Nov. 12, 2017 God Is Almighty DATE PONDER POINT (Hanna and Samuel) With a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever. Psalm 136:12 THE BIG GOD STORY REMEMBER VERSE 1 Samuel 1 3 Welcome and Worship (15 minutes) The large group room will be divided into three sections. Please help kids find which section they should sit in according to their grade: 1st2nd, 3rd-4th & 5th-6th. Toward the end of small group time, A/V Tech will play the 2 minute warning sound followed by a song. During or immediately following the song please regroup in the large group meeting space (not before). 5th & 6th graders can go directly to Snack Shack after small group time, rather than regrouping in the large group space. Begins class creating an inviting atmosphere for kids to feel welcome and engage kids in worship through singing and communion. The Big God Story (18 minutes) Creates space for children to hear God s word and prepare respond to the Holy Spirit in small groups Small Groups (20 minutes) Kids will build relationships with each other and their leaders, and respond to what they learned in the Big God Story as well as how to apply it to their lives Bless & Dismiss (4 minutes) Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others. SCHEDULE Large Group Small 2 Min Group Warn. Regroup/ Dismiss 5th-6th 1st Service (9:00) 9:00 9:33 9:53 10:00 2nd Service (10:15) 10:15 10:48 11:08 11:15 3rd Service (11:30) 11:30 12:03 12:23 12:30 Host Administrative To Do s: Make sure no group is too large Make sure each group has enough supplies Close curtains and divider wall for small groups at 9:00 and 10:15 (and re-open after 9:00) Cue the tech when to play the 2 minute warning with song. Call names for dismissal after blessing 1
GOAL: Worship & welcome is all about engaging kids and helping them enter into worship, letting them know that class has begun preparing their minds for what they are going to hear. WELCOME (Host): Stage Lights On VIDEO LOOPS: Welcome Loop, 5 Min Countdown, Welcome Image We are so glad you are here today. Welcome the kids in your own words and finish by saying, Let s all stand and hear God s word and sing our praise to Him OPENING WORSHIP SONG (Worship Leader): Turn out main overhead lights REMEMBER VERSE VIDEO (Host should pass out connect question cards during worship: one to each SG leader) WORSHIP VIDEO 1: Shout WORSHIP VIDEO 2: Better than the Best thing (Direct kids to get with their groups and circle up with their small group leader before sitting down) CONNECT QUESTIONS (Host): 4 MINUTE COUNTDOWN VIDEO Can you think of someone you would describe as mighty? Have you ever wanted something so badly that you were willing to wait a long time for it? What was it? Have you ever prayed for something and saw God mightily answer your prayer? XTIMELINE VIDEO (Storyteller) The Big God Story: Point out that what kids are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bible. Open your Bible to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Story. Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along as you storytell. Children respond to what the Holy Spirit is teaching them as they reflect on the day s portion of The Big God Story. The Prayer of Release: This allows children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. Before you pray, you might ask the kids to hold out their hands, palms up, in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy Spirit might have for them today. Then encourage the kids to quiet their voices, take a seat, and pray with you. 2
The Big God Story: Storyteller Script Remember when earlier you talked about knowing someone who is mighty?! In the Bible God is described as mighty and almighty! He is mighty over everything! Let s take a minute to ask our mighty God to speak to us today. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. God used His power to help His people, the Israelites, in many ways. He was mighty to keep His promise and bring His people into the Promised Land where they would find rest and be free to worship Him Unfortunately, once God s people settled in the land, they started to do what they wanted instead of following God s laws. Even some of the priests turned away from following God s ways! This caused a lot of problems. But because God is almighty, He had a plan to raise up a new priest who would love and honor God and show the people the best way to live. As we look at The Big God Story today, I ll sometimes ask you to draw a picture of what you just heard. Later, you can look at what you drew and be reminded that God is almighty. In today s part of The Big God Story, we meet a woman named Hannah. Invite kids to turn to 1 Samuel 1 in their Bibles. Hannah couldn t have children, and the Bible tells us that this brought her deep anguish (1 Samuel 1:10). What do you think that means? Pause for responses. Good thoughts. Hannah s heart was full of pain about not being able to have a child. One day, Hannah went to the temple to pray to God. Invite kids to look at verse 11. Weeping, Hannah prayed (Tech: Cue 1 Samuel 1:11 image), LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life (1 Samuel 1:11). Let s look at this verse a little bit longer. What did Hannah call God in her prayer? Invite responses. That s right: LORD Almighty! LORD Almighty means God of Hosts. What do