Aim to learn the importance of doing your best and developing the talents God has given you

Aim
* To learn the importance of doing your best and developing the talents God has given you

Materials
* Bible story – The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
* Visual Aids – large pictures illustrating the parable
* 15 coins
* Picture to colour
* A bag of sweets

Lesson Outline
1. Introduction
2. The Parable of the Talents
3. Discussion
4. Activities – act out the story, colour a picture, memory game
5. Review the aims
6. Prayer

1) Introduction
Show the first picture. Ask the children what they think the story is about. Who are the men? Why is one man giving money? Do they look happy?

2) The Parable of the Talents
A man was going on a journey, and called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents*, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.
Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with
five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I
was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit
with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ 
For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

* A talent was worth more than a thousand dollars of money

3) Discussion
* Why was the master happy with the first two servants? What did they do to make more money? 
* Why was the master angry with the third servant. What was wrong with burying it in the ground? 
* What is the story teaching us? God has given all of us talents or abilities; things we are good at.
* God wants us to use these talents and be good at them. What are you good at? What do you like doing? sport? art? music? How can you get better at these things?
* God wants us to do our best and make something of our lives. If we are lazy we never become good at anything. In sport, art and music, the more you practise the better you get. 
* One Sunday school rule is to do your best. When you do your best you do a job well, you feel good and make your teachers happy and you make God happy.

4) Activities
* Act out the story. Choose three children. Give the first 50p, the second 20p, and the third 10p.
* Colour the picture. To motivate the children to do their best you could offer a small reward, such as sweets, but only if they do their best

* Play the memory game to review parables they have already learnt. 
Lost sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son, Good Samaritan, The Sower, House Built on a Rock, Pharisee and Tax Collector, Rich Fool, The Talents

5) Review the lesson aim
* What does today’s story teach us?
To learn the importance of doing your best and develop the talents God has given you.
Did you do your best today? What things are you good at that God wants you to develop?

6) End with a prayer