Week 463 · about 45 minutes
Esther 1
Esther 1 · Memory verse Esther 1:7
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Queues the lesson plan, this story’s coloring page (Esther 1), the matching word search and answer key (Esther 1 word search), the memory-verse tracer, and a parent slip.
Five-minute object lesson
Prop: a small lamp
Hold a small lamp. Read Esther 1 in about four minutes, stopping at Esther 1:7: “They gave them drinks in golden vessels of various kinds, including royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king.” Ask, “What does this prop have to do with Esther 1?” Let two children answer, then say the memory verse together.
Story script
Esther 1 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “Now in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Ethiopia, over one hundred twenty-seven provinces),” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.
Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by the eunuchs. Therefore the king was very angry, and his anger burned in him.” Esther 1 opens with these words: “Now in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Ethiopia, over one hundred twenty-seven provinces),” The line to keep is Esther 1:7: “They gave them drinks in golden vessels of various kinds, including royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king.” Carry the word “gave” from that verse into the rest of the day.
The line worth learning out loud is Esther 1:7: “They gave them drinks in golden vessels of various kinds, including royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.
What happens first in Esther 1? Then try this: Read “They gave them drinks in golden vessels of various kinds, including royal wine in abundance, according to…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.
Group game
Walk the room as if you are moving through Esther 1. Every time you freeze, a child says one word from Esther 1:7. The last child says the whole verse.
Craft
On a US Letter sheet, draw one picture from Esther 1 and write Esther 1:7 under it. Send it home as tonight’s reminder, not as a decoration contest.
Memory verse
Esther 1:7
“They gave them drinks in golden vessels of various kinds, including royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king.”
Take-home prayer
Father, thank you for Esther 1. Help us remember Esther 1:7 when we wake up, and teach us to notice you in an ordinary night. Amen.