LARGE GROUP 1
Series at a Glance for Elevate About this Series: What is something you would give anything to have? Some people would say they want to live like a king, with money, fame, and power. In this series, we will travel around the world and even through time to find the greatest king ever. On this quest, we will learn that there is more to being a great king than just riches and power. In fact, what makes a king great is something much more valuable: Wisdom. Memory Verse: Look for wisdom as you would look for silver. Search for it as you would search for hidden treasure. Proverbs 2:4. Weekly Overview: Lesson: Topic: Big Idea: Lesson 1: June 10/11 What Makes a King? Saul- 1 Samuel 13 Wise choices matter. Lesson 2: June 17/18 A Wise King David- 1 Chronicles 14:8-15 Wisdom comes from God. Lesson 3: June 24/25 Wise Friends David and Abigail- 1 Samuel 25 The way of wisdom takes wise friends. Lesson 4: July 1/2 Wisdom Works Solomon- 1 Kings 6 The way of wisdom takes work. Lesson 5: July 8/9 Wisdom has Courage Hezekiah- 2 Kings 19 The way of wisdom takes courage. : Wisdom has Integrity Josiah- 2 Kings 22-23 The way of wisdom takes integrity. 2
Series at a Glance (continued) June 10/11- Week 1: What Makes a King? Our journey on the way of wisdom begins with King Saul. Have you ever watched someone make a really bad choice, and just wanted to yell Stop!? Reading King Saul s story in the Bible may make you feel uncomfortable. How could someone so important make so many bad choices? Saul had it all, riches, power, and he even looked like a king. The one thing he didn t have was the thing he needed to be a great king: wisdom. June 17/18- Week 2: A Wise King If it takes wisdom to be great, a great king must be really wise. King David is an amazing example of someone with wisdom. He wasn t the perfect king, but he followed someone who was. David followed God. Even though David lived about one thousand years before Jesus came to earth, he believed that God loves us. David wanted to be God s friend. Following God is the first step toward living wisely and making good choices every day. June 24/25- Week 3: Wise Friends Unwise choices can hurt our relationships. King David had a problem. He had asked a man named Nabal to feed his soldiers, and Nabal had rudely refused. Instead of talking it over, David decided to attack Nabal. His army was stopped by a wise woman named Abigail. Her story reminds us that one of the first steps on the way of wisdom is finding wise friends. July 1/2- Week 4: Wisdom Works King David s son, Solomon, was an incredible leader. He was known as the wisest man in the world. Solomon even wrote books about wisdom that we still have today. One of the things Solomon wrote about the most was work. He knew that part of being wise is using that wisdom to do something good. This week we will see how important work is through the story of Solomon. July 8/9- Week 5: Wisdom has Courage Even if we make wise choices, bad things can still happen. For King Hezekiah, that thing was an enemy army marching on Jerusalem, where he lived. He didn t start the fight, but now he was a part of it. This week, find out how God can give us courage, and help us make wise choices, even when it is hard to do. - Week 6: Wisdom has Integrity Josiah became king when he was only eight years old! Right away, he had some tough choices to make. The kings before him didn t follow God or listen to what he said. They had actually lost God s law, so no one was sure what it was. When Josiah found the law again, he showed integrity and chose to follow God s law, no matter how hard it was. Integrity means being honest with our words, but also honest with our actions. The incredible integrity King Josiah had is something we can only get by following God. 3
What You Need to DO and KNOW Each Week Opening Do This: Encourage everyone to gather near the stage, and have FUN! Give high-fives, welcome the kids by name, dance to the music, and let kids know we re going to have fun today! Interact with the crowd! Create a buzz about what is going to happen. Know This: This is intended to be a fun time! You as the leader need to set that standard so kids can feel comfortable. If you re not willing to open up and be silly, they won t either. It s ok if some kids are shy or stand-offish, but YOU should model what we d like to see! Welcome Do This: Greet the kids with enthusiasm without being overwhelming. Know This: During this time you are working to gain the kids trust. Something as simple as telling them what is going to happen during the hour can help relieve some anxiety that they may have. We will also gain their trust by showing them that this is a place that is not weird or different from what they see in other places. Worship Do This: Perform the provided actions to the songs and demonstrate enthusiastic worship for kids. Encourage kids to join in, but don t force them to participate. Read aloud any verses that are on the screen (unless the song features a voice