Esther Sunday School Lesson
Esther Sunday School Lesson for Kids:
BOTTOM LINE:
Heroes have the courage to make the right choice, even when it’s hard.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will ask for God’s help making a tough choice in their life.
KEY PASSAGE:
Esther 4:8-17 and 5:1-3, Esther's Request
MEMORY VERSE:
“The Lord gives me strength and makes me secure. He has saved me.” Psalm 118:14 (NIrV)
SUMMARY:
People who came before the king uninvited were in danger of being imprisoned or even killed, but Esther went in boldly to save her people. Kids will learn that heroes have the courage to make the right decisions even when it’s hard.
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Give us the courage to make the right choices.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
MEMORY VERSE
“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Psalm 118:14 (NIV)
“The Lord gives me strength and makes me secure. He has saved me.” Psalm 118:14 (NIrV)
LARGE GROUP:
Divide the room into girls and boys. Have the boys read the verse aloud, and then have the girls read it aloud. Who can read the loudest?
SMALL GROUP:
Give all the kids a Bible. Then after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible.
SKIT
INCREDIGIRL MAKES HER CHOICE
ITEMS NEEDED:
A super hero costume, a super-villain costume, a remote control
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
1M, 1F
CHARACTERS:
Incredigirl - A super hero
Sid Badguy - Naughty villain
Sid Badguy enters, carrying the remote control.
SID: Oh for badness sake, where is that girl? It’s only five minutes until the deadline. Doesn’t she know that I’m serious? Doesn’t she know that I, Sid Badguy, have the power in my hands to blow up the city zoo? Why is she running late? Where is my arch-enemy, Incredigirl?
Incredigirl enters from stage left.
INCREDIGIRL: Looking for me, Sid?
SID: Finally! I gave the mayor my deadline four hours ago!
INCREDIGIRL: Sorry, it was my grandma’s birthday! She’s ninety years old, and I wasn’t going to leave the party early.
SID: That’s very sweet, but your choice may prove costly. It is now four minutes until the deadline. My doomsday device is safely hidden some place in the zoo, and according to my spotters, there are at least three school groups on field trips there as well as a bus load of senior citizens.
INCREDIGIRL: You fiend!
SID: I know, right? I’m so naughty! But I will give you a choice. You can save the zoo if you surrender to me. You take off that cape and become my prisoner, and I will—
INCREDIGIRL: Done!
SID: What?
INCREDIGIRL: I surrender. Don’t blow up the zoo, and I will be your prisoner.
SID: You can’t surrender yet! I wasn’t done telling you—
INCREDIGIRL: You don’t have to! I surrender!
SID: But you’re Incredigirl! You never quit, and you never surrender!
INCREDIGIRL: Yeah, well, I just surrendered.
SID: To save a bunch of kids?
INCREDIGIRL: And the senior citizens. And the lions. And the lemurs. I love lemurs.
SID: I can’t believe what I’m hearing. This is supposed to be a no-win situation. Either you become my prisoner or thousands of people and animals get blown to bits. How can you just surrender?
INCREDIGIRL: Heroes aren’t afraid to make the hard choice, Sid. My hero, Queen Esther, was brave enough to risk her life to save her people. If I can trade my life to save thousands of people—
SID: And lemurs?
INCREDIGIRL: And lemurs, I’m going to do it. Every time.
SID: Well this is a pickle. For me, not for you.
INCREDIGIRL: Why?
SID: Well, the truth is, I wasn’t prepared to take you prisoner. I spent all my money on the doomsday device, and I didn’t have any money left for a super hero proof prison cell.
INCREDIGIRL: You didn’t save any money for the prison cell?
SID: I wasn’t expecting you to surrender! I didn’t think I’d need it!
INCREDIGIRL: Oh no! Please, whatever you do, don’t blow up the zoo!
SID: Calm down, I’m not going to blow up the zoo. Super-villain’s code, I can’t blow up the zoo when you accept my ultimatum. However, I can’t take you prisoner either, so… you’re free to go.
INCREDIGIRL: Just like that?
Sid hands Incredigirl the remote.
SID: You win this round, Incredigirl, but I’ll be back!
Sid runs off stage right. He walks back on.
INCREDIGIRL: Back so soon?
SID: That was the closet. The exit is this way.
INCREDIGIRL: Oh, Sid!
They both exit stage left.
OBJECT LESSON
ITEMS NEEDED:
A jar of crunchy peanut butter and a jar of creamy peanut butter
Tomorrow, most of you will head to school, and tomorrow, those of you who do go to school will be eating lunch. My guess is most of you who are going to school and bringing a lunch from home will be taking a peanut butter sandwich. How many peanut butter sandwich eaters do we have here? How many hot lunch kids do we have? How many will be taking something from home that’s not peanut butter because you’re allergic?
Now, those of you who are peanut butter sandwich eaters, here’s the real question. Crunchy, or creamy? Who here prefers crunchy? Who here prefers creamy?
Some decisions are no brainers. You don’t have to think about crunchy vs. creamy because odds are you made that preference long, long ago. Same goes for those of you who are allergic. Peanut butter is always a no for obvious reasons!
Some decisions aren’t so easy. Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s right and what’s wrong. Sometimes it’s pretty obvious that one thing is wrong, but it’s hard to make the right choice when all your friends are making the wrong one. Do you have the strength to make the right choice, even when it’s hard?
When you find yourself faced with one of those tough choices, do what Esther did. Pray. Ask others to pray with you. Ask God for the courage to make the right choice. Be brave enough to make the right choice, and who knows? God could make you a hero to someone who needs it.
LARGE GROUP GAME
SUPER HEROINE QUICK CHANGE
ITEMS NEEDED:
Two super hero costumes
INSTRUCTIONS:
Choose two players for this game, both girls. The two players will race to see who can get suited up in their super hero costume the quickest. The hero who is ready for action first wins a prize.
VARIATION:
This can be a team game, with each hero having two teammates to help her get into costume. This variation is ideal if you have a more elaborate costume with boots, mask, separate cape, etc.
WHAT’S THE POINT?
Heroes are brave enough to make the hard choices in life.
LARGE GROUP LESSON
BOTTOM LINE:
Heroes have the courage to make the right choice, even when it’s hard.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will ask for God’s help making a tough choice in their life.
KEY PASSAGE:
Esther 4:8-17 and 5:1-3, Esther's Request
INTRO:
Have you all noticed something different in our action movies the last several years? Something’s changed, and in many ways, that change is for the better. It used to be all the big time action heroes were guys. Superman, Batman, Luke Skywalker, Captain Jack Sparrow, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America… there were a few female action heroes here and there, including Princess Leia, but for the most part, the heroes in action films were almost always guys.
That’s not the case today. Today we have Gamora, the green-skinned alien who is an equal part of the Guardians of the Galaxy. We have Rey in the new Star Wars trilogy, and we have Jyn Erso in Rogue One. We have female action heroes in wrestling like Bayley and Sasha Banks who are top stars alongside the boys. Even Supergirl has her own TV show!
And then there’s the hero who started it all, Wonder Woman. Way back in 1941 Wonder Woman was created by a comic book writer and a psychologist in the hopes of creating a comic book hero who could truly be a hero to young girls. Wonder Woman wasn’t like other women in comic books, like Superman’s friend Lois Lane. Lois was always getting into trouble and needed Superman to save her. Wonder Woman didn’t need anyone to save her. She was fully capable of fighting evil on her own, and she was often busy saving her own friend Steve Trevor.
Long before Wonder Woman became a comic book hero, there were women doing heroic things for God. Several of these women were important enough that their stories were written into the Bible. Over the next eight weeks, we’re going to meet some incredible “Wonder Women” who have much to teach us about being a hero.
Our series begins with one of the greatest heroines in history, a woman named Esther. Esther was a Jew, and at the time she was born, her people were captives of the Kingdom of Persia. Esther was chosen to become queen to the great King Xerxes after the old queen made him angry. It was a great honor, but soon, Esther found herself in a difficult position. There were men plotting to kill many of her people, and her uncle sent word, begging her for help.
