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TITLE: The Cornucopia of Awesomeness

ON YOUR MARK: Bible Truth: Give thanks in all circumstances. Bible Story: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

GET SET: Materials:

1 cornucopia or ‘horn of plenty’, usually made out of wicker, but also available in wood or plastic. Can be purchased in most department or dollar stores in the Thanksgiving seasonal section. Picture of your family, Monopoly houses (small handful), apple, bottle of water, pencil, calculator, mini American flag, mini Salvation Army flag, small wooden cross Picture of cornucopia for on-screen display

Directions: Place items above in the cornucopia. Import cornucopia picture slide into your presentation software (Easy Worship, Powerpoint, etc).

GO: (Holding up cornucopia, say,) Does anyone know what I am holding in my hand? This is called a cornucopia. Can you say that word with me? CORN-U-COPE-EEA. A cornucopia is a symbol of Thanksgiving. (Display picture of cornucopia on screen)

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Children’s Message

�A long time ago when farmers would harvest their crops, they would take the very best fruits and vegetables and put them in the cornucopia, as a way to say to “thank-you”, to God. These fruits and vegetables were called the “First Fruits”, and it helped them to remember that God was responsible for sending the sunshine, sending the rain, making the soil healthy - all the things needed to grow good and healthy food.

The picture of the food spilling out of the cornucopia onto the table, teaches us that God not only provides for our basic needs; he provides enough food to fill our bellies each and every day. The fact that there are so many hungry people in the world, maybe even people in your neighborhood, is very sad, because there is so much food available. The cornucopia reminds us that God wants us to share all we have with others. The farmers would take the “First-Fruits” in the cornucopia and share them with their neighbors who had no food. Today, we may not be farmers who grow our own food, but we still have so much to be thankful for. Our cornucopia may not be full of fruit and vegetables but we can fill it with things that remind us of all the gifts God has given us. I’m going to show you my cornucopia that I call, The Cornucopia of Awesomeness, because God gives us so many awesome things to be thankful for! 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Let’s see what is in my Cornucopia of Awesomeness. (Reach in and take out the following items, one by one. As you reveal the item, say -)

We are thankful for the awesome gift of FAMILY (reveal a picture of your family): moms and dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, who take great care of us. What about our corps family? We have a spiritual family that love us and take care of us too. We are thankful for the awesome gift of SHELTER (reveal a handful of houses from the Monopoly game): a house, an apartment, a roof over our head. If

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�you have a warm and safe place to live in you are very blessed. Many people in the world do not have this. We are thankful for the awesome gift of FOOD (reveal an apple): fruits, vegetables, meat and grain to make us strong and healthy. (Ask) What’s your favorite food? We are thankful for the awesome gift of WATER (reveal a bottle of water): the earth provides us with wonderful, clean water. We show our thanks by keeping the earth clean and free from pollution. We are thankful for the awesome gift of EDUCATION (reveal a pencil and a calculator): schools are wonderful places to learn and grow. We are thankful for the awesome gift of COUNTRY (reveal a mini American flag): we live in an amazing country where we have freedom. We are thankful for our leaders and pray that they will seek God’s will for the USA. We are thankful for the awesome gift of CHURCH (reveal a mini Salvation Army flag): in church we learn how to love and worship God. We form deep friendships with one another and God uses us, through the church, to serve others. We are thankful for the awesome gift of JESUS (reveal a small cross): God sent his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. He rose again from the dead and gave us his Holy Spirit to help us live a godly life. Without Jesus in our lives, we would have little reason to give thanks.

Those are eight reasons why my Cornucopia of Awesomeness says I should be thankful! Our scripture verse reminds us to be thankful in all circumstances. So even if you don’t feel like saying thank you to God or to someone else who does a good deed for you, remember to say thanks anyway. Let’s take a moment and express our gratitude to God, for giving us so many awesome things for which to say thank you.

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