Saved by the Abigail Bible Story: Saved by the Abigail (Abigail intervenes) Samuel 2:-3 Bottom Line: Prove you care about others by being part of the solution. Memory Verse: So let us do all we can to live in peace. And let us work hard to build each other up. Romans 4:, NIrV Life App: Peace proving you care more about each other than winning an argument. Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated. Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 0- minutes) Focus the energy on today s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question and an interactive opening activity. Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Pray that the kids in your group would start to see themselves as part of the solution. Ask God to bring solutions to their minds and to give them the courage to start taking action. Pray for the confidence to lead kids as they discuss how they can be part of the solution and prove they care about others.. Early Arriver Idea What You Need: An offering container Collect kids offerings as they arrive. Then talk with them about problems and solutions. Ask questions such as: What is the hardest problem you ve ever had to solve? What made it so difficult? Did you need someone s help to come up with the solution? [Make It Personal] Share about a time when you needed to come up with a solution to a problem. (Note: Your story doesn t have to be related to the Bible story. Just get the kids thinking about problems and solutions.) 2. Find the Solution What You Need: Find the Solution Activity Page (provided) Give everyone an Activity Page and give them several minutes to find the solution for the puzzle. Here are the basic rules of Sudoku: There is only one valid solution to each Sudoku puzzle. The only way the puzzle can be considered solved correctly is when all 8 boxes contain numbers and the other Sudoku rules have been followed. When you start a game of Sudoku, some blocks will be pre-filled for you. You cannot change these numbers in the course of the game. Each column must contain all of the numbers through and no two numbers in the same 20 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com
column of a Sudoku puzzle can be the same. Each row must contain all of the numbers through and no two numbers in the same row of a Sudoku puzzle can be the same. Each block must contain all of the numbers through and no two numbers in the same block of a Sudoku puzzle can be the same. Have you ever done a puzzle like that before? They can be super fun, but they can hard to figure out! What is a solution anyway? [Transition] Well, we re actually going to talk about being a solution today in Large Group not so much when it comes to a math problem, but more like when it comes to a problem. Let s go hear about it. Lead your group to the Large Group area. Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 2-30 minutes) Make the connection of how today s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive activities and discussion questions.. Write It Down (application activity) What You Need: Dictionary app, online dictionary, or dictionary; whiteboard or butcher paper; marker Begin by saying this week s Bottom Line together. [Impress] Prove you care about others by being part of the solution. Then, with the help of a dictionary, look up the word solution. There should be around seven definitions. Read them all out loud and then talk about which definition fits with this week s Bottom Line. Then once kids have picked a definition, write it on top of the white board. Then write out the Bottom Line, replacing the word solution with the definition chosen. Next, come up with some synonyms for the word solution. Finally, write out how being a part of the solution shows you care. For example: ) Solution: the act of solving a problem, question, etc. 2) Prove you care about others by being a part of solving the problem. 3) Key, resolution, the fix 4) Because it shows I care enough to want the problem to be fixed and that I want peace to last. -6 Challenge: Build community in your Small Group by helping facilitate a discussion where kids can help each other navigate through problems and solutions. Give each kid a sheet of paper and have them draw a line down the middle. On the left side, write the word Problem at the top of the column. On the right side, write Solution at the top of the column. Under the word Problem have kids write down problems they are facing. As they feel comfortable, have them talk with the group to consider some possible solutions to help them solve the problems on the left side of the page. 20 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 2
[Apply] Now that you really know what being a part of the solution means, how do you think it will make a difference in your life? What about in others lives? You [Impress] prove you care about others by being part of the solution. And when you help solve a problem between two people, you make peace! 2. Act It Out (application activity / review the Bible story) What You Need: No supplies needed Review today s story by asking the following questions:. What did David need from Nabal? 2. How did Nabal respond to David s request? 3. What did David plan to do to Nabal? 4. Who helped maintain peace between Nabal and David?. How did she provide a solution? 6. What is our Bottom Line today? Then divide the group into two smaller groups and let them discuss the following situations (one per group) and come up with a solution. Then ask them to act out the situation and the solution for the other group.. Two people on the bus are fighting over the last aisle seat available. Instead of working it out, they re both just getting more and more upset fighting over the seat. 2. Your friend Michael let your friend Joe borrow his favorite trading card. By accident, Joe spilled soda all over it. The card was ruined. Joe feels horrible about this, but Michael is REALLY mad. -6 Challenge: Instead of using the examples above, have kids come up with their own situations. They can either use the situations they wrote down in the previous activity or a situation they make up on the spot. Have each group act out the situation and a possible solution. Can you think of a time when you were the Abigail in a real life situation? How did it go? (Pause for responses.) [Make It Personal] (Tell your group about a time when you were the peacemaker and helped come up with a solution.) [Apply] Being part of the solution isn t always easy, but thankfully this isn t something you do in your own strength. God is there to help you figure out how you can help solve a problem. Where might you have to be part of a solution this week? (Have kids brainstorm some possible moments.) Rely on God to help you [Impress] prove you care about others by being a part of the solution, and caring about others is one way we can live and love like Jesus does! 3. Build It Up (memory verse activity / great for active learners) What You Need: 40 LEGO bricks with the words from the memory verse taped to them, Bibles Dump the set of blocks in the middle of your group. Explain that kids need to work together to build a person out of the blocks. But there s a catch: While building their person, the kids need place the blocks 20 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 3
with the words from the verse in order. When they re done, have kids look up the verse and make sure what they have is correct. Afterwards, talk about what it looks like to build a person up, like the verse says. What can they do specifically to build others up? Romans 4: tells us to do two things: First, we are to do all we can to live in peace, and second, we are to work hard to build each other up. If we re going to do all we can to live in peace, then that means we re going to have to help others live in peace too. You [Impress] prove you care about others by being part of the solution, and that helps others live in peace as well. Plus, when you build others up, like we talked about, you give them the power to be peaceful as well. [Apply] Who can you build up this week? If you lead mostly older kids, consider asking these discussion questions: How could encouraging other people lead to peace? Have you ever experienced this? Can you explain how this made an impact in your life? How are you different today because someone took the time to build you up? Why do you think God cares if you help others live in peace too, and not just yourself? Pray and Dismiss What You Need: No supplies needed Explain that you re going to pray as a group with prayer prompts. You will read a statement out loud and then pause for a couple of kids to pray out loud by filling in the blank. Then move on to the next prompt and pause for a couple more kids to fill in the blank aloud, and so on. Prayer prompts: ) God, I m so thankful that you gave me. 2) And I love you because. 3) I need your help with. 4) Help me to be a part of the solution by. ) Thank you for showing me. [Apply] Praying is a great way to focus on what God wants us to do. God makes it clear that peace is really important to Him and that He wants us to choose peace and help others work towards peace too. You [Impress] prove you care about others by being a part of the solution. And when you get stuck and don t know what to do, remember that you can ask God for help! He always hears your prayers. FOR LEADERS ONLY GOD VIEW: the connection between PEACE and God s character, 20 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 4
as shown through God s big story When sin entered God s magnificent paradise, our relationship with Him was broken. God s love for us was so great that He was willing to sacrifice to restore the relationship. God proved He cared about peace when He sent His Son to pay for our sins. Peace is part of God s character. He wants us to reflect peace in our relationships with others. Peace is proving you care more about each other than winning an argument. Peace is more than just not fighting and saying the right things to keep people happy. Peace is living in a way that shows you care more about others than about being right. It s about building strong relationships through mutual trust. A person who lacks peace may have an argumentative spirit or feel like they always need the final word or may just seem like they re angry all of the time. An attitude like that often leads to broken relationships with others. When our relationships are broken, we often find ourselves avoiding other people. We know when we need to work at a relationship, but it s easier to ignore what s going on and sweep it under the rug. Working at the relationship is hard work. It will cost us something. It will take time, swallowing our pride, and often it will mean walking away from the chance to prove we re right. But peace is worth the effort. This month, let s think about how: () God demonstrated peace by sending Jesus to pay the price for our sin, which allowed the chance for our relationship with Him to be restored. (2) The Bible challenges us to reflect this kind of peace by working towards reconciliation with others. (3) As we show peace in our own lives, we build our relationships on trust, which in turn makes achieving peace easier during those times when we mess up. This week, we re discovering: In Samuel 2:-3, Abigail intervenes when her husband picks a fight with King David. Abigail immediately knew what was happening and made a plan to present gifts to David and calm his anger. Her quick action promoted peace between the two men. Our Bottom Line is: prove you care about others by being part of the solution. Peace is sometimes about stopping an argument before it can escalate into something worse. Creating peace between two other people will take time and energy. Our memory verse this month is: So let us do all we can to live in peace. And let us work hard to build each other up. Romans 4:, NIrV When friends are fighting, do all you can to encourage peace between them. Avoid gossip and taking sides. Help them find a peaceable solution so everyone can remain friends. 20 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com
Find the Solution 7 3 4 8 4 8 4 3 6 7 2 6 3 7 2 7 8 6 What to Do: Copy and cut apart. Each kid will need one puzzle. Find the Solution April 20, Week 4, Small Group 4-20 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved.