Close shaves and haircuts!

Samson is still considered one of the greatest heroes in the history of Israel. He’s also one of the most flawed. His immeasurable strength gave him victory over victory, but it wasn’t a haircut that brought him down. It was his own pride and weakness.  

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Hairy Situations Children's Ministry Curriculum Lesson Overview

Memory Verse:

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” - John 14:21a

Lessons:

A Woman of Faith

Scripture: Judges 13:1-7, Samson's birth foretold

The story of Samson starts out a little like the story of Jesus. An angel visits a woman and tells her she will give birth to a boy who will save Israel. She’s given explicit instructions on how to raise her child as a Nazirite - a person set aside to serve God. Samson’s parents had no special credentials, but they trusted God at his Word and God used them to do something great in Israel. 

Objective: Kids will learn, we show our faith when we believe God’s promises.

A Superhero?

Scripture: Judges 15:3-5, 14-15, and 18-19 Samson’s Vengeance

The Philistines treated the Israelites terribly. After years of hearing his people cry for justice, God sent Samson. Samson punished the Philistines with his mighty strength, ruling Israel for 20 years. Yet Samson was human, and flawed, and even in his greatest moments, there were signs of weakness. Samson reminds us that we should put our faith not in people but God. 

Objective: Kids will learn, we put our faith and hope only in God not in people.

A Fallen Hero

Scripture: Judges 16:4-22, Samson and Delilah

Let’s get one thing straight: Delilah did not do Samson in. Samson did Samson in. Delilah was a Philistine. She did what she felt was right as a Philistine and tried to unravel the secret of Samson’s strength. But it was Samson’s own pride that led him to reveal that secret. He forgot his strength came from God. He believed he was invincible. He should never have revealed his secret. His own pride led to his fall. 

Objective: Kids will learn, we should trust in God, not our own strength. 

Perfection Through Imperfection

Scripture: Judges 16:23-30

Samson had a lot of time to think what he did wrong. Blind, enslaved, beaten, humiliated, he called out to God recognizing that’s where his strength came from. But even in this final prayer, we see Samson acknowledge God’s power, but ask that it be used for “his revenge” for “his eyes”. God grants his request and shows that his purposes - protecting Israel from the Philistines - can still be accomplished through imperfect people.  And that should give us hope as imperfect people. We should, however, seek to humble ourselves before God and pray that “not our will, but his be done.”

Objective: Kids will learn, we should pray for God’s will to be done above our own. 

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ABOUT THIS CURRICULUM:

• Perfect for kids ages 6-12
• 4-weeks
• Includes large group and small group resources
• This curriculum is an instant download
  
• Download a free sample here

EACH LESSON INCLUDES:

• Make It Stick! Parent Sheet - so you can let mom and dad know what kids are learning each week and look like a rockstar teacher who's thought of everything.
• Memory Verse - so that you can make sure kids are getting Scripture in their minds and hearts every single week and you can feel like each lesson was a success even when it seems like 90% of your lesson time is spent saying things like "calm down", "let's be quiet", "hands to yourself!"
• Skit or Puppet Show - so you have a way to easily connect the lesson with your hands-on and visual learners. No drama team? No problem! Just hand the script to the kids. They'll have a blast and think you're the coolest.
• Craft Activity - so you can give kids a physical reminder of the Bible lesson (and give yourself an activity to keep them busy until mom and dad come back!)
• Game - so kids don't leave and say church was BORING! Games are so important to help keep kids engaged. Our large group games always include a "What's The Point" section to help you connect the game to the lesson.
• Large Group Lesson - so you can present the Bible story in a clear and fun way, which means now you can enjoy Saturday nights instead of stressing over putting a lesson together!
• Small-Group Discussion - so you can find out who was paying attention and who was talking to their neighbor.  Just kidding, this is a great way for you to build deeper relationships with your kiddos after each lesson, which means you're going to care about them so much you'll cry like a baby when they graduate and go to middle school :(
• More! - Yes, there is even more than all of that so that you can easily put together the perfect lesson for your ministry each weekend, which means no more agonizing over how to adjust complicated lesson plans. 

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Guaranteed to Be Awesome!