Children’s talk on swaps on Mark 10:17-31 and Philippians 3:4b-11

Jottings:

Swaps

Do you ever swap things?

When I was younger, football stickers.

Would you swap this computer for this one?

Would you swap this car for this one?

(Car keys) – would anyone like to swap cars?

Any other swaps?

You could say our Bible readings today are about swaps.

Paul says he’d swap anything if it meant he could know Jesus.

He says that all the things he used to think were so good and important, he now realises are worth much less than Jesus.

In fact, Paul says he thinks everything else is rubbish compared to Jesus.

Being a Christian is the best thing in the world ever, and nothing comes close to it.

Paul would swap everything to get Jesus.

And in our Gospel reading, you could say this rich young man is asked to do a swap.

He’s asked to swap all his money for Jesus.

Jesus tells him to sell everything he has and come and follow him.

Jesus wants the man to swap treasure on earth for treasure in heaven.

But the man won’t do the swap.

He hangs on to his money, and he won’t follow Jesus – and he goes away sad.

The man loves his money more than he loves Jesus.

He puts his money first in his life, even before God.

And our passage warns us not to do that.

We should swap anything that we risk loving more than we love Jesus.

We should swap anything that stops us following Jesus.

Jesus should be number 1 in our lives.

He’s the best.

Nothing else compares to him.

If you know Jesus, don’t swap that for anything.