Isaiah's Suffering Servant

Passage:

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Isaiah52:13-55:13
Of all the visions and messages that God gave Isaiah, this passage contains the most famous. It is in this passage that Isaiah describes the coming Messiah, here called the Suffering Servant. Isaiah foretells in great detail the kind of suffering that the Servant would have to go through and the kind of death that he would die. He describes the lowly and non glorious life that he would live, which was contrary to what many people believed the Messiah would be like. Isaiah goes on from this description to explain the nature of the redemptive work of the Servant that is available for anyone who will just believe in Him. It is a free gift that needs no money and has no cost. This is the greatest and most important message that Isaiah receives from God.

Object Lesson:

Supplies Needed:
• A picture of Jesus hanging on the cross (This picture can be more graphic if you are teaching older children.)
Directions:
1. Show the children the picture of Jesus on the cross before you begin story time. Ask the kids who this is. (They will of course answer Jesus.) Tell the kids that today it is easy for us to recognize this as Jesus, but before Jesus came to earth, people did not know what he was going to be like.
2. Explain to the children that Isaiah wrote down a very good description of what Jesus would be like when he came to earth. Instruct the children to look very closely at the picture as you read the passage to see if they can find some of the ways that Isaiah described Jesus.
3. Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 out loud to the children. (If you have older children, you may have them take turns reading sections out loud.)
4. After the passage has been read, ask the children what they remembered from Isaiah’s description that they can see in the picture.

Memory Verse:

Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Jesus Connection:

This passage is one of the most accurate descriptions of Jesus in all the Old Testament. It says that Jesus would not be popular (53:2), and he was not. It said that he would be rejected by men (53:3), and he was rejected, by his own home town! (Mark 6:4) Isaiah even described the kind of death that Jesus would face (53:5), death on a cross (John 19:16-18). Isaiah 53:12 also describes the type of redemptive work that Jesus would do, saving people from their sins. (Romans 6:23) Nowhere else in all of the Old Testament does God so clearly reveal to us His Son, Jesus!

Songs:

Fifty-three Verse Six
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMZ_dTD4xCQ
Fifty-three verse six
A verse we need to hear
Fifty three verse six
Isaiah makes it clear
We all like sheep have gone astray
We’ve turned, each one to his own way
And the Lord has laid on him
The iniquity of us all.

Games/Activities:

Carrying Our Burdens

Supplies Needed:
• A pile of books/magazines
Directions:
1. Gather all the kids at one end of the class room. Have everyone get down on their hands and knees. Place one book/magazine on the back of each child.
2. When you say go, have the kids crawl on their hands and knees to the other side of the room without dropping their burdens. If anyone drops their burden, they are out of the game.
3. Line up the remaining kids and add another book/magazine to their back, increasing their burdens. Continue in this manner until you have one kid left who has carried the heaviest load.
4. Explain to the children that Jesus carried the burden of all the sin in the whole world when he died on the cross.

Crafts:

Sheep Toilet Paper Tube

Supplies Needed:
• Toilet paper tubes
• Sheep head templates
• Scissors
• Glue
• Cotton balls
• Pipe cleaners
• Masking tape
Directions:
• Place one piece of tape over one end of the toilet paper tube. This will now be the back side of the sheep.
• Cover the tube with glue. Place cotton balls on the glue until the tube is covered. (You can pull the balls apart a little to make the sheep fluffier.)
• Cut out the sheep head template. Glue the head to the cotton balls on the open end of the tube.
• Cut 4 small segments of pipe cleaners. Turn the sheep over and glue each of the pipe cleaners into the cotton balls to make legs for the sheep. Allow the sheep time to dry.

