Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath

Video Workshop

Summary

The class will watch a segment of Disney’s The Lion King and then explore how God strengthened Elijah for the upcoming challenges in his life, using a simple drama exercise.

Scripture

Story: 1 Kings 17
Key/Memory Verse: 1 Kings 17:24 (NLT)

Objectives

At the end of this lesson the children will:

• Find the story of Elijah in the Old Testament of the Bible.
• Understand that Elijah's time away hiding was a time to strengthen his trust in God; bigger challenges were coming in Elijah's life.
  
  

Preparation

 Read Bible Background

Materials List

• Bibles
• Chalkboard or whiteboard
• Cups
• Drink
• Napkins or popcorn bags
• Popcorn
• TV and VCR or DVD player
• Video: Disney’s The Lion King
• Costumes for Elijah, Simba, and reporter (these can be simple character suggestion costumes, such as a headscarf for Elijah, cat ears on a headband for Simba, and a microphone and hat for the reporter)
  
  

Advance Preparation Requirements

Have the video ready at the clip, or figure out how to start DVD it at appropriate scene: approximately 52 minutes into the video -- Simba is in the desert after fleeing his home, where he meets Timon and Pumbaa.

Watch full video and be able to fill in the plot, if necessary, so that children will understand what is going on. (Summaries available online, such as at IMDb:   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110357/plotsummary )

Prepare snacks.

Lesson

Open

Greet the children as they enter. Ask the children to describe challenges they had in their lives (Examples: learning to ride a bike, moving to a new school, loss of a loved one).

Tell the children that God was with them through those challenges.

Tell the children that today they will be learning about Elijah, and how God strengthened him for upcoming challenges in his life.

Dig

Distribute Bibles and have the children look up 1 Kings 17. Tell the children to listen for the challenge Elijah faced, and how God prepared him for it.

Read the passage or have the children take turns reading. List Elijah’s challenge and preparation on the board.

Pass out popcorn and drink.

Tell the children they will be watching a part of Disney’s The Lion King. Tell the children to watch for the challenge Simba faced (having to leave his home as a child, then return as an adult to challenge his uncle Scar for rightful leadership of the Pride Lands) and how he was prepared for it (he remembered what his father had told him, and Nala encouraged him to do the right thing).

If children seem unfamiliar with the story of The Lion King, briefly fill them in on the first part of the story.

Show the video clip: approximately 52 minutes into the video, Simba is in the desert after fleeing his home, where he meets Timon and Pumbaa, and grows into an adult lion. Nala finds Simba and encourages him to return home. Simba initially refuses, then changes his mind after some soul searching. Stop the video after Simba leaves to return home. Running time for this clip is about 28 minutes.

List children’s suggestions of Simba’s challenge and how he prepared to meet it on the board.

Reflect

Choose three children to be the actors for the reflection on the two stories – one to be Elijah, one to be Simba, and one to be a reporter.

 Introduce the cast by saying: “Here at WXYZ TV we are covering breaking news as Elijah and Simba are returning from life-changing challenges. Our on-the-scene reporter is talking to them right now. Let’s listen in …

 Have the reporter ask “Elijah” and “Simba” the following questions (the rest of the children may help “Elijah” and “Simba” answer): 

• How would you describe your time away?
•  How did you handle the challenge placed before you?
•  How did you grow?
•  What event helped you grow?
•  Who were the people (animals/friends) that helped you grow?

Have the children form a circle. Close with a prayer to thank God for the challenges he gives us, because they make us grow and make us stronger for the challenges that lie ahead of us. Ask God for his guidance in facing challenges this week.

Additional Suggestions

Adaptations - Younger Children

Skip the reporter’s questions and instead let the children talk about how they grew after they did something challenging.

Adaptations - Older Children

Invite older children to read ahead in 1 Kings 18:16–40. Discuss how the challenges Elijah faced in 1 Kings 17 prepared him for the meeting with the prophets of Baal.

Written by Stephanie Smith for Rotation.org
Copyright 2006 Rotation.org

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