Kindergarten-2nd

October 10-11, 2015

Esther; Micah 6:8

Esther

God has a plan and we get to be part of it!

Connect Time (20 minutes): Five minutes after the service begins, split kids into groups and begin their activity. Large Group (30 minutes) : Begin 20 minutes after the service starts. Model what it looks like to be engaged in large group. Small Group (15 minutes) : Keep kids in small groups until parents arrive. If you all have extra time at the end, you can review the video and songs together.

Esther is a really cool story, but we can’t cover all the details in one week. Read the book in the Bible (between Nehemiah and Job) this week so you can be prepared to talk about it with them—and encourage them to ask an adult to read it to them at home!

Kids don’t get to take home the big heart they made as a group. But encourage them to show it to the adult who picks them up!

God had a plan to rescue his family. Esther got to be part of it! God’s got a big plan now to invite more and more people to be part his family. We get to be part of THAT.

                                                                                                               

GOAL: Connect Time is all about engaging kids in an activity that allows them to connect with each other right away while simultaneously piquing their curiosity for Large Group and preparing their minds for what they’re going to hear. OWN YOUR ROLE *Can play in small groups or as one whole group.

• Have kids stand in a circle. • Instruct them to plant their feet on the ground—tell them that is their space and

nobody else can step into it • Then take the beach ball and throw it back and forth in the circle. (Make sure

each kid gets a chance to catch and throw.) • Have some fun playing! Here are some ideas:

o See how many catches your group can get in a row o Have each kid say their name when they catch the ball o Have every other kid take one step back to make it more tricky!

• Then split into small groups, sit in a circle and discuss: o Were you an important part of this game? Why? o What’s the most important job you’ve ever done?

Before you go to Large Group, you can also remind kids of the expectations for Large Group behavior: (1) be kind, (2) listen when somebody speaks, and (3) follow the leader’s instructions.

     

Goal: Kids will (1) recognize that Esther got to be part of God’s plan and (2) understand that we can be part of God’s plan Why? God wants to use kids right now, while they’re young! Tip: *Tear the 12 pieces of colored paper ahead of time (into ¼ sheet for each kid and many smaller pieces for the group—see below!).

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REVIEW THE STORY 1. What happened right when Esther became queen? (Haman got mad at Mordecai and

made a law that God’s family had to die) 2. Why might Esther have been afraid to tell the king about the law? (He had gotten rid

of his other queen, so he could get rid of Esther too.) 3. How was Esther part of God’s plan to rescue his family? (She invited the king to

dinner twice. When she told him about Haman’s law, he changed it!) 4. Why did God want Esther to be part of his plan? 5. Why does God want us to be part of his plan?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

• How does God want you to be part of his plan? (By showing people love so that they know his love, justice, and mercy! Look up Micah 6:8 and read it to review.)

o Place a large, tear-off sheet of paper in the middle of the group o Draw a huge heart in the middle of the paper o Give kids pieces of construction paper (*tear your group’s allotment ahead

of time) o Have them work together to glue on all the pieces so that the whole heart is

covered • Stand back and say, “Just like you guys all got to be part of the plan to make this

heart colorful, you get to be part of God’s plan to show his love to the whole world!” • Tear a piece of construction paper in fourths and give each kid a fourth. • Have each kid write/draw ONE specific way they can be part of God’s plan and his

story this week (if they need ideas, any loving act or act that shares their faith will do!) *Then pray together, thanking God that he WANTS us to be part of his plan!

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Give kids a coloring page. Then play the beach ball game from Connect Time again!

                                                                                                               

Micah 6:8 can be a little tough for kids because it has words like “justice” and “mercy.” Make sure you explain it to them!

Make sure you use lots of eye contact and muster as much energy as possible as you present. Kids love it when you act silly and over-the-top, so go for it. They'll love it and it will help the lesson to stick.

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WELCOME AND INTRO (2 min.) Hi everybody! Welcome to Kids’ Club. It’s great to see you here. We just got done playing a fun game. And the best part was, you were each an important part of it! Why were you important in today’s game? (Let kids respond.) That’s right, if you weren’t standing in your space, the ball would go flying! Nobody would catch it. Of course, that job was important for the game. But some of you have had other important jobs to do at home or at school. What’s the most important job you’ve ever done? (Let 3-5 kids share.) Awesome! The most important job I’ve ever done is _________ (share a personal example.) INTRO: BEING A PART OF A PLAN (4 min.) Let’s have some fun practicing this! To do that, pretend this beach ball (hold up the beach ball) is the most special thing in the world to me. If it falls, it drops into hot lava and I’ll never get it back. I’m going to throw it out, but I’ll need all of you to help me keep it in the air. So stand up! (Let kids stand!) Are you ready?! Let’s go! (Throw the beach ball out and see if you can keep it in the air. Have some fun for a minute or two; then have kids sit.) Wow, that was fun! And my favorite beach ball is safe and sound, thanks to you guys. It was so much fun to have you help me keep it in the air! We’re talking about being part of a plan, because today, we’re going to hear the story of a woman who got to be part of a big plan—God’s plan! Of course, God doesn’t need our help but he wants us to be part of his plan. In today’s story, God has a plan to rescue his family. Esther gets to be part of it!