Tender Shoots

Supplies Needed:
• Small plastic zip lock bags
• Paper towels
• Seeds
• Water
• Permanent makers
Directions:
1. Read Isaiah 53:2 to the children. Explain how Jesus is referred to in this verse as a tender shoot or plant coming up out of dry ground.  As your kids are completing the craft, talk to them about how Jesus cam as a root out of a spiritually dry people.
2. Have the kids write their names on a plastic zip lock bag.
3. Give everyone a paper towel to fold into quarters. Make the paper towel wet, being sure to squeeze out most of the excess water. Place the wet paper towel inside the plastic bag.
4. Have the kids place several seeds on the wet paper towel. Seal the bag, pressing out the air. Do not place in direct sunlight.
5. ***Make one sample bag the week before so the kids can see what  a tender shoot is as you are explaining this verse to them.***

Coloring Page:

Isaiah's Vision and Call

Passage:

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Isaiah 1-6
Isaiah was a prophet. A prophet is a person who speaks on behalf of God, confronting people with their sins and reminding them of God’s promises. This is what Isaiah did for the people of Israel. The book of Isaha is full of his messages from God. It is a long book, 66 chapters, and covers a period in Israel’s history that leads up to the exile of the northern kingdom. At the beginning of his book, Isaiah gives the reader an overview of the sin situation in Israel, and also recounts a vision of reconciliation. The most famous verses in this section of the book is Isaiah’s vision of God and his call to be a prophet. He said he saw God high and lifted up, seated on His throne. Then, in response to God’s greatness, when asked who will go warn Israel of the things to come, Isaiah said, “Here I am, send me!” (6:8) The remaining chapters of this book will cover God’s messages to a sinful Israel as well as an amazing preview of the Suffering Servant.

Object lesson:

Talk to the children about how they describe other people. If you just saw Santa, how would you describe him? (red nose, white beard, red suit, black shoes, big and tall….) We see Santa in pictures, but no one gets to see God like that, so how would you describe God? Allow the kids to all give their input. You may have to ask them why they would describe God that way. Descriptions are very important. In this story you will learn about a man who saw God, face to face, and wrote down his description, allowing us to know more about who God is.

Memory Verse:

Isaiah 6:1b
“I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.”

Jesus Connection:

In a vision, Isaiah saw God in all His glory. Many years later, God would send His glory to earth in His son, Jesus. When God called Isaiah to be his prophet, he responded with eager willingness. Jesus has also left us with a similar call. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus calls us all to “go and make disciples of all nations”. And just as god was with Isaiah, so Jesus will be with us to the very end of the age.

Songs:

“Where He Leads Me”

I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
Take they cross and follow, follow Me.

Where He leads me I will follow,
Where me leads me I will follow,
Where he leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.

Games/Activities:

Throw Away Your Sins

Supplies Needed:
·         Paper, one per child
·         Masking tape
Directions:
1.       Divide the room in two with masking tape marking the center line.
2.       Divide the kids in two groups and place on group on each side of the room.
3.       Give each child a piece of paper. Have the children crumple the paper into a ball. Tell the children that this paper ball represents sin. Isaiah was warning the people of Israel that they needed to get rid of their sin, to throw it as far away from them as they could. We also need to throw sin far away from us when it comes our way.
4.       The object of this game is for the kids to throw the paper balls over the line to the other team as fast as they can, returning any paper balls that were thrown by the other team. The team with the fewest paper balls on their side of the line at the end of the time will be the winner.
5.       Repeat this game as time allows, mixing up the children onto different team each time.

Crafts:

Megaphones

Supplies Needed:
·         White disposable paper cups
·         Scissors
·         Crayons or markers
·         Hole punch
·         Yarn
Directions:
1.       Have the children cut out the bottom of their paper cup.
2.       Using the hole punch, make two holes on opposite sides of the bottom of the cup.
3.       Cut a length of yarn for each child. Thread the yarn through the holes and tie the ends together to make a neck strap.
4.       Allow the kids to decorate their megaphones.
5.       The kids can use their megaphones to share God’s messages with the world!

