It’s often difficult for us to figure out what is enough. Do we have enough time? How much is enough money? Have we provided our children with enough of what they need to be the best they can be? The question of how much is enough is one we work to answer our entire lives. In moments when we are faced with needing to stretch limited resources further than we imagined they could go, we realize that we often have more than we recognized. When we are able to make a lot out of a little, we see that God has provided us with exactly what we need. In this lesson, your children will explore these ideas through the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish.
Begin the time with your children by pouring water into a glass. Ask your children to tell you when there is enough water in the glass. When they say the glass is full, ask them to explain how they knew you had poured enough water. How much water would be too little? How much would be too much? Would they prefer to have too much water or too little? Why? Explain that there are many moments in our lives when we wonder if we have enough of something to do what we need.
Prepare to read aloud John 6:1-21. As written, the text is fairly child-friendly. However, there is also a wonderful retelling of this story in “Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible.” It is written as a poem and includes rhymes that younger children will especially love. Ask your children to listen for the problem that Jesus and his disciples have in this story. Then, encourage them to notice how Jesus solves this problem with limited resources.
Read aloud John 6:1-21. Ask your children to describe the problem that Jesus and the disciples faced in this story. Note that a large crowd gathered to experience Jesus’ healing. Recognizing that these 5,000 people would likely be hungry, Jesus directs Philip to find bread for the people. However, Philip says that the disciples do not have enough money to purchase enough bread to feed everyone.
Next, ask your children how Jesus solves this problem. Share that a young boy offers the two fish and five loaves of bread that he has. This still does not appear to be enough food to feed 5,000 people according to Andrew. However, when Jesus divides these meager resources up, they become ample food. In fact, there is enough bread and fish left over to fill 12 baskets! Jesus is able to turn a seemingly small amount of food into a meal that nourishes many.
Help your children see how few resources can turn into something much larger and more impactful by having them create pieces of art out of a small number of materials. Gather a few items together. You can select a few traditional art materials such as paper, crayons, etc. or you can select more random items. You may even want to gather up recycled or discarded materials to help your children see how items we consider “trash” can turn into something useful.
Place the items you gathered in front of your children. Tell them that they should make something out of these few items. They can only use these few things to create. They can build whatever they would like. If your children have difficulty working with just these few materials, remind them that you have given them enough to make something wonderful.
When they have completed their crafts, ask your children to tell you how they made them and what they could be used for. Highlight their creativity and willingness to create something remarkable out of very little.
Discuss ways that your family can use limited resources to have a larger impact on your community. How can you use your limited free time to care for others? How can you leverage small offerings so that they can have a big impact? Talk about ways to put these ideas into action.
JOELLE BRUMMIT-YALE is the director of children’s and youth ministries at Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. When not at the church, she can usually be found at home with her son and husband caring for their many animals and developing their family homestead.
