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THE STORY FOR KIDS: Later Elementary PARENTS’ PAGE: Lesson 20
Timeless Truth: God can change the hearts of rulers who show their faith.
Bible Basis: Esther 1–9
Key Verse: What if you don’t say anything at this time? Then help for the Jews will come from another
place. But you and your family will die. Who knows? It’s possible that you became queen for a time just like this. —Esther 4:14, NIrV
Resource: The Story for Kids, Chapter 20: “The Queen of Beauty and Courage”
Read and discuss the key point from the class your child(ren) attended. Use the Table Talk questions to start a discussion around the dinner table during the week. The Living Faith activity encourages your family to make some foods that were popular in Persia. The Extra Mile highlights a song called Esther got her heart ready for a hard job. God helps me when it’s hard.
• Esther kept it a secret from King Xerxes that she was Jewish. Do you think it was good for her
to keep that secret?
• When is it okay to keep secrets? When is keeping secrets a bad idea?
• At first Mordecai encouraged Esther not to tell anybody she was Jewish, then he told her to
go before the king and beg for mercy for her people. Have you ever had a family member tell
you to do something for God?
• Esther prepared for her meeting with the king by fasting and encouraging others to fast with
her. What does it say about Esther that she went to God with her request first?
• Have you ever fasted?
• Talk about a time when you went to God in earnest prayer before making a decision. What
happened?
Persian kings were famous for lavish banquets. So when Esther invited King Xerxes to a “big dinner” (Esther 5:8), the pressure was on. Make a big Persian dinner in honor of Queen Esther, although you THE STORY FOR KIDS: Later Elementary PARENTS’ PAGE: Lesson 20
may not want to break out the solid-gold dinnerware. During the Achaemenid empire Persian kings could get nearly any food they wanted. Fruit was very common, especially cantaloupe. A spinach salad may be an authentic touch for your meal. Fish was also popular.
Have fun as a family planning out the menu early in the week. Set aside one night when everybody can be together to prepare the big dinner. Try something new. Use an exotic spice. As everybody’s working together or when everyone sits down, you can go through some of the “Table Talk” questions. Queen Esther’s story is truly remarkable, and Esther is only one of two books in the For dessert, your family may want to bake Hamantaschen (ha-man-tosh-en), a traditional Jewish cookie made for Purim (see Esther 9:18–32), a celebration that honors Esther and Mordecai for saving the Jewish people from extermination. These triangular cookies look a little funny, and the name Hamantaschen means “Haman’s ears.” But they’re fun to make and taste delicious. Look in a cookbook or go online and search for Hamantaschen.
One of the most well-known verses from this chapter of The Story comes when Mordecai tells Esther that God may have raised her to be queen “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
Go online and search for Wayne Watson’s song “For Such a Time As This” and click on http://video.yahoo.com/watch/966307/3739462.
Have a piece of paper and pencil ready as you listen to the song and watch the lyrics scroll across the screen. Ask family members to write down phrases that have special meaning to them. When the song is over, give family members the chance to explain why they chose their specific line from the • How does this song relate to Queen Esther’s story?
• How is this song meaningful in your life and in your relationship with God?
• How can you “live a mirror of His mercy?”
• What will you do to “change what will be?”

Source: http://docs.kidstown.cc/KWL/The%20Story%20for%20Kids_Parent%20Pages/kids_parentpage_20.pdf