1. Grade 4 & 5 girls’ Sunday-school class
MAHRAGAN 2012 – Lesson 1
(part 1)
St. Mary COC, Ottawa, ON
Grade 4 & 5 girls’ Sunday-school class

2. Bishoy, John, Mariam, and Parthenia are friends in grade 5 & 6
Bishoy, John, Mariam, and Parthenia are friends in grade 5 & 6. They started their very own radio station to reach out to their friends. Today is the first live broadcast and they’re really excited!
Bishoy: I would like to welcome our audience and introduce my friends who are with me today. Please welcome John, Mariam and Parthenia.
Mariam: Thank you, Bishoy, and welcome everyone! I hope you like our show.

3. John: The name of the first show on this radio station will be “U-turn”. On this show, we would like to discuss different topics that interest our friends.
Parthenia: Lets take our first phone call from our friend in St. Mary’s Church, in Ottawa.
The caller: Good afternoon, I’m very happy to be the first caller on your show. I hope your show will help us and answer all our questions.
John: We too are very happy to have you!

4. The caller: What is the goal you want to achieve through this radio show?
Bishoy: We wanted to come up with a radio station that talks about topics important to kids our age.
Mariam: Through this show, we will try to answer questions about different topics and to learn from other people’s experiences so that we can change ourselves and others around us.
Parthenia: That’s why we call this show “U-Turn”. So, what would you like to ask us, dear caller?

5. The caller: It is very hard to change old habits
The caller: It is very hard to change old habits. What should I do if I want to change and be a better person?
Bishoy: If you really want to change, you have to have a strong will. That way, you can help others change too.
Parthenia: That’s an excellent point Bishoy. Anyway, stay with us and we’ll be back after this short break. Don’t go anywhere!

6. During the break, the radio hosts thought of how they should answer the question . . .
Mariam: What do you think? How should we answer him?
John: Lets give him an example of someone who, through his strong will, was able to change.
Parthenia: Can you think of someone?
Bishoy: Hmmm… I think NEHEMIAH is a great example of a person with a very strong will. Lets tell the caller about him!

7. After the break . . .
John: Welcome back! Before the break, we had an important question from one of our listeners on how to change and be a better person.
Parthenia: We would like to share with you the story of a Biblical character who had a very strong will and was able to change many things in his life and the life of others…

8. Lets start Nehemiah’s story from the beginning…
During captivity, the king of the foreign country would come and take all their goods and all the young men and skilled people to use them in his own country.

9. After 70 years of being captive, King Cyrus gave the people of Israel permission to go back to Jerusalem.
This happened in 3 phases…

10. Sheshbazzar & Zerubabbel.
The first return included 2 groups. The leaders were:
Sheshbazzar & Zerubabbel.
Their main goal was to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.

11. The second return was lead by Ezra, the priest
This mission was to help the people come back to their religious ways.

12. The third return was led by:

13. Nehemiah was the cupbearer of the king…

14. …One day, Hanani came with some men from Judah and told him that the people in Jerusalem had left the way of God, they were suffering, the wall of Jerusalem was also destroyed, and the gates were burned with fire.

15. A strong will (desire) to change from within!
When Nehemiah heard this, he became very sad. He realized that change would require 2 important things:
A strong will (desire) to change from within!
God’s help and grace! Only with God can things be successful, and only He can provide the materials needed make such a big change!
So, what did Nehemiah do???

16. The first, important thing he did was
FAST and PRAY
What do you think he would have said in His prayer?
He praised God, saying:
“Lord, God of heaven, O great and awesome God… please be attentive…”
Second, he asked for God’s forgiveness (repentance & confession)
Third . . .

17. Third, …he made his request to God, saying:
Memory Verse
“O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

18. …After many days of fasting and prayer, Nehemiah went to the king with a very sad countenance…. a way the king had never seen him before.

19. When he reached Jerusalem, Nehemiah explored the cit by night to see the condition of the walls . . .
He didn’t tell anyone what he planned to do there…

20. Not only did Nehemiah have a STRONG WILL to change, his STRONG WILL also encouraged all the people around him to rise up and work too!!
….Can you think of some ways this applies to our lives too?

21. What steps do I need to take when I want to make a change for the better?
Nehemiah’s prayers & actions give us a perfect recipe to follow:
Turn to GOD with fasting & prayer, recognizing His glory and power;
Recognize, repent & confess our sin;
Remember His promises and seek His guidance & power in our lives to make the change;
Take the first step with strong love, hope, and faith, knowing that HE is the one that will make us prosper.

22.  QUIZ TIME! 
The kingdom of Israel became weak and was later divided into:
TWO
THREE
FOUR
What were the new kingdoms’ names after the division?
After 70 years of being captive, the king of the Persian empire, named King ______, finally gave the people of Israel permission to go back to Jerusalem.
a) The Northern Kingdom – The kingdom of Israel
b) Southern Kingdom – The kingdom of Judah
Cyrus

23.  QUIZ TIME! 
The main goal of the first return was to rebuild the ______.
The second return was lead by E_____, the king/priest/pope.
The third return was lead by _______.
What was Nehemiah’s job?
What did Nehemiah do before he spoke to the king?
TEMPLE
EZRA
NEHEMIAH
The King’s CUPBEARER
He FASTED & PRAYED

24.  QUIZ TIME!  What 2 things are needed to make a change?
What is the recipe for a perfect prayer (as Nehemiah did)?
What are the 4 steps needed to make a change for the better?
A strong will to change from within
God’s help and grace!
Praise & thank God
Ask for His forgiveness
THEN, make a request
1) Turn to GOD with fasting & prayer
2) Repent & confess our sin;
3) Seek His guidance & power to make the change;
4) Take the first step with strong faith!

25. NEXT WEEK: