Elijah and the Big Showdown
Movie Workshop
Grades 4-6
Summary of Lesson Activities:
"The Story of Elijah" from Vision Video, Children's Bible Heroes Collection
Alternate: . Elijah from Nest
A godly prophet overcomes evil as he refuses to worship an idol.This video is 30 minutes long, and is more appropriate for upper elementary. It also covers Elijah’s departure into heaven on a chariot of fire.
Scripture Reference:
I Kings 18:20-45
Memory Verse:
Deuteronomy 6:4-5,
“Hear, O Israel. The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
Lesson Objective:
- See God’s power in action through the life of Elijah. The movie will review the story of Elijah and the widow, whose supply of flour and oil miraculously does not run out during the 3-year drought.
- The movie also covers our theme story—Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.
Teacher Preparation:
- Read the Bible background (I Kings 16:29-18:14).
- Make sure the DVD player is working properly.
- Preview the 22-minute long video. Prepare popcorn and water (or juice) before the students arrive for class.
Supplies:
- Popcorn,
- beverage,
- student journals,
- colored pencils,
- hidden picture find,
- The Story of Elijah, Vision Video collection, Children’s Heroes of the Bible.
- DVD player
Presentation
Opening- Welcome and Lesson Introduction:
Greet the students and introduce yourself.
Opening Prayer: Almighty God, thank you for this good popcorn. Bless our time together this morning, as we learn how important it is to worship you, the one true God. In Jesus name, AMEN.
Dig-Main Content and Reflection:
Read the Story: Read I Kings 18:15-39 aloud to the younger students. Older students may take turns reading the verses.
Watch the Movie: (22 minutes)
Journal Time: Talk about the most interesting parts of the movie. What miracles happened in the movie?
- God stopped the rain for three years, because the king and the people were worshipping idols.
- The widow’s supply of food did not run out during the 3-year drought.
- God sent fire down from heaven to burn up a very wet sacrifice!
The people threw away their idols, and God sent rain on the land once again.
Have the younger students write or draw a picture with crayons or colored pencils of one of the miracles.
In Elijah’s time, people were tempted to bow down to gods of stone. Most Americans do not worship stone idols. However, other things such as money, power, fame, etc. can become more important to us than God. What does it mean to worship God?
- We remember daily that the “The Lord is God; the Lord alone is God!”
- We learn stories from the Bible (at home and in church.)
- We remember that loving God is more important than anything else we own, or anything else we do.
- We take time to pray, before meals, before we go to bed, and any other time of the day that we want to talk to God!
- We ask God to help us love others, like he loves us. (be kind, share with others, etc.)
Elijah Hidden Picture Find
Since the short movie may leave you with extra class time, the students may enjoy finding and coloring Bible times items in the hidden picture find including: jar of oil, sack of flour, bread, Elijah, the widow, rain cloud, camel, scroll, shepherd, sheep, shepherd’s staff, grapes, oil lamp, ram’s horn (shofar), dove, fish, stars, lyre.
Closing:
Prayer: It is important for young children to learn and memorize The Lord’s Prayer. Invite the students to pray the Lord’s Prayer together with you.
A lesson from Augustana Lutheran Church
Saint James, MN
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