Peace lesson 2 Fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22 The fruit of the Spirit is... peace Peace Staying calm and cool knowing that God is in control. Episode 2 The Lord Appears to Elijah 1 Kings 19:9 18 MEMORY VERSE... but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. 1 Kings 19:12 13 (NKJV) KEY POINT You continue to have peace by staying close to God through prayer, worship, and reading His Word. Lesson 2 page 14
Let s Play EARLY ARRIVAL (before service) Have some upbeat music playing. Welcome children warmly. Have some simple toys available to make the environment welcoming. Teachers should take this time to engage in conversation with children as they sit to play with them. Ask them about their week, school, and home. Begin to establish relationships. BEGIN CLASS (service time) Introduce yourself and your assistants. Before the discussion questions, PRAY that the Lord will bless your time together. Have a set of supplies for yourself to demonstrate as you explain. SUPPLIES to play No supplies needed for game. Optional: bring some noisemakers from home. One sheet of paper per child (to take home). PREP it : : : instructions 1 Select two children: a listener and a messenger. 2 Have 3 When 4 The 5 Allow 6 Try 7 If 8 Hand the children stand at opposite sides of the room. you say, Go, everyone else in the room will make as much noise as he or she possibly can. messenger will give attempt to yell his message to the listener. (The message can be today s memory verse or something simpler, such as, Jesus loves you. ) the noise for only a few seconds, and then ask the listener if he or she heard the message. it once more, but this time ask the messenger to stand just a foot away from the listener. Have everyone make some really loud noise. you have time, you can repeat the demonstration a few more times with different children. out the blank sheets of paper. Have everyone fold them in half and then in half again like a greeting card. lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 15
CONNECTit CONNECT it : : : SAY I want you to write this message, The LORD came in a gentle whisper. (Write it on the board for the children to copy onto their papers.) Today we are going to learn about Elijah (the great prophet of God) who was trying to hear God s voice in some very loud places. This prophet urgently needed to hear God s message in order to have peace because he was in bad trouble. God was not in the noisy places; He was in a gentle whisper. Take your papers home and go to a very quiet place to pray, and then just listen. If God speaks to you, write the message down on this paper so that you won t forget what He said to you. This may not be as easy as it sounds because we are not used to being still and quiet for long. It actually takes practice to be still and listen for God. Perhaps you can practice being still and quiet a little longer each day. Let s watch Virtuality and find out exactly what happened to Elijah and see if he got the peace he was searching for. WATCH it : : : Go to large group to see the Virtuality DVD, Fruit of the Spirit Series DVD (VOLUME 3, EPISODE 2) lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 16
Let s Talk Bible BIBLE STORY : : : The Lord Appears to Elijah 1 Kings 19:9 18 BE PREPARED Read the Bible story and study the background information at home. Before you begin reading today s Bible story tell children the background information in your own words. BACKGROUND information : : : SAY IT in your own words Elijah was the first of a long line of powerful prophets of God in Israel and Judah. Elijah was very bold and not afraid to stand up for what was right against the evil kings. King Ahab was probably one of the worst since he did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him (1 Kings 16:30). To top it off, he married one of the most evil women in biblical history, Jezebel. Ahab and Jezebel had hundreds of other prophets working for them, but these prophets only told them what they wanted to hear not the truth. When Elijah came on the scene, he wanted to prove to them that Baal, the fake man-made god they followed, was powerless. Elijah went right to the king and said, As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word (1 Kings 17:1). This shocked the king and the people because they believed Baal had power over rain, but they were very wrong. This threeyear drought was the first of many miracles God worked through the Prophet Elijah. While God withheld the rain and the nation suffered famine, Elijah was miraculously fed by ravens. Then God sent Elijah to a widow and her son. They were about to eat their last meal before starving to death when Elijah asked her to feed him. He told her, The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land (1 Kings 17:14). She believed the prophet, and their food did not run out. But that wasn t the only miracle this family experienced. When the widow s son became sick and died, Elijah cried out to God and the boy returned to life! The scene was extreme. None of these miracles convinced Ahab and Jezebel to turn from their evil ways. Jezebel became angry, and instead of turning from evil, she went deeper into sin against God. She went on a killing spree against the prophets of God. Elijah was her main target, but he was nowhere to be found. Then one day he just showed up. Elijah was still committed to proving that the Lord God was the one true God. Elijah lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 17
challenged 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah to a showdown. (These were all of Jezebel s puppet prophets.) God showed up in a miraculous display of power and the false prophets lost miserably and were all put to death. Ahab told Jezebel everything that had happened, but she still did not bow down to the one true God. She made a vow to kill Elijah. Elijah was afraid and ran for his life (1 Kings 19:3). You may wonder how Elijah came to be afraid even though he had the power and favor of God. He was probably sure that this last miracle would prove to Jezebel where the real power lay and that she would turn from her evil ways. When she didn t, it rocked his world. Elijah was a powerful prophet of God, but he was still human and he became discouraged. There was no proving anything to this evil woman; she just didn t care. After three intense years, he was tired; he ran; he hid; he was depressed. In fact, he gave up and wanted to die. He probably felt that he had failed God. God was not done with Elijah; He was gentle and loving. Elijah went into the desert to die but God sent an angel to care for him. So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God (1 Kings 19:8). This is where we pick up the story. Elijah reached the mountain and went into a cave to spend the night. He probably wanted to sleep, but God wanted to talk. PREP it : : : props and characters 1. Select a few children to act out portions of the story as you read it. If you don t have enough children, they can play multiple roles in the different sections of the story. These are the characters.» Elijah (Able to say the shorter dialogue in parenthesis.)» God (Teacher can read the Lord s dialogue directly.)» Wind noise makers» Breaking rocks noise makers» Earthquake noise makers» Fire noise makers» Gentle whisper makers» Three boys to be anointed lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 18
