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    • Today's Theme:
    God cares more about how we look on the inside than the outside.

     

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    Today's Story:

    		David the shepherd boy is chosen to be king.
    I Samuel 16
    Optional Memory verse:  
    We must not be proud.   We must not make trouble with 
    each other. And we must not be jealous of each other.  
    Galatians 5:26
    International Children's Bible, New Century Version
    • Materials Needed:
    		Promised Land mat,
    Samuel figure,
    7 play dough brothers - have the kids make these before story time with the following items:
    		Ginger bread boy cookie cutters
    Play dough
    1 Fisher Price or similar type boy figure.
    1 Fisher Price or similar type man figure
    Construction paper tent
    		Fold a piece of construction paper -about 10" X 6"- in half  
    Stand it on its edges with the fold on top.
    Toy sheep (optional)

     

    • Craft:  Play dough brothers
    		For today's lesson have the kids make gingerbread boys with play dough and cookie cutters.
    Set aside 7 of them to use in today's lesson.

     

    • Action Game:  
    		Make a circle of chairs:
    		Place a gap between each chair.
    Use 1 less chair than there are children.
    Have 1 child stand in the middle and all the others sit on the chairs.
    The child in the middle calls out an article of clothing, such as brown shoes.
    		It has to be an article of clothing that can be seen.
    All the children with that article of clothing on have to run around the outside of the circle until they come to an empty chair.
    The child in the center tries to take one of the empty chairs first.
    The child left standing gets to be it next.

     

    • Closing Discussion:

    Close in Prayer asking God to make us into the kind of people who are lovely on the inside.

    Telling the Story:
    		In today's game we looked at the clothes that each of you are wearing.
    What other things can we see by looking at each other?
    		Hair color, eye color, etc.
    Can we tell by looking at your clothes or the color of your hair or eyes what your favorite things are are or what you like to do?
    No we can' t can we.
    Can we tell if you are a kind person or a mean person just by how you look?
    		No we can't.
    God cares more about how we look on the inside than the outside.   
    He sees when we are kind and when we are mean.  
    He sees when we share with others and when we are selfish.
    In today's story we are going to hear a story about Samuel when he was almost fooled by how someone looked on the outside.
    		Lay out the Promised Land mat.
    Remember that Samuel was the judge of the Promised Land.
    		Place Samuel figure in the Promised Land.
    Last week we learned that God's people didn't want judges to rule them any more.
    What did God's people ask Samuel to give them?
    		A king
    In today's story God sent Samuel to pick a king for the Promised Land.
    In Bible times when God picked a person for a special job, He had someone put olive oil on that person's head.
    There was a man named Jesse.
    Let's pretend that this is Jesse.
    		Place a Fisher Price or similar type man figure onto the mat.
    He was a shepherd. 
    Let's put a tent right here to show where Jesse lived. 
    		Put the construction paper tent next to Jesse.
    Jesse had 8 sons.
    His youngest son was still a boy.  His name was David.
    It was his job to watch the sheep in the fields.
    Let's put David way over here in the field watching the sheep.
    		Place the Fisher Price or similar type boy figure away from Jesse and his tent.
    Optional: put some toy sheep with David.
    Jesse had 7 other sons who were all grown up.
    Let's pretend that these play dough boys that you made earlier are Jesse's 7 grown up sons.
    		Place the 7 play dough figures near the tent.
    God told Samuel to go to Jesse's house and God would show him who to pick to become king.
    So Samuel took his oil and went to see Jesse's family.
    		Walk Samuel to Jesse's tent.
    Samuel saw Jesse's grown up boys.
    He saw this one. 
    		Put Samuel in front of one of the play dough figures. 
    "This must be the one God wants to be king," he thought to himself.  "Look how tall and handsome he is."
    But God cared more about how he looked on the inside than the outside.
    And God told Samuel,  "No.  He's not the one. People look at the outside of a person, but God looks at the inside." 
    Then Samuel looked at Jesse's next son. 
    		Move Samuel to another play dough figure.
    Do you think God wanted Samuel to pick this one?
    "No. God told Samuel.  He's not the one either.
    God cared more about how he looked on the inside than the outside.
    Then Samuel looked at another one of Jesse's sons.
    		Move Samuel to another play dough figure.
    Do you think God wanted Samuel to pick this one?
    "No. God told Samuel.  He's not the one either.
    		Repeat with the next 3 figures
    Finally, Samuel came to Jesse's last son.  "Surely this must be the one God has picked," he thought.
    		Move Samuel to the last play dough figure.
    But God said, "No.  He's not the one either."
    		Move Samuel to the Jesse figure.
    Samuel said to Jesse, "God hasn't chosen any one of these sons. Do you have any more?"
    "Well", Jesse said, "There is David.  But he is just a boy.  He's out in the field watching the sheep."
    Go and get your youngest son," Samuel said. "We can not finish until he is here."
    So someone went to get David and brought him home.
    		Walk David figure to the tent.
    Put Samuel in front of David.
    And God told Samuel, "He's the one I want to be king.  Put oil on him."
    So God picked David to be the king of the Promised Land.
    How was Samuel almost fooled into picking the wrong person to be king?
    		He almost picked the one who was tall and handsome.
    Why do you think God had Samuel pick David?
    		Because he trusted in God, cared about others, etc.
    Can we tell what a person is like by his looks?
    		No.
    What kinds of things do you think God wants to see on the inside of a person?
    		Trusting in God,  kindness, one who shares, not getting even, obeying parents, etc.

