Rotation.org Writing Team

ELISHA

ART

PASSAGE

Scripture Passage: 2 Kings 2:1-15

Key/Memory Verse: “Elisha said, ‘Please let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.’” 2 Kings 2:9b

PURPOSE

The story of Elisha receiving his teacher's mantle tells children about their role in the church and the purpose of learning God's Word. It helps them understand the choice they have to pick up and continue in God's work. See Bible Background for details.

Objectives

Children will:

Locate the story in the Old Testament portion of the Bible.

Tell the story in their own words.

Define prophet, disciple.

Discuss the relationship between Elijah and Elisha -- teacher/disciple.

Explore the meaning of Elisha's request for a double portion of Elijah's spirit.

Explore the meaning behind Elijah's passing the mantle to Elisha.

Discuss ways they learn from parents and teachers and pick up their "mantles."

Memorize 2 Kings 2:9b.

Workshop Objectives

The children will:

Hear the story.

Make prayer mantles using a cooperative group activity.

Discuss what it means to be a disciple, benefit from other’s work/knowledge/talent, how they were like Elijah and Elisha in the activity.

Review the memory verse and discuss how the activity illustrates its message.

PREPARATION

Read Bible Background and lesson plan.

Assemble materials.

Pray for the children and your teaching.

Materials List

• Chalk or marker
  
• Chalk or white board
  
• Fabric paint and/or markers, dark or vivid colors
  
• Felt, light colored or white
  
• Scissors
  

Advance Preparation

Cut felt into 1’ x 4’ strips.

PRESENTATION

Open -- Introduction

Greet and welcome the children.

Open in prayer.

Pick up one of the felt strips and ASK: I wonder what one of these could be used for?

Allow time for discussion/brainstorming with responses to come out popcorn style. If the children have a hard time beginning, prime the pump … wrap the strip around your head like a scarf, wave it in the air like a flag, and so forth.

SAY: Yes, it could be used for all those things, but today we will use it to make something called a mantle. A mantle is a very special kind of covering. In the Old Testament times, you could tell what some people did for a living by the kind of clothes or covering they wore. Our story today tells us about a special mantle worn by some pretty special people. Let’s take a look at our story and find out more.

Have the children open their Bibles to the text. Depending on where this lesson falls in the rotation series, you may need to give some background about who Elijah and Elisha are. Be sure to discuss what a prophet is/does with the children. Then read, or have the children read, the passage.

When you reach verse 9, explain the inheritance customs of the time to the children. SAY: In those days, before a father died, he would pass his property on to his sons. Everyone would get an equal share, except the first born, or favorite son. That son would get twice as much as anyone else. Even though Elisha was not Elijah’s born son, he was like a son to him. He was asking for a first born son’s blessing, and for Elijah to give him his most valuable possession, the quality of his spirit.

When verse 13 is reached, stop the reading for moment to SAY: Elijah’s mantle was a special one. It was the mantle of a prophet, probably made of animal fur. When Elisha picked that mantle up, not only would people now identify him as a prophet, he was agreeing that he takes over where Elijah left off. That was a BIG job!

NOTE: Some versions use the word “cloak” instead of mantle. Clarify for the children that these words mean the same thing in this story.

After completing the reading SAY: Today you will have a mantle to take home when we are done. Yours will be a prayer mantle. You can wear it when you have prayer time at your house. It will be a special mantle, because it’s a prayer mantle, and because it will be one that all of our friends here helped make just for you.

Dig – Main Content

Activity

Have the children sit around tables in the art room. Give each child a felt strip. Tell them to use fabric markers to put their name on their strip, on a bottom edge.

Tell them to then pass their mantle to the person on their right.

SAY: We are going to help our friends end up with a wonderful prayer mantle. We’re going to do that while also playing a fun game called “the squiggle game.” Has anyone ever played that?

Give a chance for answers and explanations. If none are forthcoming SAY: Here’s what we do. First pick a fabric marker or tube of fabric paint. Next, make a squiggle on the mantle in front of you. Now, pass the mantle to the person on your right. Now, you get to make something out of the squiggle the person on your left just made. The thing you make needs to help remind your friend, whose mantle you are working on, of God, Jesus, or prayer.

You may need to take a few minutes to talk with the children about symbols and which ones would be appropriate, perhaps even making a list on a chalk or a white board.

SAY: When you are done completing the symbol from the squiggle, you get to make a new squiggle. Then you pass the mantle again, to the person on your right. We’ll keep doing this until the mantles have made their way all around to everybody, and back to their owners.

You will need to keep an eye on the pace of the children and give direction about when it is time for them to pass the mantles along.

Reflect – Closure

When the mantles are back with their rightful owners SAY: Take a minute to look at your mantle. What kind of symbols do you have? Can you tell who did which ones? Is it important to know? Why or why not?

SAY: These mantles are reminders of today’s lesson, but also reminders of how we receive and pass things on to others in the church. Sometimes we know exactly where the things we get came from, the people responsible for giving them to us. Sometimes we don’t. But we always know that there was at least one person there before us, to pass things on to us, just like Elijah and Elisha. When we learn things about God and Jesus from others, we are disciples. The word "disciple" means "learner" or "student." So, you all are disciples right now! Look at your prayer mantles for a moment. Who can tell me something that they see on theirs that will help them remember our lesson today? What do you see? How will it help you remember? Do you know who helped make that for you? Ask the symbol creators. What did you want the mantle's owner to know or remember about today's lesson?

ASK: Who remembers from our story and memory verse what Elisha asked Elijah for before Elijah was taken away?

Review the memory verse.

SAY: Remember as you look at the symbols on your prayer mantles that each one of those stands for a double portion of fun and love and imagination and spirit from your friends. How is that? Remind them that it took two people to make each symbol, one to make the squiggle and one to make the squiggle into a symbol.

ASK: While you were making these mantles, there may have been times when you were more like Elijah and times when you were more like Elisha. What was an Elijah time? What was an Elisha time?

If the prayer mantles are dry enough (they should be if paint markers were used) have the children put on their prayer mantles for closing prayer.

Close in prayer.

CONTRIBUTOR: Ruth Wilcox