june 15 younger -...

Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group

2Unit 21 Session 1 – Younger Elementary

Sunday, June 15, 2014

TEACHER BIBLE STUDY Nehemiah Heard News of Jerusalem

Nehemiah 1–2 After the Babylonian exile, God’s people were known as Jews—people from the kingdom of Judah. Nehemiah was a Jew living in Persia. He served as the king’s cupbearer, a position of great trust; the cupbearer made sure no one poisoned the king’s drink. Sometimes the cupbearer even tasted some of the drink himself to ensure its potability.

When the Persian Empire conquered the Babylonians, King Cyrus allowed God’s people to return to Judah. Two or three million Jews had originally been deported, but only a remnant—50,000 people—returned. They set up their homes and rebuilt God’s temple in Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s story takes place after Ezra led a second group of exiles back to Judah.

Nehemiah received word about God’s people who had returned to Judah. They were in trouble and living in shame; the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, and the city gates were burned. They lived in fear, unprotected from their enemies. Nehemiah sat down and wept.

Nehemiah fasted and prayed for days. He remembered God’s promise to His people. Their disobedience led to exile, but if they turned back to the Lord, their obedience would lead to blessing. God promised to restore their fortunes and give His people a home. (See Deut. 30:1-‐10.)

The king noticed Nehemiah’s sadness, and Nehemiah was afraid. No one was supposed to be sad in the presence of the king; it was an insult to his greatness. Nehemiah explained the plight of his city. The king granted him leave and gave him letters to ensure his safe passage. Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem. He encouraged the people to rebuild the walls and stood confidently against opposition.

This story is the beginning of Nehemiah’s work to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. As you teach kids, point out that Nehemiah trusted God’s promise to give His people a home. When we repent and trust in Jesus, we can trust His promise to prepare a place for us in His Father’s house, where we will be with Him forever. (See John 14:3.)

YOUNGER KIDS BIBLE STUDY OVERVIEW Session Title: Nehemiah Heard News of Jerusalem Bible Passage: Nehemiah 1–2 Big Picture Question: What did Nehemiah want to do? Nehemiah wanted to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Key Passage: Malachi 4:2 Unit Christ Connection: God restored a faithful remnant and reminded them of His promise of a new covenant through Jesus Christ.


2Unit 21 Session 1 – Younger Elementary


Small Group Time Welcome time Activity page (5 minutes) Session starter (10 minutes) Key passage activity (5 minutes)

Bible story review (10 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Journal (5 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes)

THE BIBLE STORY

Nehemiah Heard News of Jerusalem

Nehemiah 1–2 Nehemiah (nee huh MIGH uh) was a Jew, one of God’s people. God’s people had lived in Babylon for many years until King Cyrus let them go home. Some of God’s people went home to Judah, but some of them stayed in Babylon. Soon, the king of Persia took over Babylon. He became the new king. Nehemiah stayed and worked for the king of Persia.

One day, some men came from Judah. Nehemiah asked, “How are God’s people doing in Jerusalem?”

The men had bad news. “The people are in trouble. They are ashamed. The walls around Jerusalem are broken down, and the gates have been burned down.”

When Nehemiah heard this, he sat down and cried. Nehemiah prayed and fasted for several days. “Yahweh, God,” he prayed, “let Your eyes be open and Your ears hear my prayer. We have sinned against you. Please remember Your words to Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. But if you return to Me and obey Me, I will gather you from the ends of the earth and bring you to the place I have chosen.’ Please, Lord, hear my prayer.”

Nehemiah went back to serving the king, but he was still sad. The king noticed Nehemiah’s mood and asked Nehemiah, “What’s wrong? Why are you sad?”

Nehemiah was afraid; no one was supposed to be sad around the king.

Nehemiah told the king, “The city where my ancestors are from is in trouble. It is in ruins, and the gates of the city have been burned down.”

“What do you want to do?” the king asked.

Before Nehemiah answered the king, he prayed. Then Nehemiah said, “Please send me to Jerusalem so I can rebuild the city.”

