For such a time as this!
Hi Werb’s Kids and Werb’s Parents!
Another week has passed and we’ve gone from super sunny to crazy stormy in just days! The weather doesn’t seem to want to make up it’s mind but I hope in the midst of it you are all doing okay.
Things are changing so much it feels like slowly we might be heading back and returning to something like what we remember but a new normal has definitely started.
Today we’re looking at someone in the bible who was a bit of hero and is known for her bravery! Hence why I’ve chosen this image of a boy being a superhero this week!
I decided that I wouldn’t pick a well known hero because I wanted to remind you that you can all be heroes too.
There’s a saying: not all heroes where capes.
We think about the NHS going the extra mile and other key workers who have gone above and beyond at this time.
But I want to remind you that you can have a superhero presence too.
I pray this week you will find opportunities to show that caring for others is what a real superhero does. A simple smile can change a life.
You are a hero for staying in during lockdown.
You are a hero for wearing a mask to protect others.
You are a hero for caring about your neighbours.
You are a hero.
Stay safe and stay connected
Love Amy
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
This week we’re looking at the story Esther!
Now she’s pretty famous when it comes to women in the bible!
She is one of the BRAVEST women who helped God’s people and saved them.
But I wonder what you think makes someone brave? Can you make a list of what you think it means to be brave?
At the beginning of Esther’s story the King is looking for a new Queen and so she dresses herself up and makes herself beautiful before going in front of the King which results in her being chosen to be the next Queen putting her in the perfect position to save her people!
SO LET’S DO THIS!
Imagine you are going to meet the King too! Either dress up as smart as you can or dress up as a jester or clown to entertain him!
Maybe play with some makeup or if you don’t want to put make up on maybe use some face paint to make your face funny! MAKE SURE YOU ASK PERMISSION FIRST!!
Why not pamper each other or maybe do your hair or someone else’s! I challenge you to do the craziest hairstyle you can!!
I think God wants to talk to us about what it really means to be BRAVE.
TO BE BRAVE DOESN’T MEAN YOU DON’T FEAR…
I would love to know what you wrote before when I asked you to think about what it means when someone is brave.
Did you write anything about fear or being afraid? Read the quote below.
“Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared. Being brave means you are scared, really scared, badly scared, and you do the right thing anyway.
- Neil Gaiman”
What do you think about this?
Think of times when you have shown courage or bravery, maybe going to the dentist, taking a music exam, owning up for doing something wrong, speaking out in a lesson etc.
You probably did feel a little scared at the time but pushed through and were brave to face the situation.
Watch this short clip from A Bugs Life. The film is all about an ant called Flik who has to save his colony from a gang of nasty grasshoppers.
In this clip the ants are collecting food for the grasshoppers who have bullied them into collecting food for them to eat.
Sometimes when there is a crisis the first instinct is to give in to panic just like the ant did when the leaf fell in front of him and he lost the guys he was following!
In our session today we are talking about a young Jewish girl who had the courage to step out in a crisis when things got really bad and save her people from a horrible situation.
Courage or bravery is often seeing what needs to be done and then having the guts to carry it out.
When we listen to Esther’s story we see how brave she was. But she would have been scared when facing the King. There was the risk that the King could have sentenced her to death.
In fact in our story Mordecai and Esther both show enormous trust in each other and in God; they were both extremely courageous – both willing to risk their lives – Mordecai in showing his grief as a Jew to the law and Esther in making up her mind to go uninvited into the king's presence. Hope was shown through the belief that Esther was in the right place at just the right time, not through coincidence or chance but God's divine plan.
So being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid. Being brave is all about seeing what you’re afraid of and deciding to face it. Being brave enough to stand up for right is the most amazing thing anyone can do.
Watch the story below to see just how brave Esther was.
In the Jewish culture they tell the Esther as a celebration of how God saved his people!
When they tell the story they shout loudly, boo and make LOADS of noise when Haman’s name is mentioned because of the bad things he did the story.
This sounds like a lot of fun so let’s do it now!
Later in the crafts you can make a shaker to help you make EVEN MORE noise when Haman’s name is said!
