Where you treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus words ring as true today as they did 2,000 years ago, and this activity will help students understand that idea by using it as a tool in their own life. This activity is part of a full lesson series. You can find the entire lesson series at the Young People’s Ministry Worship Theme Lessons for Youth page.

Ask the students to then write down the 8 most important things in the world to them (don’t put limits on what they can write, the point is that hopefully there will be a mix of answers from material items to important relationships to perhaps for some expressions of faith), one on each piece of paper. Give them 2-3 minutes to write down their answers.

Then have all the students sit in a circle, or collectively around a table, or whatever creates a sense of community in your space with a common accessible space in the middle.

Tell the students you have bad news, they have to choose one of their items to give up, and to place one of their cards in a pile in the center. Go around in a circle and ask each student to briefly share what they dropped in the middle and if necessary why they chose that.

Continue this process 4 more times until each student only has 3 of their 8 cards remaining.

Now ask each student one at a time to share what is written on the cards they held onto and why they chose to hold onto those – most students will have likely chosen to hold onto cards representing people they care deeply for, or perhaps cards representing God and their faith.

To conclude remind students that Luke 12:34 states “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” and conclude by asking, “What does this activity reveal that each of us treasures the most?” Hopefully they will see that joy is found more in people and meaningful relationships than in material things.

Close in the manner that is typical for you. Consider taking joys/concerns from the students, then asking for a volunteer to close in prayer.