you think God of Hosts means? Invite responses. Good thinking. It means that God goes before us into battle and fights for us. Invite kids to say that with you, God fights for us. Why do you think Hannah was asking God to fight for her? Invite responses. What promise did she make to God? Pause for answers. That s right. She promised that she would give her son to the Lord so he could serve Him. What do you think that meant? Invite responses. This meant that Hannah s son would live in the temple with the priests. The priests would teach Samuel how to serve and worship God. After Hannah prayed at the temple, she went home. Soon, God did something amazing. What do you think He did? Interact with responses. Yes with His almighty power, God gave Hannah a child! Read 1 Samuel 1:20 aloud, while everyone follows along. 3
20 So Hannah became pregnant, and in time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel. [a] She said, His name is Samuel because I asked the Lord for him. Once Samuel was old enough, Hannah brought him to the temple, just as she had promised. She praised God for answering her prayer. Why did God answer her prayer? Pause for responses. Because God is almighty. Time passed, and Samuel grew. And as he grew, Eli the high priest taught him about the almighty God. One night, while Samuel was sleeping, he heard someone call his name. He got up and went to Eli. Read 1 Samuel 3:4 5 aloud as the kids follow along, 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, I am here! 5 He ran to Eli and said, I am here. You called me. But Eli said, I didn t call you. Go back to bed. So Samuel went back to bed. It wasn t Eli! Read 1 Samuel 3:6. 6 The Lord called again, Samuel! Samuel again went to Eli and said, I am here. You called me. Again Eli said, I didn t call you. Go back to bed. That was the second time God had called Samuel. For a third time, the Lord called Samuel, and again, Samuel got up and went to Eli. Why do you think he kept going to see Eli? Invite responses. Samuel was still a boy and had never heard God s voice. But this time Eli realized that the almighty God had been calling Samuel s name! So Eli told Samuel what to do. Tech: Cue 1 Samuel 3:9 slide. Read 1 Samuel 3:9 9 So he told Samuel, Go to bed. If he calls you again, say, Speak, Lord. I am your servant, and I am listening. So Samuel went and lay down in bed. When God spoke to Samuel again, Samuel did just what Eli said. Then, God began sharing His plans for the future. This was the beginning of Samuel becoming a faithful prophet of the LORD Almighty. Read 1 Samuel 3:19 20 aloud. 19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up. He did not let any of Samuel s messages fail to come true. 20 Then all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, [a] knew Samuel was a prophet of the Lord. Wow God was mighty to accomplish a lot through Hannah s prayer! He was mighty to give her a child when she hadn t been able to have one for many years, and He was mighty to raise up Hannah s son as a servant for Him. God is almighty in our lives too! Tell a story of a time when God showed Himself as mighty in your life. God shows His strength and power to us again and again. Is there an area of your life where you need God to be strong and powerful to be almighty? Maybe you need God to show Himself almighty at school, where you re dealing with a mean classmate. Maybe you need God to show Himself almighty at home, where your parents fight. No matter what you re going through, God is almighty, and He can show His power in your life. WE are going to take a few moments to be silent and to pray to God. God hears you when you pray and He knows what you need. After a few moments I will close in prayer. (Wait a few 4
minutes then pray over the entire group and ask God to show His might and power in amazing way in the kids lives this week. Tell the kids we are going to close the Big God Story by worshipping him. Tell kids during worship they can give offering or take communion if they have made Jesus their savior and been baptized. WORSHIP VIDEO 3:The Lord Our God Fade out song slowly at Worship Leader s prompting. (As the song comes to a close Worship Leader tells groups to head to their small group space. Say something like, Let s continue responding to what God is teaching us as we dismiss to our small groups. Please follow your small group leader at this time. ) IMAGE: It s time for small groups Turn main overhead lights on Dismiss for small groups refer to map for small group locations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the end of small groups... Tech cue: 2 minute warning with exit song, using ceiling speakers, at the host s prompting Turn speakers back to wall speakers for blessing, closing song and dismissal. 5
GOAL: Kids build relationships with each other and their leader as they respond to what they heard in the Big God Story. Reflect: God Is Almighty When Hannah prayed to God for a son, she couldn t have known how God would answer her prayer so mightily. God not only gave her a son but also used her son to usher in a new era for His people an era in which they were led by a king who loved and followed God. Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages. Questions for Younger Kids What did Hannah pray for in the temple? 1 Samuel 1:11 How did God answer Hannah s prayer? 1 Samuel 1:20 Who did Samuel think had called to him the first time? 1 Samuel 3:4 5 Who was really calling to Samuel? 1 Samuel 3:8b 9 How has God shown Himself as almighty in your life? Questions for Older Kids What did Hannah pray for in the temple? 1 Samuel 1:11 Why did Hannah refer to God as LORD Almighty? 1 Samuel 1:11 How did God answer Hannah s prayer? 1 Samuel 1:20 How does Hannah s prayer inspire you to pray? How did God mightily use Samuel in the lives of His people? How has God shown Himself as almighty in your life? If time permits, work on the memory verse using the following method. CATCH THE VERSE SUPPLIES Memory Verse Cards Ball RELATE Have the kids form a circle. Toss a ball to one child in the circle. This child must then say the first word of the verse. Then she must throw the ball to another child, who must say the second word of the verse, and so on. If a child who catches the ball can t remember the next word, start over until the group can remember the whole verse. 6
GOAL: Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others. CLOSING REMARKS/ANNOUNCEMENTS (Host): Wall Speakers On VIDEO LOOP: Thanks, glad you were here. BLESSING (HOST): Open a Bible and read Psalm 118:15 17: Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: The LORD s right hand has done mighty things! The LORD s right hand is lifted high proclaim what the LORD has done. Now let the kids know you re going to read the verses again, and when they hear you say, joy and victory, they can cheer and shout. They can also shout praises to God, such as God is good! Finally, end with this blessing: May you be blessed by God Almighty. May you praise Him for the things He has done and will do. DISMISSAL (HOST): Choose some transition videos to play in Easy worship or play Spotify playlist Call names of kids as parent come to pick up and welcome kids who are being dropped off. Encourage parents to enter the room and encourage kids and parents to exit out the middle door (103) 7
Some years ago, I felt myself sinking into depression. During this time, I ran for long stretches every day as a way to cope, and these runs took a toll on my body. I hurt my knee so badly that I couldn t walk. I told my dad what I was going through not only the hurt knee, but also the depression. His response surprised me: He encouraged me to ask God to show Himself to me. So I cried out to God, asking for more of Him. And He gave me more of Himself than I had ever known. I was amazed and grateful. God heard my cries for more of Him and responded. I m thankful my dad modeled courage and faith for me that day faith to believe in the power and love of the Almighty God, and courage to desire more of Him. Tori Funkhouser Tru Team God is mighty to save, mighty to heal, and mighty to love! Hannah called God the LORD Almighty (1 Samuel 1:11). This was the first time this name for God was used in Scripture, though it was used many times afterward. LORD Almighty is translated Jehovah Tsaba, which means Lord of Hosts. The definition of this word in the Hebrew language describes a person who would go first or before into battle and fight for you someone mighty, someone you d want to follow. It s interesting that this name Lord of Hosts first appears when Hannah cries out to God during her vow to dedicate her unborn child to Him. At the time of her prayer, Hannah had no idea how God would answer her anguished cries. God would give her the child she had prayed for, and that child would eventually lead Israel into a new era of leaders. Hannah s son s name was Samuel. It was Samuel who would anoint David, God s choice for a king, the lineage from whom Jesus Christ would someday ascend. In this way, God was not only mighty to answer Hannah s prayers and give her a child but also mighty to accomplish His purposes as a sovereign Ruler who went before His people into new life. Here, God s plan for Israel s future redemption met with Hannah s anguished and righteous cry for a son. So in this pivotal moment of Israel s history, between the time of the judges and the monarchy, God granted Hannah s request and brought forth the next step in His plan for His people in which Samuel led the people as an obedient servant of God. God was mighty to use Samuel to usher in a new era for His people, and He did so by answering the prayer of a barren woman of faith. 8
Sometimes it may feel like God s might is out of reach that it s an abstract concept we re not able to touch. It s easy to picture that God, in His might, could be a God who s distant. But He s also a personal, loving God who hears us and chooses to bless us. Think of how many times He s shown up in your life sometimes when you least expected it after you ve poured out your heart to Him. When we read about God s mighty hand in the Old Testament to lead the Israelites out of captivity and to provide food and water in the desert we see how mighty He really is. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Among many other ways, God s mightiness can be seen today through His personal, tender love toward His creation. Read Psalm 72, and be encouraged that the almighty God of miracles and wonders is also the God who hears our cries and comforts us. Or read through Hannah s prayer in 1 Samuel 2 and meditate on how God lifts up His people. 9