‘Why are you wasting the whole day here doing nothing?’ he asked them. 7 ‘No one hired us,’ they answered. ‘Well, then, you go and work in the vineyard,’ he told them.
8 “When evening came, the owner told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with those who were hired last and ending with those who were hired first.’ 9 The men who had begun to work at five o’clock were paid a silver coin each. 10 So when the men who were the first to be hired came to be paid, they thought they would get more; but they too were given a silver coin each. 11 They took their money and started grumbling against the employer. 12 ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘while we put up with a whole day’s work in the hot sun—yet you paid them the same as you paid us!’ 13 ‘Listen, friend,’ the owner answered one of them, ‘I have not cheated you. After all, you agreed to do a day’s work for one silver coin. 14 Now take your pay and go home. I want to give this man who was hired last as much as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do as I wish with my own money? Or are you jealous because I am generous?’” 16 And Jesus concluded, “So those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last. (Good News Bible)
It didn’t seem fair. Those who were hired late in the day got the same as those who were hired earlier. Why was the owner being so generous to the people hired later in the day? Because he wanted to be! It gives us an important principle in the Bible – God wants to bless each person in the world and offer each of us to be part of His kingdom, irrespective of how good or bad we are or ever have been, and irrespective of age or anything else about us. He does this because he loves us and wants to bless each of us, whoever we are. IN the Bible this is known as grace. Here’s a little video about grace.
God offers us the opportunity to know Him, forgiveness for our sin (the things we do wrong), and to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. He doens’t offer it because we are good or bad, but He does it because He’s generous and He loves us. No-one is ever too bad to follow Jesus and become a Christian.
All this is because Jesus died on the cross for us and when we trust and follow Him, we get all the blessings God offers, because however good we are, we can never earn or deserve going to heaven or receiving God’s forgiveness. So in Jesus, God sorted it all for us so He gives it all for free! All we have to do is trust and follow Jesus! Have you done it yet? God wants to bless you today so take the opportunity to pray and follow Jesus.
Father, thank You that Jesus has died for me because You want to show me grace by offering me all Your blessings even though I don’t deserve them. Thank you that Jesus died for my sins so that I may know You now and forever. Lord Jesus, I want to follow You. I accept You into my life. Holy Spirit, give me the power to become the person You want me to be. Thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
THINGS TO MAKE AND DO
For our craft today, we want you to try to see if you can make a 3D bunch of grapes. You’ll need the following:
Grape Template ( printable template
Thin Card or cereal box
Cotton wool balls
Coloured tissue paper or bin liner s
Coloured pen s / pencil s or crayon s
Scissors
Glue
You’ll also beed access to a printer for the instructions and the template below.
Wea lso have some colouring for you as well.
Let’s finish off today with a fun song that reminds us that to get to heaven there’s only one way, and that’s through trusting and following Jesus.