Coloring Page:

Ecclesiastes

Passage:

Familiarize yourself with this passage:

The book of Ecclesiastes
This book was thought to be written by King Solomon. When Solomon became king, he asked God for wisdom, and he became the wisest man in the world.  He studied, taught, judged, and wrote.  All the nations come to Jerusalem to learn from him.  But with all of his practical insight on life, Solomon failed to heed his own advice, and he began a downward spiral.  Near the end of his life, Solomon looked back with an attitude of humility and repentance.  He summed up the world as he experienced it, hoping to spare his readers the bitterness of learning through personal experience that everything apart from God is empty, hollow, and meaningless.  Solomon was not trying to leave us without hope, though.  He was trying to tell us that we can have hope and joy in this life, and that it comes from God alone.

Object Lesson:

A Meaningless Easter Egg Hunt
Supplies needed:
·         A bunch of empty Easter eggs
Directions:
1.       Gather together a bunch of empty Easter eggs.
2.       Close them and hide them around the room.  Leave them empty!
3.       When the kids come into the class room, ask them to find all the eggs, but do not open them yet.
4.       When all the eggs have been found, have the kids open the eggs and reveal their empty contents.
5.       Discussion: Ask the kids how they feel about the empty eggs.  Explain to the kids that many things we do in life are pointless, just like hunting for empty Easter eggs.  It leaves us feeling sad, frustrated and disappointed.  Let them know, however, that they are about to learn what they Bible says about these meaningless things in life.

Memory Verse:

Ecclesiastes 3:1
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Jesus Connection:

As Solomon concludes his book, he comes to the conclusion that our responsibility in life is to have a right relationship with God (12:13). This is the only thing in life that is not meaningless.  When we look to Jesus, we see that he came into this world as one of us, and experienced the world in all its meaninglessness. We can rejoice because we know that Jesus died, once for all, and did away with the meaninglessness brought on by the curse of sin. (Romans 6:10) We are all now free to live a life full of meaning in Jesus!

Songs:

“Turn, Turn, Turn” by The Byrds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKz8OOz_UQg
To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

Game/Activities

Odd Ball Out

Supplies needed:
·         Nothing :)
Directions:
1.       Tell the kids you are thinking of a time (a season or a holiday).  Tell them what one you are thinking of.
2.       Then tell the kids three thing.  Two of them pertain to the time you told them about, and one does not.
3.       Ask the kids to identify what does not belong to that time, and what time it does belong to.
4.       Pass the lead onto the kids after they get the hang of the game.
Example:
·         Time: Christmas
o   Presents
o   Lights
o   Sand* (sand is for the summer!)

Craft:

Time for Everything Clock

Supplies needed:
·         Paper plates with small slits in the center of each
·         Brads (paper fasteners)
·         Clock arrows print outs
·         Colors
·         Scissors
Directions:
1.       Give each child a paper plate with a small slit in the center.
2.       Explain to the children that Solomon is teaching us that there is a time for everything. Read the beginning of Ecclesiastes 3 out loud for the kids.
3.       Ask the kids to draw “times” on their clocks.  This does not mean drawing the numbers, like on a normal clock.  Rather, have the kids draw pictures of different times in their life, or of the seasons.  For example, they can draw a school, the beach, a graduation hat, a wedding dress, or they can draw the four seasons.
4.       Give each of the kids a print out of the clock arrows.  Have them cut out their arrows
5.       Fasten the arrows to the paper plates using brads.
6.       Explain to the kids that this clock is special, and it reminds them that no matter what happens, there is a time for everything, and God has always been, is now and will always be present whatever time it is.

Coloring Page:

Jacob and Esau

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Genesis 25:7-9; 19-34; 27:1-28:5
When Isaac and Rebekah got married, Rebekah was not able to have children. So, Isaac prayed to God and God allowed Rebekah to become pregnant, with twins! Even before the twin boys were born they were fighting with each other in the womb. After they were born and had grown up, the continued to fight with each other. Once, after a long day of hunting, Esau, who happened to be a very hairy man, came into the tent were Jacob was and asked for a bowl of soup because he was extremely hungry. Jacob told him he would give him food, if Esau first promised to give up his rights as a first born. Esau did not care, because he was so hungry, and agreed to the deal.
Some time later, Isaac was getting old and felt he could die at any time, so he called Esau in to see him. Esau, Isaac’s favorite, was going to prepare a meal for his father and receive a blessing. So Esau left to hunt and prepare Isaacs favorite meal. Rebekah overheard this conversation and prepared her favorite son, Jacob, to go in a receive the blessing instead. She made Isaac’s favorite food and clothed Jacob in some of Esau’s clothes and put hairy sleeves on his arm, since Jacob was not hairy like his brother. Jacob them took the food in to his father and asked for his blessing. Isaac, who was old and could not see very well, was confused by the voice of Jacob, but when he felt his ‘hairy’ arms and smelled his clothes he believed it was Esau, and blessed him. When Esau returned, ready to receive his blessing, there was no more blessing to give. Esau became enraged with his brother and vowed to kill him. Rebekah sought to protect Jacob and sent him away to her brother until Esau’s anger would subside.

