LESSON SNAPSHOT BOTTOM LINE: We can hear God s voice if we learn to be still and listen. OBJECTIVE: Kids will learn how God can call to us and lead us. KEY PASSAGE: 1 Samuel 3:1-21, The Lord Calls Samuel MEMORY VERSE: I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) SUMMARY: Sometimes we think that we have to be a grown up to hear God s call. But kids will learn that they can hear that still, small voice of God right now. 1 Samuel 3:1-21, The Lord Calls Samuel SIMPLE PRAYER: Dear God, Teach us how to be silent and listen so that we can hear your voice. In Jesus name, Amen
MEMORY VERSE I can do all things through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIV) I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) LARGE GROUP: Choose three kids from the audience. Have each one sing the memory verse in a different musical style - country, hip-hop, oldies, opera, etc. SMALL GROUP: Say the memory verse in pig Latin (or in a silly voice if you don t know pig Latin!)
SKIT CALLING SAMUEL ITEM NEEDED: A bed or cot CHARACTER BREAKDOWN: 2M CHARACTERS: Eli - The High Priest Samuel - A boy living in the temple Eli enters. He kneels down and prays. ELI: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Amen. Eli crawls into bed. He sighs. Samuel enters and taps him on the shoulder. SAMUEL: Master? ELI: What is it? SAMUEL: You called me. ELI: No I didn t. SAMUEL: Yes you did. I heard you. ELI: No, I did not. SAMUEL: Are you sure? ELI: Yeah, I m pretty sure.
SKIT SAMUEL: Must have been a dream. ELI: Go back to bed, Samuel. SAMUEL: Sorry to bother you. Good night. ELI: Good night. Sleep tight. Don t bite the bed bugs! Samuel exits. Eli starts snoring. Samuel enters again. SAMUEL: Sir? ELI: Hmm? SAMUEL: What did you want? ELI: Huh? SAMUEL I heard you calling me. ELI: Was I talking in my sleep? SAMUEL: I don t think so. ELI: Huh. Well, if I was, I m sorry. I didn t call you. SAMUEL: But I m sure I heard you this time! ELI: Go to sleep, Samuel. SAMUEL: Okay. Good night. ELI: Good night. Sleep tight. Don t bite the bed bugs! Samuel exits. Eli starts snoring. Samuel enters again. SAMUEL: Sir? ELI: Oh come on! SAMUEL: Sir, I heard you. I know I did! ELI: Samuel, the only thing I m calling is sleep. Go to bed.
SKIT SAMUEL: Okay then. Samuel starts to leave. Eli sits up. ELI: Wait! Samuel stops. ELI: Samuel, the next time you hear that voice, answer it. Say, Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. SAMUEL: Why? ELI: It is the Lord calling you. SAMUEL: But that s impossible. I m just a kid. ELI: The Lord is calling you, Samuel, as he calls to all of us. You ve heard his voice. Now comes the important part- you need to listen. SAMUEL: I will, master. Thank you. ELI: Good night, sleep tight. SAMUEL: Don t bite the bed bugs.
OBJECT LESSON OR KIDS SERMON ITEM NEEDED: A cell phone How many of you guys can t wait to get one of these? Do any of you have a phone yet? How old do you have to be before you get one? Phones are a sign of growing up. When you get a phone, it shows everyone that your parents believe you are ready to be more responsible. Your parents expect you to use the phone wisely. They expect you to keep in touch with family and friends. And they expect you to not lose it! Phones allow you to get in touch with the people you care about - family, friends, and more. But we don t need phones to connect with God. We can pray any time and anywhere, and God will hear us. What s more, we can also hear from God! Through prayer and reading the Bible, God can speak to us. If we are still and willing to listen, we ll hear that voice and find direction for our lives. Even kids can hear from God. You don t need a phone, and you don t have to live in a temple. Learn to be quiet, and learn to be still. You ll hear God s still small voice come through clear.
LARGE GROUP GAME (TP) ROLL CALL ITEMS NEEDED: Empty toilet paper rolls - a bunch of them! INSTRUCTIONS: Pick two teams of two. Have one member of each team stand beside the toilet paper rolls, and have the other two stand ten feet away from their teammates. The two players standing beside the toilet paper rolls will start connecting rolls, telescoping them together one at a time, making one long roll stretching out to their partner. As soon as the roll is close enough that the other team member can grab it without the roll breaking apart, that team wins. VARIATION: This can also be a timed contest where one player tries to connect to their partner with the TP rolls in 60 seconds or less. WHAT S POINT? We don t need phones or toy phones to call God. We can pray and listen to him anywhere.
