Esther

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4th/5th Grade – June 3

Character Stories  Lesson 6

Esther Bible Verse It could be that you were made queen for a time like this. (Esther 4:14)

Teacher Enrichment This is the sixth lesson in the Character Stories series which encounters characters from both the Old and New Testament; some very well-known and others you may have never “met.” Each week will explore the actions, motivations and experiences of a character and determine what that person’s story teaches us about how God wants us to live. Esther was a young, Jewish woman living in Persia under the rule of King Xerxes and she had been raised by her cousin Mordecai. King Xerxes required a new wife and after a prolonged search, he chose to marry Esther and crown her queen. During King Xerxes rule, a decree was passed to kill all Jews living in Persia. Esther, a Jew herself, surely never expected to be in position to save all of the Jewish people in Persia, but that is exactly where God placed her. God had a plan to save His people and Esther got to be a part of that plan. As Mordecai said “it could be you were made queen for a time like this.” Even though we may watch royal weddings on TV, most of us will never be crowned queen, but God is still calling us to be a special part of His plan. Micah 6:8 conveys that God’s plan for each of us is to “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” Put simply, show the world God’s love. And just as God placed Esther, He is placing each of us. He gives us unique gifts and talents that allow us to help with His plan. Wherever we are, whether it be on a royal throne or on the playground or in our own homes, we can look for opportunities to use our gifts to execute God’s plan. This lesson will teach children that God’s plan is for the whole world to know God’s love. They will understand that God gives them unique, special ways to be part of His plan.

Before Class Begins  Place the Sign In sheet and a pen where parents can see it upon arrival.  Place the Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards and pens where students can see them upon arrival.  Check that you have supplies for this lesson: - Arrival Activity, Esther activity sheet – 1 per child - Bag of Junk - Spiritual Gifts Survey – 1 per child  Place an arrival activity at each place on the table.

Welcome SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards, Attendance chart, stickers, pens, Esther activity sheet, crayons, markers  Greet each child individually as they arrive. Introduce yourself by name.  Help children find or add their name on the attendance chart. Provide each child  

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with a sticker to place in today’s column on the attendance chart. Encourage children to complete a Joy or Concern card if they have a particular joy or concern they would like to express. Collect completed Joy & Concern cards. Encourage children to complete a Time or Talent offering card if they gave their time to God or used their talents to serve God or others during the previous week. Children should keep their own completed Time and Talent cards. If children bring monetary offering, they should keep it with them. Direct children to complete Esther activity sheet. Encourage conversation among the children and with you! Get to know the children in your classroom by asking about their week including school, activities and families. Introduce new children to each other and encourage friendships.

Children’s Worship SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards

Character Stories  Lesson 6

 The Children’s Worship Leader will direct your class to come to Ruth Hall at 9:20 or      

11:05. Bring the Sign In sheet and completed Joy & Concern cards to Ruth Hall. Hand the Joy & Concern cards to the Children’s Worship leader as you arrive. Have children bring their completed Time & Talent cards and any monetary offering. If additional children arrive while in Ruth Hall, have parents complete the Sign In sheet and remind parents that pickup is in Room 110. Encourage children to participate in Children’s Worship and provide re-direction if necessary. Assist the Children’s Worship leader as needed. At the conclusion of Children’s Worship, have children line up and return to Room 110.

The Lesson SUPPLIES: Bag of Junk, Spiritual Gifts surveys, pencils

SAY: Today we met a woman named Esther. Esther had a special purpose to help God with His plan. We each have a special purpose too, but sometimes it may not seem that way. ASK: How many of you have a junk drawer at home? Maybe in your kitchen or in a desk. When you open that junk drawer it’s a bunch of mismatched things that are all jumbled together. Well, I have a bunch of stuff that I found in my junk drawer. Dump out items on table. SAY: What do you think? It looks like a big pile of junk, doesn’t it? But if we start to look closely, each of these items actually has a special purpose and function. (Pick up paperclip) This paperclip can be used to hold papers together. (Pick up straw) This straw could not really hold papers together, but it’s great for drinking a milkshake. (Pick up string) I don’t think I could use this piece of string to drink out of, but I could tie something together. (Pick up post-it notes) These post-its are great for leaving notes. The paperclip and post-it notes might even work well together! SAY: When we first looked at the pile, it may have looked like a bunch of junk all jumbled together. It might have been hard to see that any of it had a special purpose. Character Stories  Lesson 6

But when we took the time to look at each thing, we can see that each one had a unique purpose. The same can be true for us. We learned today that God gave each of us special gifts and talents that we can use to help God with His plan. Sometimes it can be hard for us to know what those special gifts and talents are and how we are supposed to use them to help God with His plan. We might feel like we are looking at a big pile of jumbled up stuff! SAY: To help you start figuring out your gifts and talents, I have a survey for you to take. It’s called a Spiritual Gifts Inventory. For each statement, you will indicate how true the statement is for you using the following numbers (they are listed on the top of the inventory): 3 – yes, all the time, 2 – yes, sometimes, 1 – maybe, occasionally, 0 – no, never. At the end we will add up your scores and see where your gifts fall.  Provide each child with a Spiritual Gifts Inventory.  Allows children time to complete the inventory.  Assist children with scoring their results.

If there is time, discuss their results. Discussion Guide    

Do you agree with your results? Were your high scores surprising or do the categories/descriptions ring true? Were your low scores surprising? Given your results, how best can you use your gifts and talents to help with God’s plan?

Closing SUPPLIES: Esther Bible Character Profile  Lead the children in a closing prayer. You may say your own prayer, ask one of the

children to say a prayer or use the one below. God, Thank you for giving each of us unique gifts and talents. Help us to use them in your plan. Character Stories  Lesson 6

Amen  If time remains before parents arrive, encourage children to return to their Esther activity sheet if they did not complete it. Also encourage conversation between children and with you. This is another opportunity to build relationships with the children in your classroom!  Send each child home with an Esther Bible Character Profile. Remind children and parents this worksheet can be completed at home as a family.

Character Stories  Lesson 6