Dare to be different
How can you dare to be different?
This week we’re looking at Daniel and how he decided that his relationship with
God was more important that anything else.
He even risked getting into trouble in order to follow God and his ways.
The service starts at 9:30am on stwderby.online.church
But this button will go live at 10am on Sunday 31st January for you to watch the service again if you missed it live! It’s our first ever Werb’s Kids Service so it’s worth a watch!
Hope you enjoyed our very first Werb’s Kids Service this morning!!
We would love to know your feedback so please don’t hesitate to message or email (amy.farrar@stwderby.org) so that we can keep making it better and better!
We started a new series all about Daniel which the rest of the church is doing too so you could talk to your whole family about the same thing and learn together!
Today we focused on Daniel Chapter 1 where Daniel and his friends dared to be different!
do you remember what happened in the story?
Why not try and act it out now! Remember they ate ALOT of vegetables!!
I think the real question is: do you think you could eat vegetables like them every day for every single meal!?
Well, Daniel and his friends did it because they wanted to please God more than anyone else.
They knew that the rich food and wine that was prepared for them wouldn’t have been what God wanted them to have so they stood up and refused to join in with the crowd. They weren’t going to allow anything get in the way of their relationship with God!
It can be scary sometimes to act differently to others and to choose to follow God but like Daniel in the story today God will give us the strength we need to do it.
What are some things that you know others do that you shouldn’t? Can you be brave enough to be different and not join in?
Here are a few ways you can DARE TO BE DIFFERENT every day:
Pray!
Even if you’re with others who don’t like to pray don’t let that stop you from talking to God.Be kind to everyone!
If your friends ever decide to not like someone or start being mean about someone, think about whether that is kind and choose not to join in. You could even choose to be super kind to that person and become their friend or check that they are okay.
What do you think about someone who looks different to you or can’t speak the same language as you? No matter who they are everyone deserves a kindness.Don’t get grumpy or hold a grudge!
Sometimes if things don’t go our way or if someone does something wrong to us we can be get annoyed and not be nice. But in the bible Jesus talks about forgiveness and as his followers we need to be quick to forgive and slow to get angry.Do your best and work hard!
God loves it when we try to be our best. Sometimes it’s easy to do the smallest bit of work or we think it’s fun to mess around instead of working but this isn’t kind to those teaching us so try not be like others and be your best!
GO DEEPER!
SPARKS (Preschool)
Daniel and his friends ate only vegetables as they didn’t want to upset God or do anything that would get in the way of their friendship with God.
Do you like vegetables?
Do you like carrots?
Or peas or sweetcorn/?
Talk about some vegetables that you like to eat.
To think more about vegetables, get some out to eat together.
How would you feel if you had to only eat this every day. Would you be happy?
Think about other foods that you love to eat. Would you eat vegetables instead of those things?
Explain to your child that when they are older they might have to decide to do things that please God, rather than what their friends want.
And when that time comes, God will help them to be brave and decide to do the right thing.
Finish by praying:
“Dear God,
Thank you that you helped Daniel to follow you.
Please help me to stand up for you and to do the right thing.
Amen.”
FLAMES (KS1)
Put together two platters of food – one of cake, chocolate and other rich food; the other of fruit and vegetables (cut them up so you an actually eat them at the end!)
Look at the 2 plates of food and think about the following question:
What would you choose to eat?
What would be best for you? Is that what you chose?
Are the things that are best for you always less attractive?
Think again about the story. If you need to reread it here is a copy of Daniel 1.
Why wouldn't Daniel eat the food he was offered?
What was the result after Daniel and his friends had eaten vegetables for 10 days?
What did God do because of Daniel's actions?
Have a think about why Daniel was able to be different.
It’s because Daniel’s heart totally belonged to God.
Have a think about what kind of things might be found in Daniel's heart – for instance, love for God, loyalty, courage.
Now have a think about what’s in your heart.
Write down things (qualities) that you would like to have in your heart. You could write each of these things on separate pieces of paper.
Once you’ve written these down place them inside an envelope or stick them to another piece of paper and fold it in half.
Draw a heart on the outside of the envelope or paper.
Alternatively, you could make your own heart shaped box to keep their slips in.
Finish by praying that God would grow these qualities in their hearts.
BLAZE (KS2)
Either using some cardboard or a paper plate make a special meal on it. You could use paints or any kind of recycling or other materials you can find at home to make food. Make it a grand, very posh meal that would be fit for a king!
Here are some good suggestions:
Big roast dinner with all the trimmings like pigs in blankets and Yorkshire puddings
Fancy fish served in a white sauce with lots of vegetables.
Whole birds roasted and served on a bed of salad.
Big fancy desserts like cakes and trifles
Cover a table with a cloth and make it look like a banquet with your plates of food and maybe some big bottles of juice or empty glass bottles as ‘wine’.
Think about the story: Daniel had been taken to Babylon from Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar along with a number of other young boys. The King wanted to treat the boys well, as they were going to be servants to him in the royal palace. The King had ordered them to be trained for three years so that they knew everything about Babylon! Daniel was only young; no older than 16 but already he loved God and did his best to serve him and to obey his laws.
Have a little look at the book of the bible called Deuteronomy and read Chapter 14 verses 3-21. Can you summarise the diet laws that God had given his people?
Now look at the foods on the banquet table you’ve made. On their first day of training the boys were taken into the dining room for lunch and saw a great array of food on the table just like this.
BUT REMEMBER, Daniel and his friends had special diet laws - the ones you just read, so think why this food in front of Daniel and his friends was a problem. (There may have been forbidden meat on the table – if the meat was in stew Daniel wouldn't know what type of meat it was. Daniel didn't know if it had been killed in the right way like God had asked. He didn't know if wine had been used in the sauces.)
Do you remember what Daniel did about this?
(He asked a guard to eat something different.)
Why was the guard scared about this?
(He knew he’d get into big trouble if the boys didn’t look healthy.)
So what could Daniel do? How can he keep God's laws AND not get the guard in trouble?
(He came up with a compromise to eat veg for 10 days which God honoured and made the boys strong!)
Daniel worked hard but even though he learned a lot about Babylonian culture he never turned his back on God. He continued to keep God's rules and to pray daily. He didn't start doing the things that the Babylonians did that God had forbidden. And at the end of their training, Daniel and his three friends were the best! They were wiser and cleverer than any of the other boys, and the King made them part of his government.
Think about how Daniel made choices about how he lived. What things did he give up?
Why do you think it mattered to Daniel what he ate?
What choices do we sometimes have to make if we want to live God's best life?
FUN ACTIVITIES + CRAFTS!
For those who LOVE colouring and activity sheets check these out:
Make your own Daniel Food Basket
HERE is one way of making the basket of Daniel’s food.HERE is another slightly more complicated way of making a basket - this ones woven!
Alternatively you could create your own basket out of recycling you have at home and then make your own vegetables too out of modelling clay or play-dough!GET MESSY! Using some of the food you have in the cupboards or in the fridge make a picture of yourself. Some foods that might work well: any kind of spread (jam/nutella etc), some tinned foods like rice pudding or chopped tomatoes and maybe chopped up fruit or veg might be good to use too!
ANY MESS YOU MAKE YOU MUST CLEAN UP!!!In Daniel's time the Jews had a lot of laws to obey – they were laws that helped them to live healthy lives as well as to live happy lives that pleased God.
Throughout the New Testament, God and Jesus gave many rules to Christians to help them to live the best way possible. Can you think what some of these might be?
You might want to look up Mathew 5:23-25, and 38-48, Matthew 6:25-34, Ephesians 6:1-8 if you are not sure. Why do these things help us to live a good life – why should we want to live God's best life rather than doing things that look like more “fun”?
Create a poster showing HOW to live God's best life and WHY we should do that.
Vegetables and fruit can be yummy especially when paired with chocolate or honey or hummus and other sauces! Have a mini picnic and fun with fondue!
WORSHIP + PRAYER
Think about whether you would like to be different for God like Daniel was.
Have a think about where and how you need to be different. In what ways can you be a better person?
Maybe you could pick up litter regularly or just pray more or help out more without being asked. Or maybe you want to be different in the way you talk to others. Not joining in when others gossip or talk mean about someone else.
Sometimes writing down or drawing these ideas will help you remember them. So you might like to find your own space to talk to God about how you’d like to be different.
Alternatively you might already feel quite different and feel like you are suffering or hurting because of it. If this is the case talk to your parents and pray together. Being different is good and should be celebrated but it can be hard and painful at times to stand out so pray God will help you when it is hard and surround you with friends and family who help you see being different as good.
Check out this song below.
The words are amazing and I think Daniel would have loved this song as it speaks about giving God everything which is exactly what he did. Daniel let God into every part of his life even choosing his meal to please God.
Is there any part of your life where you don’t let God in? Or maybe there are times when you hide the fact you go to church or follow God? Maybe think about this and talk to God as you listen to this song.
Created using several sources including energize.uk.net
