Elisha Receives The Mantle From Elijah

Art Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:
Discuss the passing on of faith. Using a variety of paint or markers, decorate miniature 3-D paper hot air balloons for this year’s Vacation Bible Camp. (An outreach effort to pass on our faith!) Note: For VBS, which we call VBC – Vacation Bible Camp, we are using Cokesbury’s Lift Off. Substitute your decorating needs for this lesson to work in your situation. Or perhaps make decorations that are then given away.

For scripture and objectives, see above.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture for this lesson.
• Read and reflect on the overview material provided for this lesson.
• Prepare an opening and/or closing prayer in case you need one.
• Gather the materials

Supplies List:

• Easel with appropriate marker
• A medical jacket (lab coat)
• Purple Adventure Bibles; one marked with tabs (Law, History, etc.)
• Bible tab writing kit: tabs, fine-line Sharpie pen
• Bookmarks and pens
• Balloon kits (paper miniature hot air balloons made of paper)
• Paint – acrylic, Paint brushes
• Various types of markers – get markers, paint markers
• Paper towel
• Table covers
• Clothesline

Before Start of Class:

• Spread the table covers over the tables.
• Write the key Bible verse on the easel. Also write the following: “Elijah” “Elisha”
  “Prophet = messenger of God”
• Make sure you know how to find Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and the Jordan River on the “Land of the Twelve Tribes” map in the back of The Adventure Bible.

Presentation

Opening- Welcome and Lesson Introduction:
Greet your students warmly, welcoming them to the Art Workshop. Introduce yourself and any other adults. Pass around a basket to collect any offering.
[Note: The Shepherd will be taking care of attendance while you are starting your lesson.]

Ask for any prayer requests. Ask if anyone would like to lead the group in prayer. Be prepared to say a prayer yourself, working in prayer requests. Use the Lord’s Prayer as the ending. A suggestion: “Dear God, Thank you for bringing us all here today. Thank you for teaching us about trusting you. Help us to learn about sharing our faith. Help us to learn that this is the way our faith can grow. (End with the Lord’s Prayer) Amen.”

Put on the medical jacket.
Ask: If I wore this type of jacket what sort of job would you say that I have?
Say: You would probably say that I worked in a medical field.
Ask: What if I wore a mantle, what would my job be? [In later weeks of the rotation the kids may know the answer – a prophet.]
Who knows what a mantle is?
Say: It’s not the same as a mantel that goes around a fireplace. The two words are spelled differently and mean something different. The kind of mantle we are talking about is a loose, sleeveless cloak. This mantle was the official garment of a prophet.
Ask: What is a prophet? (a messenger of God)
Say: Just as we can today, in the Old Testament times you could tell what some people did for a living by the kind of clothes or covering they wore. Our story today tells us about a special mantle worn by some pretty special people. Let’s take a look at our story and find out more.

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:
Say: There are two main characters in our story. They are both prophets. The two prophets we are going to learn about are named Elijah [pronounced: ee-LAI-juh] and Elisha [pronounced: ee-LAI-shuh]. Their names sound very familiar. [Refer to the easel.] Elisha was Elijah’s disciple.
Ask: What is a disciple?
Say: A disciple is one who follows and learns from a teacher; someone who tries to act as his or her teacher does. Jesus had disciples, people who followed his ways, who tried to act as he did. We too are Jesus’ disciples aren’t we?

Say: Because their names sound so similar it helps to remember that Elijah came before Elisha.
Teach the way to remember which prophet came first –just like in the alphabet, j (in EliJah) comes before s (in EliSha). [Refer to the easel.]

Ask: Where in the Bible would we read a story that Jesus learned when he was your age?
(in the Old Testament)
Why is the Bible divided into two testaments? (New Testament was written after Jesus was on earth; the Old Testament is the Bible that Jesus learned when he was a child)

Say: Besides being divided into two testaments, the 66 books in the Bible are further divided into collections.
Ask: Who knows what the first collection is called in the Old Testament? (Law, includes first 5 books)
Say: The second collection in the OT, that includes the book where our story is found, is part of a collection of Bible books called “History”. These books tell of the interaction of God with people in history. These stories happened thousands of years ago. If you have your own Bible today, be sure you receive a tab for the “History” section of your Bible. [Show the classroom Bible with tabs. Have the Shepherd do tabs for students who bring their Bible using the classroom Bible with tabs as an example.]

Distribute bookmarks and pens. Tell students that they can make notes about this passage on the back of the bookmarks. They may wish to write down that a prophet is a messenger of God. [Refer to the easel.]

Say: Now God had told Elijah to pick Elisha as his disciple. So Elijah went and found Elisha at home plowing his fields. In a dramatic, symbolic gesture Elijah threw his mantle over Elisha. Remember that a mantle was the symbol of a prophet. By putting the mantle on Elisha, Elijah was saying – YOU are now a prophet.
Ask: How do you suppose that felt to Elisha?

Distribute Bibles.

Say: Our story is found in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Second Kings.

Have them find the story in 2 Kings, chapter 2, verse 1. [Suggest using table of contents]

If this is a week early in the Rotation, read the scripture together (verses 1-15 following the plan below). Towards the end of the Rotation, ask the students if they can tell you the story. Have them check their Bibles for accuracy while you fill in info from the material below.

