Theme for the Year: Quest for Identity

Lesson Plan for: The Anointing of David
Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Memory Verse: 1 Samuel 16:7b:
“’ . . . for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”

Concepts:
 God chooses ordinary, often marginalized, people to do God’s work in the world.
 David is identified by God to be the king of Israel, the leader of God’s people.
 God looks at the heart, not at outward appearances.

Workshops used:
Movie - BibleMax Theater: watch the anointing of David as the future king of Israel using a video entitled “King David.” They will place this event in a timeline with other stories we have studied and retell parts of the story using prompts.
Cooking - Daily Bread: two groups will bake seemingly identical brownies; the two batches will bake up and taste very differently due to the leaving out of a necessary ingredient. The children will relate this to characteristics that are seen and those that are unseen.
Puppetry - Our Acts: use “object theater” to act out the story. Object theater is a special type of puppet theater where everyday objects are used instead of puppets to represent characters.
Art - Thou Art: learners will hear the story of the anointing of David as the future king of Israel. They will discover what characteristics society values in people and what characteristics God values in people. Silhouettes of themselves will be used to help them remember these desirable characteristics.

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Workshop: BibleMax Theater
Objective(s):
In this workshop, the learners will watch the anointing of David as the future king of Israel using a video entitled “King David.” They will place this event in a timeline with other stories we have studied and retell parts of the story using prompts.

Supplies:
NRSV Bibles; events in the bible written on sentence strips with blue tape to tape them as a timeline; video “King David” starring Richard Gere, cued to the scene following the beheading; bag with items in it for the game (see step # 7 for description of items), popcorn, water, and cups.

Teacher preparation:
Read the Bible passage. Read over the background material included in your teacher packet as you become familiar with the Bible story and the lesson plan. See that popcorn is made.
About the movie (This is copied from the rotation.org web site):
Back in the 80's Paramount produced King David with Richard Gere in the lead role. It is, surprisingly, one of the best Bible movies ever made. It sticks extremely close to the script and has extremely few Hollywood sub-plots. It has some violence in it (as does the biblical story).
You will want to skip a section of Samuel confronting King Saul about the Ammonites (there's a beheading as in Scripture) and when David marries Saul's daughter, her breasts are briefly shown.
But if you can negate/fast forward through these two things, the rest of the movie is MARVELOUS. Gere seems particularly able to capture David's charisma, spirituality and exuberance.
The scene where Samuel the prophet goes to Jesse's house is good, though they do put a "prop" in Samuel's hands -- stones that give off a reflection when the chosen boy comes near them. It's a good dramatic scene -- and lasts about ten minutes. Following this scene we see David go to Saul's camp. Sorry -- Richard Gere isn't in the movie yet. They have a young teenage boy portraying David at this point.
Be sure the video is ready to start after the beheading.


Welcome and introductions:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Remember that you are interacting with a different group of students each week—some may not know you. Wear your nametag and make sure that the children are wearing theirs.

