1. Tech Que: “Emoji Madness” title graphic

2. Hello everybody. I’m so glad you’re here today and I hope you’re ready for another super fun week of “Emoji Madness!” Once again, we’re going to crack open the Book of Psalms and see what it has to say about one of the many emotions that people feel.

3. Hey—speaking of cracking open the Book of Psalms, did you know there’s a really easy way to find Psalms in the Bible? (Hold up Bible.) Take a look at this—the Book of Psalms is in the very middle of the Bible. (Open your Bible to the very middle and show it to the kids.)

4. And do you know what the word “Psalm” means. (Take answers
And do you know what the word “Psalm” means? (Take answers.) Great guesses! A “Psalm” is a song. That’s what a lot of the Psalms are—they’re songs written to God. But ancient Jewish songs didn’t rhyme like ours do. Instead of repeating sounds, the Psalms repeat ideas over and over.

5. But here’s one of the coolest things about the Book of Psalms—it’s filled with all kinds of emotions. Happy, sad, scared or mad—the Book of Psalms has them all. Are you ready to see which emotion we’re going to look at today? (Kids respond.) Drum roll please! (Prompt kids to create a drumroll along with the “Emoji Reveal” video.) Tech Que: Play “Emoji Reveal: Anger” video

6. This week we’ll be looking at anger. (Motion “a lot” with hands
This week we’ll be looking at anger! (Motion “a lot” with hands.) For some people, it takes a LOT to make them angry. (Motion “a little” with hands.) For other people, it only takes a little bit to make them angry. (Motion with hands again.)

7. But whether it takes a lot or a little or somewhere in-between, we ALL get angry sometimes. That’s why this week’s Psalm is so important for us to learn. Let’s take a look and see what it is. Tech Que: “Turn away from anger and don’t give into wrath. Don’t be upset, because that only leads to evil.” Psalm 37:8 (NIrV)

8. Let’s dive deeper into that Psalm by looking at a story from another book of the Bible—the Book of 1 Kings. I’m going to need some help, though. Choose 3 kids to play the following Bible story characters: King Ahab, Jezebel, and Naboth. Place the appropriate emoji box over each kid’s head with side #1 facing forward.

9. (Stand behind King Ahab
(Stand behind King Ahab.) In the Old Testament, there was a Jewish King named Ahab. King Ahab lived in a beautiful palace, but there was just one problem with it—it didn’t have a vegetable garden. (Turn Ahab box to side #2: idea.) King Ahab had an idea, though. There was a man named Naboth who owned a vineyard right next to the palace.

10. So Ahab said to Naboth, “Hey buddy—I have a great idea
So Ahab said to Naboth, “Hey buddy—I have a great idea! Why don’t you give me your vineyard since it’s right next to my palace. I want to use it for a vegetable garden. I’ll trade you for an even better vineyard.” (Turn Naboth box to side #2: dislike.) But Naboth didn’t like that idea. His family had owned the vineyard for many generations and he didn’t want to trade it, so he said, “No thanks!”

11. (Turn Ahab box to side #3: angry. ) This made King Ahab angry
(Turn Ahab box to side #3: angry.) This made King Ahab angry! He laid on his bed and threw a fit. He was in such a bad mood that he wouldn’t even eat. (Stand behind Jezebel.) When his wife, Jezebel, came in, she asked what was wrong.

12. King Ahab told her what had happened. (Speak in an overly pouty voice
King Ahab told her what had happened. (Speak in an overly pouty voice.) “I told Naboth that I wanted his vineyard, but he said ‘no.’ I’m so mad—it’s not fair!”

13. (Turn Jezebel box to side #2: evil
(Turn Jezebel box to side #2: evil.) When Jezebel heard about this, she came up with an evil plan. She wrote some letters pretending to be King Ahab. In the letters, she told some important people to invite Naboth to a fancy dinner. During the dinner, she had two evil men sit across from Naboth and she told them to lie about him.

14. The two men accused Naboth of saying terrible things about God and the king. (Turn Naboth box to side #3: dead.) Even though it wasn’t true, the people dragged Naboth out of the city and killed him by throwing stones at him.

15. (Turn Jezebel box to side #3: excited
(Turn Jezebel box to side #3: excited.) When Jezebel heard the news, she got excited. She went and told Ahab, “Naboth is dead! Go and take his vineyard now.” So that’s what King Ahab did—he stole Naboth’s vineyard after he had been killed. That’s great news for Ahab, right?

