Winter Lesson 5 Bible Passage: 1 Samuel (David Is Anointed and Faces the Giant) God Is Strong Remember Verse

Transcription

1 Classroom Edition 4s/5s Winter Lesson 5 Bible Passage: 1 Samuel (David Is Anointed and Faces the Giant) God Is Strong Remember Verse The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. Zephaniah 3:17a LESSON OVERVIEW 8:15-8:45 8:45-9:05 9:05-9:25 9:25-9:45 9:45 - end Be in class for CONNECT/ CHECK-INS - playtime - coloring pages GATHER: - Remember Verse - God s Big Story - Wonder Question RESPOND prepared application activities (WORSHIP) BLESS and Snack - playtime until end 2017 David C Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national

2 Classroom Edition 4s/5s Winter Lesson 5 Bible Passage: 1 Samuel (David Is Anointed and Faces the Giant) God Is Strong Remember Verse The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. Zephaniah 3:17a LESSON OVERVIEW 8:15-8:45 8:45-9:05 9:05-9:25 9:25-9:45 10:30-11:00 11:00-11:20 11:20-11:40 11:40-12:00 Be in class for CONNECT/ CHECK-INS - playtime - coloring pages WORSHIP GATHER: - Remember Verse - God s Big Story - Wonder Question RESPOND prepared application activities 9:45 - end 12:00 - end BLESS and Snack - playtime until end

3 LEADER PREP Each week you ll find encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives The idea of teaching in my own classroom had spurred me on toward graduation. I was devastated when state budget cuts became a reality. To make ends meet, I took a different job, thinking the position would offer me stability until I found a teaching position. Two years later with the company, work consumed my life, and I was exhausted. My health, family, friends, and spiritual life were secondary. Each step I took up the corporate ladder made it increasingly harder to consider other career options. If I just work hard enough, I can provide for myself and everything else will be okay. This lie perpetuated my fears, and my trust in God became almost nonexistent. I had put my trust in myself, my work ethic, and a job that made me unhappy. Thankfully, God s family cares for one another. My faith community stepped in and spoke truth over me God s truth. He used them to show me that He had not created me to live this way. Finally, I surrendered. I realized that God is stronger than any of life s circumstances. I stepped aside and allowed God s strength to transform my heart. Natalie Lisk ROCKHARBOR Church Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson s Bible passage So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. (1 Samuel 16:13) David s anointing wasn t an empty ceremony. Though King David wouldn t sit on the throne until many years after his anointing, the Holy Spirit came upon him in power from that day on. He became so advanced in courage and wisdom by the Spirit of God that even the king s servants knew of him. In 1 Samuel 16 17, the Philistines paralyzed the Israelites with the fear of being conquered and destroyed. As the Philistines sent out their mightiest warrior, Goliath, the Israelites questioned how they would overtake the Philistines. But who was Goliath compared to God s strength, power, and authority? What was the Philistine army, but merely human? Tools of child s play were weapons of victory in the hands of the almighty and sovereign God. His plans will not be thwarted. Among the many attributes of God is His omnipotence, meaning He has very great, almighty, unlimited, and infinite power. Omnipotent stems from the Greek words omni (all) and potens (powerful), meaning all-powerful. God s strength can conquer any foe, no matter how powerful. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God s Word To prepare for leading this lesson, connect with some of the people in your faith community and join together in a one- or two-day fast. Think about refraining from something you might use to feel confident or in control: food, coffee, television, exercise, sugar, social media interaction, etc. As you find yourself in need of what you re fasting from, ask God to give you His strength. Allow God s Spirit to direct your time of fasting. How is He revealing Himself to you? How are you seeing His strength in your day? Close your fast by gathering with those who joined you, and break the fast together. Celebrate God by sharing your struggles, thoughts, and joys from the experience. Where did God reveal Himself most? Did He show you something new or unexpected about your ministry? How did you see His strength? Pray for the families God has entrusted to you and your ministry team. Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters.

