21 September 2025
Bible readings for todayRCL
St Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist / Matiu Tapu, Āpōtoro, Kaituhi Rongopai
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CollectE te Atua Kaha rawa
te puna o te mātauranga te tikitiki o te mōhiotanga; hōmai he kanohi kia kite ai mātou me te hinengaro kia mātau ai mātou i āu mahi whakamīharo kia mōhio ai mātau ki a koe i roto i āu mahi ka whakamahi ai i āu i hangaia e koe mō tōu korōria; Ko Īhu Karaiti tō mātou Ariki. Āmine. Almighty God, fount of all wisdom, crown of all knowledge; give us eyes to see and minds to understand your marvellous works, that we may know you through your handiwork and use your creations to your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. |
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-13)
This is sometimes called the parable of the dishonest manager! Does Jesus really want us to be dishonest? You may need to do some thinking/reflecting in order to unpack this on an appropriate level for your children. The Parable of the Rich Fool has some similar themes and could be used instead - See here for Bible Explore resources.
Input for leaders
Visio Lectio
Another great print illustration from Rev. Sarah West, from Visio Lectio (shared with permission) PNG Download Terms of Use |
Gospel Conversations 2025: Every three years you can sense a collective groan as preachers realise they have to tackle the parable of the unjust steward who seems, inexplicably, to have his dishonesty set up as an example to us all by Jesus. You'll find much in this week's discussion to ponder over...
Gospel Conversations 2022: We've gone from the beloved story of the lost sheep last week, to the frankly bewildering story of the dishonest steward being praised by Jesus this week! What do we do with this? Do we simply avoid preaching on it? This week's conversations aims to help us understand a little more clearly what Jesus might have meant.
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Intergenerational worshipA collection of resources and ideas (Intergen Australia)
Written and compiled by Chris Barnett, Rev Sandy Brodine. Bible references: 1 Timothy, Luke, Psalms. 
Questions to think about
Preschool PlayThis is a pretty tough one to do with preschoolers who will have limited understanding of money, resources, business models etc.
Some alternatives:
ActivitiesLots of activity sheets (Bible Fun for Kids)
Choices poster (group activity) On a big sheet, draw two paths: one marked “Serving God” and one marked “Serving Money.” Give kids magazines, paper, or markers to add pictures/words to each path (e.g., “Helping a neighbour” vs “Keeping everything for myself”). Things to talk about: Does putting God first mean it's not okay for other things to be important too? Why? why not? What things do I find hard not to put first? Why do you think God wants to be first in our lives? Treasure hunt Hide chocolate coins around the room for a treasure hunt. Afterwards remind them: money can be fun, but it’s not what matters most. (SAFETY NOTE: If you have kids with allergies use paper coins instead). For more ideas see The Rich Fool activities. |
Kids TalksThe man who lost his job (Gary Neal Hansen) - a contemporary paraphrase of the story with some great unpacking.
Parable of the dishonest steward (Rfour) Jesus' parable of the dishonest manager (Ministry to children) Money and wise stewardship (Ministry to children) - lesson plan with a focus on general themes of money and stewardship using several verses. On Grace (Faith Formation Journeys) - a slightly unusual but lovely take on this parable. Kid friendly paraphrase of Luke 16:1-13 One day Jesus told a story: There was a man who worked as a manager for a rich person. The manager’s job was to look after the rich person’s money and property. But he wasn’t doing his job well. The rich person told him, “You can’t be my manager anymore.”The manager thought, “Oh no! What will I do? I’m not strong enough to dig ditches, and I’m too ashamed to beg for money.” Then he came up with a plan. He went to the people who owed money to his boss. He said to one man, “How much do you owe?” The man answered, “One hundred jars of oil.” The manager said, “Quick! Write down fifty instead.” Then he asked another person, “How much do you owe?” The man said, “One hundred bags of wheat.” The manager said, “Write down eighty.” The rich person was surprised, but he said, “That was very clever of you!” Then Jesus told the people listening: “People in the world are often clever about getting what they want. But the most important thing is to be trustworthy with what God gives you. If you are faithful with little things, you can be trusted with bigger things too. You can’t serve two masters. You can’t serve both God and money. You have to choose which one is most important.” 
Pray it!You'll need: a basket with strips of paper or paper coins (enough for all the kids), pens.
Gather the children and remind them: “Jesus said we can’t serve two masters. He wants us to know that his love is worth more than anything else in our life. Give each child a strip of paper or a paper coin. Ask them to draw or write
After everyone has placed theirs in, finish with a short group prayer, e.g.: “God, thank you that you trust us with little things and big things. Help us to know that your love is worth more than anything else. Help us to show your love to others this week. Amen.” |
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The Importance of Prayer (1 Timothy 2: 1-7)
Interactive Prayer Stations |
Activity Ideas |
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About the Activity:
In 1 Timothy 2:1-3, Paul gives Timothy some instructions for prayer. This activity is based on these verses. There is a station for each of these times of prayers: petitions, prayers of peace, intercession, thanksgiving and prayer for kings and leaders. This activity will work in your children’s ministry programme or as an all-age activity for your whole church. Downloads Prayer Stations Instructions.pdf Prayer Stations Leaders Notes.pdf Puzzle Template.pdf Setting up the room You will need to set up five stations in the room, with the prayer card and the equipment listed below. If your group is large you might need to set up two stations of each activity (i.e. two stations for petition prayers). It is a good idea to have an adult or young person based at each station to guide the children as they pray. Each prayer station has a jigsaw puzzle piece to collect. This puzzle can be downloaded, one per child, and cut up beforehand. As the children and leaders move around the stations they collect a puzzle piece. By the end they will be able to complete the puzzle and take it home as a reminder. Begin by reading this to the whole group: Paul says to offer up all kinds of prayers. He gives Timothy some examples. We are to pray for ourselves, but not just for ourselves. We are to pray for others, for our leaders and to give thanks. These prayer stations will help you to explore the different kinds of prayers Paul tells Timothy about. You will need to move around these stations quietly so as not to disturb others. You may talk to others or pray together. You will need to collect a puzzle piece at each station as you go around. Move at your own speed. The idea is not to get around each station as fast as possible, but to stop and listen to God. You might find you only spend time at one or two stations. Let me pray before we begin (insert your own prayer) Prayer Stations:
Thanks to Annette Osborne from SUNZ for this great resource! |
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