Our story begins in Persia where some of God’s people (the Israelites also known as the Jews) were living. There was a King who ruled the land and he was called Xerxes.
One day, the King decided that he wanted a new wife. A beautiful wife!
So all the prettiest girls in Persia came to the palace and made themselves beautiful, and Xerxes chose one of them to be his Queen.
King Xerxes chose a girl called Esther and she was very beautiful. She was also a Jew, one of God’s special people, but the King didn’t know that as she had kept it a secret.
Queen Esther had a cousin called Mordecai. Even when she was queen they kept in contact by sending each other notes.
Now there was a man called HAMAN (BOOOOOOOOO!). He was one of King Xerxes’s advisers and helped him make important decisions.
HAMAN (BOOOOOOOOO!) liked people to treat him as if he was special.
He thought people should bow down to him when he walked past. And most people did.
But Mordecai, the Queen’s cousin, never bowed to HAMAN (BOOOOOOOOO!).
Mordecai loved God and thought it was wrong to bow to anyone else.
This made HAMAN (BOOOOOOOOO!) mad! So mad that he decided to get rid of Mordecai and his whole family. In fact, he decided to get rid of all the Jews!
So he came up with a plan and went to the King.
He convinced King Xerxes to make a new law. He said that on the 13th of April every Jew could be killed. HAMAN (BOOOOOOOOO!) went away happy, but when the Jews heard about the new law they were very upset. Mordecai sent a note to Esther to tell her about the plan. Esther sent a note back to Mordecai to say she wasn’t allowed to just talk to the King – she had to wait until he invited her to see him: that was the rules!
Mordecai sent a note to Esther saying that she must try to see the King and maybe she was born for such a time as this! Esther sent a note back again saying that she would try. If you went before the King without asking this could put her life in danger! But she said that would risk it and try to save her people. But first she asked Mordecai to get all of God’s people to pray for 3 days.
Mordecai asked all the Jews to pray. And then Esther went to see the King.
He was pleased to see her, so Esther invited the King and HAMAN (BOOOOOOOOO!) to come and have dinner with her. The King agreed, so HAMAN (BOOOOOOOOO!) and Xerxes had dinner with Esther that evening.
The next day, Esther invited the king and HAMAN (BOOOOOOOOO!) to dinner with her again. When they arrived Esther looked very sad. The King was worried and asked her what the matter was.
Esther explained that she was a Jew, and all the Jews were going to be killed because of the new law.
King Xerxes decided to change the law that he had made, so that none of the Jews would be hurt.
The King was very angry with HAMAN (BOOOOOOOOO!) and how sneaky he had been. He got rid of HAMAN (BOOOOOOOOO!) immediately after putting his wife and all her people in danger.
What’s really important is what Esther did before she went to speak to the king…she prayed! And she got all of God’s family to pray too! Praying is really important – we should always pray before we do anything. As we’ve said many times before praying is simply talking to God.
Asking God to help you in hard times and give you the courage and bravery to face whatever comes your way is super important and God will never let you down.
Finish by praying this prayer:
“Lord, thank you for always helping me. Please help me to remember to pray when I have hard or difficult things to face. Amen.”
All ages:
Esther was a real-life superhero and Queen! Have a little think about the questions below in response to the story today.
What makes someone a superhero? (Brave, rescues people, cool, etc)
Who is your favourite superhero? Why?
Do you know anyone in real life who has done something really really brave?
Now let’s think specifically about Esther…
How would they describe Queen Esther? (Brave, beautiful, served God by doing what He asked, cared about others, etc.)
What would you have done if you were in Queen Esther's position? (Would you have been too scared to speak up or would you have stepped out even if it was very scary to do so?)
How did she show God she loved Him? (She showed she loved God by being brave and doing something difficult, using her position as queen)
How can we be like Queen Esther? (think of practical ways we can be brave and do the right thing that God wants us to in the situations we are in)
What difficult things do we have to do sometimes? (think about at school, family changes, moving house, trying new things, lockdown and the coronavirus)
How can we be brave at those times? (Think of practical ways but also remember what Esther did when she needed to be brave….SHE PRAYED! Spend sometime praying for difficult situations you face or those that you know others face.