4 Coloring Pages and Playtime WORSHIP//! 1st service: 8:45 2nd service: 11:00 Children experience and learn more about God through memorizing Scripture, storytelling from The Big God Story, prayer, and discussion. Remember Verse The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. Zephaniah 3:17a Remember Verse Definitions Mighty Warrior: A name for God that means He is powerful in battle. Remember Verse Motions The LORD your God: Make letter L with right index finger and thumb at left shoulder. Move L diagonally down to right hip. is with you: Put both hands in front of body and pull close to chest. the Mighty Warrior: Make fists and flex to show muscles. who saves: Make fists and fold arms across chest, then open arms. The Big God Story 1 Samuel God Is Strong Storytelling Technique: Storytelling Objects SUPPLIES Lunch bags (5, paper) Marker Masking tape Cotton balls (10 15) Cooking oil (¼ c.)! Resealable storage bags (2, sandwich-sized) Bread (1 slice)! Foil (12") Rock (small, smooth) PREPARE AHEAD Number the paper bags 1 through 5. In bag #1, place the cotton balls. Pour one quarter-cup of oil into a resealable storage bag and place in bag #2. Put a slice of bread in another resealable storage bag and place in bag #3. Gently fold the sheet of foil to fit into bag #4. Place the rock in bag #5. Fold the tops of the bags down, making sure the numbers are still visible, and tape the bags closed. RELATE Give children a minute to stretch their arms and legs. Then, invite them to take a seat. Set the bags out in number order next to you. I m really looking forward to hearing this part of The Big God Story. We have some clues about the story here in these bags. As we go along, I ll need a few of you to help me open them and see what s inside. Before we start, let s pray together and ask God to help us understand what He wants to teach us today. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds.

5 King Saul was the first king of Israel. Was Saul a good king? Interact with responses. Good thinking! At first Saul was a good king because he obeyed God and remembered that God was really the One in charge. After a while, though, Saul decided not to follow God. So God sent the prophet Samuel to find a man named Jesse. God was going to choose one of Jesse s sons to replace Saul and be the next king of Israel. Jesse introduced Samuel to seven of his sons, but none of them was the one God had chosen to be king. Finally, Jesse introduced Samuel to his youngest son, David. Let s open our first clue to see what it can tell us about David. Invite a child to come up and open bag #1. Volunteer pulls out cotton balls and shows to the class, then returns to his seat. These look like soft sheep s wool, because David spent most of his time taking care of the family s sheep. David sure didn t look like a king. God isn t worried about what people look like on the outside, though. He cares more about a person s heart, and whether that person is willing to follow Him. God told Samuel that David was the one He had chosen to be king. Let s open our second bag to see a clue about what happened next. Invite a child hold bag #2. Volunteer shows oil to the class, then sits back down. Samuel took a horn full of oil, much like this oil (point to bag), and poured the oil over David s head. This was a sign that David would be the next king. Even though David was the one God chose, David had to wait many years before it was time for him to be king. But from that moment on, God was with David and gave David His strength in many ways. At this same time, God s people were in a battle with the Philistines. The Philistines had a very large army, and they were trying to destroy God s people. There was one soldier in the Philistine army who was especially frightening. His name was Goliath, and no one wanted to fight Goliath because he was so big and tall and strong. But can you guess who is even stronger than Goliath? Interact with responses. That s right. God is stronger than Goliath! Let s open our third bag to see a clue about what happened next. Invite a child to open bag #3. Volunteer pulls out slice of bread and shows to the class. One day, David came to the battlefield to bring his brothers some food. Hold up bread. David heard Goliath making fun of God and His people. David soon heard enough and decided that he would fight Goliath. David was still young and much smaller than Goliath, but David knew God was with him, and God is strong! We only have a couple more clues. Let s open number four. Invite a child to open bag #4. Volunteer pulls out foil and shows to the class. David tried to put on some metal armor, but it was so heavy, and he wasn t used to wearing it. So David went out to fight Goliath without any armor or a sword. Roll up foil into a ball. So what did David take? Let s open our last clue. Invite a child to open bag #5. Volunteer pulls out rock and shows to the class. He just took a small pouch and filled it with some rocks. David wasn t worried. He knew God was with him, and God is powerful! David called out to Goliath and told him that the God of Israel was with him, and that God would help him win the battle. Then, David pulled a rock out of his pouch, swung it around in his sling, and launched it at Goliath. The rock hit Goliath right between the eyes, and the giant Philistine fell to the ground. God is strong! David trusted that God was stronger than Goliath, and God used David in an amazing way. God s strength helped David fight for the Israelites and defeat the giant. Our God is strong, and we can always trust Him! Wonder Questions Lead a discussion on today s part of The Big God Story as children take turns pulling Wonder Questions from a bag. In this part of The Big God Story, God chose David to be the next king of Israel. God s Spirit was with him. God s people were battling the Philistines and a large man named Goliath. With God s strength, David fought and won the battle. I wonder How did David feel when he found out he was going to be king? I wonder What did Goliath think when he saw David coming to fight him? I wonder How can God show His strength in my life? Prayers & Praises After discussing the Wonder Questions, you ll have the opportunity to pray with and for each of the children in your group. Gather children around you. Through David, God showed His strength for all the Israelite and Philistine people to see. Let s praise God and let Him know what we re thankful for about who He is. Continue by offering praise to God. Examples of praises: God, thank You for being stronger than anything or anyone else or God, You are strong in my life. Encourage children to respond with their own words. Then, transition into a time of prayer for personal requests.