2. If you are able, bring a few of these props from home to enhance the story.» A table or desk for Elijah to hide under» A cloth (for Elijah s covering)» An empty bottle of olive oil (You can put water in it.) READ SCRIPTURE READ Bible Story : : : 1 KINGS 19:9 18 There Elijah went into a cave and stayed all night. (Elijah, go under the desk and pretend it s a cave.) Then the Lord spoke his word to him: Elijah! Why are you here? Elijah answered, Lord, God of heaven s armies, I have always served you the best I could. But the people of Israel have broken their agreement with you. They have destroyed your altars. They have killed your prophets with swords. I am the only prophet left. And now they are trying to kill me, too! (Elijah, say, I m scared and I have no peace. ) Then the Lord said to Elijah, Go. Stand in front of me on the mountain. I will pass by you. (God, say, Wait for Me, I m coming. ) Then a very strong wind blew. ( Wind, make howling wind noise.) It caused the mountains to break apart. It broke apart large rocks in front of the Lord. ( Breaking rocks, make crashing noise like rocks breaking.) But the Lord was not in the wind. (Elijah, say, I can t hear you, Lord, the wind s too loud. ) After the wind, there was an earthquake. ( Earthquake, stomp your feet and make earthquake noise.) But the Lord was not in the earthquake. (Elijah, say, I can t hear you, Lord, the earthquake is too loud. ) After the earthquake, there was a fire. ( Fire, make crackling fire noise.) But the Lord was not in the fire. (Elijah, say, I can t hear you, Lord, the fire is too loud. ) After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle voice. (Everyone be really quiet. Gentle whisper, blow out a gentle puff.) lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 19
When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. (Elijah, cover your head with the cloth and come out of the cave.) Then a voice said to him, Elijah! Why are you here? Elijah answered, Lord, God of heaven s armies, I have always served you the best I could. But the people of Israel have broken their agreement with you. They have destroyed your altars. They have killed your prophets with swords. I am the only prophet left. And now they are trying to kill me, too. (Elijah, say, I m scared and I have no peace. ) The Lord said to him, Go back on the road that leads to the desert around Damascus. Enter that city. There pour olive oil on Hazael to make him king over Aram. (Elijah, pour a small amount of water on one of the boys and say, You are king. ) Then pour oil on Jehu son of Nimshi to make him king over Israel. (Elijah, pour a small amount of water on one of the other boys and say, You are king. ) Next, pour oil on Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah. He will be a prophet in your place. (Elijah, pour a small amount of water on the third boy and say, You are a prophet of God. ) Jehu will kill anyone who escapes from Hazael s sword. And Elisha will kill anyone who escapes from Jehu s sword. (The new kings pretend to battle with swords.) But I have left 7,000 people living in Israel. Those 7,000 have never bowed down before Baal. Their mouths have never kissed his idol. (Elijah, say, You mean I m not alone? ) CONNECTIT CONNECT it : : : SAY Elijah had been very busy doing the Lord s work, but he was now tired, scared and discouraged. King Ahab and Jezebel continued their evil ways and Elijah thought he was the only one left who loved God. Elijah wanted to give up and he needed peace to go on. The last three years had been filled with tense excitement. Elijah had seen God do great miracles and was used to seeing God in these big events. But this lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 20
KEYPOINT MEMORYVERSE time God came in an unexpected peaceful way. He wanted to let Elijah know that everything was still okay, that He wasn t disappointed in him and that he didn t have to hide or be scared. Elijah needed to stop and just listen quietly for the Lord. Elijah needed to have the peace of God. You continue to have peace by staying close to God through prayer, worship, and reading His Word. Elijah ran from Jezebel in fear of his life, but he didn t find peace in the desert nor the mountains, Peace was not to be found in the earthquake, the wind or the fire. He found peace in the soft whisper of God s gentle voice. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalms 4:8 Elijah thought he was done helping God. But God told him to get up and keep going; there was more important work to be done. Elijah thought nothing he had done worked to turn people s hearts back to God, but there were 7,000 who still had a chance. We should never give up sharing Jesus with others. Next time you feel like giving up, remember Elijah s story and just sit quietly and wait for God to speak in a soft gentle whisper. In that still, quiet place, Jesus will bring you peace. PRAYER LET S PRAY : : : SAY Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your gentleness and love. Thank You for peace and encouragement. We pray that we may be able to sit quietly enough to hear Your sweet voice, especially when we feel like giving up. As long as we have Your peace, we can continue to do Your work. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 21
Let s Review This Month s Verse PEACE THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS... PEACE Staying calm and cool knowing that God is in control. TODAY S LESSON Bible Story The Lord Appears to Elijah Location 1 Kings 19:9 18 Memory Verse... but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. 1 Kings 19:12 13 (NKJV) Key Point You continue to have peace by staying close to God through prayer, worship, and reading His Word. TIME FILLERS Ask if anyone would like to play the teacher and review today s lesson with the class. Play games to help children memorize today s Bible memory verse. TAKE HOME SHEETS VIRTUE Quest is the take-home sheet designed for children to do with their parents. The sheet contains information about today s lesson. The goal is to partner with parents to continue and to reiterate the lesson. Be sure to hand all parents a sheet as they pick up their children. lesson 2 page 22