B.I.G. Theme: Jesus’ Friends Go and Tell

B.I.G. Idea: We believe that we can tell others about Jesus.

B.I.G. Bible Verse: Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. (Acts 16:31, CEV)

August 1

Acts 8:26-39

Philip and the Ethiopian

(You will need to bring a bag of unopened, individually wrapped candies.)

Say: Good morning. How are you this morning? I need a volunteer to help me out. Who will be my volunteer this morning?

(Look for a volunteer who would be willing to share with the rest of the group. Have the volunteer stand next to you.)

Tell your volunteer: I have a gift I want to give to you. I want to give you this entire bag of candy. It is yours. How does that make you feel? (Listen to the response.) How does that make the rest of you feel? I bet you would like some of the candy too! Well, the only way for you to be able to get some of the candy is if Suzie is willing to share it with you. Suzie has been given a gift, and it is up to her to share it with others. Suzie, are you willing to share your gift with others so they can enjoy it too? (If necessary, encourage Suzie to say yes.) That is the right thing to do, isn’t it? We need to share the gifts we have with others!

(Let the volunteer hand out candy to everyone.)

Say: In our lesson for today we see two men, Phillip and an Ethiopian man, riding together. Phillip has received the best gift ever, the gift of having Jesus in his life. The Ethiopian sees there is something special about Phillip and begins asking questions about what this gift is. Phillip shares his gift of Jesus with the Ethiopian man, and the last we hear about this man is that he goes away celebrating and being happy because of the gift he received.

Continue: We have been given a gift by God. This gift is Jesus. It is our job to go and share that gift with others so they can be filled with joy just as we are. We are not supposed to keep this gift to ourselves. We are supposed to tell everyone about how much Jesus loves each one of us.

Pray: Dear God, thank you for the gift of Jesus and his love. Help us to share this gift with everyone we meet. Amen.

Ryan Bennett is an elder in the Tennessee Conference of The UnitedMethodistChurch. In addition to pastoral experience, Ryan has fifteen years experience working with youth and children.

August 8

Acts 10:1-48

Peter and Cornelius

(Have a story ready to share about a time when people would not speak to or be friends with you, or a time when you would not do that to others (or an instance that does not involve you personally). This can be a story about not being accepted into a new school or community, or not being accepted because of some difference (size, color, interests, dress, money, and so forth. Or use the story below.)

Say: Good morning! How is everyone this morning? I want to tell you a story about a little boy I knew named Johnny. When I was about your age, Johnny’s family moved to the street where I lived. He ended up in my class at school. He looked different than most of us, and he didn’t talk or dress like we did. Because he was different, some of the boys in the class made fun of him. Johnny was a nice boy, but that didn't matter to those boys who made fun of him. How do you think Johnny felt?

(Give the children a chance to respond.)

Say: In today's Bible story, there is a man named Cornelius and a man named Peter. Cornelius was a good man who loved God, but he was not like Peter. Peter didn't think he should spend time with people like Cornelius. But God helped Peter understand that if we believe in Jesus, we are supposed to love everyone, just as Jesus loves us.

Continue: Sometime we have a hard time loving everyone. Maybe someone doesn't look like us, or act like us, or talk like us. Someone may even be dirty or smelly or not nice. But we can ask God to help us love everyone, because God loved us first.

Pray: Dear God, help me to love all people, just as you love me. Amen.

Ryan Bennett is an elder in the Tennessee Conference of The UnitedMethodistChurch. In addition to pastoral experience, Ryan has fifteen years experience working with youth and children.

August 15

Acts 18:1-4, 18-19, 24-28

Priscilla and Aquila

(Be prepared to lead the children in a quick round of “The Gossip Game.” Tell the kids that you will whisper a message to the person to your left. Everyone will whisper it to the person to his or her left until it has made it all the way around to you. You can only say the message one time. Whisper it so no one else can hear you. A good message to use is the following: “Jesus loves you and wants you to tell others about him.” This is long enough to cause difficulty in remembering it all.)

Say: Good morning! How is everyone this morning? This morning we are going to play a game. I will whisper a message to the person to my left, and each one of you will whisper it to the person to your left until it has made it all the way back around to me.

(Play the game with the children.)

Say: The message that was told to me was . . . (Repeat the message that came back to you.) My original message was . . . (Repeat your original message.)