16. (Shake head “no. ”) Not so much
(Shake head “no.”) Not so much! God knew all about what Ahab did, and he was NOT happy! So God sent a prophet to confront Ahab. The prophet told Ahab that God was going to cause horrible trouble for him and his entire family. (Turn Ahab box to side #4: sad.) When Ahab heard what the prophet said, he was so sad that he tore his clothes and stopped eating again.

17. Tech Que: “Big Bible Story Questions” graphic
At the end of the Bible story have the kids turn briefly to their small groups and discuss the following questions: For Younger Kids: What was your favorite part of this story? Why do you think King Ahab got so angry? Was he right to be angry? After a few minutes, draw their attention back to the teaching area.

18. Tech Que: “Emoji Madness” title graphic (Hold up a can of soda
Tech Que: “Emoji Madness” title graphic (Hold up a can of soda.) In our story for today, Ahab and Jezebel were kind of like this can of soda. When Naboth said that Ahab couldn’t have the vineyard, they got more (shake can of soda) and more (shake can more) and more angry. (Continue shaking can.)

19. The more they thought about what Naboth said, the angrier they got
The more they thought about what Naboth said, the angrier they got. Until finally, they EXPLODED with anger. (Hold the can over a tarp or bin. Open it on “exploded.”) Jezebel and Ahab were so upset, that they had Naboth killed and they stole his vineyard.

20. Set the can down and wipe your hands off with a towel
Set the can down and wipe your hands off with a towel. Pick up the second can of soda so the kids can see it. Now, you’ve probably never done anything that terrible before, but we all get angry sometimes. Maybe your sister is playing on your tablet without asking and she cracks the screen

21. Now, you’ve probably never done anything that terrible before, but we all get angry sometimes. Maybe your sister is playing on your tablet without asking and she cracks the screen. (Shake can.) Maybe your friend tells everyone at school something embarrassing that you told them in secret. (Shake can.)

22. Maybe your parents punish you for doing something your brother did
Maybe your parents punish you for doing something your brother did. (Shake can.) What are some other things that have made you really mad before? (Take answers. After each answer, shake the can of soda more.)

23. Sometimes when those things happen, (continue shaking can) you get more and more and more angry. But when you’re ready to EXPLODE, (fake as if you’re going to open the can towards the kids) you need to stop! Before you open your mouth or do something you’ll regret, think about our Psalm for today. (Set the can down. You’ll want to wait at least 2 minutes before picking the can up again.)

24. Let’s take a look at it together
Let’s take a look at it together. (Encourage kids to open their Bibles to Psalm 37:8. When ready, choose a kid to read the verse aloud or read it aloud yourself.) Tech Que: “Turn away from anger and don’t give into wrath. Don’t be upset, because that only leads to evil.” Psalm 37:8

25. Have you ever been so upset that you did or said something really mean
Have you ever been so upset that you did or said something really mean? (Kids respond.) That’s what this verse is talking about. If you don’t control your anger, your anger will control you. It will cause you to do something evil that you wouldn’t normally do, like push your brother down, or call your friend a terrible name, or scream at your parents.

26. That’s why God says to turn away from your anger
That’s why God says to turn away from your anger. When you feel like you’re going to explode, God wants you to STEP! Let me explain what that means. Tech Que: “STEP” graphic

27. The “S” stands for “Step away for a minute
The “S” stands for “Step away for a minute.” If you’re about to explode on someone, don’t be around them. Go somewhere by yourself until you can calm down. The “T” stands for “Take a deep breath” (breathe deeply.) The “E” stands for “Exhale” (exhale breath.) And the “P” stands for “Pray.” Pray that God would help you control your anger in a way that honors Him and makes Him happy.

28. After you STEP, look at what happens. (Pick up can and open
After you STEP, look at what happens. (Pick up can and open. If enough time has passed, the can should open without exploding.) It keeps you from exploding. (Sit or kneel near kids.) If you think about it, that’s what God does with us. We sin against Him all the time, but instead of exploding with anger, God offers us forgiveness.

29. He gave us His Son, Jesus, so that our sins could be washed away and we could live with Him forever in Heaven. The next time someone makes us mad, let’s try forgiving them the same way Jesus forgives us. Tech Que: “Emoji Madness” title graphic