We learned how God often chooses the smallest, youngest, and/or least likely to be noticed to carry out his will in the story of [tag]Gideon[/tag]. Here are [tag]Sunday school games[/tag] to use with your [tag]Sunday school[/tag] students to help them understand this lesson. (Teachers words are in bold.)
We’re going to play a game with the ball. Let’s pick sports teams. Who are the two best athletes in my class? Let them decide (if amicably) and let those two students come up to the front. Each of you take turns picking one student at a time to be on your team.
After the teams have been picked, take a note of the last students to get picked.
Ask the first team captain, Why did you pick (student’s name) first? The answer ought to be something like “He’s my friend” or “He’s a good athlete.”
Ask the second team captain, Why did you pick (student’s name) first? The answers ought to be similar to captain one. Go down the rows until you come to the two who were picked last.
You guys – you were picked last. How special is that? Don’t you feel special?
They ought to say no, and why should they feel special about being last?
Being last is absolutely special, but we’ll get to that part later.
Have the two teams form lines in the order they were picked. The team captains should be first, their first choice should stand immediately behind them, and on down to the end. Have the team captains turn around and face their line of teammates. Have them take four paces back. This will be them approximately six feet away from the next player.
Give them each a ball.
Have them each speak to the student facing them, which should have been the first ones they picked. Have them say, “(Student’s Name!) I need you! Catch this!” As they bounce the ball, the other student should catch it.
Repeat, having the second student turn and take six steps back and be facing the next student picked. Have him repeat the chant and bounce the ball to that student.
After as many rounds as you have, there should be remaining the last student’s picked. As they come forward, there will be no teammates for them to throw to.
Oops, here we are again! I’m with the last people to get picked on teams. There’s nobody left for them to throw to! How special is that?
At this point, the two “lasts” should be slightly exasperated. Having no one to throw to adds insult to injury.
You don’t have anyone to throw to, because you were picked last. What do you mean, you don’t feel special???
Often in life, the biggest kids and the best athletes will rely on each other. As well, groups of very closely knit friends will rely on each other.
God loves us all. But when God chooses the team captains, he often chooses the smallest and the quietest – like Joseph from Genesis and Moses from Exodus. Why might that be? They didn’t seem very athletic to everyone around them. They didn’t stand out. At times it appeared”¦like they didn’t have anybody to throw to! But in a very important sense, they were very, very special.
Often the people God chose didn’t have a lot of big and powerful friends to rely on. So, who did those people learn to rely on? With whom did they get very, very friendly?
God. (Point to the ceiling if they don’t get it.)
Go to the place on the floor where the teams had been catching the balls. Tell the last remaining team members, “You get to throw to me.”
After they throw the balls, bounce each back to them.
“And in keeping with Bible stories of the last people picked ending up the winners”¦.you two get to keep the balls.”
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