Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (2 minutes)

Welcome back for the last lesson of our Superbook adventure called “Esther—For Such a Time as This.” The Bible tells us that Esther’s father and mother died when she was a little girl. She was adopted by a cousin—a man who loved her, helped her to be courageous, and gave her godly advice—even when she was grown up. Here’s a question for those of you who have already seen our Superbook video. What was the name of this man? Mordecai. 

We have a Father in heaven who adopts us as His beloved children when we accept His Son Jesus as our Savior. Our heavenly Father loves us, takes care of us, and fills us with godly wisdom and boldness. Let’s all stand up and sing The Salvation Poem. As we sing, let’s think about how we are adopted into God’s family as His own children!   

Play Video 7: (Song) The Salvation Poem (3 minutes)

Be sure to preview the song so you can sing along with the children.

The Salvation Poem

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Our SuperTruth for today is: “God will help me fulfill His purpose.” Let’s say that together. “God will help me fulfill His purpose.”

Fulfill means to completely finish or accomplish something. What purpose did Esther fulfill?

Yes, she stood up for her people, the Jews, and saved many lives. Do you think Esther could have fulfilled God’s purpose all by herself, without any help from anyone? No.

Who helped her? God, Mordecai, the Jewish people.

God was with her, giving her strength and courage. Mordecai, her relative, gave her wise counsel and support. Also, the Jewish people helped by praying and fasting—giving up food for a time of prayer. As we learned last time, God created each of us for a purpose—and today we’ll talk about how God helps us fulfill that purpose!

Introduce Condensed Bible Story (1 minute)

If all children watched the Bible story video in a previous lesson, omit it here and go straight to the SuperVerse.

Now, let’s watch a short version of our Superbook adventure to see how God helped Esther fulfill her purpose by standing up for what was right with the king! If you’ve already seen the video before, watch for the answers to two bonus questions we’ll ask in Small Group: 1. What did Haman build in his courtyard? 2. When Esther went before the king, what did he say he would give her?

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (10 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook whisks Chris, Joy and Gizmo back to ancient Persia, where a wicked man named Haman is plotting to kill the Jews. The children meet Queen Esther, who must decide whether to risk her life by going to the king and revealing that she is Jewish—or do nothing while her people are destroyed. The children learn that God will always help them stand up for what is right.

Play Video 10C: SuperVerse Graphic 3

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 3

SuperVerse (2 minutes)

Our SuperVerse, Psalm 57:2, says,

I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.

This verse says “I cry out to God,” so let’s cry out the SuperVerse, Psalm 57:2, as loud as we can:

I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.

God is all powerful and He created the heavens and Earth. The fact is, He doesn’t need us to do anything—yet He chooses to let us participate in His glorious plan. Each of us has a wonderful purpose in life, and He will help us fulfill it. Whenever we need wisdom, or strength, or courage, or anything else—we can cry out to God, who will give us everything we need to fulfill His plan for us.  

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group.

Introduce Signposts Video (1 minute)

Let’s watch our Signposts video to learn how the Bible story of Esther in the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ in the New Testament.   

Play Video 6: Signposts Video (3.5 minutes)

Signposts Video

Prayer and Send-Off (2 minutes)

Let’s pray. Dear God, it’s wonderful to see how You helped Esther fulfill Your great purpose for her life as she trusted You. You are God Most High. No one is greater than You, and nothing can stop us from fulfilling Your plans when we have faith in You. We worship and praise You today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today in Small Group, we are going to play a review game about the Superbook story of Esther. Let’s go have some fun!    

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

Since this is the last lesson of our Superbook story about Esther, we will play a fun game called “Review Toss.”

Divide the class into two equal teams. If teams are uneven, have a helper play, or one child may play twice. Assign each team a ball color. One player for each team will play at the same time. Each player gets four chances to throw the ball into the containers.

Points are scored as follows:

• Larger box—per shot made = 1 point
• Smaller box—per shot made = 2 points
• Correct answer = 5 points

This is not a race. The players try to toss the four balls of their team’s color into the containers. The score is recorded on the board. Have an assistant or a child retrieve the balls and place them at the mark. Now ask the same question to both players. The player who raises a hand first gets a chance to answer within three seconds. You may count the seconds aloud. If that player cannot answer, the other player gets a chance to answer within three more seconds. Add the points for a correct answer to the previous ball toss scores for the total points of that round. If both players in a round cannot answer the question correctly, ask the question to both teams, but no points will be scored. Give hints to help as necessary. 

Play another round with two new players. After all players have had a turn, the team with the most points wins.

Questions and Answers:

1. In our SuperTruth today, what will God help us fulfill? His purpose.
2. In our SuperVerse today, who can we cry out to for help? God; God Most High.
3. Who was Esther’s cousin? Mordecai.
4. What was the name of the king? Xerxes.
5. What did the king hold while sitting on his throne? A golden scepter.
6. True or False: Anyone could stop by to talk to the king any time. False.
7. Who wanted to get rid of all the Jewish people? Haman.
8. When Haman passed by, what did he expect people to do? Bow, show respect.
9. What was placed on Esther’s head by order of the king? Queen’s crown.
10. What did Mordecai ask Esther not to tell others, especially the king? Her nationality, that she was a Jew.
11. True or False: Esther did not care about her people, the Jews, once she became queen. False.
12. After the king signed Haman’s decree, who put on sackcloth and ashes to mourn for the Jewish people? Mordecai.
13. Why was Esther afraid to approach the king when Mordecai first asked her to speak to him? She wasn’t invited - she could be put to death.
14. What did Esther ask the Jewish people to do for three days and nights before she went before the king? Fast, not eat or drink.
15. Who asked King Xerxes and Haman to come to a banquet? Esther.
16. Who sent a message to Queen Esther, saying, “Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Mordecai.
17. Who tricked the king into signing a decree to kill the Jews? Haman.
18. What did the king use to seal the decree? His ring.
19. What did Haman do to decide when he would take action against Mordecai and the Jewish people? Cast lots.
20. Who saved the king’s life by warning about a plot to kill him? Mordecai.
21. What was the name of King Xerxes’ queen before Esther? Queen Vashti.

Now let’s see who can answer the bonus questions about our video today! You may use these as tie-breakers.

1. What did Haman build in his courtyard. Gallows.
2. When Esther went before the king, what did he say he would give her? Up to half of his kingdom.

Good job everybody! Esther and Mordecai showed courage in standing up for God’s people. God strengthened them and helped them fulfill His purpose for them. It is now time to discuss our Signposts video that we watched today and look a little deeper into how the story of Esther points to the life and mission of Jesus.  

Teaching

For each of the three Signposts, select a different child to come to the table and read aloud a Signpost Crown in sequential order. Discuss each Signpost with the information below. Each Signpost also includes additional scriptures for Grades 4–6 to look up and discuss.

The story of Esther points to the life of Jesus in many ways, as we saw in our Signposts video today. Let’s discuss these events together.

Signpost 1—An Evil Plot

What was the evil plot against Esther, Mordecai, and all the Jews? Haman tricked the king into making a law to kill all the Jews in his kingdom. Haman also built a gallows to hang Mordecai.

There was also an evil plot against Jesus. What was it? Jewish leaders came up with a plan to arrest and kill Jesus. They paid Judas, one of the disciples, 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus.

Jesus’ enemies planned for Him to die on the cross. They thought they could get rid of Him forever!    

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 DISCUSSION

 Esther 3:8:

Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live.”

 Matthew 26:3–4:

³ At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest,⁴ plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill Him.

Signpost 2—God's Perfect Timing

God placed Esther in her position as queen at just the right time to save the Jewish people. When Mordecai sent a message to Esther telling her she must go to the king, he asked in Esther 4:14b,

“Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”  

God had a plan for Jesus, too! We are all sinners, and we need a Savior! Jesus came into the world at just the right time to die for sinners and rise from the grave to give us new life! No one else could have done this except Jesus, who was without sin and the perfect sacrifice for us all!  

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 DISCUSSION

Esther 4:14:

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

Romans 5:6:

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

Signpost 3—Obeyed God 

How did Esther obey God? 

Esther knew it was dangerous to go to the king and plead for her people’s safety. Yet she chose to obey God, even if it meant dying! Before she went to the king, Esther sent a message to Mordecai. She asked him to have the Jewish people fast from eating and drinking for 3 days.

How did God answer their prayers? Esther had the strength to obey God, and the king granted her request.

For Jesus, obeying God meant dying on the cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked His disciples to pray, then He prayed in agony because He understood exactly what would happen. Jesus knew He would suffer and die, taking on all of the sins of the world. He needed God’s strength to endure what was coming.

Luke 22:42:

“Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.”

Jesus obeyed God and died. But did He stay dead?

On the third day, He rose from the grave to defeat sin and death! Jesus sits at God’s right hand and intercedes in prayer for us! Through His selfless sacrifice, we can have a wonderful relationship with God, our Father in heaven—and we can boldly come to Him in prayer, anytime!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 DISCUSSION

Ephesians 3:12:

Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

Romans 8:34:

Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Conclusion: It is interesting to see how the story of Esther points to Jesus. As we trust God and fulfill His plans for us, we can point others to Jesus, too!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Distribute a Scepter Pattern to any child who did not receive it previously and explain how to assemble it at home.

Could Esther come boldly to King Xerxes’ throne without being invited? No.

We do not face that problem with our heavenly Father. He loves us and wants us to be in His presence all the time! Our God will never turn us away or punish us for coming to Him.

Let’s review our challenge card, which lists some ways we can approach God’s throne in prayer. Raise your hand if you prayed in one of these ways and would like to share what happened.

1. For strength and courage do the right thing in a difficult situation.

2. To praise, worship and thank God.  

3. For wisdom and understanding to make a choice or decision.

4. For a specific need; for yourself, family, or someone else.

Conclusion: This is the last week for the Prayer Challenge; however, our access to God never ends! As God’s children, we have the privilege of coming to God at all times! During your prayers this week, remember that God is Most High, which means He is above everything! Let’s say our SuperVerse again.

Psalm 57:2:

I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose in Me.

SuperVerse

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. Psalm 57:2:

I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.

Now, together, let’s shout our SuperVerse from Psalm 57:2:

I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.

Think of those words for a moment. God is above everyone and everything. He created and controls the universe. Nothing is too hard for our mighty God! He will help us fulfill and complete His plans and purposes for us! God loves us dearly and will never leave us, so we can completely trust Him to help us.

I will read the verse aloud and stop at certain parts. When I stop, shout the next word that follows in the verse. We will do the first round facing the board. But pay attention, because for the next rounds, you will turn around with your backs to the board, and we will see how much of the verse you can remember without looking. 

Read the verse and stop before key words such as “God,” “fulfill,” “purpose,” etc. For subsequent rounds, have the children turn around as you repeat the verse, omitting different words each time.     

Prayer

Our SuperTruth says: “God will help me fulfill His purpose.” Esther needed God’s help to fulfill the task He gave her to do—and He will help us fulfill our purpose, too. All we need to do is ask Him! As we just learned in our SuperVerse, God is above all things, and nothing is beyond His power and understanding.

Option 1: Have children form a circle around you.

Close your eyes and think of something you need God to help you with. It can be small, or it can be a problem that seems huge and difficult—something that only God can do. Allow children time to think.

Take some time right now to pray silently and ask God for His help with your problem. Allow children time to pray.

Prayer isn’t just talking; it’s also listening! So let’s ask God to speak to our hearts and give us His wisdom, boldness, direction—whatever we need.

Lead the children in prayer. Dear God, You have heard the children’s words and even their very thoughts today! God Most High, we cry out to You for each child here today. If your class is small, you may wish to name each child in prayer. Thank You for giving them Your wisdom, patience, boldness, and everything they need to fulfill the wonderful purposes You have for them. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. 

Option 2: Form groups of 2–3 children.

Take a minute to share with your partner/s something that you would like God to help you with. There’s no need to share anything too personal or embarrassing; just a short sentence, such as, “I need God’s help to be kind,” or “I need God’s help in school.” Allow a minute for children to share. 

Now let’s pray for each other. Start your prayer by saying what is written on the board: “God Most High, we cry out to You today for _____,” and fill in the name of the person you’re praying for. Then ask God in just a sentence or two to help your partner with his or her prayer request.

Allow time for children to pray, then close with the prayer above.

Action Game

Let’s say our SuperTruth together. “God will help me fulfill His purpose.”