Continue: Do you see how sometimes we can change a message without meaning to? Sometimes, as the message gets passed along, it can be told wrong. This happened in today's Bible story. In this story a man named Apollos had heard about Jesus, knew a lot about Jesus, and was a very good speaker. But he was saying some things about Jesus that were wrong. He had not met Jesus himself or talked to people who knew Jesus and knew the full story of Jesus.

Continue: Two people named Priscilla and Aquila heard Apollos speak and realized that some of the things he was saying were wrong. They talked to him and helped him understand Jesus better. God used Aquila and Priscilla to help make sure Apollos understood the truth about Jesus.

Continue: Sometimes people can accidentally say things that are not true. God wants us to be like Aquila and Priscilla. When we hear something that is not true, God wants us to share the truth with people so they can grow and so they can speak the truth to others.

Pray: Dear God, help us to say things about you that are true. Help us to be able to tell others what is true when they are not saying things that are true. Help us to always tell others about Jesus and his love for each of us. Amen.

Ryan Bennett is an elder in the Tennessee Conference of The UnitedMethodistChurch. In addition to pastoral experience, Ryan has fifteen years experience working with youth and children.

August 22

Acts 16:16-40

Paul and Silas in Prison

(You need to have a globe or a map of the world.)

Say: Good morning! How is everyone this morning? Do you know what this is I have brought with me today? That is right, I have brought a globe/map with me. Do you know what we use this for? Globes/maps are used to show us where places are located on the earth. Now, using this globe, I want you to show me some places where God may want to use us to tell people about Jesus.

(Allow the children time to point out different places.)

Say: I think what we are seeing here is that God wants us to tell others about Jesus all over the world. But what are some places around (name your hometown) where we can tell others about Jesus? (Listen to responses.) We should tell others about Jesus wherever we are.

Continue: In today's Bible lesson, Paul and Silas were in prison. They were put in prison because they were telling others about Jesus. That made some people angry, because they did not want people to learn about Jesus. While Paul and Silas were in prison, they began telling the guards there about Jesus. Eventually, a guard asked how he could begin following Jesus too.

Continue: God wants us to tell others about Jesus wherever we go and whatever we do, anywhere in this world and anywhere in (name your hometown).

Pray: Dear God, help us to share Jesus with others, wherever we go and whatever we do. Let us tell them about how much Jesus loves them. Amen.

Ryan Bennett is an elder in the Tennessee Conference of The UnitedMethodistChurch. In addition to pastoral experience, Ryan has fifteen years experience working with youth and children.

August 29

John 3:16

For God So Loved the World

(For this week’s children’s sermon, you will need a measuring tape and a Bible. When it’s time for the children’s sermon, call the children to your gathering area. Greet them as they arrive. Show the children the measuring tape.)

Say: Does anyone know what this is? (Let the children respond.) It’s a measuring tape. We use it when we want to know how tall something is, or how wide it is, or even how big around it is. See, it has numbers all along the edge.

Continue: Let’s say I want to know how tall our podium is (or lectern, altar cloth, or whatever is handy in your sanctuary). We just hold the end of our measuring tape down at the top and pull it straight to the bottom. Whatever that number says, that’s how many inches tall this podium is. (Measure the podium and tell the children how tall it is.)

Ask: Do you think we can measure people with this measuring tape?

(Choose a child to come forward. Measure how tall that child is. Measure how wide another child’s waist is. Have a child stand with his or her arms out straight, and measure how long the child’s reach is from fingertip to fingertip. If you like, let a child measure you. Continue measuring items and children until the children lose interest, or until you feel that it is time to move on.)

Say: I guess we can measure a lot of things with this measuring tape, right? It’s fun to know how big something is. Can we measure our moms? Can we measure our bed? Can we measure our bicycle? (Let the children respond to each question.)

Ask: Can we measure God’s love? (Be prepared either for no responses or for unusual responses.) We can’t measure God’s love with this, can we? We know God loves us, right? God definitely loves us a lot. But how much is a lot?

(Show the children your Bible.)

Say: What’s this book called? (the Bible) It’s a Bible, a book that’s full of stories about God and God’s people. It tells us how God wants us to live. And right here it tells us how much God loves us. Listen to this. (Turn to John 3:16 in the Contemporary English Version, or the version your children’s department uses most often. Read John 3:16 to the children.)

Continue: Did you hear that? God loves us so much that God sent Jesus to show love to the world and to all its people. Just think about it! We can go anywhere in the world, and God’s love is already there! I guess that means that God loves us with a great big love that can’t be measured, not even with the biggest measuring tape in the world.

Pray: God, you love us! You really love us! Thank you for your love, and help us love others too.

Betsi Smith has written and edited for Abingdon Press and Cokesbury for more than fifteen years.

B.I.G. Theme: Jesus Teaches Us With Stories
B.I.G. Idea: We believe that Jesus helps us know about God and understand how God wants us to live.
B.I.G. Bible Verse: Let anyone with ears to hear listen! (Luke 8:8)

July 4
Luke 8:4-15

My B.I.G. Bible Stories and my LITTLE Summer Sack: The Sower
(This month you will be sharing B.I.G. stories from the Bible, and you will have a “little summer sack” to hold your visual aids. If you like, decorate it with summer stickers or a simple sun or beach ball drawing. Only one item will be in the sack at a time. Use as small a sack as you can to make it captivating for the children. The four small items you will need for this month are a package of seeds, a small bag of sand, a single mustard seed or other small seed, and a cotton ball.)

(Greet the children.)

Say: Look what I brought with me today. Do you know what I call this? I call it my “little summer sack.” Can you see my (stickers, sun, beach ball, or whatever decorations you put on the sack)? I have something inside this little summer sack that I want to show you. Do you think it will be very big?

(Let the children respond. Pull out the package of seeds.)

Say: I brought a package of seeds. What do we do with this? (Let the children respond.) We plant them in the ground. What happens when you plant them in the ground? (Let the children respond.) What if I just throw these seeds on the floor? Will flowers (or whatever kind of seeds you have) grow right here? No, because these seeds need dirt and sunshine and water. If I take these seeds outside and just throw them in the grass, will flowers grow? Not likely, because these seeds need good dirt and room to grow roots in the ground. So how do I get these seeds to grow into flowers? (See how the children respond and build on that.) I need to plant them in good dirt, be sure they can get some sunshine, and make sure that they get watered too. Then my seeds will grow and grow. I would have some beautiful flowers at my house.

Continue: Jesus told his friends a story about some seeds. That is why I brought these seeds in my little summer sack. The story that Jesus told was kind of like the one I just told you, but Jesus' story was about a farmer who had some seeds. The farmer went to his field and scattered the seeds all around. Some of the seeds would not grow, but some of them would.

Continue: When Jesus told his friends about the farmer and his seeds, they were puzzled. “Why did Jesus tell us a story about a farmer and his seeds?” they wondered. Then Jesus explained it to them.

Continue: When we tell someone about God, it is kind of like planting a seed in the ground. If the people don’t listen to you or don’t want to love God like you do, that is like the plant that did not grow. If they do listen to you, they may decide to come to church with you. They may decide they want to love God like you do. That would be like the seed that started growing and growing.

Continue: Jesus liked to tell stories to his friends. When he told them a story, it was a little story, but it had a bigger meaning. Jesus told them about a little seed, but he was trying to teach them some things about God. Next week I will bring my little summer sack with me again. I will find something else that will fit in here so I can tell you another story that Jesus told his friends.

Pray: Dear God, we heard a story today that Jesus told his friends. We learned that we can tell others about God. That is like planting a seed. We hope that God’s love will grow and grow in their hearts, just as we hope a pretty flower grows when we plant a real seed in the ground. Amen.

Anita Edlund is a former preschool teacher and has worked with children for over 25 years. Currently, she is a freelance writer and preschool consultant. She has written for Exploring Faith, VBS, Live BIG, The Children's Teacher, and BibleZone Live. Anita is also the author of several curriculum books, including Stepping Stones of Faith for Preschoolers.

July 11
Luke 6:46-49

My B.I.G. Bible Stories and my LITTLE Summer Sack: The Two Houses
(Before the children’s sermon, place sand in a small resealable plastic bag. Put this inside your little summer sack.)