over). Direct the kids attention towards God. Call out upcoming lyrics when appropriate and help the kids engage in singing. Know This: It s okay if some kids don t sing or do actions to the songs. They may worship by just reflecting on the lyrics and listening. Our music set is generally made of high-energy songs to help kids get engaged in worship. Media Do This: Sit or stand to the side of the screen(s). Watch the media and appear engaged using appropriate non-verbals. Know This: Although this is a good time to catch your breath and gather your thoughts, you are still technically on. Kids may be looking at you to see if you are watching the videos, and if you don t look engaged, they may not choose to engage either. Prayer Do This: Ask the kids to be respectful and quiet; you will pray out loud, while they pray quietly in their hearts and heads. Sit or crouch down and engage the kids as you pray. Know This: We want the kids to learn how to pray by seeing you model this. Feel free to say your own prayer this one is simply a suggestion, but do keep it short. Bible Verses & Memory Verse Do This: Read any verses from the side screen aloud. Make the memory verse fun! After you ve read it, do something silly like challenge the boys to be louder than the girls, jump up and down, add actions, or have the kids recite the verse using different voices. 4
Lesson Outline for Elevate : Wisdom Has Integrity Lesson Segment Total Running Time Opening Song (2:00) Welcome and Opening Activity (8:00) Song 1: Let it Be Known (5:00) 0:00-15:00 Bumper Video (1:00) Lesson Intro (1:00) Share Your Story (3:00) Video: (4:00) Fast Break (2:00) Message (7:00) Application Activity (8:00) Song 2: Boom (4:00) 15:00-45:00 Memory Verse (3:00) Review Activity (7:00) Song 3: Who I Wanna Be (5:00) 45:00-60:00 Video Cue Slide Cue Audio Cue Tech Notes 5
Opening Song 2:00 (Roll when directed) Elevate Opener Hey everyone, welcome to Elevate! Throw away your popcorn and find a place to sit, let s get ready to go! (Auto advance) Elevate Slide and Underscore Welcome and Opening Activity 8:00 My name is. I am so excited to be here with all of you. We ve got some fun activities coming up, an incredible story from the Bible, and we are going to learn all about something called Integrity. What does integrity mean? You ll have to see if you can figure it out! We are going to start with an activity for everyone called To Tell the Truth. Game Title Slide: To Tell the Truth. This is a simple game. I m going to tell you two things. One of them is true, the other is not. You get to pick which one you think is true, and go to that side of the room. Then, I ll tell you who is right! Stand up and let s play! Left: A Banana is a berry. Right: Bananas grow on trees. Go to the left side of the room if you think it s true that A banana is a berry. Go to the right if you think it s true that Bananas grow on trees. Which one is true? Let s find out! Left: A Banana is a berry. A banana is technically a berry. Good guess, everyone on the left side. The plants bananas grow on don t have wooden stumps, so they are actually herbs, not trees. That was tricky. Let s try another one. Left: Goldfish have a three-second long memory. Right: A town in Alaska made a cat its mayor. 6
Which one do you think is true? Choose quickly! Let s see the answer. Right: A town in Alaska made a cat its mayor. A town in Alaska made a cat its mayor. Wow! Goldfish can actually remember things for up to three months, not three seconds! These are tough. Do you think you can get this next one? Left: Platypus are venomous. Right: Octopus have two hearts. Are platypus venomous, which means poisonous? Or do octopus have two hearts? Make your choice! Which one is true? Left: Platypus are venomous. A platypus bite can poison you! Octopus actually have three hearts, not two. Ok, we have one more question to go. Left: Three wise men visited Jesus at the first Christmas. Right: The song Jingle Bells was originally about Thanksgiving. Hmm, did three wise men visit Jesus when he was born, or was Jingle Bells actually written about Thanksgiving? Make your choice! Which one is true? Right: The song Jingle Bells was originally about Thanksgiving. The song Jingle bells was originally written as a Thanksgiving song! While wise men did come to visit Jesus, they came months after he was born, and the Bible doesn t tell us how many of them came. It can be tough to tell what is true and what is false. While you sit down, think of a true answer to the question of the day! Question of the Day Video 7
