252 Groups
May 2015, Week 4
Large Group, K-3 (Tipp)
Backfired
Bible Story: Backfired (Haman’s Plot Against the Jews) • Esther 3; 4:8b; 5:6-10; 6:6-11; 7:1-6, 9b10
Bottom Line: When you lie to help yourself, you hurt yourself instead.
Memory Verse: “Keep me from cheating and telling lies. Be kind and teach me your law.” Psalm
119:29, NIrV
Life App: Honesty—choosing to be truthful in whatever you say and do.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
1. Countdown
2. Announcements
3. Host Opener (5 minutes)
What You Need:
•
•
•
•
•
Host - Before Large Group, make up the Host to look “blown up.” Depending on how extreme you go
with the makeup, you may need additional time or a volunteer to help put the makeup on. Have all
the cooking supplies backstage ready to throw out on stage when the explosion happens.
Small Group Leader or other adult volunteer
Random, non-breakable cooking utensils
Icing
Cake decorations
Cell phone
•
•
•
•
•
Upbeat music to use as kids enter and exit the room
Cheesy, high-energy 80’s instrumental rock music
Cell phone ring SFX
Loud explosion followed by clattering and splattering of debris SFX
Bottom Line Slide and Honesty Slide
•
Media
4. Praise and Worship (10 Minutes)
“This is Birthday and iZone money weekend. The worship leader will handle this during the worship time.”
5. Bible Story (15 Minutes)
What You Need:
•
•
Media
•
•
•
Storyteller
Prop box containing:
o Giant, ridiculous, black, curly, villain mustache
o Giant black hat
Long sequence of text message alerts SFX
Single text message alert SFX
Bottom Line Slide
6. Host Closer (5 Minutes)
At the end Host should pray for the group and dismiss kids to Small Group
7. Small Group (20-30 Minutes)
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2015
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252 Groups
May 2015, Week 4
Large Group, K-3 (Tipp)
Bible Story Outline
Backfired (Haman’s Plot Against the Jews) • Esther 3; 4:8b; 5:6-10; 6:6-11; 7:1-6, 9b-10
SETTING UP THE STORY
• Today we are talking about a man who lied to help himself
• Invite Host to come back out
• Get Host into character as Haman
• Tell the kids to boo after Haman’s lines; practice doing this
• Haman had it pretty good in life
• Haman had just gotten a promotion from the king
• You’d think that Haman would be, officially, the happiest, most satisfied official in the land
HAMAN HATES MORDECAI
• Mordecai was a Jew
• Mordecai wouldn’t bow to Haman like everyone else did, and that made Haman furious
• He decided to kill Mordecai, all of his family, and all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews
• Haman tricked the king
• Haman didn’t TECHNICALLY lie with his words
• The king signed a law permitting Haman to kill all the Jews in the land on a certain day
MORDECAI AND ESTHER
• There was something that Haman and the king didn’t know
• What no one knew about Queen Esther was that she was a Jew
• She was Mordecai’s cousin and Mordecai had adopted her
• Esther was Mordecai’s only chance to save the Jews
• Esther planned a fancy dinner to reveal all the secrets
HAMAN IS EXPOSED
• Once Esther had Haman and the king at the dinner, she started revealing the truth
• Esther revealed that the person behind the plot was Haman himself
• The king was so angry that he had Haman taken by his guards right then and there
WRAPPING UP THE STORY
• Let’s just say that Haman wouldn’t be bothering anyone anymore
• Haman was only after one thing—more power
• He lied to help himself, but in the end, his lies ended up hurting him
• BL: When you lie to help yourself, you hurt yourself instead.
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2015
2
252 Groups
May 2015, Week 4
Large Group, K-3 (Tipp)
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between HONESTY and God’s character,
as shown through God’s big story
There’s something about the things that we say that kind of stack up one way. Then there’s the way we live, or the
reality about certain situations that stack up another way. If those all line up, there’s strength and balance like a
dependable tower. When what we say lines up with what we do, people know they can trust us, because, like a strong
tower, our lives are built with integrity.
