Sunday, October 7, 2012

God gives Solomon Wisdom



1. STORY:
  • HOOK: I wish I may, I wish I might … 
    • Imagine one day you were walking on a beach. And you accidentally kicked something hard. You looked down, and you see an old-fashioned gold lamp! Wow!
    • What would you do with it? Maybe we should rub it and see if anything happens … 1, 2, 3 Rub! 
    • Whoosh! It’s a great big green genie! “Hello boys and girls! Thank you for setting me free from the lamp! As a reward, I’ll give you one wish! Whatever it is that you want … ask and I shall grant you your wish!”
    • Wow! A wish! Whatever you want! 
    • What would you wish for children? What’s the one thing you want the most? <get kids to give their answers> 
    • Well, in real life, there’s no such thing as a genie in a bottle. But in the Bible, there’s somebody who was asked by God about what his wish was. That somebody was King Solomon. Let’s find out more. 

  • King David’s had a son, Solomon, who would be Israel’s next king. God loved him very much. (2 Sam 12:24)
  • Before he died, David instructed Solomon what he should do as king. “And you my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.” (1 Chronicles 28:9)
  • After King David died, his son Solomon became king over Israel. “Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statues of his father David…” (1Kings 3:3a)
  • One night, Solomon offered 1,000 offerings to God at a place called Gibeon. As he was sleeping, God came to Solomon and spoke to him in a dream. “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 
  • Wow! Solomon could ask for ANYTHING he wanted. What would you ask for if God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
  • If you were a king, wouldn’t you wish for great wealth? Long life? Many palaces? Or territories? For all your enemies to be gone?

Sunday, September 30, 2012

God promises David a Forever Kingdom


1. LESSON:
  • HOOK: God keeps His promises 
    • Write out some Scriptures of God’s promises (see appendix) and hide them around the room. (Can fold them into origami or in envelopes or behind cards, e.g. flower shapes etc. Or can be played as “pass the parcel” with a promise and a gift at each layer.)
    • Kids have to go hunt for the “treasure”. Then get them to come together and read out each of the promises one by one.
    • Conclusion: God has given us many promises, and He keeps all of them. Today we’re going to learn about a BIG promise God made to King David. It’s a promise that you and I can enjoy too!
 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

David messed out — Redeemed by Grace


1. Story (based on 2 Sam 11-12)
  • HOOK: Cover up
    • Materials: Pile of dust/dirt, tissue paper/paper napkin, small dustpan/brush
    • Put a pile of dust/dirt in the middle of a table.
    • Kids, look, there’s a mess here. It’s really dirty. What should we do?
    • How about we try to cover it up? I know, let’s use this napkin. If we put it over the dirt, no one will see it. <cover the dirt with the napkin>
    • There. Does that work? <no>  
    • Oh dear. What do you think we should do? I know. I’ll clean it up and throw away the dirt. <get a kid to help sweep away the dirt>
    • See … clean and as good as new now!
    • Sometimes in life, we will mess up and make mistakes. But covering the mess will not work because the mess is still there. So the only way to get rid of the mess is to clean it up nicely.
  • Today, we’re going to learn about someone who messed up big time.  

Sunday, September 16, 2012

David Danced before God



1. Story (based on 2 Sam 6)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jlUF8i5jKfE/SFam3DOZ7gI/AAAAAAAAAD8/lY2OTJR8Vp0/s400/David%2BDancing%2Bbefore%2Bthe%2BLord.bmp
  • We’ve been learning about a person called David.
  • What have we learnt about him so far?
    • David was a shepherd.
    • David was anointed king.
    • Saul was jealous of him.
    • Saul wanted to kill him.
    • David ran away, and God protected him from all harm.
  • Then one day, Saul and Jonathan were both killed in battle. David was then made king of Israel.
  • David loved the Lord. He loved to sing and write songs of worship.
  • One of the first things David did as king was to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

God was David’s protection


1. Story:
  • Who was the shepherd boy who was anointed king of Israel? David
  • Who was the king at that time? Saul 
  • God was with David in all he did. And he had great successes. The women of Israel used to welcomed him with singing and dancing. What did they say? “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” 
  • How did this make Saul feel? Very jealous of David. 

Sunday, September 2, 2012

God's Favour gave David Success


 


1. Story: (based on 1 Sam 16, 18)

  • The past 2 months, we've been learning Psalm 23. Can you remember it?
  • Who wrote Psalm 23? David
  • Who was David?
    • What was David's occupation? Shepherd
    • Yes, that's right. David was a shepherd boy. He was the youngest son in his family. While his brothers went to war as big, strong soldiers, David stayed in the fields to take care of the sheep. Quite unimportant in his family’s eyes.
    • But God had a special purpose for David. He had chosen David to be king of Israel! David had a heart after God. So God sent His prophet, Samuel, to anoint David as king.
    • There was one problem, however. Israel already had a king. Anyone knows his name? King Saul
    • That’s right. King Saul was the first King of Israel, and he would rule Israel for 42 years. 

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Psalm 23: My Good Shepherd is with me forever

1.    REVIEW: Memory Verse (Psalm 23) 


  • The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

    He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.

    Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

    your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

    You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies,

    You anoint my head with oil

    my cup overflows.

    Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
    And I will dwell in the house of the LORD 
    forever.
  • As we choose to follow our Good Shepherd, we get to live and enjoy the benefits of His Kingdom, ie. His protection, His supply, His care, His guidance .. not just for today or tomorrow, not temporarily but forever, for always.