(Auto Advance) QOTD Slide: What is the most amazing thing you have learned this year? What is the most amazing thing you have learned this year? It could be something you learned in school, on your own, or just a crazy fact you heard. Turn to someone next to you, and tell them your answer, then listen to theirs, too! Do This: Emcee as the kids are sharing their answers. Encourage them to share with those around them. If time allows, you can ask a couple of kids to share their answers with the larger group. There are a lot of amazing things in our world. Worship Worship 5:00 We can learn new things about our world every day. The reason our world is so incredible is because God made it all. He is creative, powerful, and even more amazingly, God wants to get to know us! One way we can learn more about God is by singing to worship him. Stand up, and sing this song about God with me! Song 1: Let it Be Known. (Auto advance) Worship Singing with you is the best! Before the song, I used the word worship. Worship: Showing God love and respect. Worship means showing God love and respect. What we just did, singing about God, is one way we can worship God. We worship God in other ways, too, like learning about him in the Bible, talking to him, or coming to church. Let s worship God in another way right now, by talking to him. When we talk to God here in Elevate, we like to fold our hands and close our eyes to show him respect. God, you are incredible. Thank you for showing us how to make good choices. Thank you for loving us. Help us to learn something amazing about you today. In Jesus name, Amen. Run the Bumper Video as the prayer ends. 8
Lesson Intro 1:00 Elevate Bumper Video (Auto-Advance) Series Title Slide: This is the last week in our series called. We ve been hearing stories about different kings in the Bible, who either made good, wise choices, or bad, foolish choices. Being wise is like following a trail. You have to make wise choices over and over again to get where you want to go. Fortunately, God is always ready to help us make good choices. This week, we are talking about a word that some of us may not have heard before: Integrity. Integrity You are about to hear two stories about integrity, but there s a challenge for you too. I m not going to tell you what Integrity means. Listen closely to these two stories, and see if you can figure it out. Share Your Story 3:00 This first story is something that happened to me. Do This: Share an engaging, relevant, age-appropriate story about a time you or someone you know made a promise and either fulfilled it or broke it. Point out the wise choice that you or the other person made by doing what they said they would do, or the unwise choice of breaking a promise. You might be getting an idea of what integrity means, but you have one more story to try and figure it out. Bible Story 4:00 This story is about the king of a country named Israel. This king was named Josiah. : Josiah 9
(Auto advance) Fast Break! Fast Break 2:00 Josiah showed a lot of integrity. Before we find out what integrity means, let s take a fast break! Everyone up on your feet! We are going to shake out our hands and feet. We ll start with our right hand, then our left hand, then our right foot, then our left foot. We ll start with five shakes of each one, then go to four, then three, until we reach zero. Do This: Shake your right hand five times, then your left five times, then your right foot five times, then your left foot five times. Move on to four times. Speed up as you get closer to zero. Don t worry about if kids are getting their right and left correct. Good job. Stretch one more time, then sit back down. Message 7:00 = Series Title Slide: King Josiah showed something called Integrity. I hope all of you have been thinking about what integrity means. Do you have any ideas? You can also tell me what Josiah did that took integrity. Do This: Allow one or two kids to answer. Encourage them, even if they aren t correct. I think a lot of you have figured it out, but integrity is a complicated word. Let s see what it means. Integrity: Doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. Integrity means doing what is right, even if no one is watching you. Why is integrity important on the way of wisdom? Let me show you. Do This: Bring eight cardboard boxes onto the stage. Wisdom means making good choices. These boxes represent some of the good choices we can make every day. 10
Series Title Slide: When we make wise choices, we are building up our wisdom, and building other people s trust in us. When we obey our parents, they will trust us a little more next time. Do This: Place one box in the middle of the stage. If you break something, and tell your parents the truth about what happened, that can help them to trust you more. Do This: Stack a box on top of the first. If your teacher or coach tells you about something you did wrong, and you say Thank you, I ll do better next time, instead of complaining or blaming others, that is a wise choice. Do This: Stack another box on the tower. If you stand up for one of your friends, that is a wise choice. It shows you are a good person to have as a friend. Do This: Stack another box on the tower. If your parents say to clean your room, and you do it, that s a wise choice. Do This: Stack another box on the tower. There are so many wise choices we can make every day. They all help us make more wise choices in the future. So, where does