Honesty really is a big deal. That’s why we’re spending the month of May to talk about Honesty. Honesty is choosing
to be truthful in whatever you say and do.
When we’re honest, when our words line up with our actions, people know they can trust us. Our relationships grow
stronger. God understands the relationship between honesty and trust. This is something God set into motion in the
first place.
Since the beginning, God has been in the business of making and keeping promises.
God told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation of people—He was.
God told the Israelites that He would provide for them in the desert—He did.
God told Joshua that the wall of Jericho would fall if the people marched around it for seven days—it did.
God told Mary that she would have a baby boy—she did.
That baby boy was the answer to a promise God had set in motion from the beginning: God kept His promise to send a
Savior. When we were lost, He came through and sent Jesus, the Messiah, the One in whom we can ultimately put all
of our trust.
That’s really it, isn’t it? God is honest. He has proven from the beginning that He can be trusted—even to the point of
sending His Son. And we’re called to reflect the image of God to a world around us that is desperate for people who
will live with integrity.
We want kids to begin building the kind of lives that show they can be trusted. Because they know the One who can be
trusted above any other.
This week, we’re discovering:
In week four, we’ll head to the book of Esther. Haman has just been promoted as the king’s most important advisor.
But there’s one man who won’t bow to him: Mordecai. Haman is so angry that he vows to destroy not just Mordecai,
but all of his people, the Jews! Little does Haman know that Mordecai has family in high places. Queen Esther risks
everything to save her people. Once her plan with Mordecai is set in motion, Haman’s dishonesty to hurt others ends
up hurting himself instead.
Bottom Line: When you lie to help yourself, you hurt yourself instead. Sometimes we have a tendency to lie in
order to make ourselves look good. But we can’t keep the lie for long. Eventually we’ll be found out and our lie will only
hurt ourselves.
Our Memory Verse is Psalm 119:29. “Keep me from cheating and telling lies. Be kind and teach me your law.”
God’s plan for our lives is better than the one we make for ourselves. Telling the truth is always a good idea. God can
help us be honest in every circumstance.
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2015
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252 Groups
May 2015, Week 4
Large Group, K-3 (Tipp)
Backfired
Bible Story: Backfired (Haman’s Plot Against the Jews) • Esther 3; 4:8b; 5:6-10; 6:6-11; 7:1-6, 9b10
Bottom Line: When you lie to help yourself, you hurt yourself instead.
Memory Verse: “Keep me from cheating and telling lies. Be kind and teach me your law.” Psalm
119:29, NIrV
Life App: Honesty—choosing to be truthful in whatever you say and do.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
1. Countdown
2. Announcements
3. Host Opener (5 minutes)
SFX: Play high-energy 80s instrumental rock music as kids enter.
Host is offstage flashing lights off and on (if possible), waving
around flashlights as he narrates the intro to a big new trick.
HOST (O.S.): (Shouting) Get ready to be amazed! Who can evade the unavoidable? Who can avoid the
inescapable? And who can escape the inescapeable? That’s right! It is I—the Unflappable, Untrappable
[Host’s name]—ready to escape the tangles of lies that can trip us up when we’re dishonest. Thankfully,
we’re spending this whole month talking about honesty.
CG: Honesty
“Honesty is choosing to be truthful in whatever you say and do. And I have an escape to end all escapes
today. Get ready to be amazed by the Incredible Exploding Cake Escape—a delicious trick with danger
baked right in! After entering the stage, our host will only have 10 seconds to deftly defuse the explosives
hidden inside a seemingly harmless cake using only a plastic serving knife and—
SFX: A massive explosion followed by clattering and splattering of debris
There is a huge explosion. Host comes flying out on stage while
someone backstage tosses random, non-breakable cooking utensils
on stage. Host is made up to look like he was close to the explosion—
hair spiked out and blackened, black powder marks all over. He is also
smeared and splattered with icing and some cake decorations.