Ask: Who remembers what I called my sack last week? (Let the children respond.) It is my little summer sack. It is summertime, and I have something to show you each week that fits inside this little sack. Does anyone want to guess what is in my sack today? Let me give you a hint. One piece of this is very little, but you can find a lot of this at the beach. (If the children need another clue, say: "You can walk on this at the beach, and it sticks to your feet." Pull the little bag of sand out of your summer sack.) You guessed right! I have sand!

Say: Jesus liked to tell stories to his friends. It was usually a simple little story, but it had a bigger meaning. Today’s story is about sand. Jesus told about two house builders. One builder built his house on sand. (Show the children the sand.) Let’s pretend you are at the beach. You build a great sandcastle, and you are so proud of your hard work. What happens when the water comes up from the ocean? (Give the children an opportunity to respond.) The water washes your sandcastle away, right? A similar thing happened to this builder. He built his house on the sand. The rains came, the wind blew, and his house fell flat!

Continue: Then Jesus told about another builder. This builder dug deep in the ground until he found some solid rock. That is where he built his house. The rains came, the winds blew, and the house that was built on the rock stood still! Which builder do you think did the smart thing? (Let the children respond.) The builder who put his house on solid rock was the one who did the smart thing. His house stood still.

Continue: That was a simple little story, but Jesus was teaching his friends something bigger by telling them this story. Jesus said, “If you hear me but do not obey me, you are like the house that was built on the sand.” (Show the sand again.) It fell flat! Then Jesus said, “But if you do listen to me and obey me, you are like the house that was built on the rock.” That builder was smart, and he did the right thing. Jesus wants us to do the right thing. Jesus wants us to listen to him and obey him too.

(Put the bag of sand back in your little summer sack.)

Say: Last week I brought some seeds. This week I brought some sand. I wonder what I can find next week that will fit in my little summer sack. I hope you will come back so I can show you what I find.

Pray: Dear God, if we listen and obey you, we are like the smart builder. We are doing the right thing. Help us to remember this story that Jesus told his friends. Amen.

Anita Edlund is a former preschool teacher and has worked with children for over 25 years. Currently, she is a freelance writer and preschool consultant. She has written for Exploring Faith, VBS, Live BIG, The Children's Teacher, and BibleZone Live. Anita is also the author of several curriculum books, including Stepping Stones of Faith for Preschoolers.

July 18
Matthew 13:31-32; 17:20

My B.I.G. Bible Stories and my LITTLE Summer Sack: The Mustard Seed
(Before the children’s sermon, place a mustard seed or other tiny seed inside your little summer sack. Tape it to a small piece of paper or index card so that it can be found when you need it.)

Say: I really worked hard this week to find something that would fit in my little summer sack. It is so, so small that I had to tape it to a card so I would not lose it. (Pull out the mustard seed taped to a card.) Can you see what I brought today? (Let the children respond that it is a seed.) That’s right! It is a seed — a very tiny seed. I think this is about the smallest thing I could find this week!

Continue: I told you one story about a farmer who had a lot of seeds and planted them in the ground. Some of his seeds grew, and some of them did not. But Jesus told his friends another story, and this story was about one tiny little seed.

(Show the children your seed again.)

Say: Jesus told his friends about a seed called a mustard seed. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds we have, but when it is planted, it grows into a big, big tree. The tree is so big that even the birds like to come and sit on the branches. That was the whole story that Jesus told his friends. Not only was it about a tiny seed, it was a tiny story!

Continue: But just like the other stories I have shared with you, Jesus had something bigger that he wanted his friends to understand. This is what Jesus wanted his friends to know: God’s love can be in one person’s heart. It starts very small, like that tiny little seed. That person loves God, and then he or she tells someone else about God’s love. Now God’s love is in two people’s hearts. Those two people love God, and they tell two more people about God’s love. What is happening here?

(See how the children respond.)

Say: God’s love is growing to more and more people! God’s love is not in just one heart anymore. God’s love is in many, many hearts! Remember that mustard seed? It was a tiny seed, but it grew into a big tree. When we do nice things and help other people, we are sharing God’s love. When we ask someone to come to church with us, we are sharing God’s love. When we tell someone that God loves that person, we are sharing God’s love. That is how God’s love can grow.

(Hold up the seed and the sack.)

Say: That seed I brought today was so small that it was hard to see, wasn’t it? I will find something a little bigger for my little summer sack next week. Even though that seed was small, we learned a big lesson from it. We can share God’s love with other people. Then there will be many, many people who love God.

Pray: Dear God, we want to share your love with other people so it can grow like that tiny mustard seed. We want your love to be in many, many hearts! Amen.

Anita Edlund is a former preschool teacher and has worked with children for over 25 years. Currently, she is a freelance writer and preschool consultant. She has written for Exploring Faith, VBS, Live BIG, The Children's Teacher, and BibleZone Live. Anita is also the author of several curriculum books, including Stepping Stones of Faith for Preschoolers.

July 25
Luke 15:1-7

My B.I.G. Bible Stories and my LITTLE Summer Sack: The Lost Sheep
(Before the children’s sermon, place a single cotton ball inside your little summer sack. Have a bag of one hundred cotton balls in a larger sack that the children cannot see yet.)

Say: I told you I would bring something bigger today in my little summer sack. But do you think I did that? Can you feel anything in my sack?

(Let some of the children feel your little summer sack. Open the sack and show the children that there is one little cotton ball inside. Pull it out to use in the story.)

Say: I thought I could trick you. It was hard to feel that cotton ball in there, wasn’t it? It is bigger than that tiny seed I showed you last week! And look! I brought a bigger sack too. (Show the children the larger sack.) Do you want to guess what is inside this sack? (Let the children guess; then open it and pull out the bag of one hundred cotton balls.) More cotton balls!

Continue: Each week I have been telling you a story that Jesus told to his friends. Jesus did not tell his friends a story about cotton balls, but he did tell them a story about sheep. Cotton balls remind me of sheep. Jesus told his friends to pretend that they were shepherds. What does a shepherd do? (Let the children respond.) A shepherd takes care of the sheep. He makes sure that his sheep have food to eat and water to drink. A shepherd makes sure that the sheep don’t wander away. Jesus told his friends to pretend that they were shepherds and that they had one hundred sheep. That’s the same number of cotton balls I have in my big sack.

(Show the children the bag of one hundred cotton balls again.)

Say: I imagine at nighttime, the shepherd would count all of his sheep to make sure they were there. He would count 1-2-3-4-5 and go all the way to 100! When he counted 100, he would know that all of his sheep were there! He did a good job that day. Not a single sheep was lost! Then Jesus asked them, “What would you do if one of your sheep got lost?” (Show the children the one little cotton ball from your sack.) Wow, one little sheep all alone. Do you think a shepherd would say, “Oh, well. At least I brought most of my sheep home”? No! A good shepherd would go and look for the one that was lost!

Continue: “If you had a little sheep that was lost,” Jesus said, “you would be very happy to find it. You would probably pick him up and carry him home! You would even call your friends and tell them that you found your sheep that was lost!”

Continue: Just like the other stories I told you, there is more to it than just the story. Jesus had something bigger that he wanted his friends to learn about God. Jesus wanted his friends to know that God is like that good shepherd. A good shepherd loves all of his sheep, and God loves all of the people. A good shepherd takes care of his sheep. God takes care of the people. A good shepherd is happy when he finds the little sheep that ran away. If we do something wrong like the little sheep, God is happy when we say that we are sorry.

Continue: I’m going to give you a cotton ball to take home with you today. I want you to put it in your pocket. Every time you feel that cotton ball in your pocket, you can remember the story that Jesus told his friends. It will help you remember that God loves you and takes care of you, just like a good shepherd takes care of his sheep. Let’s pray, and then I will give you a cotton ball to carry home with you.

Pray: Dear God, thank you for this story that Jesus told his friends. We learned that a good shepherd loves his sheep and takes care of them. You are like a good shepherd to us. You love us and take care of us. Thank you for doing that. Amen.

(Give a cotton ball to each child who wants one.)

Anita Edlund is a former preschool teacher and has worked with children for over 25 years. Currently, she is a freelance writer and preschool consultant. She has written for Exploring Faith, VBS, Live BIG, The Children's Teacher, and BibleZone Live. Anita is also the author of several curriculum books, including Stepping Stones of Faith for Preschoolers.

B.I.G. Theme: Wanted: Heroes for God
B.I.G. Idea: We believe that God will help us have the courage to do hard things.
B.I.G. Bible Verse: Be strong, and let your heart take courage. (Psalm 31:24)

June 6
David and Goliath
1 Samuel 17

(You will need a yardstick and four sheets of construction paper this month. Turn the papers sideways, and write one letter on each sheet of construction paper as large as you can: H, E, R, and O. One letter will be used each week. By the end of the month, the word hero is spelled out.)

(Show the children the yardstick in your hand. Ask if they know why we use a measuring stick.)

Say: A yardstick is used to measure things. We might want to measure a board to see how long it is; we might want to measure and see how tall we have grown. Well, this month we are going to hear stories from our Bible about people that really “measured up.” That does not mean that they were big people. It just means that they were big people in God’s eyes. They were people who had a lot of courage when they were afraid. They were people who really believed in God when it was not cool to believe in God.

Continue: One person who I think “measured up” is David. David was not a big man. He was the youngest boy in his family. His job was to take care of the family’s sheep. But one day David did something really BIG.

Continue: David’s brothers were in the army. Goliath was in the other army. And Goliath was HUGE! He was over nine feet tall! It would take at least three of these measuring sticks just to measure him. Goliath was acting like a bully. He kept saying, “Choose your best soldier to come out and fight me. If your man wins, we will work for you. But if I win, you have to work for us. “All of the soldiers were scared of Goliath — he was so big!

Continue: David did not like what Goliath was saying. He told the king that he would go out and fight Goliath. The king said, “David, you are just a boy. Goliath has been a soldier for a long, long time.” He tried to get David to wear a helmet. He wanted David to carry a sword. But David did not do it. He went down to the water, picked up five stones, and put them in his little leather pouch. He went over to Goliath and said, “You come out to fight me with a sword and a spear. I come out to fight you in the name of the Lord. God will help me.” David may have been a little guy, but he sure had a big faith! David took one little stone, put it in his slingshot, and swung it around his head. That little stone hit Goliath right in the head, and he fell down to the ground. David won the fight.

Continue: When we read this story in the Bible, the people called Goliath their “hero.”

Ask: What is a hero? (Let the children respond.)

Say: A hero is someone who may do something really great or someone who has a lot of courage to do something hard. People look up to heroes because they think they are so brave. I don’t think that Goliath was the hero after all. I think David was the hero, don’t you?

Close: I am going to put the letter H on our measuring stick. (Use curled tape on the back of the letter H to attach it to the measuring stick.) H is for hero, and that is just what David was. I think David really “measured up.” He may have been little, but he had a big faith that God would help him. Let’s pray and thank God for David.

Pray: Dear God, thank you for David. He really was a hero for you. David believed that you would help him. We can believe that you will help us when we have hard things to do too. Amen.

Anita Edlund is a former preschool teacher and has worked with children for over 25 years. Currently, she is a freelance writer and preschool consultant. She has written for Exploring Faith, VBS, Live BIG, The Children's Teacher, and BibleZone Live. Anita is also the author of several curriculum books, including her latest, Stepping Stones of Faith for Preschoolers.

June 13
Joshua and the Battle of Jericho
Joshua 6:1-16, 20, 27

(Before the children’s sermon, have your measuring stick ready with the letter H from last week. If you attached it with curls of tape last week, you may want to make sure it is firmly attached now so that it will not fall off as you tell today’s story. Place the large letter E (as prepared last week) in your lap.)

(Cup your hands around your mouth. Speak with excitement.)

Say: Hello, boys and girls! (Have them shout “hello” back to you or to the moms and dads in the crowd.)

Continue: Do you know why I did that? It got your attention, for one thing. But I wanted you to understand my word for today. My word for today is exclaim, and it starts with the letter E.

(Show the children your letter E, but do not attach it to the measuring stick yet.)

Say: That is what I just did — I exclaimed! That means you say something loudly or you shout it out. Our Bible story today is about some people who “exclaimed.” They shouted. Let’s see what all this shouting is about.

Continue: There were two teams of people in our story today, and they were fighting each other.

Say: The people of Jericho were afraid of the Israelites. They built a wall all around their city, and they were on the inside of that wall. The Israelites were God’s people, and Joshua was their leader. They were on the outside of that wall. God told Joshua, “With my help, you and your army will defeat Jericho.” Then God told Joshua just what to do in order to win. God said, “I want you to march around the walls of Jericho one time each day. Do this for six days.”

On Day 1, Joshua and his army marched around Jericho.

On Day 2, Joshua and his army marched around Jericho.

Ask: What do you think Joshua and his army did on Day 3? (Let the children respond that they marched around Jericho.)

On Day 4, 5, and 6, they did the same thing.

Say: But on day seven, God said, “I want you and your army to do something different. I want you to march around the walls of Jericho seven times, and then I want you to BLOW your trumpets! After that, I want all the people to SHOUT. When you do this, the walls around Jericho will come tumbling down, and you will win.”

Continue: Joshua and his army did just what God said to do. They marched around the walls of Jericho seven times. 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7. They BLEW their trumpets. Then all the people EXCLAIMED! (Cup your hands around your mouth and say that loudly.)

Ask: What does exclaimed mean? (See if the children remember what you told them earlier.) It means they SHOUTED! When they shouted or exclaimed, the walls around Jericho came tumbling down!

Say: What a loud shout that must have been! Joshua had a big job to do. He was the leader of God’s people. He may have been scared of the people inside that wall, and it took courage for him to do all this. I’d say that Joshua was a hero for God.

Close: Last week, we heard about David and Goliath. The people thought Goliath was the hero, but David was the one that measured up to be the hero. H was for hero. (Point to the letter H on the measuring stick.) Today the important word was exclaimed. Joshua and the people exclaimed so loudly that the walls around Jericho came tumbling down. E is for exclaimed. (Attach the letter E to the measuring stick under the previous letter.) David and Joshua both had something hard to do. God helped them have the courage to do those things. They were heroes for God. Let’s pray and thank God for Joshua.

Pray: Dear God, thank you for Joshua. He really was a hero for you. Joshua needed courage to do what he did. You helped him have that courage. We believe that you will help us have courage when we have hard things to do too. Amen.

Anita Edlund is a former preschool teacher and has worked with children for over 25 years. Currently, she is a freelance writer and preschool consultant. She has written for Exploring Faith, VBS, Live BIG, The Children's Teacher, and BibleZone Live. Anita is also the author of several curriculum books, including her latest, Stepping Stones of Faith for Preschoolers.

June 20
The Fiery Furnace
Daniel 3

(Bring with you the measuring stick with the letters H and E firmly attached. Have the letter R ready to attach today.)

Ask: How would you feel if your name was Nebuchadnezzar? Do you think your friends might laugh at you? Well, there are a lot of funny names in the Bible story I want to tell you today.

Say: Nebuchadnezzar was a king, and he had a large gold statue made. King Nebuchadnezzar told all of the people, “When you hear the music play, you must bow down. You must worship my gold statue. If you do not, I will have you thrown into a big fire.”

(Say the following chant and then let the children repeat it after you.)

Fire! Fire! Fire!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Say: There were three men who did not want to worship this gold statue. They believed in God, and God is the one they wanted to worship. Their names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. See, I told you there were funny names in our story today!

Continue: King Nebuchadnezzar said, “When you hear the music, you must bow down and worship this gold statue.” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego heard the music, but they did not bow down and worship the statue.

Fire! Fire! Fire!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

But worship your god?

We will NOT, NOT, NOT! (Shake head no.)

(Let the children repeat the chant with you.)

Say: They refused to worship the gold statue. King Nebuchadnezzar called for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He said, “I hear that you did not bow down to my gold statue. I will give you one more chance. When you hear the music now, you can bow down, and you will be safe.”

Fire! Fire! Fire!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

But worship your god?

We will NOT, NOT, NOT! (Shake head no.)

(Each time the chant is used, the children can participate.)

Say: Again, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the gold statue. “We will not worship a statue. We want to worship God. That is the right thing to do.” It took courage to say that to the king! The king was very angry. “Make the fire even hotter!” he said. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the hot, hot fire.

Continue: Later the king went to check on them. When he looked in, he did not see THREE men in the fire. He saw FOUR! And they were walking around. They were not burning up. God sent an angel to be with them in the hot, hot fire.

Close: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all measured up to be heroes for God. They had courage to tell the king, “No, we will not worship your gold statue.” So for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we are going to add the letter R to our measuring stick today. (Attach the letter R to the measuring stick.) The letter R is for refused. They refused to worship anyone but God.

Fire! Fire! Fire!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

But worship your god?

We will NOT, NOT, NOT! (Shake head no.)