integrity come in? Well, another place the word integrity is used is when you build something. If a building has integrity, it means that it won t fall over. But if you remove some of the stones, or if the building isn t well made, it doesn t have integrity, which makes it very dangerous to be in. Promising to follow and obey God is like making a building, except instead of bricks or boxes, we are building with wise choices, by doing what is right. It takes a long time to build up our integrity. I just spent a while building this tower. But, if we decide to make a bad choice, even one time, it can ruin the wisdom we just spent a long time building. If instead of doing what your parents said, you lied about doing it, that is like taking out one of these building blocks. Do This: Kick out the bottom box from the tower. It will collapse. One unwise choice can destroy a lot of wise ones. Think of King Josiah. He promised to follow and obey God, and he did for a long time. If he had chosen to hide God s law, and not tell anyone about it, he would have broken his promise to God. All the things he did 11
before would have been ruined by this one bad choice. Even if no one else found out, God would have known. That is why integrity is so important when we make wise choices. If we are completely honest, and do what we say we will do, we have nothing to worry about. That s a great way to live. How can we do that? The first step is to ask for God s help. Ask God. We can t be wise all on our own; we need God to lead us. After asking for God s help, start to think about ways to practice integrity. When it feels hard to do what is right, remember the story of Josiah, and how important it is to keep making good choices. Application Activity 8:00 Game Title Slide: Character Choices One of the best ways to practice integrity is to think about what choice you would make if you were in someone else s place. I ve got an activity for all of you, called Character Choices. This activity is pretty simple. I m going to start a story, and then let you talk about how it could end, depending on the choice the character in the story makes. Sometimes the character will be another person, but other times it might be you. For this activity, let s split up into some groups. Do This: If you are doing this activity as a large group, divide the kids into groups by grade, but keep them near the stage. You may ask for brief answers to each question from one or two kids if time allows. If you are doing this in small groups, direct each kid to their group leader. In this situation, your role is simply to announce and read each of the questions, then read each new story. Allow the group leaders to work with their groups to make their choices. Story 1: As you and your friend leave the store, you notice that they pick up a bag of candy, and don t pay for it. Story one. As you and your friend leave the store, you notice that your friend picked up a bag of candy but didn t pay for it. What could you do to make a wise choice, and practice integrity here? Do This: If you are doing this in large group, allow two or three kids to answer. If the kids are in groups, encourage them to talk about it with their group. 12
There are quite a few things you could do. I liked your answers! You could ask your friend to go back and pay for the candy and talk to your parents about what happened. Let s go to another story. Story 2: You told an embarrassing story about yourself and one of your friends. Later, your friend is angry, because they thought that story was a secret. Story two. You told an embarrassing story about yourself and one of your friends. Later, your friend is angry, because they thought that story was a secret. What can you do to choose wisely and practice integrity here? Do This: If you are doing this in large group, allow two or three kids to answer. If the kids are in groups, encourage them to talk about it with their group. That can be really tough. You didn t mean to hurt your friend, but it happened anyway. You could apologize, and it may be good to ask people to stop telling that story. I ve got a third story for you. Story 3: You don t really know Will, but you see other kids picking on him every day. He doesn t do much about it, and doesn t talk to anyone. Story three. You don t really know Will, but you see other kids picking on him every day. He doesn t do much about it, and doesn t talk to anyone. How could you make the wise choice and act with integrity here? Do This: If you are doing this in large group, allow two or three kids to answer. If the kids are in groups, encourage them to talk about it with their group. We know that Will matters to God. Doing the right thing could mean inviting him to be your friend, or asking others to stop picking on him. If the problem is too bad, you may want to ask for a teacher or other adult s help. We ve got one more story to think about. Story 4: You make a joke about one of your friends. Later, you hear someone repeating the joke like it is true. Story four. You make a joke about one of your friends. Later, you hear someone repeating the joke like it is true. What could you do to act wisely, and have integrity? Do This: If you are doing this in large group, allow two or three kids to answer. If the kids are in groups, encourage them to talk about it with their group. It might be tough, but letting others say things that aren t true about one of your friends could make them feel really bad. It is worth telling people that it was a joke, and not really 13
