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Jan. 22, 2017 God Is Victorious

1 Samuel 16—17 (David and Goliath)

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the

weak.

Isaiah 40:29

DATE PONDER POINT

THE BIG GOD STORY REMEMBER VERSE

Welcome and Worship (10 minutes)

Begins class creating an inviting atmosphere for kids to feel welcome and engage kids in worship through singing and communion.

The Big God Story (20 minutes) & Response

Creates space for children to hear God’s word and respond to the Holy Spirit in worship response.

Small Groups (20 minutes)

Kids will build relationships with each other and their leaders, and respond to what they learned in the Big God Story.

Bless & Dismiss (5 minutes)

Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others.

The large group room will be divided into three sections. Please help kids find which section they should sit in according to their grade: 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th & 5th-6th.

Tiffany Blum will be dismissing kids into small groups

Toward the end of small group time, we will knock on the door/wall as your 3 minute warn-ing and we will open your door or curtain when it is time to regroup in the large group meeting space.

5th & 6th graders can go directly to Snack Shack after small group time, rather than re-grouping in the large group space.

Host Administrative To Do’s: Make sure no group is too large Make sure each group has enough supplies Close curtains and divider wall for small groups

at 10:15

Give a 3 minute warning knock to groups

Open doors when it’s time to dismiss groups

Call names for dismissal after blessing

SCHEDULE Large Group

Small Group

3 Min Warn.

Regroup/Dismiss 5th-6th

1st Service (9:00) 9:00 9:30 9:57 10:00

2nd Service (10:15) 10:15 10:45 11:12 11:15

3rd Service (11:30) 11:30 12:00 12:27 12:30

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GOAL: Worship & welcome is all about engaging kids and helping them enter into worship, letting

them know that class has begun preparing their minds for what they are going to hear.

WELCOME (Host):

Stage Lights On VIDEO LOOPS: Welcome Loop, 5 Min Countdown, Welcome Image

We are so glad you are here today. Welcome the kids in your own words and finish by say-

ing, Let’s all stand and hear God’s word and sing our praise to Him…

OPENING WORSHIP SONG (Worship Leader):

Turn out main overhead lights REMEMBER VERSE VIDEO

VIDEO 1: (9:00 and 11:30) This Is Amazing Grace (10:15)You Are

VIDEO 2: (9:00 and 11:30) Glory to God (10:15) Because of Your Love

(Kids may be seated)

TIMELINE VIDEO

(Storyteller)

The Big God Story: Point out that what kids are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bi-

ble. Open your Bible to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Sto-

ry. Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along as you storytell. Children respond to what the

Holy Spirit is teaching them as they reflect on the day’s portion of The Big God Story.

The Prayer of Release: This allows children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet

their hearts and minds. Before you pray, you might ask the kids to hold out their hands, palms

up, in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy

Spirit might have for them today. Then encourage the kids to quiet their voices, take a seat, and

pray with you.

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The Big God Story:

Storyteller Script

Who knows what victorious means? Allow responses. To be victorious means you’ve won or defeated something. Today we’re going to hear about how God is victorious but before we begin, let’s pray together. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. Let’s give our attention to the television screens as we learn more about our Big God Story today. Tech: Cue Storytelling Video

David surrendered his life to God. He chose to follow God even if it meant doing something re-

ally scary like fighting a giant. And as God won the victory over Goliath through David, God showed His glory to everyone there. God still glorifies Himself today as He brings victory in our lives too. Tell a personal story about a time God was victorious in your life.

Storyteller continues into Worship Response…

God was victorious in David’s battle against Goliath, and He is victorious in our lives. It may not always mean that we get everything we want or win every battle we face in life, but it means that in the end God will ultimately have the victory over everything. God desires for us to trust that He will be victorious. God desires for us to say yes to Him and follow His good plans for our

lives, even if they seem impossible or scary. What might God be asking you to say yes to?

Invite the children to spend some time in silence and ask God what in their lives He might be calling them to say yes to. After a few minutes, encourage the kids to respond to what God might be telling them by coming to the front, taking a YES card, and writing on the back what they think God desires for them to say yes to. Then they can tape their cards to the wall or Poster board Hanging on the wall.

Finally, pray together as a group, thanking God for giving us everything we need to live a life of faith as we trust Him and obey Him through the power of His Holy Spirit.

Worship Response:

Yes cards

4 rolls of painter’s tape

Pens or pencils

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IMAGE: Worship Response - Come up front and get a YES card. Write on the back what they think God desires them to say yes to.

MUSIC: Spotify “Response” playlist - play very softly

IMAGE: It’s time for small groups

Turn main overhead lights on

Dismiss for small groups

Turn on ceiling speakers and play Spotify “small group” playlist

9:00 10:15 11:30

1st-2nd Yellow - Rm 118 1st-2nd Yellow - Rm 118 1st-2nd Yellow - Rm 118

1st-2nd Red - Rm 101 1st-2nd Red - Rm 101 3rd-6th Teal - Rm 105 F

3rd-4th Purple - Rm 104 B 1st-2nd Pink - Rm 112

3rd-4th Green - Rm 103 3rd-4th Purple - Rm 104 B

5th-6th Teal - Rm 105 F 3rd-4th Green - Rm 103

5th-6th Orange - Rm 105 B 3rd-4th Gray - Rm 104 F

5th-6th Teal - Rm 105 F

5th-6th Orange - Rm 105 B

5th-6th Blue - Rm 102

5th-6th Navy - Rm 110

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GOAL: Kids build relationships with each other and their leader as they respond to what they heard

in the Big God Story.

Marshmallow Sling Shots DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR YOUNGER KIDS • What does victorious mean? • Why were the Israelites afraid to fight Goliath? 1 Samuel 17:8, 11 • Why wasn’t David afraid of Goliath? 1 Samuel 17:37 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR OLDER KIDS • Who defeated Goliath? 1 Samuel 17:45–46 • How was God victorious in David’s life? • Where do you see God’s victory today in the world? In your own heart? SUPPLIES • large marshmallows (one per kid) • pair of knee highs (per kid) • Image of Sling Shot (one per group) ENGAGE (Show image of Bible times sling shot) Ask: What is this? Right it’s a sling shot. Some of you might have a sling shot but probably not one that looks like this. Today in the Big God story we heard how God allowed David to use his slingshot to hit what many considered an im-possible target: Goliath. Well we don’t have enough leather straps for everyone and rocks might be a little dangerous. So today we are going to make our own slingshots but… out of stockings and marshmallows. Invite the children small sections at a time to come up to the table and form a line to pick up their supplies or pass out one marshmallow and a pair of knee highs per child. Once everyone has their supplies, have the kids assemble their sling shots together, as you lead them and show them what to do. INSTRUCTIONS Place marshmallow in the toe of one of the knee highs. Twist the knee high and tie a knot around the marshmallow, making it secure. Place the knee high/marshmallow, inside the other knee high. This will give the sling extra

strength. Again twist and tie around the marshmallow. Now your sling shot is ready. Choose 3 or 4 volunteers to play the role of David. Small Group leader plays the role of Goliath. See who can sling their sling shot AND hit Goliath in the head. Have kids put their sling shots un-der their chairs until time to go home. Kids may take their sling shots home.

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GOAL: Kids build relationships with each other and their leader as they respond to what they heard

in the Big God Story.

God Overcomes

God was victorious in the battle between David and Goliath, and He is victorious in our lives. Through this game of human tic-tac-toe children have an opportunity to praise God for ways He is victorious. SUPPLIES • Masking tape • Construction paper (9 sheets for a 3 x 3 tic-tac-toe grid or 16 sheets for a 4 x 4 grid) • Markers • Paper (1 sheet per child) • Coin

SET UP Create a large tic-tac-toe board on the floor using lines of masking tape. You can create a three-by-three grid or a four-by-four grid, depending upon the size of your group.

RELATE Whether it be struggles we face or difficult situations in our lives, there’s nothing that God

can’t have victory over. He always wins!

Invite children to brainstorm some ideas of struggles or difficult life situations they’ve faced or are currently facing, such as loneliness, bullies, feeling left out, etc. Encourage leaders to help with ide-as for the brainstorm. As kids give ideas, write each idea on a sheet of construction paper and place it in a square on the tic-tac-toe grid.

Now play a game of human tic-tac-toe. Divide your group up into two teams: Xs and Os. Give each child a sheet of blank paper and on it have him write the letter of his team. Then flip a coin to see which team goes first. One person from that team will stand in one of the squares on the grid. When a child stands in a square, she will take the fear or struggle written on the sheet of construc-tion paper, say, “God is victorious over (fear that’s written on the paper),” turn the paper over, and stand on it. Then, the other team will choose a person to stand in another square, and so on. The first team to fill three or four squares in a row (depending on the size of your grid) wins the game. Continue to play rounds until the kids have turned over and declared God’s victory over each fear.

