Micah: Session 4

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Bible passage: Micah 4:1-5

Background: Micah was prophesying at about the same time as Isaiah, around 737 to 696BC. He is considered one of the twelve minor prophets, essentially because his writings are shorter than some of the others. There are some standout bits, notably his prophecy, quoted in Matthew, that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. His book alternates between announcements of doom and expressions of hope. Today’s passage is one of the latter. It paints a picture of what we can expect things to look like when Jesus returns, when all will recognise him as the one true king.

 

CIRCLE TIME

5 minutes

As you begin the session, invite the children to sit together in a circle and pass round a simple object. Ask the child who has the object to talk about what makes them sad about the world we live in. Sometimes it’s helpful to have a sand timer so that you have enough time for each person to share if they want to. Children who don’t want to say anything can just pass on the object. Pray and thank God that he knows about all the things the children have mentioned.

 

INTRO ACTIVITY

5 minutes

You will need: large roll of paper (lining paper is ideal); felt-tip pens

Ask the children to draw things that make them sad, or things they see in the world around them or on the news that are not good.

Say that there are lots of things in the world that aren’t perfect, that aren’t the way God created them to be. Today’s story is about a message from God in which he promises to make everything perfect again in the future. .

 

BIBLE STORY

10 minutes

You will need: pictures of current news stories that signify a broken world

If you have completed the previous sessions in this series, remind the children that you’ve heard the stories of prophets (messengers of God), of how God met them and asked them to give people his messages.

Explain that you’re going to hear about another one of God’s prophets, but this is less about his story and more about the message God gave him for his people. This message wasn’t just for people hundreds of years ago, it is also for everyone today because what he said would happen hasn’t happened yet.

Tell the children that Micah lived at about the same time as Isaiah; about 700 years before Jesus was born. He had lots of clues about how Jesus would be born and what he would do. The world Micah lived in wasn’t a great place. God’s people were in lots of bother because they hadn’t obeyed God’s rules and had fallen into sticky situations. The world we live in isn’t so great either.

If you have pictures of current events from the news you could show them now. Refer to the pictures the children drew earlier.

Explain that God wanted the people to understand they could choose to live in different, better ways. He also wanted to get them excited about a time when the world would be made perfect again.

There’s a bit of Micah’s message that talks about how it will be in the future. Ask the children to help you make up an action for each of the key points below so they can remember the important things about the message.

When Jesus comes back, everyone will recognise that he is the king above all kings (verse 1).

• God will teach his people and they will want to obey him (verse 2).
• God will settle arguments between countries. There won’t be any war (verse 3).
• People won’t need weapons to fight any more. In fact, they’ll make them into other more useful things (verse 3).
• Everyone will be safe. No one will make them feel afraid (verse 4).
• People will be with God for ever (verse 5).

After you have made up some simple actions, have everyone perform them a few times so they remember the message.

 

CHATTING TOGETHER

5 minutes

Ask the children these questions, encouraging everyone to take turns to contribute:

• How do you feel about the idea that Jesus will come back and make everything perfect?
• What bad things (like weapons) could you turn into good things?
• What kind of things do you think God wants us to do to live well?
• What makes us afraid?
• How would it feel to always be safe?

 

CREATIVE RESPONSE

10 minutes

You will need: silver card; black card; scissors; glue or a stapler; permanent markers

Micah said in his message that in the future people would turn their swords into tools to look after the land and grow things. Help the children make swords from the silver and black card. You can choose whether to pre-cut the pieces beforehand or just let them go freestyle! The easiest way is to cut a T shape from the black for the handle and a longer blade shape from the silver. Help the children use a pen to write: “Not needed” on the blade of the sword. As you work, continue your discussions about Micah’s message. .

 

PRAYER

5 minutes

You will need: a map of the world or a globe; some plasters

Ask the children to think about areas of the world that are not in a good way. As they ask God to be in those situations they can stick a plaster on that bit of the map or globe as a reminder that one day Jesus will heal all those places. Give children any help they might need finding places on the map. Be aware that some children might get upset about some of the wrong things are happening in the world.