(In a lot of pain) “Ouch. Owwwwwww! (Talking too loudly) IS EVERYONE OKAY? I CAN’T HEAR
ANYTHING. THAT WAS REALLY LOUD! WHAT IS MAKING THAT RINGING SOUND? OHH. IT’S MY
EARS. (Rub ears and start to gradually talk more normally.) I THINK I MIGHT BE TALKING TOO LOUDLY.
AM I? HOW ABOUT NOW? (Let kids respond and get a little quieter.) BETTER? (Let kids respond and get
a little quieter.) Better? (Let kids respond and resume almost normal talking.) Okay. Okay. I think I can hear
a little better now.
SFX: Cell phone ringing
(Loud again) “WAIT. WAIT! THE RINGING IS BACK! OH, NO. I MIGHT BE LOSING MY HEARING! WHAT
IS THAT RINGING? AAAHHHHHGGGHHH! (To kids) WHAT IS THAT RINGING? (Let kids respond and
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2015
4
252 Groups
May 2015, Week 4
Large Group, K-3 (Tipp)
resume almost normal talking.) I’m sorry, I’m expecting a booking as an escape artist. Do you mind if I take
this? (Pause.) Well, I’m going to anyway. Just a sec.
Turn away from the audience to talk on the phone.
“Hello! It is I—the Unflappable, Untrappable [Host’s name]! Would you be interested in hearing about our
specials? (Pause.) What escape are you interested in? (Pause.) Oh. (Pause and look offstage.) The
Incredible Exploding Cake Escape. That’s the only escape you are interested in? (Pause.) Yes. It is a
delicious trick. (Pause.) Yes. It has danger baked right in. (Pause.) When would you like to see it? (Pause.)
THIS AFTERNOON? ARE YOU CRAZY? (Recover.) I’M SORRY! I’m sorry, ma’am. (Pause.) No, I wasn’t
yelling at you on purpose. I … um … I stepped on my foot. (Pause.) No, that doesn’t make sense to me
either, ma’am. Anyway, ma’am, are you sure that you are ONLY interested in that ONE escape? The
Incredible Exploding Cake Escape? I do lots of others. (Pause.) Okay. That’s the only one you want.
(Pause.) Okay. Your heart is set on it. (Pause.) You’ll pay $5,000! (Excited) Of course! I’ll see you this
afternoon! (Pause and look at self and mess.) Oh, I’m pretty sure the results will be VERY entertaining.
(Pause.) Yes, ma’am. (Pause.) Goodbye, ma’am.
Hang up, turn around, and notice the kids as if you’ve forgotten
they were there.
“Oops! I forgot you were here! (Pause.) You didn’t hear that, did you? (Pause.) You did! Awww. I think I
might have done something wrong there. I let that lady think that I could do the Incredible Exploding Cake
Escape, but … (pause) well, I think we can all see that it didn’t turn out too well. It’s definitely not true to say
I can do it. But I didn’t exactly say that I could … I just let her THINK that I could. (Pause and look at watch.)
And anyway, I still have a TON of time to figure it out. It’ll be fine. I’m just gonna head backstage and see if I
can make this escape work. (Rub head.) And maybe take some pain meds. Ouch! That cake explosion
hurt!”
Host exits as Worship Leaders enter.
4. Praise and Worship (10 Minutes)
“This is Birthday and iZone money weekend. The worship leader will handle this during the worship time.”
5. Bible Story (15 Minutes)
Storyteller enters as Worship Leaders exit.
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2015
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252 Groups
May 2015, Week 4
Large Group, K-3 (Tipp)
SETTING UP THE STORY
STORYTELLER: “Hey, everyone. Today we are talking about a man who lied to help himself, but he ended
up hurting himself instead. Sounds like [Host’s name] is having some trouble today. Maybe I should invite
him to help us out. (Calling off stage) Oh, [Host’s name]!”
Host enters.
HOST: “What’s up? You know, I really should be practicing that escape. Can we make this quick?”