Reading plan:

• Have someone read verses 1- 2. [In this reading Gilgal is pronounced GIL-gal.]
• Have someone else read verses 3-4.
• Have someone read verses 5-6.

Say: Place your bookmark at 2 Kings, chapter 2 and let’s turn to the maps in the back of this Bible.

Turn to the “Land of the Twelve Tribes” map. Point out the locations mentioned: Gilgal, Bethel, (Ask: Then where did they go?) Jericho, and the Jordan River.

Ask: People kept telling Elisha that Elijah would be taken from him…the company of prophets at Bethel, the company of prophets at Jericho… And Elisha kept saying, “don’t speak of it.” What was up with that?
Say: Elisha sounds like an ordinary person doesn’t he. We all don’t like talking about events we aren’t looking forward to.

Ask: What about Elijah telling Elisha to “stay here.” What do you think that is about?
Say: Elisha sure was devoted to Elijah; he didn’t want to leave him.

• Have someone read verses 7-8.
• Have someone read verse 9.

Ask: Who can recall the inheritance customs of the time? [from learning about Jacob & Esau]
Say: In those days, before a father died, he would pass his property on to his sons. Everyone would get an equal share, except the first-born son. That son would get twice as much as anyone else. Even though Elisha was not Elijah’s born son, he was like a son to him. He was asking for a first-born son’s blessing, and for Elijah to give him his most valuable possession, the quality of his spirit.

• Have someone read verse 10.
• Have someone read verses 11-12.

Say: Tearing your clothes was a sign of mourning.

• Have someone read verse 13.

Say: Here they have used the word “cloak” for the word “mantle.”
Ask: What do you suppose it means that Elisha is picking up Elijah’s mantle?
Say: When Elisha picked that mantle up, not only would people now identify him as a prophet, he was agreeing that he was taking over where Elijah left off. That was a BIG job! Elijah was considered the greatest prophet in Old Testament times.

• Have someone read verses 14-15.

Say: Let’s start on our art project and while we work we can discuss more of the story.

Introduce and explain the art project:
Show the hot air balloons.
Say: This year the theme for Vacation Bible Camp (VBC) is “Lift Off.” Our task is to embellish these hot air balloons to use as decorations during Vacation Bible Camp. When VBC is over, then you may take your balloon home.

Show them the materials they may use to decorate their balloons. Encourage them to use symbols that are appropriate! Have them write their name somewhere on the balloon. When the balloons are finished they may be hung up to dry on the clothesline strung in the room.

Discussion (while the kids are working):
[Discuss as much as you have time for.]

Say: Listen to this promo from the VBC material: “Your high-flying adventure is about to begin as you prepare to give your children a sky view of God’s power and Jesus’ love at this year’s LIFTOFF! Soaring to new heights with God.”
Ask: What would you say is the reason why our church does a VBC?
Say: VBC is a way of reaching out to the community, a way of teaching others about Jesus’ love. Your helping with the decorations is a way of sharing your faith in Jesus.
Ask: What are other ways that you share your faith with others?
How do we learn about faith from others that are around us?

Say: Elisha spent about 10 years with Elijah before Elijah was taken up to heaven.
Ask: What do you suppose Elisha learned all those years when he was Elijah’s disciple?
Do you suppose that he learned about having faith in God?
Do you suppose he learned from just watching Elijah?

Say: It turns out that our identity as individuals and as a community of faith, is woven together from those who come before us. Just as Elisha picked up Elijah’s mantle, we can say that others pass on their mantle of faith to us.
Ask: Who is passing on the mantle of faith to us?

Say: Elijah’s mantle was probably made of animal hair. A mantle was the official garment of a prophet. It was also a symbol of sacrifice and commitment.
Ask: What are our “mantles” today?
What rituals and physical signs do we use as rites of passage?
What could we use to symbolize and remember these events?
Say: Elijah asked Elisha, “what I may do for you, before I am taken from you?”
Ask: How would you answer a question like that – what would you need to carry on the faith?
Say: Elisha wanted his inheritance – a double portion of it in fact.
Ask: What is our inheritance?
Do we want it? Or do we see it as a burden to avoid?

Closing:
Have everyone repeat the key verse:
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 2 Kings 2:9b

Say: Elisha asked for and received a double share of Elijah’s spirit. He picked up Elijah’s mantle and carried on the faith and belief in God that he had learned from Elijah. This week, look for ways you can pick up the mantle of faith from the people around you.

Resources:

• Derden, Jaymie. “Bible Background.” 2007. 
• Wilcox, Ruth. Art Workshop Lesson Ideas for Elijah, Elisha. 2007.  https://www.rotation.org/topic/...8#565106356484933988 
• Wilcox, Ruth. “Drama Workshop Lessons and Ideas for Elijah,Elisha." 2007.  https://www.rotation.org/topic/...4#565106356484521724
  
  

A lesson written by Carol Hulbert for First United Methodist Church
Ann Arbor, MI 

Copyright 2006 First United Methodist Church, Ann Arbor, MI. 
Permission to copy materials granted for non-commercial use provided credit is given and all cited references remain with this material.

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