OT 77 Esther

Reference: Esther 1-8

Big Idea and Motions: God is always with us.

• God - point up
• Always - gesture your arms in a wide circle
• With us - hug yourself

Verse and Motions: Matthew 28:20b - And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (ESV)

• Behold - cup your hands around your mouth and say “Behold!” dramatically
• I am - point 
• With you - hug yourself
• Always - draw repeated circles in the air with your finger
• End of the age - pound the bottom of your fist on your palm as you say each of these four words

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week

• Who was the king of Persia? (King Xerxes.)
• What “J” word describes the Israelites in today’s story? (Jews.)
• What Jew did King Xerxes make queen of Persia? (Esther.)
• Who was Esther’s adoptive father? (Mordecai.)
• How did Mordecai save King Xerxes? (He heard about two guards who wanted to kill the king.)
• Why was Haman mad at Mordecai? (Mordecai didn’t bow before him.)
• What did Haman decide to do? (Destroy all the Jews.)
• Before Esther went to ask the king to save the Jews, what did she have the people do? (Not eat, pray.)
• Did King Xerxes listen to Esther’s request to not destroy her people? (Yes.)
• What is today’s big idea? (God is always with us.)
• What is today’s Bible verse? (Matthew 28:20b - And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.)

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OT 76 Nehemiah Rebuilds the Wall

Big Idea and Motions: Don’t be afraid of your enemies. Remember the Lord. He is great and powerful.
Afraid - put your hands on your cheeks and look scared
Enemies - hold up your fists, ready to fight
Remember - tap your brain
Lord - point up
Great - flex your muscles up high
Powerful - flex your muscles down low

Verse and Motions: Psalm 23:4 - Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. (ESV)
Walk - walk your feet in place
Valley - form a “V” with your hands by placing the bottom of both palms together
Shadow - place a hand above your eyes
Death - cross your arms in an “X” over your chest
Fear no evil - stand boldly, like a brave superhero
You - point up
With me - hug yourself

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What was Nehemiah’s job? // Cupbearer, wine taster for the king
What did Nehemiah want to do? // Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem
Who did Nehemiah ask to let him go rebuild the walls? // King Artaxerxes
Who were the two guys who tried to stop Nehemiah? // Tobiah and Sanballat
What kinds of things did Tobiah and Sanballat do? // Make fun, lie, say they were going to hurt them
How did Nehemiah have the workers protect themselves? // Gave swords to guards, some worked with one hand and had a sword in the other
Did Nehemiah and the Israelites finish the wall? // Yes.
Who does Psalm 23 tell us God is like? // A good shepherd who protects his sheep.
What is today’s big idea? // Don’t be afraid of your enemies. Remember the Lord. He is great and powerful.
What is today’s Bible verse? // Psalm 23:4 - Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. (ESV)

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OT 75 The Temple is Rebuilt

Reference: Ezra 1-6

Big Idea and Motions: Tell your cares to God because he cares for you.
Tell - make your hands talk like puppets
Cares - hug yourself
God - point up
Cares - same as above
You - point to another person

Verse and Motions: James 5:13 - Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
Anyone - point away from you with both index fingers
Suffering - hold out two fists
Pray - place your hands palms together
Anyone - point away from you with both index fingers
Cheerful - point to your cheeks and smile
Sing praise - place one hand over your heart and the other in the sky and sing these words

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What special building had been destroyed before our story started? // The temple.
Who changed King Cyrus’ heart and mind? // God.
What did Cyrus decide to do? // Let the Israelites go and rebuild their temple.
What part(s) of the temple did they build first? // The foundation and the altar
When people came and tried to make the Israelites afraid, what did the Israelites stop doing? // Building the temple.
What did the prophets Zechariah and Haggai tell the people to do? // Start building the temple again
A man named Tattenai showed up. What did he want to know? // Who told you you could build the temple?
What did King Darius search for and find?  // King Cyrus’ law that said the temple could be rebuilt
What is today’s big idea? // Tell your cares to God because he cares for you.
What is today’s Bible verse? // James 5:13 - Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. (ESV)

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OT 74 Daniel in the Lions' Den

Reference: Daniel 6

Big Idea and Motions: Obey God first, then obey others.