STORYTELLER: “I think this is more important than figuring out that escape. I need your help with the story
today to play one of the main characters, Haman.”
HOST as HAMAN: (Somewhat reluctantly) “Oh okay. Hi. I’m Haman.”
STORYTELLER: “Now, since Haman is the bad guy in our story, we need you to get into character. That
means you wear this giant black mustache and this big black hat.”
Storyteller hands the props to Host, who puts on them on. Host delivers his
lines with lots of flair as a bad guy in an old-fashioned melodrama.
HOST as HAMAN: “I’m a bad, bad man.”
STORYTELLER: “And one more thing. (To kids) Every time Haman says a line, I want all of you to yell,
‘Boo!’ for three seconds. When Haman talks, wait for him to finish, and then yell it out. Let’s practice.
Haman, say something.”
HOST as HAMAN: “Hi, there. I’m Haman.”
Storyteller cues the kids to boo and then cuts them off like a music conductor.
Continue this throughout the script after each of Host’s lines as Haman.
STORYTELLER: “Great job, kids. Let’s continue. Now, Haman had it pretty good in life. What’s up with you,
Haman?”
HOST as HAMAN: “I’m SUPER rich. (Pause for kids to boo.) I’m SUPER popular. (Pause for kids to boo.)
I’m SUPER powerful. (Pause for kids to boo.) In fact, I’m basically best buddies with the king. (Pause for
kids to boo.)
STORYTELLER: “That’s right. In fact, Haman had just gotten a promotion from the king, making him the
top, highest, most respected, most honored, most important official in the entire land.”
HOST as HAMAN: “Yep. I’m officially the highest official … (stretching it out) … oooooofficially!”
STORYTELLER: Yep. Officially. So you’d think that Haman would be, officially, the happiest, most satisfied
official in the land. But he wasn’t. And it was all because of one man.
HAMAN HATES MORDECAI
HOST as HAMAN: “It’s all because of that horrible Mordecai! I officially really, really, reeeeeally don’t like
him!”
STORYTELLER: “You see, Mordecai was a Jew. He was one of the officials of the court, but he wasn’t in
this country by choice. He was a captive. Mordecai had faithfully served the king, even saving his life from a
plot to kill him. But Mordecai wouldn’t bow to Haman like everyone else did, and that made Haman furious!”
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2015
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252 Groups
May 2015, Week 4
Large Group, K-3 (Tipp)
HOST as HAMAN: “I’m officially furious!”
STORYTELLER: “So Haman decided to do something rash. He decided to kill Mordecai.”
HOST as HAMAN: “Nope! That’s not mean enough!”
STORYTELLER: “He decided to kill Mordecai and all his family?”
HOST as HAMAN: “Nope! That’s not mean enough!”
STORYTELLER: “He decided to kill Mordecai, all of his family, and all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews!”
HOST as HAMAN: “I like it. Let’s do it!”
STORYTELLER: “So Haman tricked the king. He knew that the king liked Mordecai, so Haman told the king
that ‘certain people’ in the land were dangerous. He said that ‘certain people’ weren’t following the laws.
Basically, Haman made a bunch of bad things without being specific and let the king believe what Haman
wanted him to. Haman didn’t TECHNICALLY lie with his words. After all, Mordecai WAS breaking the law by
not bowing to Haman. But Haman lied by leaving out important details. Anyway, perhaps because the king
trusted Haman so much, the king signed a law permitting Haman to kill all the Jews in the land.
HOST as HAMAN: “Ha-HA! Soon I shall have my vengeance and it shall be great and terrible … and
officially legal! Ha!”
MORDECAI AND ESTHER
STORYTELLER: “Now, it might seem like it was all over for Mordecai and the Jews. But there was
something that Haman and the king didn’t know. The king had recently chosen a new queen named Esther.