(If time allows, briefly review the previous letters.)

Say: H was for hero. David was a hero when he had the courage to fight Goliath. E was for exclaimed. Joshua and his army marched around Jericho. When they exclaimed (or shouted), the walls around Jericho came tumbling down. R is for refused. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the gold statue. All of these people were heroes for God. God helped each one of them have courage when he needed it.

Pray: Dear God, thank you for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were all heroes for you. It took courage for them to tell the king, “No, we will not worship your statue.” We believe that you will help us have courage when we need it too. Amen.

Anita Edlund is a former preschool teacher and has worked with children for over 25 years. Currently, she is a freelance writer and preschool consultant. She has written for Exploring Faith, VBS, Live BIG, The Children's Teacher, and BibleZone Live. Anita is also the author of several curriculum books, including her latest, Stepping Stones of Faith for Preschoolers.

June 27
Esther
Book of Esther

(Show the children the measuring stick with the three letters on it. Briefly review what each letter represents.)

Say: I brought our measuring stick again today. We have been hearing stories of people who “measured up” to be heroes for God. That does not mean they were big people. It means that they had a big faith in God. They knew God would help them in whatever they had to do.

(You can review the letters or ask the children to see how much they remember.)

Say: H was for hero. David was a hero when he had the courage to fight Goliath. E was for exclaimed. Joshua and his army marched around Jericho. When they exclaimed (or shouted), the walls around Jericho came tumbling down. R is for refused. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the golden statue. All of these men were heroes for God. God helped each one of them have courage when they needed it.

Continue: Today I have a story for you about a woman who was a hero for God. Her name was Esther. When Esther was a little girl, she lived with her cousin, named Mordecai. She did not have a family, and he took good care of her. When she grew up, Esther was chosen to be the new queen. Let’s listen to Esther’s story:

This is the story of Esther, one I’d like you to know.

So gather ‘round and listen to hear of this Bible hero.

Now Esther had no family; she lived with Mordecai.

He was Esther’s cousin; he kept her close by his side.

One new day the king’s men came looking for a queen.

They spotted Esther, and they thought she was the prettiest they had seen.

Mordecai cared for Esther, and he said, “I want you to obey.

Do not tell the king at all that you are a Jewish woman today.”

Some people did not like the Jews living in their midst.

So Esther obeyed Mordecai; her secret never left her lips.

Now Haman also worked for the king; he really hated the Jews.

He decided to have them all killed and got the king to agree to it too!

This caused Queen Esther’s heart to stir; her people were in danger, it’s true.

“Should I go now to the king and tell him that I am a Jew?”

Mordecai sent Esther a message; he said, “Please, please obey.

NOW tell the king you are a Jew and save your people today.”

Esther thought, “If I tell the king now, he might be angry with me.

But if I just say nothing, my people will be killed, you see.”

So Queen Esther got up courage to tell the king her news.

“I am a Jewish woman; please save my people, the Jews.”

Now the king loved Esther; he listened to her plea.

When she asked that he change the plans, he said, “Most certainly!”

The Jews were glad to hear the news; “Hooray for Esther!” they called.

Because of Queen Esther’s courage, they would not be hurt at all.

Close: Esther listened to her cousin Mordecai, and Esther obeyed. She was able to save her people, the Jews, from being killed. Since Esther OBEYED, we will add the letter O to our measuring stick.

Say: Oh, our measuring stick is full! Let’s look at all the letters we have: H-E-R-O. Do all these letters together make a word? Can you tell me what word this is? (See if the children can respond that it is the word hero.)

Continue: All of the stories we have heard this month have been about people that were heroes for God. Each one had something hard to do, but God gave each of them courage to do what they needed to do. They ALL measured up to be heroes — heroes for God. Let’s thank God for Queen Esther.

Pray: Dear God, thank you for Esther. Thank you for all the other heroes whose stories we have heard too. You helped them have courage when they needed it most. Help us remember that you will help us have courage when we need it too. Amen.

Anita Edlund is a former preschool teacher and has worked with children for over 25 years. Currently, she is a freelance writer and preschool consultant. She has written for Exploring Faith, VBS, Live BIG, The Children's Teacher, and BibleZone Live. Anita is also the author of several curriculum books, including her latest, Stepping Stones of Faith for Preschoolers.