Large Group Openings Daniel and the Lions Daniel and the Lions 167
LARGE GROUP OPENINGS Daniel and the Lions (Daniel 6:1-28) Large Group Opening 1 Welcome to Large Group Openings for the Daniel and the Lions Rotation! Enjoy your time (about 10 minutes) with kids as you sing, learn, and pray together. Choose a song or two to get things started, move into the object lesson that introduces kids to the story, invite kids to discuss a question with their Shepherds, and finish up your time with a prayer. Spark Songs Use one or more of the following Spark Songs during your Large Group Opening. Use them in the order that suits your group s size, format, and time frame. All Night, All Day (Track 13, Songbook page 70) Ask kids to close their eyes and imagine they re right in the middle of the darkest night. Explain that even though things are scary in the night, God promises to be with us even in the darkness! God sends angels to watch over us no matter what time it is, where we are, or who we re with. Sing this song together as you create your own darkness and light. Have kids cover their eyes each time you sing all night then uncover them and make a sun shape with their hands above their heads each time you sing all day. When it s time to sing angels watching over me, my Lord clap along with the rhythm together. Spark Song CD Spark Songbook Spark Song Lyrics Sheets or Slides CD player Oil lamp (optional) He s Got the Whole World in His Hands (Track 7, Songbook page 39) Explain to kids that God is with us, even in the scariest places. In fact, God is in every scary and not-scary place in the whole wide world. As you sing this song, ask the kids to hold their hands together, palms up, and pretend that the whole word is resting in their hands. Encourage kids to walk around the room carefully as they sing, keeping watch over the whole world that God fills with love. Give Me Oil in My Lamp (Track 4, Songbook page 22) Sometimes it can be hard to remember God s promises in scary times, but we can always pray for courage when we feel scared. Ask the kids what it means to have courage. (to be brave) Ask the kids to imagine that courage fills them up like oil would fill up an oil lamp. (If you brought one, show the kids how the oil goes up the wick to keep the flame alive.) Talk to kids about the ways that a flame can keep the dark away, just like courage and faith in God keeps our fears away in scary moments. Sing the song together using these new words. Give me courage in the night Keep me praying, praying, praying Give me courage in the night, I pray Give me courage in the night Keep me praying, praying, praying Keep me praying til the break of day. Daniel and the Lions 169
Introduce the Story Hi, everyone! I m so glad you re here today. I want each of you to look up toward the ceiling. What do you see up there? Allow kids to respond. When I look at the ceiling, I see all of the lights that keep us out of the dark. In this room we have lights with light bulbs in them, but I ve heard that there are other kinds of lights too. What other kinds of lights can you think of? Allow kids to respond, then remove the cloth from the oil lamp and show the lamp to the kids. None Oil lamp under a cloth A long time ago, before we had electric lights, some people used oil lamps as street lights and to light their houses. People have always looked for ways to bring light into the darkness, because the dark can be scary. Sometimes, a little bit of light in the night can give us a whole lot of courage. Did you know that there s another kind of light that can give us courage? It doesn t come from a bulb or from a fire. This light comes from God! We can ask God for courage when we are afraid, and he will give us a special kind of light. When we pray to God and remember this kind of light, it can really help us feel better and less afraid. It s like lighting a lamp in the darkness. In today s Bible story, we re going to hear about a guy who knew a lot about praying to God for light. Daniel was his name, and Daniel had to spend a night alone in the dark with a bunch of scary, hungry lions. When Daniel was put with the lions, he didn t have a lamp and he was awfully scared. He prayed to God, and God stayed with Daniel all through the night. Shepherd Questions Pose one or more of these questions to the large group and invite the Shepherds to discuss them with the kids in their small groups. If your group is already small, choose one of the questions and ask the whole group to discuss it together. Why is it sometimes so hard to be brave in the dark? If you felt God give you courage, how would it change the way you act? How can we remember to pray when we are afraid? Closing Prayer Dear God, You fill us up with courage when we pray to you, just like we might fill up a lamp with oil. Thank you for filling us up, God! Amen. Visit www.sparksundayschool.org for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to introduce this Bible story to the kids you are leading. You will also find downloadable Spark Song Lyrics Sheets and Slides for all the Spark Songs! 170 Large Group Openings