And the king was very, very, very happy with her. But what no one knew about Queen Esther was that she
was a Jew! In fact, she was Mordecai’s cousin and Mordecai had adopted her as his daughter when her
parents had died. Esther was Mordecai’s only chance to save the Jews. But to do it, Esther would have to
expose her secret and tell the truth about who she was to the king. It was risky. It was dangerous. But after
sending some messages back and forth with her cousin—
SFX: Multiple text message alerts
(Annoyed with sound effects) “That’s enough!
SFX: Cut alerts
“Esther agreed to do it.
SFX: Single text message alert
(To sound booth) “Stop! (To kids) Anyway, Esther planned a fancy dinner to reveal all the secrets. She
invited the king and Haman to this private dinner.”
HAMAN IS EXPOSED
HOST as HAMAN: “Ooooohh! A private dinner with the king and queen! For little ol’ me? Well, I guess
that’s what happens when you are officially an important official like I am. Hahaha!”
STORYTELLER: “Once Esther had Haman and the king at the dinner, she started revealing the truth. First,
she shared that there was a secret plot to kill her and her people.”
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2015
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252 Groups
May 2015, Week 4
Large Group, K-3 (Tipp)
HOST as HAMAN: “Uh-oh! Wait a minute!”
STORYTELLER: “She revealed her identity—that she was Jewish! And since all of the Jews were going to
be destroyed, she was going to be destroyed too!”
HOST as HAMAN: “What? The queen is Jewish? Oh, no!”
STORYTELLER: “Queen Esther revealed that the person behind the plot was Haman himself!”
HOST as HAMAN: “Ahhhh! Oh boy! The king looks mad! Officially mad!”
STORYTELLER: “The king WAS mad. Officially. He was so angry that he had Haman taken by his guards
right then and there. And then he was never seen again.
HOST: “Oh. You know? I think I’ll just scoot on out of here … you know, that escape trick and all. I have
some thinking to do.”
STORYTELLER: “Sounds good. We’ll see you in a few.”
Host exits.
“Haman liked having power and he lied to make himself more powerful, but in the end, his lies ended up
hurting him. It’s like our Bottom Line for today.
CG: Bottom Line Slide
[Impress] “When you lie to help yourself, you hurt yourself instead. Haman learned this lesson the
hard way, but thankfully we get to hear his story and learn this before we get hurt.
Storyteller exits as Host enters.
6. Host Closer (5 Minutes)
HOST: “Wow. That was pretty terrible what happened to Haman. What a great reminder that you don’t even
have to say anything to be living a lie. Whenever we think a lie is going to help us, we are really just setting
ourselves up for a lot of pain—like me with this escape this afternoon. I didn’t use my words to tell a lie, but I
let that woman believe that I could do the escape. And THAT was not being honest. You know, I really need
to call her and tell her the truth. Just a second.
Take out a cell phone and act like you’re making a call.
“Yes. Yes, this is The Unflappable, Untrappable [Host’s name]! I need to tell you I wasn’t completely honest
with you earlier. I have attempted the Incredible Exploding Cake Escape, but it has never worked. In fact,
the last time I attempted it, I got badly hurt. (Pause.) Yes, ma’am. (Pause.) Anyway, ma’am, I’m sorry that I
misled you. If you’d like me to the do the escape from the woven-finger-traps-of-extraordinary-pain, I can try
that one. It has a 78.657% success rate. (Pause.) Yes, ma’am. I am aware that 78.657% is not a very good
percentage, but it’s still my best escape. (Pause.) No, ma’am. I’m not very good yet. But I’m working on it.
(Pause.) Yes, ma’am. Thank you for calling. (Hang up.)
“Well that was embarrassing, awkward, and hurt my pride a lot. But it still hurts less than if I had blown a
cake up in my face because I wasn’t honest with my abilities. It really is better to just be honest and tell the
truth. It’s time for you to head to Small Group and talk more about how you can trust God and be honest.
Have a great week, everyone!”
At the end Host should pray for the group and dismiss kids to Small Group
Dismiss children to their Small Groups.
7. Small Group (20-30 Minutes)
©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
Adapted by Ginghamsburg Church 2015
8