Today, I have a challenge for you to fulfill. We are going to shout the SuperTruth in teams while flipping a cotton ball back and forth. This game may be harder than it looks, and we have some additional challenges for any team that thinks they are up for it!   

For this game, you each need to find someone you don’t know very well to be your partner.

Optional: instead of children finding their own partners, you may divide the class into pairs, matching children in the same grade as much as possible. If there is an uneven number of players, have three players on one team, and tell them to stand in a triangle. See other variations below.

Give a cotton ball to each pair, and a paper plate to each player. Have the children face their partners, about 6 feet apart. All pairs play simultaneously. One player puts the cotton ball on the plate and flips it to the other player while shouting the first word of the SuperTruth. The second player catches the cotton ball with the plate and quickly flips it back to the first player, shouting the second word of the SuperTruth. Each pair continues until the entire SuperTruth is said. If the cotton ball touches the ground, the pair must start saying the SuperTruth again. Play as many rounds as time permits, increasing the challenge with variations below.

Variations:

• Increase the distance between the players.
• For pairs—especially older children—who have successfully fulfilled the challenge, give them a second cotton ball. Play the game as before, but both players simultaneously flip their cotton balls to the other child as they say each word of the SuperVerse. Both cotton balls must be caught each time, or the pair must start over.
• Each player must hold the plate with one hand instead of two—much more difficult.

Conclusion: That was fun! Was it harder to flip or to catch the cotton ball? 

How did you like the additional challenges?

God helped Esther and Mordecai fulfill their purpose in God’s plan. He doesn’t expect us to fulfill His purposes alone—in fact we can’t do it in our own strength and ability. God will give us all the help we need to do His work!  

Word Game

Let’s work together in this game to keep the jewels on Esther’s crown! Are you ready for the challenge?  

This is played as a large group. Each blank line represents one letter of the word you have chosen from the list. If there is more than one word—Queen Esther, sackcloth and ashes, King Xerxes—leave a gap between blank lines and tell children the number of words they are guessing. One child guesses a letter they think is part of the word. If it is correct, write in the letter above the blank and go on to the next child. Note: if a letter is contained multiple times in a word, write it in all of the places it is used—i.e. for the word “queen,” write “e” twice. If a letter guess is incorrect, erase one jewel from the crown and write the incorrect letter at the bottom of the board for children to see so they will not guess it again. Continue until there are either no more jewels left—in which case the group loses that round, or the word is completed or guessed before all of the jewels are removed—the group wins the round. A child may guess the complete word only on their turn if they believe they know it. Be careful; an incorrect guess erases two jewels! Do not allow children to shout words while others are playing, as this is disrespectful and takes away from the game experience.

Options:

• Change the challenge level by increasing or decreasing the number of crown jewels from word to word. For example, place fewer jewels on smaller words.
• Insert one letter or two letters of a word or phrase at the beginning of a round to make solving the puzzle easier.

Word List—they do not have to be played in this order. Begin game with smaller words:

• Help
• Fast
• Throne
• Palace
• Purpose
• King Xerxes 
• Queen Esther
• Queen Vashti   
• Mordecai
• Scepter 
• Banquet  
• Sackcloth and ashes
• Royal ring
• Decree 
• Jewish people 
• Haman
• Fulfill
• Such a time as this
• Courage
• Boldness
• Most High

Conclusion: That was fun. You were good at figuring out the words. God worked in Esther’s life to fulfill His purpose through her. God Most High has a purpose for each of us, and He helps us fulfill it!    

Coloring Page

Give each child a coloring page along with crayons, markers, or colored pencils. As the children color, ask the following questions:

• Who can say the SuperTruth from memory? Have volunteers try.
• Very good! Let’s all say it together: “God will help me fulfill His purpose.”
• Was it easy for Esther to go see the king without being asked?
• Why not? 
• How did the king react when Esther approach his throne? It pleased him greatly to see her.
• What did he do before she could speak? Held out his scepter.
• Can anyone say the first part of the SuperVerse from memory? I cry out to God Most High.
• Can anyone say the second part of the SuperVerse? To God who will fulfill His purpose for me.
• Let’s say the whole verse together:

I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.

If time permits, have volunteers show their pages to the class.

Conclusion: These are all very colorful pictures; nice job! Remember that God will help us fulfill His purpose in our lives! 

Bible Study

Today we are going to discuss part of the Bible story about Esther that was not in our video. It takes place when Haman is on his way home after Queen Esther’s first banquet. Let’s read what happens. Divide the passages among some of the children for them to read aloud.

Esther 5:9–14 (cev):

⁹ Haman was feeling great as he left. But when he saw Mordecai at the palace gate, he noticed that Mordecai did not stand up or show him any respect. This made Haman really angry, ¹⁰ but he did not say a thing. When Haman got home, he called together his friends and his wife Zeresh ¹¹ and started bragging about his great wealth and all his sons. He told them the many ways that the king had honored him and how all the other officials and leaders had to respect him. ¹² Haman added, “That’s not all! Besides the king himself, I’m the only person Queen Esther invited for dinner. She has also invited the king and me to dinner tomorrow. ¹³ But none of this makes me happy, as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the palace gate.” ¹⁴ Haman’s wife and friends said to him, “Have a tower built about seventy-five feet high, and tomorrow morning ask the king to hang Mordecai there. Then later, you can have dinner with the king and enjoy yourself.” This seemed like a good idea to Haman, and he had the tower built.

• Why was Haman angry at Mordecai? 
• Do you think Haman’s wife and friends gave him good advice? Why or why not? 
• Do you think God is pleased if we take revenge against people who have hurt our feelings? 
• Who should we listen to or go to for advice? 
• Now, let’s read about what happens next, before the second banquet we saw in the video. 

Esther 6:1–5 (cev):

¹ That night the king could not sleep, and he had a servant read him the records of what had happened since he had been king. ² When the servant read how Mordecai had kept Bigthana and Teresh from killing the king, ³ the king asked, “What has been done to reward Mordecai for this?” “Nothing, Your Majesty!” the king’s servants replied. ⁴ About this time, Haman came in to ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on the tower he had built. The king saw him and asked, “Who is that man waiting in front of the throne room?” ⁵ The king’s servants answered, “Your Majesty, it is Haman.” “Have him come in,” the king commanded.

• What do you think—was it by chance that the king couldn’t sleep the previous night? 
• Do you think perhaps God kept Him awake? 
• Was it by chance that Mordecai was not honored as soon as he saved the king? No, God is in control, and the timing and events were part of God’s plan to fulfill Mordecai’s purpose and God’s plan.
• Based on what we read here, what can we learn about waiting patiently and trusting God? Even though Mordecai wasn’t honored right away for his good deed, he continued to serve and obey God. He wasn’t selfish; he was focused on doing what God would want him to do. 

Esther 6:6–14 (cev):

⁶ When Haman entered the room, the king asked him, “What should I do for a man I want to honor?” Haman was sure that he was the one the king wanted to honor. ⁷ So he replied, “Your Majesty, if you wish to honor a man, ⁸ have someone bring him one of your own robes and one of your own horses with a fancy headdress. ⁹ Have one of your highest officials place your robe on this man and lead him through the streets on your horse, while someone shouts, ‘This is how the king honors a man!’” ¹⁰ The king replied, “Hurry and do just what you have said! Don’t forget a thing. Get the robe and the horse for Mordecai the Jew, who is on duty at the palace gate!”  ¹¹ Haman got the king’s robe and put it on Mordecai. He led him through the city on the horse and shouted as he went, “This is how the king honors a man!” ¹² Afterwards, Mordecai returned to his duties at the palace gate, and Haman hurried home, hiding his face in shame. ¹³ Haman told his wife and friends what had happened. Then his wife and his advisors said, “If Mordecai is a Jew, this is just the beginning of your troubles! You will end up a ruined man.” ¹⁴ They were still talking, when the king’s servants came and quickly took Haman to the dinner that Esther had prepared.”

• In verses 6–9, what was Haman thinking and planning? 
• How do you think Haman felt when he realized that all the honors he had planned for himself would be given to Mordecai instead? 
• How does God look at pride?
• Optional: have children look up and read Proverbs 16:18 and Matthew 23:12.How does this story encourage you to stand up for God and do what is right?

Conclusion: God protected Mordecai, didn’t He! God is in control—He is God Most High, above everyone and everything!