Sticking with God: Knowing His Hope

Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope

Week 10: We Show Hope by Taking Steps of Faith

This includes:

Leader Preparation

Lesson Guide

LEADER PREPARATION

BIBLE BASIS

The law for King Xerxes’ palace was that no one was to approach him unless summoned, or risk death. The only pardon for death was the king holding out his gold scepter. Esther had not been summoned, but she risked her life anyway. Esther’s huge step of faith gave her and her people hope against Haman. Faith and hope go hand in hand. Use this lesson to help kids discover that their steps of faith show their hope in God.

DISCOVERY POINT

We show hope by taking steps of faith.

BIBLE FOCUS

Esther 4

KEY VERSE

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

TEACHING PREP

The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson.

Supplies You’ll Need: Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD, LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, CD player, TV/DVD player, “Courageous Comebacks” handout, resealable bags, individually wrapped candies, index cards, tape, pencils, bandannas or blindfolds, and paper

Before This Lesson

• Print the “Courageous Comebacks” handout. You’ll need one copy per crew of four kids.

• Put four individually wrapped candies in a resealable bag for each crew of four children. Hang these bags of candy high on the walls of your meeting area, out of easy reach of kids.

• Assemble Bible Exploration Kits (one per four kids): Bible, “Courageous Comebacks” 20 index cards, tape, pencils, bandanna or blindfold, and 4 sheets of paper.

• Review Esther 4.

• Cue "Into the Bible" (Track 1) on the Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD or (Quarter 7/Track 1) on the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD.

• Huddle briefly with your volunteers beforehand. Answer any questions they have. Encourage them and pray.

PARENT EMAIL

We’ve provided you with a “Family Devotion” handout to send the Bible learning and faith discovery home. When kids and parents have faith discussions regularly, kids’ faith multiplies.

So we’ve given you two options:

· Print the “Family Devotion” handout and make enough copies for each child to take one home.

· Email the “Family Devotion” to families before or after the actual lesson.

Or why not do both? That way you’ll double the opportunities for parents to actually get the handout.

Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope

Week 10: We Show Hope by Taking Steps of Faith

LESSON GUIDE

WELCOME!

Supplies: Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD, LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, CD player, TV/DVD player, hanging bags of treats

1. Play “Into the Bible” (Track 1) from the Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD or (Quarter 7/Track 1) from the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD as kids arrive.

• “Into the Bible”

Makes me wanna jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Makes me wanna sing! Hallelujah!

It’s the greatest book.

Come and take a look.

Makes me wanna shout!

Shout! Shout! Shout! Shout!

So that everyone will see

I’m getting into the Bible

And the Bible...is getting into me!

We’re discovering a brand-new world

As we dig a little deeper (deeper),

Finding out about who God is.

Open it up and see it (see it)!

There’s nothin’ like

God’s Word, and I get

So excited.

It makes me wanna,

Makes me,

Makes me wanna jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Makes me wanna sing! Hallelujah!

It’s the greatest book.

Come and take a look.

Makes me wanna shout!

Shout! Shout! Shout! Shout!

So that everyone will see

I’m getting into the Bible

And the Bible...is getting into me!

2. Show kids the bags of treats on the walls. Explain that they can have the treats if they can figure out how to get them down. Caution them not to try yet, but just to think about different ways to get them down.

3. When everyone has arrived, have kids form Bible Crews of four. SAY: I’m so glad you took steps of faith to get here today! I have some treats for you, but they’re stuck on the wall. You’ll have to work with your crew to figure out how we can get them down. Here’s the catch: You can’t step on any furniture or other classroom objects. Go! Allow 20 seconds. Most crews won’t be able to figure out a way to get the bags off the walls.

4. After 20 seconds, offer this solution: Two crew members will form a step by locking their hands together, while one crew member steps on their locked hands and the remaining crew members hold that person up. Allow another 20 seconds for this.

5. If some crews were unsuccessful, offer help. Allow kids to enjoy their treats while you talk about the following questions.

ASK:

• How easy or difficult was it to get the candy?

• What helped or didn’t help you succeed?

• How did your crew have to trust each other during this experience?

• How is trusting God an important part of taking steps of faith?

SAY: It takes a lot of courage to take a step of faith! We show hope by taking steps of faith. There’s a girl in the Bible who had a lot of courage to take a huge step of faith! Let’s find out what she did to show hope.

Start the “Digital Countdown” (Quarter 7/ Countdown Track 2) on the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, and turn the volume way up. Lead the kids in counting along.

LET’S EXPLORE!

Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits

1. Give each Bible Crew a Bible Exploration Kit. SAY: Esther is the queen we’re going to learn about today. She was married to King Xerxes [ZURK-sees]. There was an evil man named Haman who worked for the king. Haman plotted to kill Esther’s people, the Jews. Let’s find out how Esther showed hope for her people by taking a big step of faith. To do that, you’re going to build some “Steps of Faith.” Using the index cards and tape in your kit, work with your crew to build a staircase with three steps.

2. Allow five minutes for crews to build their steps. Then SAY: There were three things that led up to Esther’s big step of faith. The first one is in Esther 4:1-6. Read the passage, and summarize what happened in 12 words or less. Write your summary on your first Step of Faith. Allow two minutes. Then SAY: The next step in Queen Esther’s experience is in Esther 4:7-9. Read the passage, and summarize what happened in 12 words or less. Write your summary on your second Step of Faith.

Allow two minutes. Then SAY: OK, this is the big one. Let’s see what Esther’s big step of faith was. Read Esther 4:10-17 to find out, and then summarize it in 12 words or less and write it on your top Step of Faith.

3. When crews have finished, review the three steps each crew came up with.

ASK:

• Tell about a time you made a big step of faith like Esther did.

SAY: Esther took a big step of faith when she chose to approach the king. She could’ve died! But she trusted God, and that big step of faith showed the hope she had for her people’s safety.

4. Direct kids’ attention back to their Steps of Faith.

ASK:

• Why would you or wouldn’t you trust that the steps you made would hold you up?

• Explain why you do or don’t trust God to hold you up when you have to take a big step in your life.

SAY: It would take a big step of faith to try to walk up a set of paper stairs! We can take real steps of faith in our lives, though, just like Esther did because God is with us and gives us hope.

5. Have crews find the blindfolds in their Bible Exploration Kits and spread out around your meeting area. Give each crew a chair, and explain that they’re going to take some steps of faith of their own. Explain that one person will sit in the chair with the blindfold on. The other crew members will carefully help that person stand up, walk about 10 steps away from the chair, and spin around three times. Then the crew members will, without touching, give spoken directions to help that blindfolded friend get back to the chair and sit down.

Make sure everyone understands how it works, then give crews about one minute to try it. Repeat the activity so everyone has a chance to take steps of faith. When everyone has had a turn, have kids sit in their crews.

ASK:

• What was the hardest part of this experience?

• What’s the hardest part about having faith?

• What helped you succeed in this experience?

• How can the thing that helped you in this experience help you take a step of faith in life?

6. SAY: We show hope by taking steps of faith and being courageous Christians. When we stand up for God, that’s a step of faith. When we do something for Jesus even though we’re afraid, that’s a step of faith. It takes courage to take steps of faith, so let’s do something to help you get the courage you need.

Have crews find the paper, pencils, and “Courageous Comebacks” handout in their Bible Exploration Kits. Have kids complete the activity on their papers. When everyone has finished writing their Courageous Comebacks, SAY: We show hope by taking steps of faith. Keep these comebacks handy as you take steps to stand up for your faith this week.

LET’S PRAISE!

Supplies: Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD, LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, CD player, TV/DVD player

1. Have everyone stand at the very back of the room as you SAY: It takes courage to take steps of faith. For Esther, it was a matter of life and death. For us, standing up for our faith isn’t usually a decision that could get us killed, but it can be very hard to take steps of faith. But when we do, we show our hope in God. Let’s praise God for giving us a reason to have hope.

Set up the Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD or the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD. PLAY:

• “My Help Comes From the Lord” (Psalm 121:2) (CD Track 5) (DVD Quarter 7/Track 5)

Sometimes I feel afraid;
I need someone to help me find my way,
Someone who holds me up
And gives me strength
To get me through the day.

My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
You are all I’ll ever need.
My help comes from the Lord;
I’m trusting in your name.

You are my God;
It will always be true,
My help comes from you.

Sometimes I feel afraid;
I need someone to help me find my way,
Someone who holds me up
And gives me strength
To get me through the day.

My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
You are all I’ll ever need.
My help comes from the Lord;
I’m trusting in your name.

You are my God;
It will always be true,
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
You are all I’ll ever need.
My help comes from the Lord;
I’m trusting in your name.

You are my God;
It will always be true,
My help comes from you,
My help comes from you.

“My Help Comes From the Lord” (Psalm 121:2) by Jay Stocker. © 2011 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

2. SAY: God gives us hope and strength as we take steps of faith. Let’s continue to praise God for the strength he gives us to stand up for our faith. PLAY:

• “We Can Trust Him” (Psalm 33:4) (CD Track 6) (DVD Quarter 7/Track 6)

If there’s one thing we can count on,
It’s that God will never let us down, and
We can trust everything he does.
He keeps his promises.
We know because

Yeah, the Word of the Lord holds true.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.
Yeah, the Word of the Lord holds true.
We can trust him.
We can trust him. Yeah!

If there’s one thing we can count on,
It’s that God will never let us down, and
We can trust everything he does.
He keeps his promises.
We know because

Yeah, the Word of the Lord holds true.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.
Yeah, the Word of the Lord holds true.
We can trust him.
We can trust him .

Yeah, the Word of the Lord holds true.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.
Yeah, the Word of the Lord holds true.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.

“We Can Trust Him” (Psalm 33:4) by Jay Stocker. © 2007, 2009 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

3. SAY: We can have faith in God because he loves us and gives us strength. As we sing our final song, walk to the front to show God that you’ll take steps of faith for him. PLAY:

• “You Are My Friends” (John 15:14) (CD Track 7) (DVD Quarter 7/Track 7)

You are my friends if you do what I command.
Tell everyone what an awesome God I am.

Friends are friends when it’s daytime or it’s night,
And God is a friend who will be there all the time.
We can talk to him, and he will listen.
God will always be right by your side
’Cause he says,

You are my friends if you do what I command.
Tell everyone what an awesome God I am.
You are my friends if you do what I command.
Trust me and love me: You’ll always be my friends.

Friends are friends when it’s daytime or it’s night,
And God is a friend who will be there all the time.
We can talk to him, and he will listen.
God will always be right by your side
’Cause he says,

You are my friends if you do what I command.
Tell everyone what an awesome God I am.
You are my friends if you do what I command.
Trust me and love me: You’ll always be my friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command.
Tell everyone what an awesome God I am.
You are my friends if you do what I command.
Trust me and love me: I’ll always be your friend.