The king agreed to send Nehemiah to Jerusalem. He gave Nehemiah letters to keep him safe as he traveled. If anyone tried to stop him, Nehemiah could show that he had the king’s


Unit 22 Session 1 – Younger Elementary


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permission to go to Jerusalem. Also, the king made sure Nehemiah had wood to help rebuild the city gates and wall. He even sent some men from his army to protect Nehemiah.

Nehemiah arrived safely in Jerusalem. He didn’t tell anyone why he was there. After three days, Nehemiah got up in the middle of the night and went to look at the city’s walls. Then he told the people there, “We are in trouble. The city is ruined, and the gates have been burned down. Come, let’s rebuild Jerusalem’s wall.”

Nehemiah told the people how God had helped him, and he told them everything the king had said and done. The people said, “Let’s start building,” and so they did.

Christ Connection: Nehemiah trusted that God would keep His promise to protect His people and give them a home. When we trust in Jesus, we have a home in heaven with God. Jesus obeyed God perfectly. He died on the cross and rose again so we can have a home with Him forever in heaven.

SMALL GROUP OPENING Session Title: Nehemiah Heard News of Jerusalem Bible Passage: Nehemiah 1–2 Big Picture Question: What did Nehemiah want to do? Nehemiah wanted to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Key Passage: Malachi 4:2 Unit Christ Connection: God restored a faithful remnant and reminded them of His promise of a new covenant through Jesus Christ. Welcome time

Arriving Activity: No smiles As kids arrive, encourage them to see how long they can go without smiling. Feel free to make funny faces and noises to make the kids smile. Before starting the session, allow the kids to talk about things that make them sad.

Say •A man named Nehemiah was very sad. We will find out why in today’s Bible story.

Activity page (5 minutes) • “Broken Path” activity page, 1 per kid • pencils Guide boys and girls to complete the activity page.

Say • Jerusalem’s walls were broken, but Nehemiah believed they could be rebuilt. We’ll find out what he did to help.




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Session starter (10 minutes)

Option 1: Human wall Invite the kids to form a circle and connect arms. Choose a volunteer. The volunteer should call out a characteristic like blond hair or brown eyes. Any kid matching that characteristic must leave his spot in the circle and swap spots with another kid with that characteristic. The volunteer must also try to grab a vacant spot. The kid who is left becomes the next volunteer. If only one kid leaves his spot, he automatically becomes the next volunteer. If you have a smaller group of kids, invite them to play “Duck, Duck, Goose” using “build, build, fall.”

Say •You formed a human wall, but the wall was broken each time someone left a spot. God’s people had returned to their homes in Jerusalem, but they still had a broken wall. We will see why they needed a strong wall in today’s Bible story. Plus, we will see how one man was ready to help the people rebuild.

Option 2: Crispy bricks

• crispy rice marshmallow treats, 1 per kid • sharp knife • plastic wrap (optional) • Allergy Alert Purchase pre-‐packaged crispy rice marshmallow treats or make them using a recipe online. Cut the treats into small squares. Provide each kid with several of the squares, and encourage the kids to build a wall with the “bricks.”

Kids may also choose to stack the unopened treats or cover the homemade treats individually in plastic wrap for kids to stack. Encourage each kid to try to remove one of the treats from the bottom of the stack without the rest of them falling. Once the stack falls, stack and play again. When finished, invite the kids to enjoy the treats as a snack.

Say • If you think building this wall was hard, can you imagine building a real wall? We will see why a man named Nehemiah wanted to do just that in today’s Bible story.

SMALL GROUP LEADER Session Title: Nehemiah Heard News of Jerusalem Bible Passage: Nehemiah 1–2 Big Picture Question: What did Nehemiah want to do? Nehemiah wanted to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Key Passage: Malachi 4:2 Unit Christ Connection: God restored a faithful remnant and reminded them of His promise of a new covenant through Jesus Christ.




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Key passage activity (5 minutes) • Key Passage Slide or Poster • dry erase board and markers (optional) • white envelopes • sticky notes • markers • scissors Make sure the key passage, Malachi 4:2, is visible for each child, either as the printed poster or written on a dry erase board. Read the verse together.

Say •What did Nehemiah want to do? Nehemiah wanted to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Nehemiah trusted God to use him to fix the broken wall of Jerusalem. He didn’t have to be sad anymore. He could be happy. Those who trust in Jesus have a reason to be happy too. Jesus took our punishment for sin.

Invite each kid to write the key passage on the front of a blank white envelope. For non-‐readers, you may choose to write the verse yourself. Distribute two or three sticky notes to each kid. Demonstrate how to draw a sun or circle about the size of a quarter near the top of one of the notes, and cut out the circle. Allow the kids to cut several circles, but remind them to draw the circle only at the top so the circle will be sticky on the back. The kids can read the verse they have written. Then cover some of the words with one or more suns and read again. When finished, they can put the sun or suns in their envelopes and play at home.

Bible story review (10 minutes) • Bibles, 1 per kid • Small Group Visual Pack • Big Picture Question Slide or Poster Encourage the kids to find the Book of Nehemiah in their Bibles. Help them as needed.

Say • Nehemiah is found about halfway through the Old Testament. The book is found in the section of the Old Testament called History. Nehemiah led the Israelites to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem.

Use the small group visual pack to show kids where today’s Bible story is on the timeline. Review the Bible story provided using the bolded text, or summarize the story in your own words. Choose volunteers to act out the roles of Nehemiah and the king as you read the summary.

Say • God placed Nehemiah in a position to help the Jews rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. What did Nehemiah want to do? Nehemiah wanted to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Nehemiah knew that Jerusalem would never be the city it once was without a wall. Nehemiah prayed to




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God. Then he told the king why he was so sad. The king gave Nehemiah everything he needed to rebuild the wall. Nehemiah traveled from Persia to Jerusalem, where he encouraged the people to help him rebuild the wall that once protected the city.

Nehemiah trusted that God would keep His promise to protect His people and give them a home. When we trust in Jesus, we have the promise of forgiveness and a home in heaven one day with God.

Show the big picture question slide or poster.

Say • Let’s review the big picture question and answer.

What did Nehemiah want to do? Nehemiah wanted to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls.

Activity choice (10 minutes)

Option 1: Watch out! • tape • paper wads, cotton balls, or other small items • Bible Form two or more groups. Tape a 6-‐ to 10-‐foot path about 3 feet wide. Scatter small items like paper wads or cotton balls throughout the path. Repeat for each group. Place a Bible at the end of each path. The kids in each group should line up single file in front of one the paths opposite the Bible. Each member must tiptoe through the path without touching any of the debris. Anyone who touches the debris must start over. Once each team member has cleared the debris, the team must open the Bible and find the Book of Nehemiah. The first group to do so wins.

Say • Nehemiah walked through the debris of the broken walls, but that didn’t stop him from doing what he knew was the right thing to do. What did Nehemiah want to do? Nehemiah wanted to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls.

Option 2: Prayer wall • construction or heavyweight paper • sticky notes, 9 per kid • markers Provide a 9-‐by-‐12-‐inch piece of construction or heavyweight paper and nine 3-‐by-‐3-‐inch sticky notes to each kid. Explain that the kids will be making a prayer wall using the sticky notes as bricks. Holding the paper vertically, they should place the first sticky note flush with the edges of the paper in the lower left corner. Place




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another sticky note beside it and one beside that one to form a row of three. Continue with two more rows above that one.

Invite the kids to write Prayer Wall in the space left at the top. Encourage the kids to write on each brick someone or something they can pray for. Direct the kids to pray about each item during the week, and place a check mark under the brick each time they pray. If time remains, allow them to decorate the top of the paper with markers or stickers.

Say • Nehemiah saw that God’s people needed help. He prayed about it and wanted to do something. What did Nehemiah want to do? Nehemiah wanted to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls.

Journal and prayer (5 minutes) • Journal Page, 1 per kid • markers or crayons • Bible Story Coloring Page Distribute each child’s journal page provided with this session. Instruct the kids to draw a picture of Nehemiah praying. Writers can write the big picture question and answer.

Say • Does anyone know the answer to the big picture question? What did Nehemiah want to do? Nehemiah wanted to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls.

If time remains, take prayer requests or allow kids to complete the coloring page provided with this session. Pray, thanking God for answering our prayers. Pray for each child by name, asking God to help her always seek Him just like Nehemiah did.

Dismiss to parents – Make sure to check security tags when dismissing children.

june 15 younger -...

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