The Bible tells us that God will always be with us and help us.
Hebrews 13:6 says: ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?'
This verse encourages us to be brave and follow God, even when it's hard… just like Esther did!
Esther was just an ‘ordinary person'. God used her to save his people! God wants us to be brave and do difficult things for Him sometimes. We don't have to be Super-heroes to make a difference in our world. God can use ordinary people – just like us. Spend some time talking through situations in your own lives where God might want you to be really brave.
CRAFT IDEAS
Something to do during the talk
- Story colouring sheets ONE and TWO
- BRAVE colouring sheet
- Activity Sheet
- Crack the Code
- Can you draw how beautiful you think Esther was? Maybe even add a cape to her to show that she was an absolute hero!Make a loud instrument to help you retell the story!
You will need a loo roll, some rice or beads or dry pasta or lentils, pens and tape.
Decorate your tube first! Make it look amazing using colouring pens and pencils! If you have some stickers why not also use them to decorate your instrument?
Next tape one end closed. Make it secure so that none of the content will fall out when you shake your instrument later!
Next grab your rice/pasta/lentils and pour a small amount inside.
Then tape up the other end again making sure it’s not going to let any of the contents out!
You’re finished! Whenever HAMAN is mentioned in the story make a loud noise and shake your shaker as hard as you can!This is a simplified form of “Haman hats”, a traditional Jewish cookie eaten at Purim, when the Jews celebrate Esther’s story.
You will need: Ready to roll pastry, cookie cutters or a sharp knife, fruit jam and an oven.
PARENTS MUST HELP IN MAKING THESE!!
Start by cutting out circles of pastry.
In the middle of the circles of pastry they should put one small tea spoon of jam.
Next fold the pastry in half and then half again so that the cookie ends up in a triangle shape.
Keeping the top side open so the jam visible in the middle; press down the two sides using a fork to keep the jam in.
Put the finished cookies on grease proof paper on a baking tray and cook for 15-20 minutes at gas mark 5 or 190°C.
Once cooked let them cool before tucking in!!!Make a badge!
Esther was a real life superhero! She saved her people by being brave and made the world a better place. God wants to help you be brave each and every day. Make yourself your own badge to remind you that because God is with you, YOU ARE BRAVE just like Esther!You will need a paperclip or safety pin, some card, pens and tape.
First you need decide how big your badge is going to be. Draw an outline and cut out the shape.
Next decorate your badge! You may want to write something on your badge to show you’re brave like Esther. Here are a few suggestions:
- I AM BRAVE
- GOD MAKES ME BRAVE
- I’M BRAVE LIKE ESTHEROnce you’ve decorated your badge you may want to wrap it in clear cellotape. This is like laminating it and so will make it stronger! Next you need to tape on your safety pin or paper clip.
If you are using a safety pin get a grown up to help and make sure it is stuck on very well so that it will not fall off or hurt you.
You’re finished! Wear your badge with pride!!
listen to this!
Have you seen the live action version of Aladdin? I think it’s awesome!
There’s a bit of the twist if you know the original really well. As part of the story Jasmine speaks up and sings a song called speechless.
Similarly to Esther in our story today she cries out for her people to be saved and speaks out even when it’s scary.
Listen to the song and as you do think about what you would do if you were faced with an opportunity to speak out and do the right thing but it was scary to do so.
PUT SOMETHING INTO ACTION for such a time as this…
This time of lockdown has been different for us all.
But through it all God has been with us.
Spend some time in prayer now asking God what opportunities he wants to give you.
God wants to talk to us and as a church we were made for such a time as this!
We have the chance to spread hope and love instead of fear.
As you pray write down what you think God is saying. Maybe he’s saying check in on your neighbours. Maybe he’s saying make some cards to those who might be struggling or thank those you know have gone the extra mile during this season. Maybe he’s asking you to talk to a friend about Jesus or he’s asking you to invite someone to online church.
Whatever God says try to do it!
We were made for such a time as this. God’s love and hope needs to be shared in such a time as this.
Edited and adapted by Amy Farrar from several sources including energize.com