Object Lesson:

Supplies Needed:
• A picture of an average family (mom, dad, and at least two kids)
Directions:
• Before you begin the story, hold up the picture. Explain, this is a picture of an average looking family. There is a mom, a dad, and two children. Ask the kids to take a close look at the kids in the picture. Ask, “Do you think they always get along with one another? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Do you always get along and play well together? Do you ever fuss and fight? Sometimes brother and sisters can become best friends. Sometimes all they do is fight with each other. Today’s story is about two brothers who spent a lot of time fighting. “

Memory Verse:

Genesis 25:23
The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

Jesus Connection:

In this story, Esau rejected his rights as a first born son. This was a conscious choice that he made. He knew what he was doing. Like Esau, we also have a choice, to accept or reject Jesus. If we accept Jesus, we will live a life of blessing both now and forever more. (John 10:10)  If we reject Jesus, there are tremendous consequences, separation from Him forever. (2 Thessalonians 1:9) It is God’s desire that none should perish, but that all should spend eternal life with him. (Matthew 18:14) It is our choice, just like it was for Esau.

Songs

Esau and Jacob (to the tune of Baa Baa Black Sheep)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN6GMQTQksk&noredirect=1
Esau was a hairy man,
Jacob he was smooth;
Smooth in action, smooth in speech,
And oh so sly….from babyhood!

Esau was a hunting man,
Jacob chopped up wood.
Built a fire and made some stew,
And Esau saw….that it was good.

Esau was a hungry man,
So from where he stood,
He gave up his birthright,
Gave it up…for Jacob’s food.

Esau he was gullible,
Jacob he was cool,
Stole his brother’s blessing,
Go read it in…God’s holy book.

Esau was an angry man,
That’s when Jacob flew.
Ran away from Esau’s wrath,
What else was there…for him to do?

Games/Activities

Lentil Soup

Supplies Needed:
• One dice template per child
• Scissors
• Tape
• Lots of dry pasta noodles!
• Disposable cups (optional)
Directions:
• Give each child a dice template to cut out and tape together.
• Have the children count out 40 noodles. (You can have this done before hand and put the noodles in individual cups). You can do less noodles per child if you wish. Set aside the same number of noodles to be the draw pile in the middle of the group.
• At the same time, all the kids roll their dice. After their dice has been rolled, the children perform the action that is pictured on the card. (Always have the children roll their dice at the same time for each round.)
a. No action.
b. Give one noodle to any other player’s bowl.
c. Give one noodle back to the draw pile
d. Take one noodle from the draw pile and add it to your bowl.
• When one child runs out of noodles the game ends. All the children count their noodles. The child with the most noodles wins!*

Crafts

Jacob’s ‘Hairy’ Arms

Supplies Needed:
• Toilet paper tubes (two per child)
• Scissors
• Glue
• Cotton balls
Directions:
1. Give each child two toilet paper tubes and a pair of scissors.
2. Have the kids cut a line in the tube from one end to another. This will allow the child to slip the tube onto their arms, like a bracelet or a sleeve.
3. One at a time, cover the tubes with glue. Take the cotton balls, pull them apart to make them fluffy, and stick them to the glue covered tubes.
4. Repeat with the second tube and allow time for glue to dry.
5. Put on arms and pretend to be Jacob!

