PRAYER / WORSHIP ACTIVITY
OPTION 1
5 minutes
Gather together 12–16 boxes – copier paper boxes would be ideal. Make five (or more) rocks by crumpling up newspaper and then wrapping parcel tape around it until it is completely covered. Make these rocks bigger than a fist. Stack the boxes in a wall or pyramid. As people come into the service, invite them to write down anything they are worried about on a post-it note and then stick it on one of the boxes. They can then throw the rocks at the wall to knock it down.
OPTION 2
5 minutes
Use Psalm 144 as a congregational reading. Split the church into two and ask each side to read alternate verses. Choose a version which will be accessible to everyone, especially younger readers. You might decide to read parts of the Psalm, perhaps verses 1–4 and then 9–11a. Either project the words clearly onto a screen or have them printed out for each person.
STORY
10 minutes
Make sure you have read the story from 1 Samuel 17 several times so that you know the events well. Sometimes we think we know a story better than we do! You will need a step ladder or stool, an adult-sized helmet of some kind, the newspaper ‘rocks’ from the first worship activity and a toy sword. Make sure that the congregation are seated so that there is an aisle between them. If you are able to make it slightly wider than you might usually have it, that will work well. Tell one side that they are the Philistines and the other that they are the Israelites. Ask the Philistines to shout some (appropriate) abuse across at the Israelites. Ask the Israelites to look concerned.
Chose the tallest Philistine to come and play Goliath. Get them to stand on the step ladder / stool and look menacing. Give some context to Goliath: he was nine feet tall and his armour weighed more than some people! Have Goliath’s ‘invitation’ from 1 Samuel 17:8-10 printed out and ask Goliath to read or shout it out. Choose one of the Israelites to play David. Give some context: David was the youngest of his brothers (probably a teenager), sent to visit them by his father. His brothers weren’t pleased to see him. David was angry that Goliath was trash-talking his people and his God, and he offered to fight the giant.
Ask for an adult from the Israelite side to play King Saul and give them the helmet. Explain that the king was at his wit’s end – he and his people were scared to death of Goliath and they had no one to send to fight him. He would have known that it wasn’t all that responsible to send a young boy to fight this giant. He tried to dissuade David, offered him his armour (have some interplay with the helmet being too big for the volunteer) but in the end he agreed to let David go.
Have David and Goliath meet in the middle of the aisle. Get Goliath to read out the words from verses 43 and 44. Then ask David to say, ‘You come at me with weapons, but I come at you in the name of the Lord!’ (Just get the child to repeat each half of the line after you.) Now ask David to throw a rock at Goliath and have Goliath fall (carefully!) off their stool / ladder. Give David the sword and ask him to pretend (with some supervision!) to chop Goliaths head off. Encourage the Israelites to celebrate.
REFLECTIVE RESPONSE TO THE STORY
OPTION 1
10 minutes
Give each person in the congregation a smooth pebble (about 3 to 5cm across). Invite people to reflect on who God is and then use a marker pen to write a describing word about God on their stone. Encourage them to take the stone home and put it somewhere to remind them of who God is. People could pray together in groups using the descriptions they have written to praise him and invite him into challenging circumstances.
OPTION 2
10 minutes
Saul wanted David to wear armour that didn’t fit him, but David knew he was already equipped to fight by the experiences he’d had in the fields. God has equipped each of us with the things we need to face the challenges we meet. Ask people to talk with one another about the strengths they have in their particular personalities. (They can do this in pairs or small groups.) As they talk, invite them to take a dolly peg (you can get them easily on the internet) and use felt tips to draw some features on the head to liken it to themselves. They can then cut a rectangle of foil (or you might find it easier to have these pre-cut), fold it in half and cut a slot for the head to go through, creating a poncho. They can then put the foil poncho onto the peg and scrunch it to fit perfectly to create armour. Encourage the congregation to take these ‘mini-mes’ home with them to remind them of the story and to help them think more about what God is saying to them.
GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
10 minutes
Split into mixed-age groups. The adults in the group should take care to involve the children in a meaningful way in the discussion.
- Just as Goliath made fun of Israel, its army and God, what lies about God might your circumstances or other people try to tell you?
- Saul wanted David to fight Goliath by wearing his armour, but it was the wrong thing for David. When have you tried to do something in a way that didn’t fit you? What happened?
- What things have happened in your life that might have helped to prepare you for the things that are happening now?
- Can you imagine how God might equip you for the future with the adversities happening in this moment?
- If you don’t feel you have any particular challenges at the moment, how might you encourage others? What pointers can we take from the story to do this?
Jenny Cheung is a schools’ worker with Scripture Union Scotland and leads the children’s team at CLAN Gathering (New Wine Scotland)