Lesson Plan:
1. Have the students sit where you would like them to during the reading of the story from the Bible. Hand out popcorn and remind them to pick up any pieces they drop. Hand out Bibles.
2. Ask the children what they know about David. Let them tell the story of his anointing as they remember it. (All classes should have had at least one workshop before this one.)
3. See if the children can guess where the anointing of David takes place in biblical history. For the Beginner class and the Primary class, tape the events on the wall as the Timeline in their correct order as you name them, leaving out the David event. Let them place the David event in the correct spot. For the Junior class, show the events and let the children decide in what order to place them. You may need to help them a little by discussing the event and other events around it. Explain that these are stories we have studied and this will give them an idea of where all of this fits in history. The following are the events in the correct order:
 Creation
 Noah
 Abraham and Sarah (about 2100 years BC)
 Jacob and Esau (about 2000 years BC)
 Jacobs flight
 Jacobs Return to his family
 Joseph and his coat of many colors (about 1900 years BC
 Joseph in Egypt
 Moses and The Exodus (about 1500 years BC)
 David (about 1000 years BC)
 The Prophets (about 700 years BC)
 Jesus
 Today (about 2000 years AD)
4. Read the story from the NRSV Bible in 1 Samuel 16:1-13. Tell them that we are going to watch a part of a movie that tells this same story.
5. Show the movie. You might want to identify characters as they appear. You might pause on the reflection stones Samuel has in his hand and explain them. You might also pause at the moment of anointing to explain anointing as the way they showed God's selection of their leaders.
6. Stop the movie after the scene of the anointing ends. Compare the movie with the Bible story by asking the following:
 What is the same?
 What is different?
 Why do you think the things that are different are done that way in the movie?
 Did the characters look like you expected them to? If not, how were they different?
7. Now we are going to play a game with the story. Divide the group into two teams, using something visible like clothing color or shoe type, but making sure the teams are equal in number. (Be sure you don’t use characteristics that might embarrass, like wearing braces or glasses.) Decide who goes first. The first person from the first team will select an item from the bag. They must tell how it fits in or relates to the story. They may get help from their team but be sure that one person on each side does not dominate that team. The other group will say if they agree or don’t agree. If the judges (the shepherd and teacher) decide that the reasoning for how that fits in was correct the team gets a point. If the other team said that the answer was not right and it was, that team will lose a point. For example (you might use this as an example for the class):
 Team 1 pulls out a pencil, and says that it fits into the story because David was a poet, and poems are written with pencils. Team 2 says that is not right because there were no pencils in the biblical times. If the judges decide that that was a logical way it would fit the story, Team 1 gets a point and Team 2 is minus a point. If it is determined that they are both right they both get a point. If Team 2 is correct they get the point and team 1 is minus a point. (Most things will relate to the story). There is no prize so the winner will not matter but you do not have to tell the children that.
 Suggested objects are:
Animal horn or picture of one (held the oil for anointing)
Baby doll or small child figure (indicating that David was the youngest)
Binoculars (Samuel's search for the new king)
Crown (Kings wear crowns - David was anointed king)
Dirty sock (David didn't have time to clean up before coming inside)
Family picture with lots of children (Eight would be perfect - for brothers)
Heart (God looks on the heart)
Index card with "Holy Spirit" written on it (Holy Spirit came upon David when he was anointed)
Index card with “Old Testament” written on it (where this story is found), or index card with Scripture reference (where story is found - for older children)
Picture of a shepherd or small shepherd's crook (David was a shepherd)
Small bottle of oil (Samuel anointed David with oil)
Small stuffed sheep (David cared for his father's sheep)
Praying hands (Samuel prayed to God)
Other objects that have no obvious relation to the story, so there will be some with no connection.

Closure:
Remind the class that God chose David to be king of Israel. His anointing was an outward sign that he was to be king, but it also meant he would need to prepare himself for the job ahead. The anointing was just the beginning of David’s adventures. You will learn more about him in the next two months.

Closing prayer:
Close the class with a prayer of your own, or use the following:
Loving God, thank you for always being there when we need you. Help us to rely on you to help us with whatever we are facing and may we never forget that even though things may not always be the way we expect, you are always there for us and we can count on that. Amen.

Journal Time:
Help the shepherd pass out the journals. Have them answer the following:
What is one way David could have prepared to be King of Israel. (Share their answers if there is time.)

Dismissal:
Have the children help you tidy up the workshop space. Dismiss them with instructions about where they are to go. If you complete the lesson with quite a bit of time left, you may allow the children to visit the Ewing McGee Children’s Library, being quiet so as not to disturb classes still in session.


References:
www.rotaton.org, Writing

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Workshop: Daily Bread
Objective(s):
In this workshop, the learners will be placed in 2 groups. Each group will bake seemingly identical brownies; the two batches will bake up and taste very differently due to the leaving out of a necessary ingredient. The children will relate this to characteristics that are seen and those that are unseen.

Supplies:
The Children’s Bible in 365 Stories; aprons or long t-shirts; brownie mix, divided in half, that requires oil as a separate ingredient; copy instructions for the brownies onto two note cards, one for each cooking station, but leave out the oil in the first station's instructions; ingredients called for in the mixes; measuring cups for each cooking station, mixing bowls and utensils for each cooking station; greased pans (throwaway loaf pans work well); pot holders, napkins, paper plates, pencils; newsprint and marker.

Teacher preparation:
Read the Bible passage. Read over the background material included in your teacher packet as you become familiar with the Bible story and the lesson plan. Tell any adult helpers in the first cooking group that the oil was intentionally left out of the instructions. Preheat ovens as directed on the mix.
The cooking stations should be set up by CE as follows: Set up two stations for cooking and one for discussion. The first cooking area should be labeled "Abinadab" and the other "David." It would be best if the stations were somewhat private, so the groups can't notice that one group has slightly different instructions.

Welcome and introductions:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Remember that you are interacting with a different group of students each week—some may not know you. Wear your nametag and make sure that the children are wearing theirs.

Lesson Plan:
Note: Steps 1-4 of the lesson plan need to be done in the first 5 minutes of class so there will be baking and cooling time for the brownies.
1. Review any safety rules for your kitchen workshop. Divide the children into two groups based on something visible, like colors they are wearing. The first group will be the "Abinadab" group; the second will be the "David" group. Try not to call attention to sensitive subjects like wearing braces or having glasses when organizing the groups. Explain that these visible differences are examples of what God meant when Samuel explained "mortals look on the outward appearance."
2. Say: “Today, we are going to see how making brownies can help us understand what God meant when God told Samuel "for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
3. After the children are divided, move them to the cooking stations and help them get busy with the mixes. If you provide aprons or long t-shirts to protect clothing, now is the time to put them on! Younger children may require more help with cracking eggs and measuring ingredients. When both groups are ready to pour their mixes into the pans, have each group show their batter to the entire group. Say: “Can anyone see any differences in the two mixes?” Most likely, the difference will not be evident. Acknowledge any comments and tell them that we will see if what happens when the brownies are baked.
4. Proceed with baking the mixes, either setting the timers or making note of the time.
5. While waiting for the brownies to bake, move to the discussion area and hand out Bible storybooks. Have the children turn to page 138 and look at the picture. Have them state what they learn about David from the picture.
6. Read the first column through the paragraph that begins “There was great excitement” and stop before that paragraph. State that there was good reason for Samuel to be afraid of Saul because prior to today’s story, (in chapter 15 verse 28 of 1 Samuel) Samuel had said to King Saul, “ The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors – to one better than you.” Discuss how that would make a king feel.
7. Ask, “Why do you think God told Samuel to invite Jesse’s family?” They will probably say, “so David would be there.” Point out that the members of David’s family were witnesses to the anointing and would still keep it quiet.
8. Read the next paragraph in the story and discuss how the family may have felt when invited to the feast, then when they found out the reason Samuel was there. Ask, “Which son do you think that the family thought Samuel would choose?” Accept any answer but ask reasons for that choice.
9. Read the next paragraph and talk about how the family felt when one after another of the sons was not chosen.
10. Read the rest of the story and talk about how the family felt about David’s being chosen. Ask, “How do you think David felt?”
11. With Primary and Junior Classes: Give out the journals and have the children divide their paper into two columns. Label one column “David” and one column “Me.” With Beginner Class: Have the class discuss the following orally and make a chart in the classroom of their responses, divided into the two columns.
Tell them to fill in the given information about David and then have them fill in comparable information about themselves. For example:
David Me
David was the youngest in his family. I am the . . .
David’s family responsibility My family responsibilities
was to care for the family sheep are . . .
David liked to practice with his slingshot. I like to . . .
David wrote songs about God. I . . .
God chose David for work he was to do for God. I think God wants me to . . .
12. When the brownies are done, remove them from the ovens and place them side by side to cool. Ask the children if they notice a difference in the brownies. They should notice the difference between the two batches. If not there should be an obvious difference when the two are cut.
13. Say: “Before we put them in the oven, could you see any difference in the "Abinadab" brownies and the "David" brownies? Now that we have baked them, can you see a difference? What do you think might have caused the difference? Tell the children that there was a secret ingredient in the "David" brownies. Ask one volunteer from each cooking group to read the instructions (Abinadab’s first). Do the children notice what was different? There was also nothing special about David's outside appearance, but God knew that David was the one to be Israel's king. No one thought that the youngest child in the family would be chosen for such an important job.

Closure:
Say: “ In verse 13 of our story, what did Saul use to anoint David? (Oil) The oil was a special way that God showed that David was the chosen one and that God's spirit would be with him. Just like God's spirit being present inside David helped him to be the king that the Lord wanted him to be, the oil inside our brownies helped them to be the kind of brownies we wanted to eat.
Enjoy the brownies!

Closing prayer:
Close the class with a prayer of your own, or use the following:
Dear God, thank you for this day and for stories we learn in Sunday school. Help us to be like David and prepare ourselves for whatever jobs you have for us. Amen.

Journal Time:
Since writing in journals was done earlier, no other journal writing will be done.

Dismissal:
Have the children help you tidy up the workshop space. Dismiss them with instructions about where they are to go. If you complete the lesson with quite a bit of time left, you may allow the children to visit the Ewing McGee Children’s Library, being quiet so as not to disturb classes still in session.


References:
Rotation.org writing team lesson “David: God’s Chosen King” Cooking Workshop.
Wehrheim, Carol A., editor, The Storyteller Series: The Shepherd King, Age-Level Leaders’ Guide, 1997, Christian Board of Publication, St. Louis, MO.

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Workshop: Our Acts
Objective(s):
In this workshop, the learners use “object theater” to act out the story. Object theater is a special type of puppet theater where everyday objects are used instead of puppets to represent characters.

Supplies:
Copy of the bible story from The Storyteller Series: The Shepherd King; household objects to be used to represent characters—at least 10 items are needed for characters, but more would give true choices for all characters (choose objects from the kitchen that have various shapes, sizes, and uses for these); copies of the script for the narrator and God; poster board with the phrase “No! People look on a person’s outside, but God looks on the inside”; table turned on its side for the staging; copies of the psalm for the responsive reading; pencils.

Teacher preparation:
Read the Bible passage. Read over the background material included in your teacher packet as you become familiar with the Bible story and the lesson plan. Place all the objects out in the floor on the table in the blue room. Keep in mind that this is a fun play—if it isn’t polished, that’s ok.

Welcome and introductions:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Remember that you are interacting with a different group of students each week—some may not know you. Wear your nametag and make sure that the children are wearing theirs.

Lesson Plan:
1. Gather the children together in one end of the room. Begin by asking some questions:
 Do any of you have brothers and/or sisters (or cousins)? Are they older or younger?
 How does the oldest treat the youngest in your family?
 If you are playing a game and need a team leader, would you pick the youngest or the oldest?
 What would you think if someone else picked the youngest to lead a team?
2. Introduce the story for today by telling the class that Samuel was a prophet who shared God’s word with God’s people, and that Saul was the king of Israel at the time of the story. God was not satisfied with the work Saul was doing.
3. Read the story from the source provided. When done, review the highlights of the story, prompting the children for the important points:
 God tells Samuel to choose another king, and gives Samuel an answer for the danger in which God places him.
 Jesse comes with his sons for the sacrifice.
 Samuel looks at all of Jesse’s sons, and deems each of them worthy. However, none is the correct one.
 Samuel insists on seeing the youngest son, so Jesse sends for him.
 David is anointed as the new king.
4. Review the characters in the story and talk about their characteristics and how they might act:
 Samuel—prophet; we don’t know much about his physical characteristics;
 God—only a voice in the story, but a strong voice;
 Jesse—father of the 8 sons;
 Eliab—eldest;
 Abinadab—tall;
 Shammah—handsome;
 son number 4—big bulging muscles;
 son number 5—smiling, jolly;
 son number 6—well-dressed;
 son number 7—curly hair;
 David—young, tends sheep, writes songs.
5. Tell the class that today we will recreate the story using an odd assortment of items as puppets. Ask for four volunteers for the play: one will be the narrator that reads the story, one will be the voice of God, and two will be “puppeteers,” moving the objects around in the play (one for Samuel and one for the others.) The rest of the class gets to watch the production.
6. Take the volunteers to into the blue room to prepare for the play while the shepherd helps the class through the following warm-up exercises:
 Line up in order of height. Which people in the class do you think would be the best basketball players? Why? How do those of you at the shorter end of the line feel about this assumption? Think about this when the youngest brother is chosen.
 Think about how the first 7 brothers felt when they were passed over. Show how each might have looked when they were passed over. Show how each might have looked when David was chosen. Show how David might have looked when he was chosen and oil was poured on his head by Samuel.
7. In the blue room with the volunteers, give the narrator a script. Let him or her read through it silently. Give the voice of God a script to go over and the poster board to hold up when God speaks God’s refrain. After the first time the line is spoken by God, the actor should hold up the board and encourage the audience to say the line with God. Give the two puppeteers time to choose objects for the other characters—Samuel, Jesse, and the eight sons. Tell them to make choices that might fit the physical characteristics of the characters, especially each of the sons.
8. When the volunteers are ready, have them go into the drama room. The narrator can stand beside the table while the puppeteers go behind the table with their object characters. God can stand on the other side of the table, visible to the audience. Perform the drama for the audience.
9. If there is time when the performance is done, talk a little about the play and the choices that the puppeteers made for the characters. Let the audience tell why a certain object might have been chosen for a character, or let the puppeteer explain why that choice was made.