Coloring Page

Isaac and Rebekah

Passage

Familiarize yourself with this passage:

Genesis 24
As Abraham was nearing the end of his life, he sent his best servant back to the land that he came from to find a wife for Isaac, his promised son. The servant promised Abraham that he would go back to Abraham’s land and find Isaac a wife from Abraham’s own family. As the servant approached Abraham’s former homeland, he prayed for God’s help to find the right woman to become Isaac’s wife. While the servant was still praying, a young woman name Rebekah came out to get water from the well. The servant asked for a drink and Rebekah not only gave him a drink, but gave water to all the camels that were with him as well. The servant knew that this was the right woman for Isaac and that God had answered his prayer. After Rebekah’s family gave their blessing, Rebekah left with the servant. As they approached Abraham’s home, Isaac was sitting in the field. Isaac and Rebekah saw each other. They were married and love each other very much. God’s promise to Abraham would now continue on through Isaac.

Object lesson:

Supplies Needed:
·         4 shawls or scarves
Directions:
1.       Before you begin your story, select 4 kids to be your helpers.
2.       As you introduce each of the main characters in the story, dress them with a scarf.
a.       For Abraham, wrap the scarf around the shoulders, with the ends hanging in the front.
b.      For the servant, drape the scarf across on shoulder, with one end in the front and one end in the back
c.       For Rebekah, place the scarf over her head, with then ends hanging in the front. When you get to the part of the story when she sees Isaac for the first time, move the scarf on her head so that it also covers her face.
d.      For Isaac, place the scarf on the head with the ends hanging in the back.
3.       Feel free to move your children around as you tell the story. This is a visual demonstration of the story for them. Be as creative and fun as you like.

Memory Verse:

Isaiah 62:5b
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

Jesus Connection:

Rebekah was God’s chosen bride for Isaac and Isaac loved Rebekah. In the same way, we are God’s chosen bride for Jesus and Jesus loves us so much! Revelation 19:7 says, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” At the end of time, when we are taken up to heaven to spend an eternity with Jesus, we will be presented to him as a beautiful bride, dressed in white and adorned with jewels, ready for her wedding day! (Revelation 21:2)

Songs

“Father Abraham”

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let’s all praise the Lord
Right arm!
….Left arm!
….Right foot!
….Left foot!
….Chin up!
….Turn around!
….Sit down!

Games/Activities

Bride and Groom Dress-up

Supplies needed:
·         Several rolls of cheap toilet paper
Directions:
1.       Divide the group into two teams. Make one of the girls on one team the bride, and make one of the boys on the second team the groom.
2.       Explain to the children that after Isaac and Rebekah met each other, they got married. A wedding is a very big, special occasion. The bride and the groom dress in beautiful clothes for all to see. Tell the kids that there job will be to make beautiful clothes for their bride and groom out of toilet paper. Encourage the kids to be creative. Have them try to make a veil for the bride, shoes for the groom and even flowers.
3.       This game does not have to be competitive. You can give them a time limit, though, to encourage them to work quickly.

Crafts/Projects

Camel Prints

Supplies Needed:
·         Brown finger paint
·         A big paint brush
·         White paper
·         Crayons or markers
Directions:
1.       Paint each child’s hand with brown finger paint. Make sure that you paint the entire hand, including a small portion of the wrist area. Have them put their hand print on a piece of white paper. Turn their paper around so that the fingers are facing them. Add an extra finger print coming up and out from the thumb print. This will be the neck and head.
2.       As the paint dries, have the kids draw a picture around the camel that represents a scene from the story. (ie: servant on the road, servant at the well, Rebekah by the camel when she sees Isaac…)
3.       After the paint has dried, the kids can add a face, tail and goofs to their camels using crayons or markers.