                                                                                                               

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ESTHER BECOMES QUEEN (3 min.) (show picture of Persia) Esther was a girl growing up in a place called Persia, which is where many people from God’s family were living. They had been kicked out of their home in Israel. Look at this picture and just imagine what it would have felt like to grow up here. It probably got pretty hot (fan your face). It was dry and dusty (pretend to cough). Esther grew up with her older cousin, who was named Mordecai. They were both part of God’s family. Can you guys say, “Mordecai”? (Let kids say it.) He’s an important part of today’s story because he was the one who told Esther that she could be part of God’s plan. When Esther’s story starts, she was just a normal girl living in (point to screen)…do you guys remember where she lived? (Let kids say: Persia). That’s right, Persia! One day, the king of Persia got really, really angry at his wife, Queen Vashti. In fact, he got so mad that he had her killed. He needed a new queen and he ended up choosing… Esther! About the time Esther became queen, Mordecai made a mean man named Haman very angry. In fact, Haman convinced the king to make a law that God’s whole family had to die, just to get back at Mordecai. But that meant queen Esther would have to die too! ESTHER IS A PART OF RESCUING GOD’S FAMILY (5 min.) The good news is, God had a plan to save his family, and Esther got to be part of that plan! We’re going to watch a video about Esther and see what happened after Haman made a law against God’s family. As you watch, see if you can figure out how Esther got to be part of God’s plan to rescue his family! Video: God’s Story / Esther Wow, so Esther got to be a really special part of God’s plan. How did she help save God’s family? (Let kids respond.) That’s right, she asked the king to dinner with Haman. Then she asked them to dinner a second time. At that second dinner, she told the king about Haman’s plan. The king was furious! He got rid of Haman and changed the law so that God’s whole family would be safe. WE GET TO BE PART OF GOD’S PLAN (9 min.) Just like Esther, God wants us to be part of his plan. When Esther was queen, God’s plan was to rescue his family from a law that would kill them. Now, God’s plan is for the whole world to know that God loves us and sent Jesus to rescue us! The way we can help do that is by showing God’s love. Remember our verse from a book called Micah that has some commands from God: SLIDE: Micah 6:8: The LORD has shown you what is good. He has told you what he requires of you. You must act with justice. You must love to show mercy. And you must be humble as you live in the sight of your God. Can you read that with me? (Like last week, read one line at a time and let kids repeat after

                                                                                                               

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you.) Awesome! God’s plan is to show everybody his JUSTICE, which means he wants everybody to be treated fairly. That’s one way he shows love. So that means if you talk to somebody in at school that everybody else makes fun of, you’re part of God’s plan. God’s plan is to show everybody his MERCY, which means you don’t get punished even if you deserve it. That’s another example of love! And if you forgive a bully or somebody who isn’t even sorry, you’re part of God’s plan. And God’s plan is for all people to live HUMBLY, which means paying more attention to God than to ourselves. He wants us to know that he’s our loving king. So every time you obey God instead of doing what you want, you’re part of that plan. There are lots of ways to be part of God’s plan and part of his story. Everybody, stand up! Let’s think of some more examples to show his love. I’m going to name a few, and if you know if it is YES, a part of God’s plan or NO, not a part of God’s plan, put your hands in the air, like this (model). I’ll throw this beach ball to you and you can say yes or no. Ready?

• Sharing a toy with your little brother or sister (YES) • Ignoring your babysitter when she asks you to pick up your toys (NO) • Praying for a friend who’s sad (YES) • Inviting a friend to come to Kids’ Club and hear about Jesus’ rescue (YES) • Telling somebody you don’t like them (NO) • Taking care of your pet (YES)

Great job! Anybody else want to share an idea? If so, hold up your hands and we’ll throw you the ball. Adult leaders, you can play too! (Let kids or adults share some ideas.) Great job! Now have a seat (let kids sit). RESPOND (2 min.) Let’s ask God how he wants us to be part of his plan to show his love to everybody in the world. Remember, we can talk to God and listen to him, so let’s spend some time talking and listening now. If you want to ask God a question, you can! Or just say, “God, how can I be part of your plan?” And listen. We’ll take a minute just sitting quietly. This is for you and God. (Then wrap up and model a conversation with God for kids.) WORSHIP (6 min.) Now let’s thank God that we can be part of his plan and his story! Music Video: Because You Love Me Music Video: The Story Song *Dismiss kids to small groups.

                                                                                                               

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Per Group 1 beach ball

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Per kid Coloring page

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Per group Markers 1 Bible 1 tear-off sheet of paper glue sticks One set of 12 pieces of construction paper or colored paper (assorted colors)  

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Tell me about Esther. How can we be part of God’s plan?

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Bible 1 beach ball (from Connect Time)

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1. Song slide: for when kids enter the room (All that You Need instrumental; mp3 only; can be downloaded on website)

2. Image: Persia 3. Video: God’s Story / Esther

https://vimeo.com/109452640 4. SLIDE: Micah 6:8: The LORD has shown you

what is good. He has told you what he requires of you. You must act with justice. You must love to show mercy. And you must be humble as you live in the sight of your God.

5. Music Video: Because You Love Me https://vimeo.com/49923930

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6. Music Video: The Story Song https://vimeo.com/75333293