true. You could tell your friend what happened, too, so they know what you meant. If it s a hurtful joke, it s probably best not to say it at all. That s all our stories, but there is one thing I want you to remember from all of this. Big Idea Slide: The way of wisdom takes integrity. The way of wisdom takes integrity. It is so important to do what is right, even if no one is watching. A foolish choice hurts us and others, even if no one catches us making it. Worship 4:00 We ve been learning a ton. Before we go on, let s take some time to sing and praise God! Get up on your feet, and get ready to move. Song 2: Boom Memory Verse 3:00 (Auto-Advance) Memory Verse: Proverbs 2:4- Look for wisdom as you would look for silver. Search for it as you would search for hidden treasure. Do This: Take out the Bible and show it to the kids. I love worshipping God with all of you. You can sit down. This is the last week that we will be learning this verse together, but it s a great one to remember after today, too. This was written by another king of the land of Israel, named Solomon. He wrote three of the books in our Bible, and is known as one of the wisest people who have ever lived. Let s see what he says about wise choices. Do This: Have the kids say the verse with you 2-3 times. Then, try a quick challenge. I think you are getting the hang of this verse! If you are on the left side of the room, you are going to say the first part of the verse when I point to you. Look for wisdom as you would look for silver. If you are on the right, say Search for it as you would search for hidden treasure. I want to see which side can say their part of the verse the loudest! Do This: Point to each side of the room, changing up your pace and order. Encourage each side to be louder than the other. Good job. We re just about finished for today, but I ve got one more activity for you. 14
Review Activity 7:00 Game Title Slide: You Tell Me Now we are going to review what we ve talked about, with an activity called You tell Me. Instead of giving you a bunch of questions, I m going to describe something or someone that we heard about today. Your challenge is to tell me who or what I am talking about. Let s get started! He was king Josiah s friend who found God s law in the temple. He was King Josiah s friend, who found God s law in the temple. Who is this talking about? Do This: Allow kids to answer. The answer is, Hilkiah! Hilkiah That was a tough question. Let s go to number two. This means the power to make good choices. This means the power to make good choices. What is it? Do This: Allow kids to answer. The answer is: Wisdom! Wisdom When we make good choices, we are using the power of wisdom. This is called the book of wisdom, and is where our memory verse comes from. What is the answer here? Do This: Allow kids to answer. 15
Let s find out! Proverbs Proverbs is a book full of wise sayings from around the world. Many of them were written by Solomon, one of the kings of Israel before Josiah. This means doing what is right, even when no one is watching. This means doing what is right, even when no one is watching. What is it? Do This: Allow kids to answer. The answer is Integrity! Integrity Good thinking. Let s try one more question. These are some ways to show integrity. These are some ways to show integrity. There are lots of answers to this question. How many can you all come up with? Do This: Allow kids to answer. Know This: Prompt kids toward answers if they are having trouble thinking of any. Answers may include or refer to telling the truth, doing what is right, helping others, being a good friend, admitting your mistakes, and doing what you say you will do. Series Title Slide: Integrity is an amazing thing to have, but it takes time to build up. That s why it s important for you to keep working on it right now. All of us will make mistakes, that s what makes God s love so amazing. No matter what, he always cares about you, and is always ready to help you. If you need to make a wise choice, or aren t sure what to do, he loves to listen to you. Let s take some time to pray and talk to God right now. God, thank you for loving us, and helping us make good choices. Remind us to ask you for wisdom, and follow wherever you lead us. Amen. 16
Worship 5:00 We have one more song for you to sing, so get up on your feet! Song 3: Who I Wanna Be (Auto-Advance) Elevate Slide I m so glad you could all be here in Elevate! Have an awesome week. 17