Closure:
Tell the class that one of David’s talents was writing poems and singing them as songs while playing an instrument called the lyre. Close the class with the responsive reading of Psalm 8 (below) as a closing prayer:
Leader: O Lord, our Sovereign,
All: how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Leader: You have set your glory above the heavens.
All: Out of the mouths of babes and infants
Leader: you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
All: to silence the enemy and the avenger.
Leader: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;
All: what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
Leader: Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
All: and crowned them with glory and honor.
Leader: You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
All: you have put all things under their feet,
Leader: all sheep and oxen,
All: and also the beasts of the field,
Leader: the birds of the air and the fish of the sea,
All: whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Leader: O Lord, our Sovereign,
All: how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Journal Time:
Help the shepherd pass out the journals. Have the children answer the following:
What do you think God could see special about a little boy like David?

Dismissal:
Have the children help you tidy up the workshop space. Dismiss them with instructions about where they are to go. If you complete the lesson with quite a bit of time left, you may allow the children to visit the Ewing McGee Children’s Library, being quiet so as not to disturb classes still in session.

References:
www.rotation.org writing team lesson “David: God’s Chosen King” Drama Workshop.
Wehrheim, Carol A., editor, The Storyteller Series: The Shepherd King, Age-Level Leaders’ Guide, 1997, Christian Board of Publication, St. Louis, MO.
Narrator's Script - The Anointing of David
(Narrated by the Prophet Samuel)
Adapted by Amy Crane and Jan Marshall
Scripture taken from the Good News Bible in Today's English Version - Second Edition,
Copyright (c) 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

[Suggested actions and responses are in brackets. Pause in the narration and encourage the students to use their imagination to expand upon the little bit of detail in the Bible. Note that there should be an object portraying Samuel in the drama as well as someone reading as Samuel the narrator.]

[Samuel appears.] Good morning. My name is Samuel. I am a judge, a prophet, and a priest, called by God. I could tell you many stories -- about Saul, the first King of Israel; about his son Jonathan; about a giant named Goliath; and about a great king named David. I don't have time to tell all the stories today, but I do want to tell you a story about David. Did you know that he was not always a great king? It all started like this . . .

God was unhappy with the way Saul, chosen by the people of Israel to be their first king, was behaving. He was not following God's way. One day, God talked to me about it. I was told that God had already chosen a new king and I was to go anoint this new king. I argued with God for awhile, because that’s pretty dangerous! We already had a king, and I was afraid he would kill me if he knew I was going to anoint a new one. But God told me to go on, plan a sacrifice as a cover-up, and anoint this new king—a son of Jesse of Bethlehem.

So, I packed my bag and was off to Bethlehem for an anointing and a sacrifice to the Lord. The town leaders were a bit concerned when I showed up, but I told them it was a peaceful visit. Everyone got cleaned up and gathered for the sacrifice, including Jesse and his seven sons. Such handsome young men! But which one was to be king? I trusted that God would tell me which to choose.

[Jesse arrives "on stage" and greets Samuel.]

Well, I could tell it wouldn't be a problem finding a king in this crowd of fine young men! I started with Eliab, the oldest.

