David – who are you calling ‘shorty’?

Gather

Display some pictures or models of sheep, some small stones and a slingshot if you can.

Introduce the theme

David was overlooked because he was only the youngest son, insignificant in the family. Ask the group whether they have ever been told they were too young or too small to do something?

Gathering activity

Divide the group into teams, and give each team a pile of junk modelling items such as empty milk cartons, cardboard tubes, cereal packets, egg boxes; sticky tape and scissors. Give a time limit in which they should build the biggest, scariest giant they can from their pile of junk.

Open the Word

Read 1 Samuel 17.1-50. You can find a retelling in the Lion Storyteller Bible or many children’s Bibles will have a simple version.

God sent Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons but David was overlooked because he was the youngest. When David goes to King Saul and says he will fight Goliath, Saul tells him he can’t because he’s only a boy, David can do more than anyone thinks possible. David knows that even though he is young and small, he is going in the name of God and doesn’t need to be afraid.

Respond

Baaa

Make cardboard sheep.

You will need: cardboard tubes; cotton wool; glue; pipe cleaners; sticky tac; black paper; white chalk or correction fluid.

Invite each person in the group to make a sheep using the cardboard tubes for the body, covered in cotton wool. Use the pipe cleaners to form legs and the sticky tac to create feet to help their sheep stand up. The black paper can be cut to create a face, with features marked on using the white chalk or correction fluid.

As they are making their sheep, ask the children to think about why David was unimportant and what a difference he made: he was just the young boy who was only good for looking after sheep.

Bounding

Watch a film.

You will need: a copy of Bounding. This is a PIXAR film available on YouTube or as a download from i-tunes.

The sheep in the story thinks his importance comes from his fine coat of fluffy wool. When he loses his fleece it takes an outsider to help him see that his gifts are within.

Even though on the outside David was too small to deal with Goliath, he had a giant’s courage. David must have been afraid when he first saw the giant. Sometimes there are things we face that frighten us, but we can face anything if we have God with us, just like David.

End with the closing prayer:

For the times when we have been less than heroic,
Lord we are sorry.
For the times we have not used our hero talents,
Lord we are sorry.
Give us the courage not to hide our potential
but to be generous, 
not to dismiss others but to celebrate their gifts.
Encourage us to follow the example of ____ and have a go at being heroes.
Amen.