Story of Esther

WOW VBS Kick-off:  QUEEN ESTHER (Spark bible pp. 152-157)

Materials needed:  Fancy dress-up dress for Esther

                                    2 crowns (king and Esther)

                                    print out of Letter for Esther

                                   

Today we’re going to try something a little different.  I need you to help me act out the story, so can you listen for directions carefully and I have a few parts that I’ll need a specific person for!  I need someone to be Esther, someone to be the King, someone to be mordecai (Esther’s cousin),  and someone to play Haman.  Everyone else will be the Jewish people.  Are we ready?  Okay!  Let’s go! Today’s story is about a very brave woman named Esther.

Once there was a young girl named Esther.  Esther, can you wave?  Good.  Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, worked for the king and he lived in the Palace.  Esther’s parents died when she was very young, and so she went to live with Mordecai  (wave!) in the palace.

Esther learned new things, wore dazzling clothes, and grew into a beautiful young women.  When the king saw Esther, he was amazed—she was beautiful!  She was smart! He was so happy, he asked her to wear a crown and be his queen! (put a crown on Esther)

Now, Esther and Mordecai were Jewish, and many people did not like Esther’s cousin Mordecai or the Jewish people—and Haman was one of them!  Haman was an advisor to the king and a very, very proud man.  The GOOD news for the Jewish people was that the King was smart and he listened to what Esther and Mordecai.

One day the king had an idea.  He decided to give Haman a special job, and thought that because Haman was doing something SO important, everyone who saw him should kneel and bow to him! 

This made Haman very happy because he thought he thought he was important.  It made Mordecai sad because he knew that the only person he should bow to was God.  Mordecai refused to bow to Haman.  This made Haman very MAD!  When he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, he was even angrier!  He did not like the Jewish people and their God.

Haman decided that he was going to punish Mordecai and ALL the Jewish people—including Esther even though she was the queen!

The king did not know Esther was Jewish.  Haman made a plan to kill all the Jews, and convinced the king to make it a law.  OH NO!  Say it with me—oh NO!  Esther was SCARED! 

Mordecai asked her to be brave and to speak up for her people, to keep them from being killed.  She made a special dinner and invited Haman and the King to a banquet. 

There, though she was scared, she told the King that she and Mordecai were cousins and, more importantly, that they were Jewish.  She told him about Haman’s plans to kill all the Jews and about the law that made that possible. 

The king was very ANGRY.  He wasn’t angry that she was Jewish—he was angry at Haman!  Haman had tricked him!  He gave Mordecai Haman’s old job, his own ring and made a request—write a message to all of the Jews to apologize for the law and tell them that they would not die.  The king got rid of the law and because of Esther’s bravery in telling the truth, ALL of the Jews were saved!  HOORAY!  Say it with me: “HOORAY FOR QUEEN ESTHER!”

Esther did something scary—she imagined with God—she imagined a better future for her people than death, and God helped her protect them. Maybe you haven’t helped save someone from death, but I’m sure you’ve done brave things with God’s help!  What are some things God has helped you do? Let’s add some pictures to our God sighting board!

Emmaus Road

Emmaus Road

Spark Bible 488-491

Now, not everyone found out about the Easter story right away.  Not everyone visited the tomb or were with the twelve disciples, but as the story spread and people wondered, Jesus had a way of telling people about the resurrection himself . 

Have you noticed how many of our stories involve walking—this one does too! Can you join me on a journey?  Let’s walk together with Cleopas and friends.  Cleopas believed in Jesus and when he heard about Jesus dying on a cross, he was very sad. 

Walk, walk, walk.  We’re sad with him.  So very, very sad.  We’re slowly walking down the road to a town called Emmaus.  Why did Jesus have to die?  Why?  I’m so very sad. 

We’re walking and someone has joined us, someone we don’t recognize.  Oh well, let’s keep walking.  The road is long, and talking to someone new will help us pass the time.

Stranger/Jesus: “What are you talking about?”

Cleopas:  “Are you the only person in town who hasn’t heard?  Don’t you know what just happened?”

Stranger shakes his head

Cleopas: “Jesus was a great teacher.  We thought he was the one God promised would save the world, but instead he died.  On a cross with criminals! We took Jesus down and put him in a tomb.”

Friend: “This morning, our friends went to the tomb, but Jesus’ body was gone!” 

Can you say that with us?  Jesus was GONE!

Cleopas: “They said there was an angel there instead! 

Friend: “The angel told our friends Jesus is alive, but…how..?”

Stranger/Jesus: “How many times do you need to hear this?  It was God’s plan for Jesus to die and be made alive again to save the world!”

Narrator:  Huh.  That’s a strange thing to say, don’t you think?  Well, we’re almost to Emmaus.

Cleopas:  We’re almost home. Come to dinner at my house and eat with us.

Narrator: During dinner, the stranger does something, well, strange

Jesus breaks the loaf of bread, blesses it and gives a piece to each person.

Cleopas: What?  JESUS!  Jesus!  It’s you! 

Say it with Cleopas—It’s Jesus!  Jesus is here!

Friend:  He’s gone—but we need to go tell everyone!  He’s alive!  Jesus is alive and we’ve seen him.  He IS God’s son here to save us!

 Narrator:  What are some "God sightings" you've had lately--where have you seen God at work in your life and around you?  Let's draw them and put them on our God sighting board! 

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday—of Kings, Donkeys and Jerusalem (spark bible, pp. 454-459)

Jesus:  Disciple Friends! I need to go into Jerusalem.  I have some important things to do there, and I want to celebrate Passover dinner with you there.  Will you walk with me?”

Narrator:  Will you walk with us?  Let’s be the disciples together and go to Jerusalem with Jesus! (walking around the room)  I’m so excited—are you?  I love Passover!  The food is wonderful, we gather with close friends and family, and tell the story of how God’s people, the Israelites, escaped slavery in Egypt! I love being with my family and friends and telling the story—and eating!  What’s your favorite food to eat at celebrations?  Keep walking!  I think we’re almost to Jerusalem!

Jesus: “I’d like two of your to go borrow a donkey in the next village.  Please tell the owner I need it.  He’ll understand.” (send 2 kids to run off for a donkey—do we have a horse on a stick? Or should we just have them pretend?)

Narrator:  Keep walking we’re almost there!  LOOK!  There’s our friends with the donkey! What’s Jesus doing?  He’s getting on the donkey’s back and riding down the hill into Jerusalem.  That seems a little strange! Let’s keep walking, though.  Wait—look around us!  There are people EVERYWHERE! And they’re shouting something at him, but they look happy.  What are they saying?  Let’s listen:

(ALL ADULTS):  Hosanna!  Here comes the King!  Hosanna!  Praise God!

Narrator: Here come even more people—men, women, children, young, old, big, small and all are happy!  They’re singing and saying Hosanna! They’re joining us.  Hundreds—no thousands of people! What are they doing now?  (Have sweaters/clothes that can be thrown on the ground)

They’re taking off their coats and laying them down for the donkey to walk on!  People have pulled palm branches down off the trees and they’re waving them.  Wait!  Now they’re throwing the BRANCHES on the ground for the donkey to walk on.  Have you ever seen anything like this?  WOW!

Someone is yelling for us to be quiet—they don’t seem to like Jesus, or how excited we are! Today we can’t be quiet—we’re celebrating because Jesus is God’s king and he has come to save us.  HOSANNA!  Can you say it with me?  HOSANNA!