LARGE GROUP OPENINGS Daniel and the Lions (Daniel 6:1-28) Large Group Opening 2 Welcome to Large Group Openings for the Daniel and the Lions Rotation! Enjoy your time (about 10 minutes) with kids as you sing, learn, and pray together. Choose a song or two to get things started, move into the object lesson that introduces kids to the story, invite kids to discuss a question with their Shepherds, and finish up your time with a prayer. Spark Songs Use one or more of the following Spark Songs during your Large Group Opening. Use them in the order that suits your group s size, format, and time frame. Jesus Loves Me (Track 14, Songbook page 76) Explain that in the story of Daniel and the Lions, Daniel knew that God was more powerful than any lions that wanted to eat him. Daniel had faith and trusted God to take care of him. Before you sing this song together, go through the words and notice that the Bible doesn t say that we are strong Jesus and God can be strong for us. We know that they will take care of us always because the Bible tells us so! Sing the song together once with the traditional words, then sing it again using this new verse: Spark Song CD Spark Songbook Spark Song Lyrics Sheets or Slides CD player Jesus loves me, this I know For the Bible tells me so Faith in him will make me strong Give me courage all night long. Yes, Jesus loves me... Father Abraham (Track 15, Songbook page 83) Daniel was a child of God, and he knew that God would take care of him. We are children of God just like Daniel, and just like another great Bible character Abraham! This means we can have faith that God will take care of us, too. Sing the song together as you celebrate God s love for all the families in the whole world. Books of the Old Testament (Track 2, Songbook page 13) The Bible has lots of great stories that can help us remember God s love, and this song is a great way to learn the name of some of those books. Sing this song together, and listen carefully for the name of Daniel in the words. Each time you sing Daniel, jump and cheer and clap your hands. Thank God for taking care of Daniel and everyone in the whole world. Daniel and the Lions 171
Introduce the Story Hi, kids! Welcome to the story of Daniel and the Lions. Today, we re going to hear some more about the great faith that a guy named Daniel had, even when a bunch of hungry lions were waiting to eat him up. I d like your help today to remind our group of the story, and to help those who might not know the story yet get some details about Daniel and his awesome story. Each time I hold up this sign, I want you to clap your hands three times while you shout Faith in God! We ll tell the story together in no time! None A sign that says FAITH IN GOD Our story is about a guy named Daniel who had faith... (FAITH IN GOD) Daniel knew God would always hear his prayers because Daniel had faith... (FAITH IN GOD) When Daniel was tossed into a den full of hungry, scary lions, Daniel prayed to God because Daniel had faith... (FAITH IN GOD) God heard Daniel s prayers and saved him. Daniel wasn t eaten up by the lions because Daniel had faith... (FAITH IN GOD) Just like Daniel, we can pray and know God hears us because we have faith... (FAITH IN GOD) When we are afraid and think maybe lions will eat us up, we can pray and God will always be with us! We say a prayer, asking for God to help us have faith... (FAITH IN GOD) Shepherd Questions Pose one or more of these questions to the large group and invite the Shepherds to discuss them with the kids in their small groups. If your group is already small, choose one of the questions and ask the whole group to discuss it together. Have you ever seen a lion at a zoo? What was that experience like? What would it feel like to trust God as much as Daniel did? What do you do when you see something really scary? Closing Prayer Divide the kids into two groups. Tell one group they are lions, and they are to roar loudly when you point to them until group two folds their hands. Tell the other group they are Daniel, and to follow you and fold their hands when you do. Signal the lions to roar. Fold your hands. Dear God, thank you for hearing us when we pray. Signal the lions to roar. Fold your hands. We are afraid sometimes, God! Signal the lions to roar. Fold your hands. Thank you for hearing our prayers when we are afraid! Amen. Visit www.sparksundayschool.org for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to introduce this Bible story to the kids you are leading. You will also find downloadable Spark Song Lyrics Sheets and Slides for all the Spark Songs! 172 Large Group Openings
LARGE GROUP OPENINGS Daniel and the Lions (Daniel 6:1-28) Large Group Opening 3 Welcome to Large Group Openings for the Daniel and the Lions Rotation! Enjoy your time (about 10 minutes) with kids as you sing, learn, and pray together. Choose a song or two to get things started, move into the object lesson that introduces kids to the story, invite kids to discuss a question with their Shepherds, and finish up your time with a prayer. Spark Songs Use one or more of the following Spark Songs during your Large Group Opening. Use them in the order that suits your group s size, format, and time frame. I ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy (Track 10, Songbook page 55) Explain to the kids that God promises to protect us with love. God s protection is better than anything in the world. Take a moment or two to share times when you like to feel protected. Show kids your protective gear like a bike helmet, gloves, etc. Then sing this song with a new verse to remember and celebrate that God s love is in all of those times and places. I ve got a helmet and a seat belt but I still need your love Still need your love Still need your love I ve got a helmet and a seatbelt but I still need your love Still need your love always. Chorus: And I m so happy... Spark Song CD Spark Songbook Spark Song Lyrics Sheets or Slides CD player Bike helmet Shin guards Protective gloves Other protective gear I ve got the peace that comes with God s protection All through the night All through the day All through the night I ve got the peace that comes with God s protection All through the night All through the night and day! Chorus: And I m so happy... The B-I-B-L-E (Track 5, Songbook page 28) All the stories of faith and love in the Bible tell us of God s love for us. The Bible is like protective gear for us. When we feel sad, scared, hurt, or tired, we can read the Bible to feel God s love and protection. As you sing this song, ask the children to pretend they are putting on helmets, shin guards, and other protective gear as they spell out the letters B-I-B-L-E. I Am a C(HRISTIAN) (Track 9, Songbook page 50) Being part of a community of believers helps each of us feel protected, and lets protect others too! When we stand, sit, or play with our fellow Christians, we support each other in God s name. Invite the kids to look around at their neighbors, remind them the people they see are part of God s plan to protect them. Have kids cross their arms and join hands to form a chain as they sing the song together. Daniel and the Lions 173
Introduce the Story Put on all the protective gear you can. Good morning! Check out my protective gear! What do you think? There sure is a lot of it. What do you see that I m wearing? Give kids time to name all of your gear. Point out anything that they miss. What do you think this stuff does for me? (protects you) It would protect me from some things, that s for sure. Point to your head. The helmet would protect my head if I fell off my bike, right? But I still might break my arm, even with this helmet on. Point to your shins. And the shin guards would protect me if someone missed the soccer ball and kicked me instead. But they wouldn t protect me from getting a finger in my eye. None Lion stuffed animal Bike helmet Shin guards Protective gloves Other protective gear Hold up the stuffed lion. Do you think any of this gear would help if lions wanted to eat me? (no) No, I m afraid if a lion wanted to eat me, I would need more protection than a helmet and some cushy pads. In fact, if a whole bunch of lions wanted to eat me, I would need a miracle to get away! I would need God s protection! That is the only thing that would keep me safe. And that was the only thing that kept Daniel safe in the Bible story we re going to talk about today. God s protection kept Daniel safe! Shepherd Questions Pose one or more of these questions to the large group and invite the Shepherds to discuss them with the kids in their small groups. If your group is already small, choose one of the questions and ask the whole group to discuss it together. What would you think if you saw someone survive a whole night in a lions den? Who are some people who protect us in our lives? How might we help protect other people? Closing Prayer Place the safety gear on the floor and gather around it. Dear God, You give us parents to help keep us safe. You give us policemen and firemen to help keep us safe. You give us teachers and church workers to help keep us safe. Thank you for the protection you give us! Help us remember to be smart, by wearing helmets and other protection, and to listen to the people who you send to protect us. Help us to remember that, just like you kept Daniel safe from the hungry lions, you will protect us, too! Amen. Visit www.sparksundayschool.org for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to introduce this Bible story to the kids you are leading. You will also find downloadable Spark Song Lyrics Sheets and Slides for all the Spark Songs! 174 Large Group Openings
LARGE GROUP OPENINGS Daniel and the Lions (Daniel 6:1-28) Large Group Opening 4 Welcome to Large Group Openings for the Daniel and the Lions Rotation! Enjoy your time (about 10 minutes) with kids as you sing, learn, and pray together. Choose a song or two to get things started, move into the object lesson that introduces kids to the story, invite kids to discuss a question with their Shepherds, and finish up your time with a prayer. Spark Songs Use one or more of the following Spark Songs during your Large Group Opening. Use them in the order that suits your group s size, format, and time frame. Hallelujah! Praise Ye the Lord! (Track 8, Songbook page 44) The Bible tells us that God sent an angel so big that he stood with one foot on either side of Jerusalem. Ask them to imagine an angel so mighty that he can stand with one foot on each side of their city, town, or county. Celebrate all the ways that God protects us by singing this song together. As you sing, pretend that you are angels and stand in a wide stance to protect God s people. Spark My World chorus (Track 17, Songbook page 96) Faith in God gives us courage, and that courage lights up the world like a spark. Show kids the picture of Jerusalem and explain that the city of Jerusalem is all the way on the other side of the world. There are mountains, oceans, plains, cities, rivers, and lakes between your kids and the kids in Jerusalem, but God s love covers everything with light. Sing the song together as you remember God s love for the whole world. Spark Song CD Spark Songbook Spark Song Lyrics Sheets or Slides CD player A picture of Jerusalem A map of your city, town or county (find out in advance how far across it is) Angel ornament Go Tell It on the Mountain (Track 6, Songbook page 32) Hold up the angel ornament. Explain to kids that the Bible has many stories about God sending angels to earth to help people. God sent an angel to protect Daniel and God sent angels to tell the shepherds about Jesus birth. Remind kids that when they tell people about Jesus birth, they are sharing the love of God and acting just like angels. Sing the song together as loudly as you can. Help the whole world hear about God s love for all people. Introduce the Story Good morning, everyone. Hang on just a second. Pause for a moment with a puzzled look on your face. Pretend to measure the distance across your room or to measure how high the ceiling is. Sorry, kids, but I m just a little distracted. I was thinking about the story of Daniel and the Lions last night and I started wondering... how big would an angel need to be to stand with one foot on either side of Jerusalem? I mean, Jerusalem is a city! So I know it s BIG. I wonder if the whole earth would shake when the angel landed. You know those movies where the giant monster is walking and the noise of its footsteps make the whole theater rattle? I wonder if it would be like that. But angels aren t scary monsters, None Pictures of Jerusalem and your home city/town/ county Daniel and the Lions 175
so maybe they don t make a sound at all. Maybe they land lightly and silently to protect us with their mighty presence but don t make a sound. The angel that God sent to Daniel in the lions den must have been silent, because the King didn t hear him land. God sent the angel to protect Daniel by shutting the lions mouths so they couldn t eat him. That would take a miracle because the Bible tells us that there were many lions. An ordinary person couldn t have done it. Well, we may not know exactly what angels look like or how big or small they are, but we do know that God sends them to protect people. What an awesome gift from God! Shepherd Questions Pose one or more of these questions to the large group and invite the Shepherds to discuss them with the kids in their small groups. If your group is already small, choose one of the questions and ask the whole group to discuss it together. If you were going to paint an angel, what colors would you use? Where do you think angels go when they aren t helping people? How does it make you feel to know that God sends angels to protect us? Closing Prayer I ll close us in prayer today. Each time I say the words thank you for I d like you to respond with angels watching over me. Ready? Let s pray. Dear God, Sometimes we are afraid. When we are afraid, we know you promise protection. Thank you for (angels watching over me). We may not have seen your angels, God, but we know about them because of the stories you give us in the Bible. Thank you for (angels watching over me). We hear the story of Daniel trapped in the scary lions den, and we are so thankful you protected him. Help us remember you protect us, too. Thank for (angels watching over me). Amen. Visit www.sparksundayschool.org for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to introduce this Bible story to the kids you are leading. You will also find downloadable Spark Song Lyrics Sheets and Slides for all the Spark Songs! 176 Large Group Openings
LARGE GROUP OPENINGS Daniel and the Lions (Daniel 6:1-28) Large Group Opening 5 Welcome to Large Group Openings for the Daniel and the Lions Rotation! Enjoy your time (about 10 minutes) with kids as you sing, learn, and pray together. Choose a song or two to get things started, move into the object lesson that introduces kids to the story, invite kids to discuss a question with their Shepherds, and finish up your time with a prayer. Spark Songs Use one or more of the following Spark Songs during your Large Group Opening. Use them in the order that suits your group s size, format, and time frame. Deep and Wide (Track 12, Songbook page 66) In the story of Daniel and the Lions, some real bullies tricked the king into tossing poor Daniel into the lions den. They wanted Daniel to get in trouble and they sure did a good job! Talk with the kids about bullies. When you re done talking, remind the kids that God s love is bigger, deeper, and wider than any bully, and then sing the song together. This Little Light of Mine (Track 16, Songbook page 90) When the world sends bullies, God sends friends. The men in the story of Daniel were bullies, but the king was a friend. The king cared so much about Daniel that when Daniel was in danger, the king fasted and stayed awake all night. Explain to kids that when we share our faith in God with others, we are the friends that God sends to them. As you sing this song together, think about what it means to be a friend to others by sharing God s love. Spark Song CD Spark Songbook Spark Song Lyrics Sheets or Slides CD player Father Abraham (Track 15, Songbook page 83) Since we are children of Abraham and children of God, we get to be friends to the world. We get to respond by sharing God s love in every situation! Scary, nice, silly, or sad. Teach these words to this song as you remember how to be a friend to God s people: Father Abraham had many kids Many kids had Father Abraham I m a friend to them, and so are you So let s all praise the Lord... Daniel and the Lions 177
Introduce the Story Good morning, everyone! I have a question for each of you. Is it hard to tell the difference between a bully and a friend? Allow kids to respond. Why do you say that? Allow kids to respond. Those are all really great thoughts. You know, in our Bible story about Daniel, it s pretty easy for us to tell who were bullies and who was a friend. The bullies tried to hurt Daniel. They were selfish and greedy and wanted the king s favor, even though they knew that the King liked Daniel best. None Bully sign, mask, or picture Friend sign, mask, or picture The king was a friend. Even though he had to follow the law and have Daniel arrested and put in the lions den, the king didn t want Daniel to die. He wanted God to save Daniel! Sometimes it s easy to tell bullies from friends, but sometimes it is hard. When you are deciding on your own behavior, just remember that being selfish is what bullies do, and caring about people is what friends do. Shepherd Questions Pose one or more of these questions to the large group and invite the Shepherds to discuss them with the kids in their small groups. If your group is already small, choose one of the questions and ask the whole group to discuss it together. What do bullies do? What do friends do? What can you do when you feel like someone is being mean to you? Closing Prayer Dear God, We don t like it when others bully us. Help us to always be friends to others, especially when they need to see an example of your love. Thank you for sending us friends we can count on. Please help us to always be the kind of friends that others can count on, too. Amen. Visit www.sparksundayschool.org for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to introduce this Bible story to the kids you are leading. You will also find downloadable Spark Song Lyrics Sheets and Slides for all the Spark Songs! 178 Large Group Openings
LARGE GROUP OPENINGS Daniel and the Lions (Daniel 6:1-28) Large Group Opening 6 Welcome to Large Group Openings for the Daniel and the Lions Rotation! Enjoy your time (about 10 minutes) with kids as you sing, learn, and pray together. Choose a song or two to get things started, move into the object lesson that introduces kids to the story, invite kids to discuss a question with their Shepherds, and finish up your time with a prayer. Spark Songs Use one or more of the following Spark Songs during your Large Group Opening. Use them in the order that suits your group s size, format, and time frame. Spark My World (Track 1, Songbook page 4) Prayer is a powerful thing! In fact, prayer is so powerful that it can change us all into the people God wants us to be. Talk to the kids about all the ways that God s spirit is with us when we pray, then sing verse seven together with loud, prayerful, and praising voices. Jesus Loves Me (Track 14, Songbook page 76) Jesus knew how important prayer is, just like Daniel did. We can pray because we belong to Jesus, we know that he loves us, and he promised to always be with us. Sing this song through once with the regular, familiar words, then invite the kids to sing it again using a new verse that s all about prayer. Spark Song CD Spark Songbook Spark Song Lyrics Sheets or Slides CD player Jesus loves me, when I pray God hears all I have to say He will hold me in His care Keep me with Him anywhere. Yes, Jesus loves me... I ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy (Track 10, Songbook page 55) When we know God and feel God s love, it makes us happy. One great way to share our joy with God is to pray. When we pray, we can thank God for all the happy things in our lives and share our love for God and the whole world. What a joy! Teach kids these new words and raise those prayerful voices high in song! I love to pray to Jesus Down on my knees Up in the trees Even on skis I love to pray to Jesus Down on my knees I know he is there for me. And I m so happy... Daniel and the Lions 179
Introduce the Story Pass supplies around the group as you introduce the story. Good morning, kids! In our Bible story for today, a guy named Daniel was brave enough to pray to God even when praying got him thrown into a lion s den. Daniel knew that prayer was his connection to God and that his faith wouldn t be the same without prayer. So Daniel prayed, even though he knew there would be consequences and he might get in trouble. You know, we re not so different from Daniel. Prayer is the key to our faith, too. And, luckily for us, we can pray to God anytime! None Cross necklace Wall cross How do you remember to pray? Allow kids to respond. Some of us wear a cross around our necks. The cross is a reminder of Jesus love for us. When we wear a cross, it can remind us to pray all the time. We can pray for anything. If we pray for something selfish, God may answer us with a no or a not right now, but if we keep remembering to pray, God will show us how to live in a way that makes our lives much better. Prayer was powerful enough to shut the mouths of lions that wanted to gobble up poor Daniel, and prayer is powerful enough to change our lives. We can be thankful that we don t get put in jail for praying to God. And we can be thankful for the story of Daniel, because it shows us that praying is so important that Daniel was willing to risk his life to pray to God. Next time you see a cross, or wear one as jewelry, remember that you can pray and that God will listen. Shepherd Questions Pose one or more of these questions to the large group and invite the Shepherds to discuss them with the kids in their small groups. If your group is already small, choose one of the questions and ask the whole group to discuss it together. What kinds of things do you talk to God about when you pray? What can you do to help yourself remember to pray? What things would you like others to pray for about you? Closing Prayer Dear God, We ask you now to come into our hearts and keep us safe. We thank you for people who love us and care for us. Thank you for sending us Jesus, and for making the cross a sign of hope and love. Whenever we see a cross, we will remember that you are waiting for our prayers. Amen. Visit www.sparksundayschool.org for more Spark content. Watch a short Lesson Prep Video that will prepare you and give you confidence to introduce this Bible story to the kids you are leading. You will also find downloadable Spark Song Lyrics Sheets and Slides for all the Spark Songs! 180 Large Group Openings