READ ESTHER 4:8-17
If Esther dared to see the king without being called and he chose not to see her, she could die. But if she didn’t take the chance, her people would die. Esther had a tough choice to make, and with God’s help, she found the courage to make that choice.
READ ESTHER 5:1-3
MAIN POINT:
I hope you’ll all read the book of Esther for yourself, but I’ll go ahead and tell you how it ends. Esther does persuade the king to save her people. Not only that, the king turns around and ordered the men who wanted the Jews dead to be killed. Not only did Esther save her people, she helped to prevent the enemies of Israel from trying again!
Esther made a difficult choice. She could have stayed silent and not gotten involved, but she risked her life to do what is right. Esther shows us that heroes always find the courage to make the right choice.
DRIVE IT HOME:
As kids, many of the choices you face aren’t nearly as difficult as Esther’s. Most of the choices are pretty routine. Am I going to wear pants or a skirt to school? Will I eat Rice Krispies or Cheerios for breakfast? Will I sit by this person or that at lunch? Will I choose to read Little House on the Prairie or The Chronicles of Narnia? These choices may sometimes seem tough, but they’re not the choices we’re talking about.
Have you ever made the choice to befriend the new kid in school? What about the choice to stand up for the kids all the bullies want to push around? Would you be brave enough to step in and defend a fellow student who looks different, acts different, and gets picked on just for being different?
Have you ever had to make a choice between right or wrong when all your friends have already made the wrong choice? Peer pressure can make even the simplest choices very difficult. You know in your heart what the right choice is, but are you willing to be rejected by your friends to do what is right?
Making the right choice is never easy. That’s what makes it so heroic. When we stand up for what’s right, we show other people the right thing to do. God can use us to give others the courage to do the right thing. And he can use us to direct other people to Jesus.
If being a hero were easy, everyone would do it. Heroes make tough choices. Heroes always make the right choice. As we go through this series, ask God to give you the courage to be a hero. Ask for the wisdom and courage to make the right choice every time. Ask God to make you a hero!
CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Give us the courage to make the right choices.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)
ICEBREAKER:
Who is your favorite female super hero or action hero?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
Psalm 118:14
Give all the kids a Bible. Then after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:
Play a game of “Would You Rather” with the kids, asking them to choose between some crazy, silly options, such as, “Would you rather kiss a snake or ice skate in your swim suit?” “Would you rather eat worms or drink from a toilet?” “Would you rather take a pop quiz or give a speech in front of strangers?”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Read Esther 4:8-17 and 5:1-3
Who was Esther?
Why were Esther’s people in danger?
Why was it a tough choice for Esther to see the king?
Was Esther able to save her people?
Is there a tough decision you have to make right now?
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Show us the right thing to do, and help us to do it.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)
ICEBREAKER:
Who is your favorite female super hero or action hero?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
Psalm 118:14
Give all the kids a Bible. Then after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:
Play a game of “Would You Rather” with the kids, asking them to choose between some crazy, silly options, such as, “Would you rather kiss a snake or ice skate in your swim suit?” “Would you rather eat worms or drink from a toilet?” “Would you rather take a pop quiz or give a speech in front of strangers?”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Read Esther 4:8-17 and 5:1-3
What was Esther’s tough choice?
What do you think would have happened if Esther hadn’t tried to help her people?
How can making tough choices make us heroes?
Does peer pressure make it hard to make the right choice sometimes?
Do you need wisdom or courage to make a tough choice right now?
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Show us the right thing to do, and help us to do it.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Esther Children's Ministry Lesson (just click the link).
Here's a video from Saddleback kids that you might find helpful to go along with your Sunday School Lesson on Esther.
Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching an Esther Sunday School Lesson:
Sunday School Curriculum-The Story of Esther - DLTK-Bible
Sunday School Lesson "Created For a Purpose" - Ministry-To-Children
5 Things Kids Can Learn from Esther - Whats in the Bible