 Coloring Page:

Abraham and Isaac

Passage:

Familiarize yourself with this passage:

Genesis 21-22
Just as God promised, Abraham and Sarah had a baby boy in their old age. They named his Isaac, because he brought laugher to their life. As he grew, he was dearly loved by Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac remained their only son. When Isaac was young, God came to Abraham and tested him. God told Abraham to take Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice. The next morning, Abraham set out to obey the command of God. He took Isaac up a mountain, set up and alter and piled it with wood. When Isaac asked his father where the lamb for the offering was, Abraham told Isaac that God would provide the lamb. Then, Abraham tied up his son and laid him on the altar. Just as Abraham raised a knife in the air to kill his son, God stopped him. Abraham had passed the test. Now God knew that Abraham truly loved God because he was willing to give God the most precious thing in his life. Just then God provide a ram in a bush as a sacrifice instead of Isaac. They sacrificed that ram and worshiped God together on the mountain.

Object Lesson:

Altar

Supplies Needed:
·         A bunch of small pillows or foam mats
·         A small bundle of flat sticks
·         Large bag or box
·         The smallest child from your class (you do not need to tell him/her before hand)
Direction:
1.       Put all of your pillows/mats and sticks in your large bag/box, with the sticks on the bottom.
2.       When you sit down for story time, make sure that the kids are far enough back from you that you have space to set up your altar.
3.       As you tell your story, take one pillow/mat out of your bag at a time, placing it on the floor in front of you and the children. Continue taking the pillows/mats out and pile them on top of each other until you have an altar.
4.       After you have you altar constructed, when you get to the part of the story when Isaac says, “We have the fire and the wood for the offering, but where is the lamb?”, then take out the bundle of sticks and place it on top of the altar.
5.       When you talk about Abraham placing Isaac onto the altar, take your smallest child and place them on top of the alter (You can arrange the sticks so that the child is not actually laying on the sticks, but the sticks are around the side of the child.)
6.       Take the child off when God stops Abraham in the story.

 Memory Verse:

Genesis 22:14
So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.

 Jesus Connection:

God still requires a sacrifice to take care of our issue of sin. We all have an issue with sin (Romans 3:23) and it has to be punished by death! (Romans 6:23a). The sin has to be covered with blood. (Hebrews 9:22) Just as God provided a ram for Abraham and Isaac, God has also provided the perfect sacrifice as a substitute for our sins. The blood sacrifice that God has provided for us is Jesus Christ. If we believe in Jesus, he becomes our sacrifice, his blood covers our sins, and we can have eternal life (Romans 6:23b)!

Songs:

“Father Abraham”

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let’s all praise the Lord
Right arm!
….Left arm!
….Right foot!
….Left foot!
….Chin up!
….Turn around!
….Sit down!

“Jesus loves the little children”

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world; Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in his sight; Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Jesus died for all the children,
All the children of the world; Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in his sight; Jesus died the little children of the world.

Jesus rose for all the children,
All the children of the world; Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in his sight; Jesus arose the little children of the world.

Jesus wants the little children,
To be careful what they do; Honor father, mother dear
Keep their hearts so full of cheer; Then he'll take them home to glory by and by.

Games and Activities:

Pictionary

Supplies Needed:
·         Paper
·         Pencils
Directions:
1.       Divide the children into 2 or more teams. Provide each team with paper and pencils.
2.       Have one volunteer from each team come to you and tell them an object or scene from the Bible stories about Abraham.
3.       The children run back to their group and try to draw a picture of the object or scene. (Assure the kids that stick figures are fine!)
4.       The first team to correctly guess the word or phrase wins that round.
Word/Phrase Bank:
·         Abraham
·         Sarah
·         Isaac
·         Sheep
·         Alter
·         Pillar of salt
·         Three visitors
·         Stars
·         Isaac on the alter
·         Ect…

Crafts:

Cotton Ball Sheep

Supplies Needed:
·         Toilet paper tubes
·         Cotton balls
·         Glue
·         Sheep head print out (see below)
·         Googly eyes
·         Pipe cleaners (cut into 1 inch segments; 4 per child)
·         Scissors
·         Masking tape
Directions:
1.       Give each child a toilet paper tube, some cotton balls, a sheep head, two googly eyes and 4 pipe cleaners.
2.       Give each child a piece of masking tape and have them cover one end of the toilet paper tube. Have the kids put glue all over the outside of the toilet paper tube, including on the masking tape. Then, taking cotton balls, apply them to the glue until the entire tube is covered. (If the kids pull the cotton balls apart just a little, their sheep will be fluffier!)
3.       Have each child cut out their sheep head. Glue the googly eyes to the sheep head. Glue the sheep head to the cotton balls on the open side of the toilet paper tube.
4.       Turn the sheep upside down. Put 4 dabs of glue into the cotton balls and insert the pipe cleaners into the glue. Squeeze the cotton balls around the pipe cleaners to make sure that the glue sticks. Allow several minutes for the glue to dry.

Coloring Page:

Sodom and Gomorrah

Passage:

Familiarize yourself with this passage:

Genesis 19:1-30
After God left Abraham, he sent two angels to Sodom and Gomorrah. When the angels arrived, they found Lot sitting at the gate of the city. When Lot saw the angels, he rushed to greet them and urged them to stay at his house, even though they wanted to stay in the center of the city. After the angels entered Lot’s house, the men of the city started pounding on the door, demanding that Lot send the visitors out so they could do evil things with them. After striking the men of the city with blindness, the angels took Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and fled the city. As they were leaving the city, the angels commanding Lot’s family not to look back. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by raining fire and brimstone down on the cities. Lot’s wife could not help herself and looked back. As she looked back she turned into a pillar of salt. Lot and his daughters escaped to the safety of the caves in the hills. Thus, God saved Abraham’s nephew from destruction.

Object Lesson:

Supplies needed:
• 50 of any small object (beads, pennies, marbles, etc…)
Directions:
When you start your story, spread your 50 items out on the floor in front of the kids. (Remind them not to touch, just watch.) Explain to them that last week we saw how Abraham asked God if he would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for 50 people, all the way down to 10 people. God was willing to save Sodom and Gomorrah if he found only 10 good people there. Separate 10 items from the pile of 50. When God’s angels showed up in Sodom and Gomorrah, they found Lot, Lot’s wife, and Lot’s two daughters. That is only 4 people! Separate 4 items from the pile. Explain how four is a lot less than 10, so God destroyed the cities.

Memory Verse:

John 10:28
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Jesus Connection:

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Just like the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, we are all full of sin. Fortunately for us, Jesus has reach down into our lives and is leading us, by the hand, out of that lifestyle of sin. And we should not look back! He wants us to keep our eyes fixed on him, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Songs:

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever
I will sing, I will sing.
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever.
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.

Games and Activities:

Erase the Verse (This game is best suited for confident readers)

Supplies needed:
• Dry erase board or chalk board
• Dry erase marker or chalk
• Paper towel or other eraser
Directions:
1. Write the memory verse on the board.
2. Reading it off the board, have the kids recite their memory verse together.
3. After you have read the verse through completely, erase on word. Repeat the verse, remembering to say the missing word.
4. Each time you complete the verse, erase another word and say the verse again. Do this until you have erased the entire verse and the kids have it memorized!

Follow the Leader

Directions:
1. Have the kids stand in one line. The person at the front of the line is the leader.
2. As the children walk around the room, following the leader, the leader can make motions/actions (clapping hands, hopping on one foot, waving hands in the air….). Whatever actions the leader makes, the other children in the line must also make.
3. After a short time, rotate the leader to give each child a chance to be the leader.

Crafts:

A Pillar of Salt

Supplies Needed:
• Toilet paper tubes
• Glue
• Cotton swabs
• Salt
• Googly eyes (the sticker ones will work best here!)
• Black, brown, red, and yellow pipe cleaners
• Push pins
Directions:
1. Poke holes in the top of toilet paper roll with push pins. (You may want to have this part pre done for younger kids.
2. Allow the kids to choose a color pipe cleaner. Push some pipe cleaners through the holes and twirl them to make curls for hair.
3. Add googly eyes.
4. Smear glue all over the toilet paper roll using a cotton swab.
5. Holing the toilet paper roll over a piece of paper, pour salt all over the glue.

Coloring Page: