October 26, 2014
2-5 Grades–Unit 22, Session 2
Morning – At – Glance
SESSION TITLE: Jerusalem’sWalls Rebuilt / Bible Passage: Nehemiah 3:1–6:16
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER / How did God protect His people? God used Nehemiah to lead the people to rebuild the city walls.
UNIT CHRIST CONNECTION / God restored a faithful remnant and reminded them of His promise of a new covenant through Jesus Christ.
MEMORY VERSE
NEW – We’re adding a verse each month until we finish the whole chapter! The new verse is bold. / “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”
Psalm 23: 1-3 ESV
9:00/11:00 – 9:25/11:25
WELCOME & CONNECT / SUPPLIES: SG Binder, Big Picture Concentration cards, Books of the Bible Cards, memory verse cards, dry erase board & marker, whiffle ball
Offering
Take Attendance
Big Picture Concentration
Books of the Bible
Memory Verse Review
9:25/11:25 – 9:30/11:30
PLUG IN & OPENING QUESTION / SUPPLIES: 10 craft sticks, 20 “Base Ten” Cubes, 2 large cardboard squares, 30 paper cups
What are some cool things that you have built? What materials did you use? How long did it take to build?
9:30/11:30 – 10:10/12:10
LARGE GROUP & PRAYER / Take your SG Binder with you – Attendance Roster and Shepherding Guide are inside
10:10/12:10 – 10:25/12:25
BIBLE STORY REVIEW / SUPPLIES: Bible, timeline, Map of Jerusalem, bean bags, bag of legos, 10 pieces blank paper, markers, 20 clothespins (not for 2nd/3rd grade boys)
10:20/12:20 – 10:25/12:25
PREPARE FOR PARENT PICK-UP / Hand-out Big Picture Cards & connect with parents
Jerusalem’s Walls Rebuilt
Nehemiah 3:1–6:16
(The bolded script highlights the most important points when you review with your kids)
Nehemiah (nee huh MIGH uh) was in Jerusalem to help the people rebuild the city walls. The people started working together to fix the walls and the burned-down gates. The walls and gates had special names. Some of the people worked on the Fish Gate. The Fish Gate was the entrance to the fish market. Some people worked on the Sheep Gate; this gate led to the place men gathered to sell sheep.
Others worked on the Valley Gate, the Old Gate, and the Horse Gate. The people worked on the walls, and other workers repaired the towers along the walls.
The workers put in doors, bolts, and bars. They cut stones and lifted them into place on the wall, and they filled in gaps and holes. All around the city, people worked side by side. Soon the wall was half as tall as it had once been!
Not everyone was happy that Jerusalem’s walls were being rebuilt. Some men who lived nearby were angry. Sanballat (san BAL uht) and Tobiah (toh BIGH uh) mocked the people. Sanballat said, “What do these people think they are doing? These walls are just piles of trash and dirt. They can’t be rebuilt!”
Nehemiah prayed. God’s people kept working on the walls, but their enemies made a plan to attack them and stop their work. God’s people prayed and assigned men to guard the walls all day and all night, but they were discouraged. “Our enemies are everywhere,” they said.
Nehemiah reminded the people that God was with them. “Do not be afraid. God is great and powerful!” Nehemiah said. “Be ready. If our enemies attack us, God will fight for us!” Sanballat and Tobiah could threaten God’s people, but they couldn’t make God’s people stop building. Sanballat and Tobiah were not in charge of rebuilding the wall; God was!
So God’s people went back to work. Some stood guard with weapons, and others worked on the wall. Some men worked with one hand and held a weapon in the other. They were always ready to fight, just in case.
Nehemiah was a wise and good leader of God’s people while they worked. He helped them solve any problems they had, and he did not give in to their enemies. The people kept working very hard. In just 52 days, the wall was complete! The gates were repaired, and the wall was restored. When all of Jerusalem’s enemies heard that the wall had been rebuilt, they were afraid because they knew God was with His people.
Christ Connection: Nehemiah led the people to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem to protect them from their enemies. Jesus came to protect us from our enemies. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to rescue people from sin and death.
BIBLE STUDY
When the Babylonians took God’s people to Babylon, they destroyed Jerusalem. God’s people returned years later to rebuild the temple, but when they faced opposition in rebuilding the rest of Jerusalem, they stopped. Some 70 years passed, and the walls and gates around the city were still ruined.
City walls and gates were very important in Bible times. Walls were built to be several feet thick. They protected a city from its enemies and provided a sense of safety and security. Gates were the center of city life, the meeting place for commercial and social transactions. Without these structures, the surviving remnant of God’s people struggled and was vulnerable to attack.
Nehemiah traveled from Persia to Jerusalem to lead the effort in rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. Nehemiah’s leadership was effective. Nehemiah 3 describes all the people working together to rebuild the gates and walls.
But it wasn’t long before Nehemiah met opposition. Sanballat and Tobiah were local governors who strongly opposed Nehemiah’s helping the Jews. The two mocked God’s people and tried to discourage them. Sanballat and Tobiah planned a surprise attack against God’s people, but God’s people found out. They kept working—with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.
God’s people completed the wall in just 52 days. Note how their enemies reacted: “All the surrounding nations were intimidated and lost their confidence, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God” (Neh. 6:16).
Now God’s people were protected from their enemies. God provided the way for us to be protected from our enemies, sin and death. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. When we repent and trust in Jesus, He frees us from sin and death. We still sin, but we are no longer slaves to sin. (See Rom. 6:17-18.) We will die a physical death as a result of sin, but we have eternal life. (See John 11:25-26; Rom. 6:23.)
9:00/11:00 – 9:15/11:15
WELCOME & CONNECT 15 minutes
SUPPLIES: SG Binder, Books of the Bible cards, Big Picture Concentration cards, memory verse cards, Dry Erase board & markers, whiffle ball
❖Offering: As kids arrive, have them place their offering in the basket on the stage.
❖Take Attendance: Fill out the attendance roster with the children’s first & last names. ONLY children who are not listed on your printed roster should be added to the “GraceKids Roster.”Please be sure to check each child’s tag to see if they are in the correct group. If a tag says “Unassigned”, please talk with the parents at drop-off and pick-up to find out which service time they will be regularly attending so that we can “assign” their child to a small group.
**Remember, the focus of the opening time is to build relationships. Do not worry if you are not able to complete all of the activities. But try and complete one to prepare the kids for the Bible story.
❖Books of the Bible: Review the OT books.
❖Big Picture Concentration: This activity will review last month’s Bible stories and the Big Picture Question and Answer for each story. First, lay out all the cards FACE UP. Review the Question and the Answer of each Bible Story. Then, turn the cards FACE DOWN, and mix them up. Each child takes a turn flipping over 2 cards, trying to match the question with the answer. The child who makes the most “matches” wins.
❖Memory Verse Review:(Choose ONE)
➢Card Mix-Up: (Supplies: Memory Verse Cards) Scramble the cards with the words of the memory verse. Time the kids to see how quickly they can place them in order.
➢Missing Card: (Supplies: Memory Verse Cards) Lay the memory verse cards on the floor. Have the kids read the verse several times. Then, remove several cards and have the kids try again. Remove cards and recite the verse until all the cards are gone.
➢Concentration: (Supplies: Memory Verse Cards) Lay the memory verse cards face down. Each child takes turns turning over two cards. If one of those are the first words of the verse, they set them out and can go again. Each child takes turns turning over two cards and setting out the next words of the verse.
➢Dry Erase-A-Word: (Supplies: Dry erase board, dry erase marker, paper towel) Write out the words of the memory verse on the board. Have the kids recite the verse. Then, erase one or two words and have the kids recite the verse. Continue erasing and reciting until all the words are gone and the kids have the verse memorized.
➢Whiffle Ball Games: (Supplies: whiffle ball) As you throw the ball, each child says the next word of the verse when they catch the ball.
9:15/11:15 – 9:30/11:30
PLUG IN & OPENING QUESTION 15 minutes
SUPPLIES: 10 craft sticks, 20 “Base Ten” Cubes, 2 large cardboard squares, 30 paper cups
Opening Question --What are some cool things that you have built? What materials did you use? How long did it take to build? Connect to the lesson: Today we’ll be learning about something very important that God’s people built when they returned to Jerusalem.
Plug-In Activity #1 – “Stack It Up”: Invite two or three kids to play at a time. Other kids should cheer them on. Instruct each player to place the end of a craft stick in his mouth. When you start the timer, players will begin stacking numbered cubes on their sticks, one at a time. If a cube falls, the player should pick up another and continue stacking. Call time after one minute. Count each player’s stack to see who stacked the most cubes.
Play several rounds, allowing other kids a chance to play. Supply a new craft stick to each player. Connect to Lesson: In our Bible story today, a man named Nehemiah needed wood to repair some gates. The wooden gates in the walls around Jerusalem had been burned down.
Plug-In Activity #2– “The Power of Many”:Choose a volunteer to stand up. Give him two paper cups. Instruct him to stand on the cups without crushing them. It’s impossible! Two paper cups are not strong enough to support a child’s weight. Now, give each kid two paper cups. Challenge the group to work together to build a platform that will hold someone’s weight. They may only use the paper cups and two cardboard squares. Allow several minutes for kids to work. The platform can be formed by arranging paper cups upside down on a cardboard square. Then position the second square on top of the cups. A kid should be able to stand on the cardboard without crushing the cups. Connect to Lesson: The cardboard helps distribute—or spread out—your weight. One cup alone can’t hold you, but many cups working together can! In our Bible story today, God’s people needed to work together to build something that none of them could build alone.
Clean Up and Transition to Large Group
**Kids should use the bathroom BEFORE Large Group – NOT during Large Group.
9:30/11:30 – 10:10/12:10
WORSHIP & BIBLE STORY & PRAYER 40 minutes
SUPPLIES: Small Group Binder, 10 pieces blank paper, markers
Prayer Time will be directed from the Bible Story Teacher at the end of Large Group.
●Ask: What is something that scares you? On blank paper, have the kids draw or write what it is that scares them. Say that the Israelites were afraid of armies coming to attack them, so God provided a chance to build a wall. During your prayer time, pray about the things the kids drew. (Send paper home with parents.)
●Take requests:Record the date, child’s name and request on the Shepherding Guide in your SG Binder.
●kidZone Requests: AOET sponsor children, Helen & Siras, and our Compassion sponsored children, Anthony and Emely..
●Last year, the kids learned to pray using the word ACTS to help them learn the different aspects of prayer. Each letter is the beginning of a word that describes something they can talk to God about.
Adoration:Telling God how awesome we know He is -- “God, You are...”
Confession:Saying “I’m sorry” and telling God about what we have done. He will forgive us.
Thanksgiving:Thanking God for all the good things in your life. “Thank you for...”
Supplication:Asking God for help for ourselves and others. “Please help…”
You may want to use this model with your kids, or focus on one particular aspect each week. If you have questions about leading the kids in prayer, please talk with your Team Coach.
When you are finished praying with your group, quietly return to your small group area.
10:10/12:10 –10:25/12:25
BIBLE STORY REVIEW 15 minutes
SUPPLIES: Bible, timeline, Map of Jerusalem, bean bags, bag of legos, 20 clothespins (not for 2nd/3rd grade boys)
Remind the kids where we are on the timeline--the rebuilding of the wall (the climbing wall picture). Spend some time looking at the Map of Jerusalem, pointing out the wall after it was finished. Highlight the funny names for the gates!
What book of the Bible is our story found in? ...Nehemiah is right! Can we find Nehemiah in our Bibles? Go to Nehemiah 3 and 4.
Read: Summarize Nehemiah 4 and 6:15 in your own words or read the bold words in the Bible Story aboveAsk: Was everyone happy the wall was being rebuilt? What did Nehemiah do when people threatened the workers building the wall? Do you think it take a long time to rebuild the wall? Does Nehemiah seem like he was a good leader
Discussion Questions: How did God protect His people? God used Nehemiah to lead the people to rebuild the city walls. That’s our big picture question and answer. Say it with me. How did God protect His people? God used Nehemiah to lead the people to rebuild the city walls. Do we have enemies today? Some people are against us. Some people do not like God or the good news about Jesus. Our greatest enemies, though, are sin and death. Everyone is a sinner, and we deserve to die for our sin. But guess what?! Jesus came to protect us from our enemies. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to free us from sin. When we trust in Him, we will live with Him forever in heaven.
**Optional – Bible Beanbag Grab: Create two teams. Have the teams line up facing each other behind two Velcro strips placed about 5 ft. or more apart. Number the members of the teams. Both teams should have a one, two, etc. If there is an odd number either: give one person two numbers, have the extra person read the questions, or you can play. Place two beanbags in the middle of the two teams separated by about one ft. Read the Bible Beanbag question and then call out one of the assigned numbers. The person on each team who has that number must run to the middle, grab the bean bag, get back across the Velcro line, and hold the bean bag in the air above their head. The first one to do this, gets a chance to answer the question. If they get it correct, their team gets a point. If they miss it, the other team gets a chance to steal the point. Repeat calling numbers at random.
●Name one of the three gates with an animal name using the Map of Jerusalem. (Fish, Neh. 3:3; Horse, Neh. 3:28; Sheep, Neh. 3:32)
●Who helped the people rebuild the wall? (God, Neh. 6:16)
●Why was Nehemiah in Jerusalem? (to help rebuild the city walls, Neh. 2:17)
●Who didn’t want Jerusalem’s walls to be rebuilt? (Sanballat and Tobiah; Neh. 4:1,3)
●What did God’s people do when they were discouraged? (They prayed to God; Neh. 4:4,9)
●Whom did Nehemiah say would fight for the people of Jerusalem? (God would fight for them, Neh. 4:20)
●How many days did it take to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall? (52 days, Neh. 6:15)
●Who came to protect us from our enemies? (Jesus came to protect us from our enemies. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to rescue people from sin and death.)