Materials
Gather department store catalogs and advertisements and cut out pictures of items your group members want most. These could be televisions, clothing, jewelry, games, and so on. On a separate piece of paper, note the cost of each item you’ve selected. Post the pictures around the walls of the room. Collect paper and pencils for everyone and a Bible. You’ll also need a bag of small candies as rewards.
Activity
Give each person a sheet of paper and a pencil. Have kids / youth walk around the room and write down what they think each item costs. When everyone has priced the items, reveal the actual prices. After revealing each price, award the person who guessed closest to the actual price (without going over) a piece of candy.
Discussion
• Did these items sell for what you expected?
• What might be hidden costs involved in purchasing these items?
• In Luke 9:57-62, why do you think Jesus responded in the way he did?
• What was this man unwilling to “pay” to follow Jesus?
• What kinds of costs are associated with following Jesus? Are you willing to live with these costs?
• In some countries, being a Christian can mean punishment or being cut off from one’s family. Would you be willing to pay this cost? Explain.
In this LEARNING GAME, youth compare the cost of material things to the cost of following Jesus.
MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.