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PRAYER / WORSHIP ACTIVITY
OPTION 1
10 mins
You will need: inflatable globes (these can be purchased quite cheaply online from sites such as eBay and are a really great reusable resource to have) – roughly one for every ten people, Post-it notes, pens, either a wall or notice board to put the Post-it notes on and some lively worship music, either on CD or live.
Having inflated the globes beforehand, explain that there is going to be an opportunity to worship God, declaring his greatness, that he is bigger than anything we might be facing in life and that he is God of the whole world. Play the music and throw the globes out, encouraging people to pass them around. When the music stops, whoever has a globe needs to put a finger on a country. They then find a Post-it note and write the name of the country on it. Younger children may need help writing the name of the country down. They then stick the Post-it on the board or wall at the front. Repeat this five or six times then draw people’s attention to the names of the countries written up, reminding them how God is God over all these places – whatever may be happening there. You may wish to lead everyone in a prayer at this point.
OPTION 2
10 mins
You will need: enough sheets of flip-chart paper for one between six people, felt-tip pens, paint, tissue paper, glue and whatever other creative materials you have or like to use.
Before you gather together, write the word ‘God’ in a thick outline on each piece of flip-chart paper, so that it fills the page. Invite people to gather round the pieces of paper and in the letter G, to write words that come to mind when they think of God, such as big, powerful, loving, everywhere. In the O invite people to create pictures of God’s creation. In the D invite people to use the paint to put finger, feet or handprints – reminding us that God created each of us to know him.
STORY
10 mins
Explain that you’re going to retell the opening six chapters of Nehemiah. However, when the words ‘Nehemiah’, ‘wall’ or ‘king’ are heard the congregation needs to respond accordingly: when they hear ‘Nehemiah’ they need to respond by saying ‘Can they fix it?’, when they hear ‘wall’, they should say ‘Yes they can!’ and when they hear ‘king’ they should make a trumpet sound. It is important that the readers have read through the story and know it as well as possible.
READER 1
Persia, a powerful nation, ruled the world. And King Artaxerxes (we’ll call him Art) ruled Persia. That made him the world’s mightiest ruler.
READER 2
One of the King’s important helpers was a Jewish man named Nehemiah. His job was to taste the King's food to protect the King from possible poisoning.
READER 3
Now one day, Nehemiah came before the King with a very sad face.
READER 3
The King wanted to know what was wrong. ‘O King, may you live forever,’ Nehemiah said. ‘I'm sad because the city where my fathers are buried is in ruins and the gates have been burned.’ Nehemiah was talking about Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by war many years before.
READER 1
King Art asked, ’What is it you would like?’ ‘Let me go to Jerusalem so I can rebuild it,’
Nehemiah pleaded. King Art kindly agreed. He also gave Nehemiah official letters to protect him as he travelled.
READER 2
The King helped even more. He gave Nehemiah a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the King's forests. Asaph was ordered to provide as much timber as Nehemiah asked for, to build the city walls.
READER 3
When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered the city officials and said: ‘We're in trouble here. The city is in ruins and the gates are burned. Let's start rebuilding.’ He told them that King Art approved and, most importantly of all, God was on their side.
READER 1
Nehemiah’s faith and enthusiasm must have inspired the people. They agreed, saying, ‘Let's rebuild.' Nehemiah told each family which piece of the wall they should fix.
READER 2
But, not everybody agreed to rebuild the wall. A man named Sanballat and his two friends Tobiah and Geshem were not Jewish and they didn't want the wall rebuilt or the gates fixed.
READER 3
As the work went on, Sanballat became very angry. He and his friends mocked the Jews.
READER 1
Tobiah said, ‘When they're finished building that puny wall, one little fox will make it crumble.’
READER 2
Nehemiah didn't answer. Instead, he prayed that God would deal with them.
READER 3
When their mocking insults didn't have any effect, they plotted together to fight against Jerusalem and cause as much trouble as they could.
READER 1
Again, Nehemiah prayed for God's help. He also placed a guard day and night so they wouldn't be taken by surprise.
READER 2
The Jews worked so hard, they were getting weary. Some became afraid that the enemy would come and kill them while they were working. Still, Nehemiah wouldn't stop the project. He put guards around the workers and reminded them that God was on their side and God is more powerful than any enemy!
READER 3
Nehemiah tried to be a good example. King Art had made him governor of Jerusalem with the right to demand food and money from the people, but he didn't do it. He just worked hard alongside the people as they rebuilt the Wall. He used his own money to buy food.
READER 1
Finally, the people finished the wall, and only the doors had to be put into the main gates.
READER 2
When Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem heard that there wasn't a gap in the wall anymore, they planned to harm Nehemiah.
READER 3
They sent messages for Nehemiah to meet them at a place called Ono. But Nehemiah knew they were trying to trick him out of the city so they could harm him. He wrote back telling them that he would not leave the work to go visit with them.
READER 1
The wall was finally finished, and Nehemiah set guards to protect it. He also made a rule that the gates should not be opened until well after the sun came up. Through the night, they were to be shut and barred.
READER 2
Now that the city was safe, many Jewish exiles from different parts of the world returned to Jerusalem. Nehemiah must have been very happy that he had finished the job God gave him to do, in spite of all the obstacles.
READER 3
He stayed on in Jerusalem and helped the people to always obey God.
REFLECTIVE RESPONSE TO THE STORY
OPTION 1
5 mins
Say the following prayer, pausing between the lines to give everyone space to think what it means for them:
God, of the whole world. God, of everything. God, who is with us right now. God, who was with Nehemiah as he rebuilt the walls. God, who will be with us wherever we go, whatever we do. God, who will always be by our side and will never leave us. God, you are amazing, brilliant, wonderful, fabulous and totally superb. Thank you that you love us and we can know you. Amen.
OPTION 2
15 mins
You will need: card brick shapes (one per person – brown corrugated works best but plain white card will do), pens and a table at the front.
Give everyone a card brick and a pen. Encourage them to split into small all-age groups and to write their first name on one side of the brick and then on the other side write or draw something they want God’s help with: making someone better, something they have to do in the near future at school or work, or a situation they have heard about on the news. When they have done this invite them to come and place the bricks on the table at the front, building the picture of a wall. To conclude, invite people during a song or at the close of the service to collect a brick (not their own) so they can take it and pray for the person and the situation they have written or drawn on the brick.
GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
10 mins
Splitting your group into smaller all-age groups, give space for them to discuss some or all of the following questions:
• What is this story all about?
• What part of the story did you like the best?
• Why do you think some people didn’t want the wall to be rebuilt?
• How do you think Nehemiah would have felt at different points in the story?