     

    • Optional Snack:
    		Before class prepare 2 bags:

    1. Fill a pretty gift bag with a few small rocks or pebbles and some scraps of newspaper. Close it at the top so the children can't see what's inside.

    2. Put the snack item for the day into a plain, paper lunch bag and staple it shut.

    Ask them which bag they'd like to get their snack from.
    After they pick, show them what's inside each bag and tell them that just like in today's story, we can't tell by looking at the outside what's really inside.

    Supplemental Bible Readings:
    (Suggested daily readings)

     

    • Materials Needed for Next Week:
    		Promised Land Mat
    King figure (from the southern kingdom)
    See recommendation in the table below labeled Figures Needed for Upcoming Lessons
    Lego's or blocks,
    Scrap of cloth about 4" X 7"
    Optional Snack for Next Week:
    		Leftovers week - bring previous snack items to use them up.

     

    • Figures Needed for Upcoming Lessons:
    		Next week we will be studying Solomon.
    		If making homemade figures from the pattern at this site,  prepare by making a Solomon figure as a king.
    		(Recommendation: color code him as a king from the  Southern Kingdom, Judah by using purple and gold fabrics.
    One month from now you will need a king from the Northern kingdom, Israel.
    		If making homemade figures from the pattern at this site,  color code him as a king from the Northern kingdom by using red and gold fabrics).
    One month from now we will need a prophet figure. 
    		If making homemade figures from the pattern at this site:
    		Make him from a fabric that resembles burlap fabric (such as wool or linen or
    choose specific colors or fabrics that won't be used for any other people group.

     

    • Two weeks from now the kids will be making a model temple from a shoebox as a group.  You will need:
    		1 shoe box,
    A piece of corrugated cardboard, 6" longer than the shoebox,
    A small dowel rod about an inch wider than the shoebox,
    3 small wooden blocks, about 3/4" cubed, (the cedar blocks available in the house wares section of grocery and discount stores for storing with sweaters work great.
    1 wooden block from a child's toy set,
    1 squirt type lid from a juice or water bottle, 
    Matchbox "Box of the Agreement" from previous lessons,
    Scrap of plain white or off white fabric, the width of the shoebox and about 3" longer than the depth of the shoebox,
    Wax paper,
    Glue sticks,
    Scraps of different colors of tissue wrapping paper,
    Children's markers in blues and purples and/or stamp markers in those colors,
    Crayons

    © 1999 Linda Lawler.  
    Permission granted to copy for personal use only.  Not for resale.

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    Home Sower 16    Lesson 17    Home Sower 17     Lesson 19    

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