Questions for Younger Kids • What did David use to fight Goliath? 1 Samuel 17:40 • Who defeated Goliath for David? 1 Samuel 17:45–46

• How have you seen God being victorious in your own life?

Questions for Older Kids • Why did God want Samuel to find a new king? 1 Samuel 16:1 • How did God prepare David to fight Goliath? 1 Samuel 17:34–36 • Why wasn’t David afraid of Goliath? 1 Samuel 17:37

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GOAL: Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others.

CLOSING REMARKS/ANNOUNCEMENTS (Host):

Wall Speakers On

VIDEO LOOP: Thanks, glad you were here.

BLESSING (HOST):

As you bless your kids, tell them they have the opportunity to also be a blessing to others. Encour-age them to freely share the joy and love they have received from God.

Encourage the kids to hold their hands in front of them, palms up, as a symbol of receiving what-ever God might have for them today. Open a Bible and read Psalm 44:6–8:

I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long,

and we will praise your name forever.

Invite the children to spend some time blessing one another. Have them break into pairs and take turns blessing each other with the following: “(Child’s name), may you know that God is victo-rious (give ‘V’ sign) in your life.”

Finally, have a leader read the following blessing over the entire group, making the “V” sign when saying, “Victorious.”

May you trust in nothing but God to give you victory in your life. May He be victorious in

your heart and give you peace and joy.

CLOSING WORSHIP SONG (Worship Leader):

VIDEO 3: (9:00 and 11:30) Shout

(10:15) The Lord Your God

DISMISSAL (HOST):

Call names of kids as parent come to pick up and welcome kids who are being dropped off. En-

courage parents to enter the room and encourage kids and parents to exit out the middle door

(103)

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I remember going through a period of time when I couldn’t find joy, either in my daily life or while spending time with the Lord. I felt discouraged. I knew what it meant to listen for God’s voice, but I couldn’t hear it. So I brought my thoughts to God and asked Him to show me what it meant to expe-rience His joy.

A week or so later, I was at a worship service with a friend. As we worshipped, I felt God’s Spirit so intensely that I fell to my knees. The room seemed to go gray for a moment, and the singing voices dimmed around me as I saw an image of a horizon. As I watched this horizon, I heard the word “joy” and watched a light explode over the horizon like the sun. I stayed kneeling on the ground for a long time, praising God for the joy I felt.

In that moment, I sensed God’s Spirit in ways I never had before. And the joy of that moment con-tinued even after that experience. If I started to feel sad or discouraged again, His Spirit would comfort me. By giving me the gift of joy from His Holy Spirit, God had broken the stranglehold of disappointment and sadness. He was victorious in my heart.

Tori Funkhouser TruStory Team

When the high priest, Samuel, grew old, the people of Israel said, “‘You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.’ But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king’” (1 Samuel 8:5–7).

The people of God wanted to “be like all the other nations, with a king to lead [them] and to go out before [them] and fight [their] battles.” (1 Samuel 8:20). God had set up a system of leadership in which He led His people through the priests, prophets, and judges speaking on His behalf. But the people did not want the system God had set up. They wanted the system man had created, so they asked for a king.

By asking for a king, the nation of Israel showed their refusal to be set apart for God’s glory. They wanted a king so they could be like other nations. They also wanted a king to lead them into battle, even though God had led them victoriously through battle after battle. By asking for a king, the Isra-elites showed a disregard for the God who had led them, fought for them, taken care of them, cho-sen them, and loved them.

Ultimately, God provided for the people to have a king, but the people weren’t patient and com-plained against God. Even so, God would choose David, a humble shepherd, to be king. And through David, God would reveal His glory again through the life of a man surrendered to Him.

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So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. (1 Samuel 16:13)

David’s anointing wasn’t an empty ceremony. Though King David wouldn’t sit on the throne until many years after his anointing, the Holy Spirit came upon him in power from that day on. He be-came so advanced in courage and wisdom by the Spirit of God that even the king’s servants knew of him.

What is it like to have God’s Spirit empower you? What would it be like to lead your ministry, to love your children, and to live your life empowered by God’s Spirit? Pray God will fill you with His Spirit. Pray God will give you the assurance that you belong to Him and He will never, ever leave you.

Then pray God’s Spirit will fill the kids in your ministry. Pray the kids experience the confidence to know God can be victorious in the battles they face. Pray that they will know the mighty power of God in their lives.