Art Lessons, Ideas, Activities, and Resources for Teaching About Samuel in Sunday School.
Post your ART lessons, ideas, activities, and resources for teaching about Samuel in Sunday School.
I Samuel 1-3, Bible lessons for "Samuel"
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Post your ART lessons, ideas, activities, and resources for teaching about Samuel in Sunday School.
The Story of Samuel
Art Workshop
Summary of Lesson Activities:
Students will create a black "scratch" verse bookmark with the memory verse on it.
Scripture Reference:
Samuel 3:1-22
Memory Verse:
Samuel 3:9
Leader Preparation:
Materials List:
black scratch art paper cut into strips measuring 2” X 8 ½ “
neon colored tag board strips, 3” X 9”
clear contact paper
scratching tools, such as a tongue depressor or Popsicle stick
bright colored ribbon or yard
hole punch
glue sticks
stick-on Bible verse labels for the bookmarks
Presentation
Opening- Welcome and Lesson Introductions:
Welcome the children and their guide to the workshop, introduce yourself, and open in prayer. Please try to start and end on time, and focus your attention on the children.
Guides do the attendance, and they can help with the workshop activities and the discussion questions. They should help the students with journaling and with the closing prayer circle.
Review the memory verse, I Samuel 3: 9, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” Also review the BONUS verse, James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says.”
The project for this lesson is to use black scratch art paper to make a Bible book mark with the memory verse, I Samuel 3:9 on it.
We chose black because the main part of our lesson, Samuel listening to God, occurs at night and also at one of the dark times of Israel’s history, a time when even the priests who worked in the house of the LORD were sinning outwardly and leading other people into sin.
Dig-Main Content and Reflection:
Start today’s lesson by telling the children how Samuel’s mother, Hannah, greatly desired to give birth to a baby, and how she went to the worship place to pray. She was praying, probably with her eyes closed, and quietly mouthing the words as she prayed. Eli, the priest did not know she was praying; he thought she’d been drinking wine, and he scolded her. Instead, Hannah explained to Eli how much she wanted a baby boy, that she was very sad and was very earnestly asking God for a child. Then Eli said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” (I Samuel 1:17) (Older students could find this verse in I Samuel 1 and read it out loud.)
Hannah did have a baby boy, and she named him “Samuel”, a name that means, “asked of God.” Before baby Samuel was even born, Hannah promised that he would serve God in the worship place all his life and that he would be especially dedicated to God. So as soon as Samuel was old enough to leave his family and be cared for and trained by Eli the priest, while he was still a little boy, Hannah brought him to Eli. Every year, as Samuel grew, Hannah brought him a new robe to wear as he ministered in the worship place, the tabernacle. No doubt Hannah often prayed for Samuel to always love and obey God.
Samuel lived with Eli at the tabernacle. Eli had two grown up sons who also worked at the tabernacle, but, unfortunately, they were doing wrong things that God did not want them to do, and even worse, they were leading other people to also do wrong things.
So while Samuel was growing and learning to love and serve God more each day, Eli’s sons were continuing to do wrong things. God sent a prophet, a man who speaks for God, to tell Eli that he must make his sons do right things or else make them stop working in the tabernacle because God would judge them severely if he did not do so.
At this point, start reading I Samuel 3: 1 – 22, or tell it in your own words in an understandable way for the youngest children if you think that is best for them. Older children can take turns reading the section aloud. It might be useful to insert the questions from the discussion question section into the scripture reading. However you do it, verse 7 deserves teacher comment. It says, “…Samuel did not yet know the LORD. The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.” Point out that there is a time in our lives when we choose to listen to God’s word and to obey God. There is a time when be ask God to forgive our sins, believing that Jesus took the punishment for our sins on the cross and came to life again on the third day.
Before we do this, we don’t really know God; we’re not really “on speaking terms” with God. Afterward, God gives us His own Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us when we invite Him to live in us and are willing to obey Him.
Another comment on the Bible reading is necessary on I Samuel 3:11 – 14. Point out that Eli’s sons could not hear God because they chose to disobey God. When we disobey God, it’s called “sin”. We cannot hear God’s voice if we refuse to obey God.
Briefly review Samuel’s experience of listening to God and obeying God, and then give directions for the project.
Art Project:
Supplies: black scratch art paper cut into strips measuring 2” X 8 ½ “
neon colored tag board strips, 3” X 9”
clear contact paper
scratching tools, such as a tongue depressor or Popsicle stick
bright colored ribbon or yard
hole punch
glue sticks
stick-on Bible verse labels for the bookmarks
Procedure:
Tell the children that because Samuel heard the LORD at night, they will use black on their Bible bookmark to remind them of the story. Show them how to gently scratch the paper and make designs. Some children may want to copy their memory verse onto the scratch paper also. When their designs are complete, they should use the glue sticks to attach the scratch art paper to a neon tag board strip. Provide them with a copy of the memory verse to stick on to the bookmark. Children should put their name and date on the reverse side of the tag board. Last of all, cover the bookmarks with clear contact paper to protect them from further scratch marks, and punch a hold through to top center. Slip a loop of colorful yard or ribbon through the hole and pull the ribbon or yarn back around through the loop so it stays attached.
Discussion questions: (NOTE: Insert these questions into the reading of I Samuel 3 or use them while the children are doing the art project if possible.)
Journal question: How and when have you chosen to listen to God and to obey God’s word?
Closing:
Close with a circle of prayer, and invite the children to return next week and to bring their Bible and a friend.
A lesson written by rotation.org member "Learner".
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