God Is in Control

2.11 date:

Bible Passage: Esther 1—10 (Esther)

God Is in Control

REMEMBER VERSE Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

© 2015 David C Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children’s ministry leaders. All rights reserved. ANTICIPATE | CELEBRATE | RESPOND | BLESS 2.11

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Navigating Lesson 2.11 Below you will find additional information to enhance lesson sections as needed. Anticipate Noisemakers (for Younger Kids) If dry beans aren’t available, use rice, feed corn, or tiny pebbles for your noisemakers. You could also use toy Easter eggs as an alternative to small disposable cups. Celebrate Storytelling Video A storytelling video is available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users will find this video in the Resource Files. Respond Small Group Enhancement “Would You Rather?” activities are available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may find them in the Resource Files. Bless

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© 2015 David C Cook 2 ANTICIPATE | CELEBRATE | RESPOND | BLESS 2.11 SMALL Group SECTION Anticipate// 5–10 min. Option 1: Noisemakers Option 2: Masks (for Younger Kids) (for Older Kids) Every year, the Israelites celebrated the Feast of Purim to Every year, Jewish people celebrate the Feast of Purim to remember how God used Esther to save their people. To remember how God used Esther to save their people. One way celebrate, they went to the synagogue and heard the book of they celebrate is by dressing up in costumes of the people in the Esther read out loud. The children brought a special noisemaker Esther narrative and then reenacting the events of the narrative. called a gragger, kind of like a modern-day ratchet, and used it to make noise during certain parts of the story. During this ANTICIPATE, children will make their own masks to represent the various people in this part of The Big God Story. During this ANTICIPATE, help the kids make their own simple noisemakers to use as the hear The Big God Story today. SUPPLIES • paper plates (1 per child, 9”, white) SUPPLIES • markers or crayons • disposable cups (2 per child, small) • scissors (3–5 pairs) • duct tape • tape • dry beans (1 bag) • misc. craft supplies (examples: ribbon, jewels, sequins) • optional: upbeat worship music (suggestion: “Jump Up,” • optional: craft sticks (1 per child, jumbo size) TruWorship You Are), toy ratchets (www.amazon.com) or other misc. items that can be used to make noise ENGAGE In The Big God Story, God used a woman named Esther ENGAGE to protect His people from death. Ever since that time, Today in The Big God Story we’ll hear about a young God’s people, the Jews, celebrate a festival called Purim. woman whom God used to save His people from being They dress up like the people in the book of Esther and killed. Even today, the Jews celebrate a festival called remember what God did to save them. Let’s make masks to Purim to remember how God protected His people. represent the people involved in this part of God’s story. They celebrate with noisemakers. Let’s make our own noisemakers and use them to celebrate! Invite kids to create masks that depict people from the Esther narrative. Each child can choose one of the following. Make sure Give each child two cups and help her to fill one of the cups you have at least one of each person and two officers. about halfway full with beans. Then help her to put the mouth of the other cup on top of the first cup. Finally, tape the two cups • “The King”—a powerful, rich guy securely together. Encourage the children to shake their cups to • “The Officer”—someone who enforces laws make noise! • “The Villain”—a bad guy • “The Queen”—a beautiful young woman Optional: Play an upbeat worship song and invite the kids to • “The Cousin”—the woman’s relative shake their noisemakers to the music. Invite kids to use markers or crayons to draw the faces of their chosen people on the bottom of the paper plates. Then have them cut out holes for eyes and mouths. They can also use various craft supplies to add other elements—for example, a jeweled crown for “The Queen.” Optional: Have each child tape a jumbo craft stick to his mask so he can hold it up. Once the kids finish their creations, invite them to share what people they chose and how their masks represent those individuals. Encourage the kids to hold on to their masks for large group.