[The Eliab object comes on stage. Samuel faces him.]

This first son of Jesse is such a fine young man. Since he is the eldest and has an important role in this fine family, I was sure this was the chosen one.

But God said, “No! People look on a person’s outside, but God looks on the inside.” [The volunteer who is God says this, and holds the poster board up for the audience to see.]

Well, I asked for the next son, Abinadab. [The Abinadab object comes on stage.] I thought, “How tall this one is! Everyone will have to look up to this one as king. Good choice, God.”
[This time, God should hold up the poster board, and point to it encouraging the audience to say the phrase with God.] “No! People look on a person’s outside, but God looks on the inside.”

So I called for Shammah, the third son. [The Shammah object comes on stage.] He was so handsome, a splendid example of one who should be king. The people would be proud of such a king. I started to ask him to kneel, when God said,

[God should hold up the poster board, and point to it encouraging the audience to say the phrase together.] “No! People look on a person’s outside, but God looks on the inside.”

So I asked for son number four (by this time, I was confused about all their names. I still can’t remember them all!) [The number four son’s object comes on stage.] This son had big bulging muscles, and I thought he would be a strong leader. But God said,

[Again, point to the poster board.] “No! People look on a person’s outside, but God looks on the inside.”

Then came son number five. [The number five object comes on stage.] This son had such a wonderful smile. I was sure this would be a jolly king. But again God said,

[Poster board.] “No! People look on a person’s outside, but God looks on the inside.”

I was getting used to this by this time, so I called for son number six. [Son number six object comes on stage.] This son was very well-dressed. He would make a proper king. But God said,

[Poster board.] “No! People look on a person’s outside, but God looks on the inside.”

Finally, I called for the seventh son. [Seventh son’s object comes on stage.] This one had such magnificent curls—truly a crowning glory for a king. But once again, God said,

[Poster board.] “No! People look on a person’s outside, but God looks on the inside.”

Well, I knew something was wrong. And I didn't think it was the Lord. I had met all seven of Jesse's sons, and not one of them was the one God wanted. There had to be another son. So I asked Jesse if there were other sons. He told me of the youngest, the one who only watched the sheep and made up songs. [Samuel and Jesse face each other. Then David comes on stage.]

When the youngest son arrived, David was his name and I could see he was young. He had been tending the sheep and had been in the pasture for who knows how long, so he wasn't particularly clean. But I could see he was a handsome, healthy young man. How his eyes sparkled when he came into the room! And the Lord spoke to me again, but this time God said,

“Yes, this is the one I choose. People look on a person’s outside, but God looks on the inside.”

[Samuel anoints David.]
Well, my job was done. I made the sacrifice to the Lord and returned home alone, but with this secret. I could see the spirit of the Lord was with David. David would be okay there in Bethlehem until it was time for him to serve God and God’s people as king of Israel.

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Workshop: Thou Art
Objective(s):
In this workshop, the learners will hear the story of the anointing of David as the future king of Israel. They will discover what characteristics society values in people and what characteristics God values in people. Silhouettes of themselves will be used to help them remember these desirable characteristics.

Supplies:
The story of the anointing of David, copied from The Storytellers Series: The Shepherd King; several advertisements from magazines that have people in them; newsprint and marker; 5’ to 6’ lengths of paper, crayons, masking tape (or blue tape); newspapers, cotton balls, vegetable oil (for Beginner class only; optional for other classes).

Teacher preparation:
Read the Bible passage. Read over the background material included in your teacher packet as you become familiar with the Bible story and the lesson plan. Tape long pieces of paper to the wall, with the bottom of the paper to the floor. You should have a mixture of lengths of paper to accommodate various sizes of children.

Welcome and introductions:
Greet the children and introduce yourself. Remember that you are interacting with a different group of students each week—some may not know you. Wear your nametag and make sure that the children are wearing theirs.

