Isaac Marries Rebekah

Transcription

1 Session 2 Isaac Marries Rebekah Genesis 24 Worship Theme: God is pleased when we seek his direction. Weaving Faith Into Life: Children will praise God for his direction in their lives. Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Praise God! (about 25 minutes) Sing If Anyone Lacks Wisdom (James 1:5) Made for This Trust and Obey No Matter How I Feel I Will Not Be Afraid Living by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25) KidsOwn Worship Kit: KidsOwn Worship DVD Video equipment, Bible, dictionary, map, cookbook, board game instructions, square box, tape, marker Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Mirror, Mirror Play a game without directions, and then play with directions. Let s Learn the Point! (about 25 minutes) A-maze-ing Direction Lead Abraham s servant to Rebekah. Pencil or crayon per child, Isaac s Wife handout (at the end of this session) per child * Paths of Righteousness Search for flags that mark a path, and follow the path. 6 construction-paper flags, 1 treat per child 20 KidsOwn Worship Summer Quarter

2 Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Learn the Point! (about 25 minutes) * Finding God s Choice Identify the servant s best choice through the process of elimination. * Seivert s Story Watch a video about a boy who uses navigation equipment on a fishing boat. From Plain to Planned Seek directions for making an origami bird, and compare it to seeking God s direction. KidsOwn Worship Kit: A Wife for Isaac poster Poster putty, 1 sheet of newsprint, marker KidsOwn Worship Kit: KidsOwn Worship DVD Video equipment Paper and pencil per child, scissors, 1 photocopy of directions (at the end of this activity) Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Pray! (about 10 minutes) The Offering Seek a special container to put their gifts in. Bible Verse Prayer Pray a prayer based on Psalm 119:9-10. Praise Him Sing a song as a prayer to God. Container KidsOwn Worship Kit: KidsOwn Worship DVD Video equipment * Starred activities can be used successfully with preschool and elementary children together. Customize your session to fit your needs. You can separate preschoolers and elementary children for Section 2. Or, if you keep the children all together for the entire worship session, we suggest you choose from the starred activities. Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 21

3 Bible Background for Leaders Isaac Marries Rebekah Genesis 24 As we pick up the story of Abraham and Isaac, we find that Abraham s wife and Isaac s mother, Sarah, has died. Abraham is 140 years old. Isaac is about 40 and has not yet married. As we begin this week s story, we re immediately puzzled by Abraham s command to his servant. Why did Abraham have his servant place his hand under Abraham s thigh? This was apparently a gesture of trust, a ritual that confirmed a covenant between two people. It was also a symbol of an eternally binding oath. Jacob used the same ritual when soliciting a promise from Joseph (Genesis 47:29). Abraham was determined that Isaac would not marry someone from the lands around him and that only a wife from Abraham s own people would do. Abraham likely felt too old to make the journey, and he probably didn t want his son Isaac to leave him. So he chose to send his trusted servant, who is often assumed to be Eliezer (Genesis 15:2). Eliezer s journey was not a simple day trip. It was a journey of 800 to 1,000 miles each way and would likely have taken a couple of months perhaps longer each way. Notice what Eliezer did when he and his servants arrived at their destination: He prayed. He knew that to accomplish his mission, he needed direction from the true God. Notice that before he had finished praying, Rebekah appeared. God did as Eliezer had asked, and he did it immediately! Rebekah did precisely what Eliezer had described in his prayer, and he confirmed that she was the right person by asking whose daughter she was. Then he responded as we should when God answers prayer: He praised and worshipped God! In agreeing to go with Eliezer to marry Isaac, Rebekah expressed great faith of her own. She was giving up an elaborate wedding near her home, she was giving up everything familiar to her, she was promising to marry a man she had never seen, and she was committing to live nearly a thousand miles away, likely never to see her family again. God doesn t always make his plans as clear to us as he did to Eliezer. But God will always provide the direction we need when we seek it. Devotion for Leaders Everyone needs direction from God! In a growing relationship with Jesus, we can ask him daily for guidance and proceed confidently under his direction! Weaving Faith Into Your Life: Abraham s servant accepted a difficult task, so he asked for wisdom and help from God. We who teach God s children also have a difficult task! As you prepare to teach this week, ask God for his help. Be as specific as possible, and wait confidently for his direction! 22 KidsOwn Worship Summer Quarter

4 Why We Worship for Leaders Scripture says, I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go (Isaiah 48:17b). The very God who created us and the world we live in doesn t leave us as sheep without a shepherd. Sometimes circumstances seem to overwhelm us, and we have difficult decisions to make. As Christians, we can seek the wisdom and direction of our Creator. God s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and God sees all the days planned for us. This holy, perfect one promises to give wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to those who seek and to lead us in the path of righteousness. What an amazing gift, freely offered! Let this sense of gratitude and praise permeate the worship session as the children learn to honor God by seeking his direction. Easy Prep for Leaders Let s Praise God! Make sure your video equipment is ready. Tape the flaps of the box to make a cube. Write one of the following words or phrases on each side and the top and bottom of the box: I think so, Maybe, Trust your conscience, Think again, Whatever! I don t think so. Finding God s Choice Use poster putty to hang the poster, A Wife for Isaac, where kids can see it. Cover it with newsprint until time to reveal it. Seivert s Story Watch the video titled Seivert s Story at least once before the children arrive. From Plain to Planned Familiarize yourself with the instructions for the origami bird, and make a sample for each step. You ll need six adult or teen assistants. Photocopy the instructions at the end of the activity, cut the strips apart, and give one strip to each of your assistants. Make sure your assistants are familiar with their steps. Cut 8½x11 sheets of paper to make an 8½x8½ square for each child. Preschool Activities Refer to the preschool pages for preparations. Let s Praise God! Play music videos from the KidsOwn Worship DVD as children arrive. Greet kids by name, and say to each one, God loves you and has a plan for your life! When you re ready to begin worship, set out a Bible, a dictionary, a map or atlas, a cookbook, and instructions for playing a board game or assembling a toy. Hello, everyone! Today we re going to talk about directions. We can find direction in a variety of places. Here are just a few sources for directions. Point out the items you ve set out. Hold up the dictionary. Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 23

5 What kind of direction do we seek in a dictionary? (How to spell a word; the definition of a word.) Continue, holding up each item and asking kids to identify how we use it to seek direction. Today we are going to worship God because God gives us trustworthy direction. God is pleased when we seek his direction. It s important to remember that God gave us the book of directions for living the Bible. When we look to the Bible for directions to help us make right choices, we are seeking God s wisdom. Let s praise God right now for giving us his wisdom when we ask for it. Sing If Anyone Lacks Wisdom (James 1:5). We find many of God s directions in the Bible. Once we find the directions, we need to choose to follow them. That s called being obedient. Let s sing a song to God and promise to put God first, because that s what we were made for! Sing Made for This. God s directions are completely trustworthy. We seek God s direction because we trust him, and when we put our trust together with wanting to give God our best, we live lives that honor and please God. Let s sing this song that tells us what will happen when we trust and obey. Sing Trust and Obey. God says that if we love him, we will trust him and obey his direction. Because of our love for God and the way we re called for God s purposes, God will make everything that happens turn out to be good for us. That s a wonderful promise that we can believe and rejoice in. Let s sing a song that celebrates how God is good no matter how we feel. Sing No Matter How I Feel. Sometimes choices and decisions are very clear: One way is right, and the other is wrong. Sometimes, though, we must choose between things that aren t clearly right or wrong: Should I go to the swimming lesson or play in the baseball game tonight? Should I join the chess club or the science club at school? Often we don t think about God when we re making these kinds of decisions, and we look to other sources of direction. Some sources will direct us back to God s way of doing things. Other sources may direct us away from God. For example, I found this giant problem-solver cube. Pull out the square box. Many people think that this cube will always give the right answer to any question. Everybody think of a real-life situation that you may need to make a decision about. (Pause.) 24 KidsOwn Worship Summer Quarter

6 Now we re going to consult the giant problem-solver cube. Ask several children to share their situations, and allow each one to toss the problem solver. Did the cube give trustworthy direction? Why or why not? (No, it wouldn t be smart for me to do that; yes, it answered my question the way I wanted it to; no, it just happened to land on an answer.) Do you think we could rely on the problem-solver cube to lead us when we have serious decisions to make? What about simple decisions? Why or why not? (No serious decisions, but maybe simple ones; no, because we can t trust it.) How is God s Word like or unlike the problem-solver cube? (It s like it, because they both give directions; only God s Word gives us the right direction every time; we can trust God s direction, but we can t trust the cube.) When we re seeking direction, we can always look to God who leads us with his perfect wisdom and love. God is pleased when we seek his direction because it shows that we trust God more than we trust ourselves. We can trust that God is faithful. That means that whatever God says he will do, he does. Because God is faithful, we know God won t let us down. God has been keeping his promises being faithful for thousands of years. We re going to sing a song that praises God for being faithful to us and for helping us not be afraid. The lyrics in this song say, He gives me life, he gives me breath, yeah, everything I need. What are some things that God has already given you? (My family; I never have to worry about whether or not I ll have lunch; God provides good friends at church.) What are some things you re depending on God to give you in the future? (I m depending on God to help my dad find a job; to help me find friends at my new school this fall.) Let s sing this song of praise to God now. Sing I Will Not Be Afraid. We ve been talking and singing about the wonderful truth that God will faithfully lead us when we seek his direction. His direction will help us make wise choices. God is pleased when we seek his direction. Let s sing a song of praise to honor God for leading us in a way that only he can do. Sing Living by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). God, we praise you for giving us your directions in the Bible. We honor you by asking you to direct our lives. In Jesus name, amen. Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 25

7 Let s Learn the Point! Preschool Activities, pages At this time, have the preschool leader invite the preschoolers to go to their own room for this section of activities. Tear out the Preschool Activities page, and give it to the preschool leader. Have the preschool leader bring the preschoolers back to participate in Let s Pray! with the older children. If you prefer to keep all the children together, do the starred (*) activities. They will work well with both elementary and preschool children. Elementary Activities * Finding God s Choice In our Bible story today, we re going to hear about a man who had a difficult decision to make. During the time of Abraham, parents chose husbands and wives for their children. Abraham wanted to make sure his son Isaac married a woman who shared their family background and would worship God as he and his family did. Unfortunately, all those young women lived in the land Abraham had left behind many years before. So, instead of arranging Isaac s marriage himself, Abraham sent a trusted servant back to the old country to find the perfect wife for Isaac. How would you have felt if you had to be the one to decide who was to be Isaac s wife? (I d be afraid I d make the wrong decision; I d feel pretty important deciding something like that.) What do you think might have happened if Abraham or Isaac didn t like the woman the servant picked? (The servant would have been fired; they would have sent her back.) When the servant got to the country Abraham had left, he realized he needed help in making such an important choice. Many women lived in this country, and he needed to choose the right one! Uncover the A Wife for Isaac poster. The servant prayed. Remember, the woman he would select had to be someone who shared Abraham s background so that she and Isaac could worship God together and teach their children God s ways. Everyone else could be ruled out. On our poster, all the women wearing the same blue outfit share Abraham s background. Since anyone who didn t meet this qualification would be ruled out, we can cross out anyone not wearing that outfit. (continued on page 29) 26 KidsOwn Worship Summer Quarter

8 Preschool Activities Worship Theme: Isaac Marries Rebekah God is pleased when we seek his direction. Easy Prep for Leaders Genesis 24 A-maze-ing Direction Make a copy of the Isaac s Wife handout (at the end of this session) per child. Paths of Righteousness Prepare a simple course from your room to another room. Place five or six brightly colored paper flags along the way. Set the flags far enough apart to require some seeking but close enough together to be visible from one flag to the next. At the last flag, place snacks or treats. Using Theo Consider using Theophilus the FaithRetriever puppet today in these ways: Have Theo lead the preschoolers from the main worship area to the preschool room. Have Theo go with the children in the Paths of Righteousness activity. Session See the KidsOwn Worship Kit for a puppet skit written for today s worship session. 2 Mirror, Mirror We re going to play a game today called Mirror, Mirror. OK, let s play. Pause, allowing a moment for confusion and questions. What else do you need to know in order to play the game? We need rules, or directions, to know how to play a game. Unless we know what we are supposed to do, we can t enjoy the game. In the same way, unless we know how God wants us to live our lives, we won t be able to figure out what we are supposed to do. Let s see how much more fun it is when we know the directions. Form pairs. In each pair, have the children choose one child to be the mirror. A-maze-ing Direction Give each child a pencil or crayon and a copy of the Isaac s Wife handout. Have children mark the path on the handout as you tell the story. Abraham wanted to be sure Isaac s wife would be someone who knew and worshipped God just as they did. So Abraham sent a servant to Nahor, in the country where Abraham s family lived, to bring a wife back for Isaac. We re going to show Abraham s servant the direction God is leading him as he travels. The person who is not the mirror will choose a movement or a face to make. The mirror must make the same movement or face so that it looks as if the person is doing it in front of a mirror. OK, let s try it for a few minutes, and then we ll trade places. Allow a few minutes for children to practice. Call a stop, and then ask partners to switch roles. Play again. Isn t it much more fun when we know the rules? How did you get the rules you needed? I told you the rules. Without those directions, it s impossible to make any sense out of the game. Without God s directions for our lives, we can t make any sense out of how we are supposed to live. Just as you asked for the directions to the game, we can ask God to direct us when we need to know what to do. Abraham s servant began his journey through the sandy desert. He traveled all day until he came to a place where he could pitch his tents. Ask children to draw a line from the servant to the tents. The next morning, the servant began his trip again. As he walked, he thought about his important job. He wondered how he would be able to choose wisely. Which woman would be the right wife for Isaac? How do you think the servant could find the right wife? Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 27

9 Preschool Activities A-maze-ing Direction (continued) The servant thought while he continued his journey. After a few days, he needed to get water for himself and for his camels. Have children draw a line from the tents to nearby water. The servant watered the camels and filled his water containers. Then he began walking again. He walked until he came to a village. Have children draw a line from the water to the first village. This village wasn t Nahor. No one here worshipped God. The servant knew he would not make his choice in this village. So he walked away. The servant knew Nahor would be the next village he would come to. The well would be his first stop so he could get water for his thirsty camels. Have children draw a line from the village to the well at Nahor. The servant knew that he needed God to direct him so that he would choose Isaac s wife wisely. So this thirsty servant asked God to help him find a wife for Isaac. He asked God to help him find someone who was one of Abraham s relatives and was kind and helpful, too. He prayed that the woman who would offer him a drink when he asked and would offer water for his camels would be the one God had chosen for Isaac. When the servant saw Rebekah, he asked her for a drink of water. Rebekah gave him a drink and offered to give his camels some water, too! Which one of the women near the well is pouring water in a trough for the camels to drink? When Rebekah invited him to stay with her family, the servant found out that they were part of the same tribe as Abraham s family! Rebekah was kind, helpful, and a member of Abraham s tribe everything the servant had been searching for. God had answered his prayer. What do you think could have happened if the servant hadn t asked for God s direction? The servant needed direction. He had been given an important job. He asked God to direct him to the woman God wanted for Isaac. God directed the servant to Rebekah. God is pleased when we look for his direction just as the servant did. * Paths of Righteousness Gather children at the beginning of your flag course. A path has been marked from where we are now to a special place. We will find our way by looking for brightly colored flags like this one. Hold up a sample flag. We will look for these to make sure we are staying on the right path. When you find a flag, walk to it with walking feet only. Let s look for a flag! Guide the children along the course until they reach the destination. Have children sit in a circle, and then distribute the snacks or treats. How were we able to find our way to this special treat? What did you have to do? We had to look for, or seek, the flags to find our way to this treat. Because we looked for the flags, we could follow the path that was set out for us. We also must look for God s direction to find out where we are to go next. What kinds of directions does God give us? How do we know what God wants us to do? Where do we learn about God s directions? We get to know God by studying the Bible and praying and talking with God. ALLERGY ALERT Be aware that some children have food allergies that can be dangerous. Know your children, and consult with parents about allergies their children may have. Also be sure to read food labels carefully as hidden ingredients can cause allergy-related problems. The Bible tells us how God wants us to behave. When we have difficult choices to make, we can always ask God in prayer to help us make wise decisions. That s what the servant who was searching for a wife for Isaac did. God himself is honored when we ask him to guide us, because it shows that we trust him to lead us along the right path. 28 KidsOwn Worship Summer Quarter

10 (continued from page 26) Ask a volunteer to use a marker to cross out those not dressed in the same outfit. The servant was thirsty. He asked God to lead him to a woman who would be kind and helpful and would give him a drink of water when he asked. We can cross out anyone not carrying water. Ask a volunteer to cross out all the women doing other tasks. The servant asked God to show him a woman who would show exceptional kindness by offering to give his thirsty camels a drink, as well. God directed the servant to Rebekah. When Rebekah offered to give the servant and his camels a drink, he asked about her family. Sure enough, Rebekah had the right background. The servant knew that God had answered his prayer for direction. Rebekah s family recognized God s direction, too, and allowed her to go with the servant to be Isaac s wife. How do you think the servant knew God was directing him? (God helped him find someone who met all those requirements; he had prayed, and he trusted God.) How do you know that God is directing you? (Sometimes I don t know; he shows me different signs to help me see the right way.) When we seek God s direction, God is pleased. We honor him by acknowledging that God s plans are better than our own. We re going to watch a video about a boy who gets direction on a fishing boat. Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 29

11 * Seivert s Story Show the video segment titled Seivert s Story It explains how different equipment on a boat provides direction. How is God like the equipment Seivert used? (He guides us; he gives us direction; he shows us where to go.) In what way is following the boat s navigational equipment like following God? (We can turn to God when we don t know the best way; we have to keep our eyes on God to follow him, and sailors have to keep their eyes on the equipment to follow it.) How is seeking God s direction different from following the boat s equipment? (God is more trustworthy, but a boat s equipment could fail; we can have a friendship with God.) When we point ourselves toward God, God is the same kind of wonderful, reliable guide for our lives as the boat s equipment is for Seivert. God s directions lead us to what s best for us. God s directions keep us safe, and they lead us to him. God is pleased when we seek direction from him. Tips From the Trenches If you are leading worship by yourself, modify the stepby-step instructions so that kids will have to ask you for direction for each step. From Plain to Planned Check that your adult or teen assistants have the origami instructions (see Easy Prep). Then hold up a plain white paper square for kids to see, and ask them what the paper might become. Allow time for kids to offer several ideas. I have a plan for this piece of paper. In the Bible, God says, For I know the plans I have for you plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). God has a plan for each of us, a direction for each of our lives. God is pleased when we seek his direction, and he responds to us by showing the next step he has planned for us. Let s seek the directions that will make this plain piece of paper something special. Each adult has a step of the plan that will help us reach our goal. You ll need to seek out the right direction at the right time. You may ask each helper if he or she has the first, second, or next step in the process. Then you may ask specific questions to get the information you need. Give each child one square of paper and a pencil. Show kids the finished project. Allow one child at a time to ask a question directed to a specific adult. The adults can only give instruction if they have the next step in the process. How difficult would it have been to complete this task without step-by-step directions? (It would have been impossible; I ve done it before, so it would have been OK; it would ve been pretty 30 KidsOwn Worship Summer Quarter

12 hard.) How did you feel about asking for the directions rather than having them given automatically? (I liked it, because I could work at my own pace; it was harder than just sitting here and listening to directions.) You mentioned many possibilities when I asked what a plain sheet of white paper could become. But you needed to seek direction to make the paper into what I had planned. The servant sought God s direction to find the wife God had planned for Isaac, much as you sought directions to complete this project. What are we telling God when we seek his direction? (We re telling him we trust him; we re telling him we know that he knows what s best for us; we honor God when we seek his direction.) When we seek God s direction, he is pleased, and we make better decisions than we ever could on our own. Directions for Origami Bird: Step 1: Fold the square in half diagonally by bringing one corner of the paper to the opposite corner. Open the square back up so that you see a line down the center. Step 2: Place the paper so the center fold line is straight up and down. Fold the left corner in to meet the center fold line. Crease the fold. Do the same with the right corner. Your paper will now look like a kite. Step 3: Fold the left corner in to meet the center fold line. Crease the fold. Do the same with the right corner. Now your paper should look like a long, skinny diamond. Step 4: Turn the paper over. Fold the left corner to the right corner along the original fold line to create a long, skinny triangle. The flaps are the wings of the bird. Step 5: Place the triangle so that the longest edge is at the bottom. Pick up the corner from the side without the flap. Fold the corner so that it points straight up. Crease the fold. Then turn the paper over. Fold the corner so that it points straight up. Crease the fold. Open the pocket and push in the triangle along the fold lines you created. This is the neck of the bird. Step 6: Bend down the corner of the triangle that s sticking up. Crease the fold in both directions. Open the pocket of the neck and push in the small triangle along the fold lines you just created. Crease the new fold. This creates the bird s head. Permission to photocopy these instructions from KidsOwn Worship, Summer, granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc. group.com Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 31

13 Let s Pray! The Offering I ve chosen a special thing to use to collect our offering in today. I m going to let you seek it out by playing a game of 20 Questions. When I call on you, ask me one question that can be answered with a yes or a no. Call on one child at a time to ask you a question. After 20 questions, reveal the container you chose whether children guessed it or not. God doesn t put any limits on the number of questions or the kinds of questions we can ask when we re seeking his direction. He is always pleased when we seek to find his way. As our offering container comes around today, think of a question you have for God. You can pretend to hold that question in your hand along with any offering you have. When the container comes to you, put your question in as you remember that seeking God s direction is a way that we offer him our lives. Pass around the offering container. Bible Verse Prayer After you have taken the offering, pray this responsive prayer based on Psalm 119:9-10. The Bible reminds us that if we want to live in a way that s pleasing to God, we must seek him with all our heart. We re going to pray from Psalm 119:9-10. When I pause, you can tell God you want to please him by saying, I seek you with all my heart. Leader: God, we want to be kept pure by living according to your word. All: I seek you with all my heart. Leader: Do not let me stray from your commands. All: I seek you with all my heart. Leader: God, we thank you for the trustworthy directions you give us, and we offer ourselves to you with this commitment: All: I seek you with all my heart. Amen. Praise Him We honor God when we give him our best our best obedience, our best gifts, and our best praise. Let s end our time of worship by singing the song Praise Him in our best singing voices, showing God that we honor and love him. 32 KidsOwn Worship Summer Quarter Sing Praise Him.

14 Isaac s Wife Permission to photocopy this handout from KidsOwn Worship Leader Guide, Summer, granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc. group.com Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 33