© 2015 David C Cook 3 ANTICIPATE | CELEBRATE | RESPOND | BLESS 2.11 LARGE Group SECTION Celebrate//35–55 min. Ponder Point: God Is in Control Welcome & • Take five minutes to open your CELEBRATE time by engaging in Welcome and Traditions. Traditions// • Quarterly Tradition (optional): Secret Handshake: Invite kids to form a circle around the room. Have one leader and one child stand in the middle of the circle and make up a secret handshake. Once they’ve decided on a handshake, invite each child to try it with the person next to him. Then invite the kids to mill around the room and try to shake as many hands as possible before storytelling begins. Remember • This week’s Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that’s highlighted in today’s portion of The Verse// Big God Story. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 Connect// Invite the children to ask one another the following question or one of your own. Encourage them to ask someone they may not know. After a minute or two, ask several children to tell the group their friends’ answers. (For Connect Question and Connect Activity slides, see Resource Files.) Question If you could ask the leader of your country one question, what would it be? Activity: Leader Greeting Encourage each child to move around the room and find someone she hasn’t met or doesn’t know very well. As they greet each other, they must pretend that they’re meeting the leader of their country. They can shake hands, salute, kneel on one knee, etc. After the greeting, the kids can discuss their responses to the Connect Question. Have kids repeat the activity as time permits. The Big God SUPPLIES Story// • Bibles (1 per leader and 1 per child) • noisemakers (from Anticipate Option 1) • Timeline slide and animation (see Resource Files) • masks (from Anticipate Option 2) • Esther Script (see Resource Files)

PREPARE AHEAD From the older kids who participated in ANTICIPATE Option 2, ask for six volunteers to help act out today’s narrative using the masks they made. You’ll need one King, one Cousin, two Officers, one Villain, and one Queen. Print a copy of the Esther Script for each actor. SET UP Hand out the scripts to the actors and have them stand offstage. Let them know you’ll be introducing each one of them to the audience. As each one is announced, she should put her mask in front of her face, come to the front of the stage, and strike a pose. Worship SUPPLIES Response// • Bibles (1 per leader and 1 per child) • soft worship music (“Come Unto • butcher paper (5’) or whiteboard Me,” TruWorship You Are) • regular markers or dry erase markers • optional: tape

SET UP If using butcher paper, tape it to the wall in a location easily accessible to the kids. Put the markers (or dry erase markers, if using a whiteboard) nearby.

Find more details for each section in the How It Works document in the Supporting Lesson Resources section of the My Lessons page at tru.davidccook.com.

The Big God Story Bible Passage: Esther 1— 10 Storytelling Technique: Acting Out the Narrative ENGAGE Today we’re going to discover an exciting part of The Big God Story. We’ll hear that God is always in control. When you hear the phrase “God is in control,” I’d like you to clap and cheer! If you have a noisemaker, shake it! Also, for those of you who made masks earlier, hold those in front of your faces when your person speaks. Sound good? Before we get started, let’s ask God to show us more about how He is in control. Lead kids in Prayer of Release.

There once was a beautiful woman named Esther. Esther was a Jew, one of God’s people. During the days of Esther, God’s people lived in a land called Persia. The Jews had been conquered and sent to live in a faraway land. This made them very sad, but God would show them that He is in control, no matter where they lived or what happened. God is in control! Invite kids to clap, cheer, and make noise. Practice this a few times.

Invite the actors to come out and begin the “play.” You will find a copy of the Esther Script in the Resource Files, but it’s also printed below. Esther Script

How Do You Say That? Xerxes: zerk-sees Mordecai: more-deh-kigh Haman: hay-mun

Storyteller: Allow me to present today’s cast. As you introduce each role, have that actor put his mask in front of his face, walk forward, and strike a pose.

The King: Xerxes. Xerxes comes forward.

The Cousin: Mordecai. Mordecai comes forward.

The Officers: Officer 1 and Officer Officers2. come forward.

The Villain: Haman. Haman comes forward.

The Queen: Esther. Esther comes forward.

Storyteller: Today in The Big God Story, an evil villain tries to destroy God’s people. Little does he know that … God is in control. Invite kids to clap, cheer, and make noise. It all began when the king of Persia, a man named Xerxes, decided he needed a new queen. You see, his former queen had refused to obey the king’s command, so he sent her away forever! Who would be the new queen?

King Xerxes decided to hold a search—a contest—to choose the next queen. Many beautiful women from across the Persian Empire were brought to the palace—including a woman named Esther. Esther was an Israelite—one of God’s people—but nobody knew this. When it came time for Esther to go to the king, the king liked Esther more than he liked any other woman.

King Xerxes: Esther, I want you to be my wife.

Esther: Okay, King Xerxes. I will marry you.

Storyteller: Meanwhile, all was not well in the kingdom.

The Officers: Let’s make a plan to kill King Xerxes!

Mordecai: (to Esther) Esther, you are my beloved cousin. Two men, who are the king’s officers, want to kill your husband, the king. You should tell him!

King Xerxes: (to Officers) My wife told me what you are planning! Away with you forever! Officers 1 and 2 flee.

Storyteller: Even though Mordecai had uncovered the plot to kill King Xerxes, the king did nothing to thank Mordecai. Still, Mordecai knew that God is in control. Invite kids to clap, cheer, and make noise. Encourage kids to open their Bibles to Esther 3:1–2 and follow along as you read these verses.

“After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.”

Haman: (to Mordecai) Because you won’t bow to me, I will look for a way to destroy all of your people, “the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom” (v. 6).

Storyteller: So Haman went to King Xerxes. Encourage kids to follow along as you read Esther 3:8–9.

“Then Haman said to King Xerxes, ‘There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.’”

King Xerxes: (to Haman) Keep your money and do what you want with these people.

PETER JAMES JOHN 00 YEARS OF WAITING 4 PAUL

APOSTLES

JESUS

SIMEON/ANNA

ZECHARIAH NEHEMIAH NEHEMIAH

ZACCHAEUS

ESTHER MARY

DANIEL

SHADRACH/MESHACH/ABEDNEGO

JEREMIAH

KING JOSIAH KING

ELIJAH

KING DAVID KING PHILIP

SAMUEL CORNELIUS

LYDIA

JOSHUA

MOSES

YOU & ME

ABRAHAM ADAM & EVE & ADAM OUR FUTURE WITH JESUS

Storyteller: Mordecai heard about Haman’s plot to kill all the Jews, so he went to see Esther.

Mordecai: (to Esther) Esther! Haman has convinced the king to sign a decree to destroy the Jews! Please go to him and beg for mercy for your people!

Esther: Invite everyone to follow along in Esther 4:11–16. “‘All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.’ When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: ‘Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?’ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.’”

Storyteller: So, after three days, Esther went to King Xerxes’ palace. When the king saw Esther, he was pleased and extended his gold scepter to her.

King Xerxes: (to Esther) “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you” (Esther 5:3).

Storyteller: Queen Esther decided not to tell King Xerxes about the Jews being in danger just yet. Instead, she invited the king and Haman to dinner. Before the dinner happened, King Xerxes found out that Mordecai had saved his life before, so the king honored Mordecai in the right way with a parade. This made Haman even more upset. However, Haman still went to the dinner with the king. There the king asked Esther about her request again.

King Xerxes: Invite everyone to follow along in Esther 7:2. “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

Esther: Invite everyone to follow along in Esther 7:3–4. “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed [and] killed.”

King Xerxes: Who ordered this? “Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?” (v. 5).

Esther: Haman!

Storyteller: Esther pleaded with the king to put an end to Haman’s evil plan. And though it looked like the king had the power to let the Jews live or die, the truth is that God is in control. Invite kids to clap, cheer, and make noise.

And so, the king granted her request and stopped Haman’s plan to have the Jews killed. In fact, King Xerxes had Haman put to death instead! Then, he issued an official order granting the Jews the right to gather together and to protect themselves against their enemies. Even today, the Jewish people celebrate the signing of King Xerxes’ order as a holiday called Purim, as they remember that God is in control. Invite kids to clap, cheer, and make noise. Dismiss characters to return to their seats.

Even though everything seemed against God’s people in this part of The Big God Story, what do we know about God? Allow kids to respond. Yes, God is in control. Encourage kids to cheer, clap, or shake noisemakers. God’s plan for His people remained even though Haman tried to hurt the Jews!

It is so clear that God is in control of everything. Invite kids to clap, cheer, and make noise. Though bad things sometimes happen and we might wonder why, God can use both bad things and good things for the sake of His people. Share a personal story of a time when God showed you that He is in control of everything in your life.

We trust that God is in control of our lives and that He takes care of us—His children. Because of this, we can also step out in faith and serve Him and others in unlikely ways, just like Queen Esther was called to do. We are able to be bold because God is in control. Invite kids to clap, cheer, and make noise. Worship Response ENGAGE Did you know that the book of Esther never mentions God? But we know that the whole time Haman was plotting to have the Jews killed, God was working behind the scenes to save His people. He is always in control, even when we can’t see Him.

