The King Honors Mordecai - Esther 4-10
We believe that spiritual development happens in the home as well as at church. We hope that these ideas will help you engage as a family. It’s designed to help you connect with your child about the lesson they had this past week. Use all the ideas one night, or spread them out throughout the week. Enjoy!
- ACTIVITY (items needed: You Tube clip)
In kids’ church today, the children heard a story from the book of Esther. As a family, watch the following YouTube clip called “Blacklight Story Esther Saves Her People” submitted by jimlyman3534:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqEDs5qqhDE.
This clip retells the story of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai in a wacky way. Your child will probably shout “Hey – Man!” right along with the video!
It will give you an idea of what we talked about in our elementary kids areas. Enjoy!
- CRAFT (items needed: play dough, chenille sticks)
Each family member will make an alien or action figure using play dough and chenille sticks. Use these little characters to act out situations where we can stand out … be different …be God’s aliens or action heroes … in our world. Think about ways you might act differently or speak differently.
Science Experiment (items needed: 3 pieces copy paper, empty soup can, tape, craft supplies
Beforehand, decorate an empty soup can to look like an alien or a funny person.
Make a 3”-4” diameter cylinder with one piece of the copy paper. Make a second cylinder just like it. Stand these 4”-5” apart from one another. Now, lay the third piece of paper across the 2 cylinders, like a roof. What will happen if I set my little friend here on the piece of paper, right between the 2 cylinders? He’ll fall, won’t he? Place the alien/person can there and let it fall.
Remove the piece of paper that is resting across the cylinders and fold it back and forth in ¼”-1/2” sections to corrugate it. Once it’s completely corrugated, place it back between the two cylinders. Now, set the alien/ person can on the corrugated paper, between the cylinders. Does he fall?
We can stand as aliens / “different people” only if we have the strength of God to rely on. Think of this corrugated paper as God’s strength. It’s much stronger than we are (hold up a plain piece of paper). Without God’s support, we can’t stand out, we can’t be different, we can’t be His aliens in this world. His strength makes us able to stand for Him!
- KNOW YOUR BIBLE (items needed: Bibles)
We have been talking about looking different than the world around us. When you hear the word “different” or “alien” what do you think of? One definition from the dictionary defines an alien as a person of another religion. The dictionary also says that an alien is an outsider, who is contradictory and unlike. Did you know that the Bible tells Christians that they are aliens on earth? Let’s dig into God’s Word and find out how Christians are called to be different or even….aliens!
Hebrews 11:13-16 (NIRV)
13 All those people were still living by faith when they died. They didn't receive the things God had promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a long way off. They openly said that they were outsiders and strangers on earth.
14 People who say things like that show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 What if they had been thinking of the country they had left? Then they could have returned to it. 16 Instead, they longed for a better country. They wanted one in heaven.
So God is pleased when they call him their God. In fact, he has prepared a city for them.
.. What kind of country are God’s people longing for? Where is our real home?
Look Up—1 Peter 2:11-12.
.. As aliens, what are Christians supposed to stay away from?
.. Have you ever felt like an alien on this earth?
.. When have you been a part of a group in which you were the only person who had compassion for someone who made a mistake?
.. When have you been a part of a group in which you were the only one not
adding to gossip?
.. When have you been the only person to refuse to watch something on
television that you know is inappropriate?
.. When have you been the first person to apologize after an argument?
If you have ever behaved differently than the rest of “the group” because you were choosing to follow God, then you’ve been an alien on earth.
Look Up—Psalm 4:3
- Which one of these character qualities are weaknesses for you?
- Which one are strengths?
- Scripture Memory
Philippians 3:8-9a (NIRV)
“Even more, I consider everything to be nothing compared to knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. To know him is the best thing of all. Because of him I have lost everything. But I consider all of it to be garbage so I can get to know Christ. I want to be joined to him.“
Thought for the Week
We can bring God honor by being ‘different’.