Lesson Plan:
1. Gather the children around and read the story from the copy provided. Ask the following:
 What were some of the characteristics Samuel was looking for in choosing the next king? (height, muscle power, good-looking, curly hair, etc.)
 What are the qualities of a good leader? (Let them name some. You might add integrity, honesty, empathy, love, and others you think are important if they are not named.)
 Why do you think God passed over the older brothers and chose David? (God knew he had a good heart; he was young and would develop right characteristics with the spirit of God to help him.)
2. Talk a little bit about outward appearances. Ask:
 What are some of the aspects of outward appearance that are considered important in our society?
 What are some material things to have that are considered important in our society? (cool clothing, car, big house, “right” friends, etc.)
3. Lay out all the magazine ads on the table. Have each of them look through them and choose an advertisement that interests them and pick it up. One by one, let each person show their ad. As a group, discuss the kind of persons the ads describe or imply as ideal. List on the newsprint the attributes seemingly preferred in the ads. Discuss whether each attribute is related to a person’s outward appearance or a person’s heart. On another sheet of paper, make a list of the attributes that God may look for in preparing us for God’s work.
4. Draw attention to the long pieces of paper on the walls. Let each child find one that is close to their own size, and stand in front of it. In pairs, have one person stand with his or her back to the paper and the other draw their outline on the paper with a crayon. (You and the shepherd may need to help with this, too.)
5. For Primaries and Juniors, complete steps 5 and 6, then skip to the closure. For Beginners, skip to step 7 and complete:
When everyone has a silhouette, give these instructions to the whole group:
 First, they are to write on their papers, outside the silhouette, details of their personal appearance, such as height, hair color, or shoe size.
 Then ask them to write, inside their silhouettes, personal characteristics that are not visible, such as friendliness, honesty, faith, love of family, etc.
6. When all have finished, have each one stand by their silhouette and tell what is written on it. Ask:
 What is wrong with a good personal appearance? (Actually, nothing. Taking care of ourselves is taking care of God. But this alone doesn’t make us ready for doing God’s work.)
 What characteristics mentioned on the silhouettes might you look for in choosing different kinds of leaders? (Answers here might depend on the leadership role that needs filling. Sometimes physical characteristics are desirable in leadership roles, but most often good inner qualities are desirable in leaders. Inner characteristics determine what we can do for God.)
 What people in your life might be measuring your heart for filling important roles?
7. For Beginners:
Spread several layers of newspaper on the table (get the children to help if needed.) Take the silhouettes off the wall and lay them on the newspaper. Ask the children to turn theirs over and draw a heart or other decorations on the blank side with crayons. When done, have them turn their papers back to the figure side. Ask: How well can you see the heart and the other decorations you drew?
8. Provide each child with a cotton ball dipped in vegetable oil. Have them rub the oily cotton over the figure. Show excitement as their hearts and decorations appear on the figures. Remind them that God can see through to the inside and to our hearts just like God saw through to David’s heart.
Closure:
When all the silhouettes have been discussed, ask for volunteers to explain how this activity relates to the story they have heard about David. Ask:
 Thinking about this story in another way, how do we choose our friends?
 What if our friends don’t like someone else we know?
 How should we respond to those who are mentally or physically challenged or of a different culture?
(If the students don’t answer a question, be prepared to give prompts. However, don’t judge any answers, but talk about how Jesus teaches us to answer.)
Remember that we can only see on the outside, but God can see the heart.

Closing prayer:
Close the class with a prayer of your own, or use the following:
Gracious God, thank you for choosing us and preparing us for important roles. Guide us as we meet people in our lives so that we do not judge them by how they look but with open minds. Help us to see people as you see them, as your children. Amen.

Journal Time:
Help the shepherd pass out the journals. Have the answer the following:
What good qualities might God see in your heart?

Dismissal:
Have the children help you tidy up the workshop space. Tell them they can come back to class following worship to take their silhouettes home. Dismiss them with instructions about where they are to go. If you complete the lesson with quite a bit of time left, you may allow the children to visit the Ewing McGee Children’s Library, being quiet so as not to disturb classes still in session.


Adjustment for older classes:
If you have time, feel free to have the primary and junior classes do the drawing/oil exercise in steps 7 and 8 after you have completed step 6 of their section. They may enjoy this, too.

References:
Wehrheim, Carol A., editor, The Storyteller Series: The Shepherd King, Age-Level Leaders’ Guide, 1997, Christian Board of Publication, St. Louis, MO.


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