LARGE GROUP LESSON BOTTOM LINE: We can hear God s voice if we learn to be still and listen. OBJECTIVE: Kids will learn how God can call to us and lead us. KEY PASSAGE: 1 Samuel 3:1-21, The Lord Calls Samuel INTRO Have you ever watched the NFL Draft? It s a very long, kind of boring event that takes place in the spring. During the draft, all 32 NFL football teams take turns picking new players for their team. Each team gets a certain amount of time in which to make a choice. As soon as they do, the next team gets to make their pick, and so on and so on. The NFL invites a select group of players to the draft to wait for their name to be called. But for every one player at the draft, there are a hundred at home, sitting by the phone, waiting to hear it ring. They want the phone to ring and they want to hear the voice of an NFL coach telling them, Congratulations, we want you to be on our team. You know what those guys don t want? A wrong number! They don t even want a call from a friend or family member. They want to keep that phone line clear so they don t miss a call from the Jets or the Chargers or the Texans or whomever. As eager as those football players are on draft day to hear a call from an NFL team, God wants us to be listening for his voice. Believe it or not, God speaks to his people even today, giving them instructions and direction for their lives. The best part is that God doesn t just call to adults. He calls kids too. He calls to anyone willing to be still and listen so he can teach them who he is and how they should live.
LARGE GROUP LESSON Today we re going to meet a boy who received a call from God. This boy grew up to be a prophet and an important leader in Israel, and it all started one quiet night while he was trying to sleep. READ 1 SAMUEL 3:1-21 MAIN POINT Samuel was a Nazirite, a person whose life was dedicated fully to serving the Lord. His parents asked and prayed for a son, and his mother promised she would dedicate him to the Lord and let him grow up in the temple. That s how Samuel came to be in the temple that night, sleeping down the hall from Eli. God didn t wait until Samuel was grown to let him know he was special. He called him when he was only a boy. God used Samuel to tell Eli that he and his sons would be punished for their sins. Later on, God would use Samuel to anoint Saul and then David as king of Israel. It all began one night while Samuel lay in bed. Samuel heard the voice, and he answered. God is calling all of us today, waiting for us to answer. We need to learn to sit up, be still, and be quiet. If we learn to listen then we can be like Samuel and know how to also obey. DRIVE IT HOME The biggest reason people do not hear God s voice is the same reason we sometimes don t hear other voices - we do not listen! Sometimes we tune out when our parents are telling us what to do. They tell us to be responsible, to clean our rooms, to do our homework, blah blah blah. Teachers tell us much the same thing. Be responsible, turn in your work, respect others, blah blah blah. When our parents and teachers tell us things and we don t listen, we can get into big trouble. If we re smart, we learn to listen and listen well so we don t get into trouble. Failing to listen to God might not get you in trouble, but it will mean missing out. It will mean missing the chance to serve the Lord. It will mean missing the opportunity to make choices that will draw us closer to God and allow us to participate in the good work he is doing here on Earth. God made each of us unique, and he has a role for us to play in the body of Christ. Only you can fill that role! But if you miss it, you may never get a second chance. Don t miss your shot to serve the Lord. Don t shrug it off and put it off until adulthood. Ask God to speak to you today. Spend time alone, praying in the quiet.
LARGE GROUP LESSON God will speak to you. He will tell you what his plan is. He s waiting for you to say, like Samuel, Speak Lord, your servant is listening. CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER Dear God, Teach us how to be silent and listen so that we can hear your voice. In Jesus name, Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND) ICEBREAKER Who s the last person you talked to on the phone? MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY Philippians 4:13 Say the memory verse in pig Latin (or in a silly voice if you don t know pig Latin!) SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY Play the telephone game with the memory verse. See if the message comes out clear at the end. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Read 1 Samuel 3:1-21 Who was Samuel? Who was calling Samuel? What did Eli tell Samuel to do? What message did God give Samuel? What happened because Samuel listened to God? SIMPLE PRAYER Dear God, Thank you for calling us and giving us a purpose. Help us to hear your voice so we can obey. In Jesus name, Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3-5TH) ICEBREAKER Who s the last person you talked to on the phone? MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY Philippians 4:13 Say the memory verse in pig Latin (or in a silly voice if you don t know pig Latin!) SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY Have the kids act out today s story. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Read 1 Samuel 3:1-21 Who was calling Samuel? What did Eli tell Samuel to do? What message did God give Samuel? What happened because Samuel listened to God? How can we hear God s voice and listen? SIMPLE PRAYER Dear God, Thank you for calling us and giving us a purpose. Help us to hear your voice so we can obey. In Jesus name, Amen
POWERPOINT REVIEW GAME True or False. Samuel was the high priest. FALSE God was trying to call Samuel. TRUE At first Samuel thought Eli was the one calling him. TRUE God gave Samuel good news about Eli. FALSE People came to respect Samuel because he listened to God. TRUE
5 Simple Ways You Can Make This Lesson Stick With Your Kids THIS WEEK S LESSON: SAMUEL IN CAR: Ask your child what they learned about this week on the drive home: Sometimes we think that we have to be a grown up to hear God s leading. But kids will learn that they can hear that still, small voice of God right now. 1 Samuel 3:1-21, The Lord Calls Samuel HANGING OUT: Make this week s lesson real: Challenge everyone in your house to be better listeners this week, listening to one another and listening to God. AT DINNER: Here are some great discussion starters: - Who was Samuel? - Why was God calling to Samuel? - How can we be better listeners and hear God s voice? AT BEDTIME: Quiz your child on this week s memory verse: I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) PARENT TIME: What you need to know: How good are you at hearing God s voice? Spend some quiet time with the Lord this week, and listen closely. Ask God to speak to you!
I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) CUT ON DASHED LINE
CRAFT ACTIVITY Have the kids draw a comic strip illustrating the story of how God called to Samuel.