• Obey - put one hand on your hip, wag your finger with your other hand
• God - point up
• First - hold up one finger
• Obey - same as above
• Others - gesture your arms widely around you

Verse and Motions: Acts 5:29 - But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” (ESV)

• Peter - stand up big and brave, like a superhero (since Peter was often bold)
• Apostles - pretend to hold a Bible in one hand and raise your other hand like you’re preaching
• Obey - put a hand on your hip and wag the finger of your other hand
• God - point up
• Men - flex your muscles

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What was the king's name in today's story? (Darius.)
How many leaders did he put in charge of his kingdom? (Three.)
Who was Darius' best leader? (Daniel.)
What law did the other two leaders tell King Darius to make? (Only can pray to him for 30 days.)
What did Daniel do? (Pray by his window 3 times a day.)
What happened to Daniel because he disobeyed King Darius' law? (Thrown into a lion's den.)
How did God save Daniel? (He sent an angel to shut the lions' mouths.)
Who did Darius praise after God saved Daniel? (Daniel's God, the real God.)
What is today's big idea? (Obey God first, then obey others.)
What is today's Bible verse? (Acts 5:29 - But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”)

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OT 73 Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream

Reference: Daniel 4

Big Idea and Motions: Jesus is the King of kings.

• Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
• King - pretend to put a crown on your head
• Kings - hold your arms up and then bow forward

Verse and Motions: Deuteronomy 10:17 - For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God...

• God of gods - point up three times, once on each word
• Lord of lords - pretend to put a crown on your head, then hold your arms up and bow forward
• Great - two thumbs up
• Mighty - flex your muscles
• Awesome - do a celebratory fist pump

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week

• Who had a dream in today’s story? (King Nebuchadnezzar.)
• What big thing did he see in his dream? (A big tree.)
• What did the angel say to do the tree? (Chop it to a stump.)
• Who told King Nebuchadnezzar what his dream meant? (Daniel.)
• What troubling thing was going to happen to King Nebuchadnezzar? (Live like an animal for 7 years.)
• Why did God do this to King Nebuchadnezzar? (Because he thought he was the greatest king, not God)
• What did King Jesus do for us? (Died and rise again for our sin.)
• Why shouldn’t we worry? (God, the King of kings, loves us and knows what we need.)
• What is today’s big idea? (Jesus is King of kings.)
• What is today’s Bible verse? (Deuteronomy 10:17 - For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God... ESV)

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NT 38 Jesus Rises From the Dead

Reference: Matthew 28, Luke 24

Big Ideas and Motions: Jesus rose from the dead

• Jesus - make a cross with your forearms
• Rose - Gesture upward with both palms
• Dead - cross your forearms in an “X’ over your chest

Verse and Motions: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 - “....Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day...” (ESV)

• Christ - make a cross with your forearms
• Died - cross your forearms in an “X’ over your chest
• Sins - two thumbs down
• Scriptures - pretend to open a book
• Buried - pretend to dig with a shovel
• Rose - gesture upward with both palms
• Third - hold up three fingers

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week

• Where was Jesus buried? (In a tomb, with a stone in front)
• On what day of the week did Jesus die? (Friday.)
• On what day of the week did Jesus rise from the dead? (Sunday.)
• Who were the first people at the tomb? (The two Marys.)
• What happened when the Marys went to the tomb? (An earthquake, an angel rolled the stone away)
• What did the angel say? (Jesus has risen, Go tell his disciples.)
• Who did the Marys meet on the way to tell the disciples? (Jesus.)
• Did the disciples believe when the women told them Jesus had risen? (No.)
• Who ran to the tomb to check it out? (Peter.)
• When Jesus appeared to the disciples, who did they think he was? (A ghost.)
• What did Jesus do to prove he wasn’t a ghost? (Let them see his hands and feet, ate a fish.)
• What is today’s big idea? (Jesus rose from the dead.)
• What is today’s Bible verse? (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 - “....Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day...”)

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NT 36 Peter Denies Jesus

Reference: Luke 22:54-62

Big Idea and Motions: Believe in Jesus to be forgiven.
Believe - Pretend to grab a rope in front of you with both hands.
Jesus - Make a cross with your forearms
Forgiven - hold one palm facing up and pretend to brush something off that palm with the fingertips of your other hand.

Verse and Motions: ...forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. - Eph. 4:32 (ESV)
Forgiving - hold one palm facing up and pretend to brush something off that palm with the fingertips of your other hand
One - hold up one finger
God - point up
Christ - make a cross with your forearms
Forgave - same as above
You - point to another person

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Who was Peter? (One of Jesus’ disciples.)
What did Jesus say Peter would do? (Say he didn’t know Jesus three times.)
What happened to Jesus at the beginning of the story? (He was arrested.)
How many times did people ask Peter if he knew Jesus? (Three.)
What did Peter say to these people? (I don’t know him, I don’t know what you are talking about.)
What happened after Peter said he didn’t know Jesus the third time? (A rooster crowed.)
What did Peter do after Jesus looked at him? (Began to cry.)
Did Jesus forgive Peter for saying he didn’t know him three times? (Yes.)
What did Jesus do to pay our punishment? (Died on a cross.)
How can we be forgiven by God? (Believe that Jesus died and rose again for our sins.)
What is today’s big idea? (Believe in Jesus to be forgiven.)
What is today’s Bible verse? (...forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. - Eph. 4:32)

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