Sometimes our lives can feel out of control. When things look bad and we can’t see God working, it’s easy to forget that He’s in control of everything. Let’s spend some time worshipping God and trusting that He’s in control of our lives too.

Tech: Cue music. Invite children to ask themselves, “What in my life feels out of control?” Give them a few moments to consider this in silence. Then read Psalm 145:17–19 over the children and encourage them to listen for key words in the verse that stand out to them. Invite the kids to follow along in their Bibles. Read the verses multiple times, if desired.

Finally, let the kids know that as they feel led, they can come up to the butcher paper or board and write the key word or truth that God is showing them today. Encourage the children to thank God for being in control and to ask God to show them where He’s at work in their lives.

© 2015 David C Cook 8 ANTICIPATE | CELEBRATE | RESPOND | BLESS 2.11 SMALL Group SECTION Respond// 15–20 min. Reflect: God Is in Control Create: Giant Comic Strip In this part of The Big God Story, we heard how God is SUPPLIES always in control, even when things seem completely • Bibles (1 per leader and 1 per child) hopeless. God was in control of what the king did, what the • butcher paper (8’–9’) villain did, and what His people did. We can trust God to be • markers (black and other various colors) in control of our lives, even when things seem really scary! SET UP Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested Use the black marker to draw eight large squares, with each passages. about a foot wide. You could draw these in one long row or in Questions for Younger Kids two stacked rows. Spread out the butcher paper on a table or the floor and put the markers nearby. • How did Queen Esther help save God’s people? Esther 7:3–4 ENGAGE • What did you learn about God from this part of The Big God often works behind the scenes in ways we can’t God Story? Psalm 46:1, 7 predict. Throughout the book of Esther, God put key • How do you know that God is in control of our lives? people—such as Esther and Mordecai—in just the right Proverbs 16:1 places for just the right reasons. Let’s spend some time • How have you seen God use hard times in your life for thinking about how God worked in the events of Esther’s your good? Romans 8:28 life and the lives of the Jewish people. Let’s also think more • In what areas of your life do you need to trust that God is about how God works in our lives to show us that He’s in in control? control.

Questions for Older Kids Invite the kids to think back to the events within the Esther • Why do you think Mordecai wouldn’t bow down to narrative. They can flip through their Bibles to remind them. As Haman? Esther 9:24 the group recaps the events, discuss how God was in control • How was God in control in this part of The Big God Story? during each event. Once your group comes up with eight events, Esther 2:17, 21–23; 3:8–11; 5:13–14; 6:1–14; 7:3–4, 9–10; invite the kids to draw each event in one of the eight boxes of 8:3–11 the “comic strip.” You could have one child work on each box or • What is one really important reason God saved the nation have the entire group work together on all of the boxes. of Israel? Matthew 1:1–17 • How do you know that God is in control of our lives? Once the kids finish their comic strip, recap the Esther Proverbs 16:1–3; Isaiah 26:3–4 narrative one more time. Then discuss: “What are some ways you • How have you seen God use hard times in your life for can see that God is in control of your life?” your good? Romans 8:28 • In what areas of your life do you need to trust that God is You might order the events in the boxes like this: in control? 1. King Xerxes needs a new queen. 2. King Xerxes chooses Esther to be queen. 3. Mordecai uncovers the officers’ plot to kill King Xerxes. 4. Haman is honored, and Mordecai refuses to bow to him. 5. Haman convinces King Xerxes to sign an order to kill the Jews. 6. Queen Esther pleads with King Xerxes not to let the Jews be destroyed. 7. King Xerxes grants Esther’s request. 8. The Jews live! They celebrate Purim and remember that God is in control!

SET UP Use the tape to form a circle on the floor in an open area of your room. Make the circle as large as possible.

ENGAGE Invite children to stand outside the circle as you read Romans 8:28 over them:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Now encourage children to think of the areas of their lives that feel out of control. Then, when they’re ready, they can step into the circle as a way of saying, “God, I turn over every area of my life to Your control.”

Finally, ask all of the children to hold out their hands in front of them, palms up. Then pray the following blessing over the entire group:

May you trust that God is in control of every area of your life. May you be filled with peace as you trust that He works all things together for your good.

WEEKLY Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week’s lesson! This preteaching tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God’s Word together before children arrive at church.