6 I love praising God with you all. We re blessed to be able to continue praising God together and to be able to pray for each other s needs. Those are some of my favorite parts about being in God s family. Now, let s share how we can pray for each other today. Ask children to share updates on the things they previously asked the group to pray with them about. Celebrate the praises, recommit to praying for things not yet answered, and ask for any new requests. Pray for the praises and requests mentioned, and let children know you ll continue to pray for them in the coming week. Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond through creative activities and games. The Heart Matters God chose young David as the next king because He knew David s heart was ready to follow Him. God would show His great strength throughout David s life. In this response, children will have an opportunity to contemplate God s strength in their own lives. SUPPLIES Lunch bags (1 per child, paper) Markers or crayons Rocks (1 per child, smooth, medium-sized) Permanent marker PREPARE AHEAD Use a permanent marker to write God is strong on each rock. SET UP Place the paper bags, rocks, and some markers or crayons out on the table. RELATE Encourage children to take giant steps to your activity area and have a seat. Friends, God showed everyone that He is bigger and stronger than Goliath. God also showed everyone that even the people we might not expect, like a small shepherd boy, can have a part in His big story. God doesn t care how big or small you are. God sees our hearts and wants us to trust Him to be strong in our lives. How does it make you feel to know that God is bigger than any problem you ll ever face? How does it feel to know that God wants you to be a part of His story, and He will always be with you? Give children some time to think quietly. After a moment, invite them to draw or write on the outside of their bags. You can draw on and decorate your bag however you d like. Use it as a way to tell God what you re thinking today and what you want to say to Him. After children have had some time to draw, invite them to share their thoughts if they want. Ask them how they know God is strong or how they see God s strength in their lives, and then invite them to place their rocks in their bags. Children will need their rocks for BLESS. (Optional) Rockin Relay God s strength allowed David to defeat Goliath with only a small stone and a sling. In this relay game, children will compete with balloon rocks to remind them of today s part of The Big God Story. SUPPLIES Balloons (1 per child, 11" or larger; gray balloons suggested)! Masking tape Trash bags (1 for every 5 children, 13-gal.) PREPARE AHEAD Blow up the balloons. SET UP Arrange your room so there s an area with plenty of open floor space. Use the masking tape to create a starting line. RELATE

7 ! Encourage children to help you clean up from previous activities, and then have them gather in the middle of your open space. God can use anyone or anything to show the world how strong He is. Because God was with David, all David needed was a small stone, and God used him to defeat the giant Goliath. Let s have some fun playing a relay game where we pretend these balloons are rocks like the ones David picked up. Divide children into teams of five. All the teams should line up behind the starting line. Pass out the balloons, one per child. Opposite the starting line, place an open trash bag for each team. Explain that one child at a time from each team should get her balloon or rock from the starting line to the bag or pouch. To accomplish this, each child should hit her balloon in the air as she walks, keeping it from touching the ground. The balloons shouldn t be held, but continually batted into the air. When a child reaches her team s bag, she should place the balloon inside and walk back to her team at the starting line. Upon her return, the next player can go. Developmentally Speaking Divide children into teams of no more than five players. Not only does this allow for more direct participation, but at this age, large groups make it difficult for children to remember who s on their team and who isn t. WORSHIP// 1st service: 4 9:25 Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing may be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Invite children to bring their rocks from RESPOND, remove them from their lunch bags, and gather in a circle. Friends, David trusted in God s strength, and all it took was one small rock to bring down the giant Goliath. Did you know that one of the ways the Bible describes God is as a rock? In Isaiah 26:4 the Bible says, Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. We can put our trust in God because He will never change. He is our strong rock. Invite children to bow their heads and hold out their rocks as you offer a final blessing over them. May you know that God is always strong, always good, and always loving. His strength will never end, and nothing will ever change that.