God wants us to trust him all the time.

Transcription

1 Abram Believes in God s Great Promises Lesson 11 Bible Point God wants us to trust him all the time. Bible Verse Trust in the Lord with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5a). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n learn about God s promise to Abraham, n discover God s promises for them today, n realize God s promises will always come true, and n share God s promises with Pockets. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n Abram believes in God s great promises. Genesis 15:5; 17:1-7 Abram had just returned from defeating a coalition of kings to rescue his nephew Lot, and the Lord appeared to him in a vision. Notice that in Haran, God simply spoke to Abram; later in Canaan, God appeared before Abram; now God appeared in a lengthy vision. With each meeting, God s plan for Abram became a bit clearer. God assured Abram by restating his promise that Abram would have his own son, and Abram responded in faith. He believed God, and God declared him righteous because of his faith! To reassure Abram, God renewed his promises to him with a covenant: Abram would not only be the father of one son, but of a multitude of nations. And to seal the deal, God would change Abram s name to Abraham, meaning father of many. God s listing of all the things that were to come for Abram s descendants accomplished at least two things: First, it confirmed that God s promise would come true because God could see the results more than 400 years in the future. Second, it assured Abram that even though his people would endure hardship, they would eventually possess the land as God had promised. God assured Abram that he had a plan for his people a good plan that was sure to come true! Prayer Read Romans 4: What promises has God made to you? Pray: Lord, I want you to count my faith, and the faith of the students I teach, as righteousness. Help us learn to trust you all the time by Before the Lesson n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use. Refer to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies columns to determine what you ll need. n Make photocopies of the Today I Learned handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for the children in your class and for God s direction in teaching the lesson. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 159

2 Lesson 11 This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Time Let s Get Started Direct children to one or more of the optional activities until everyone arrives. What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome! Receive name tags, and be greeted by the teacher. Option 1: Foil Twinklers Mold aluminum foil to make a room full of stars. Option 2: Billions of Bubbles Create a host of bubbles to represent the many stars in the sky. Option 3: A Family of Stars Cut out stars to represent family members. World Name Tags handout (p. 27), markers, tape or safety pins Aluminum foil, hole punch, yarn or string, scissors Bubble solution, pie tin, bubble wands or plastic six-pack holders A Family of Stars handout (p. 171), safety scissors, crayons Bible Story Time Pick Up Our Toys Sing a song as they pick up toys, and gather for Bible Story Time. Setting the Stage Wait for a snack, and discover how hard it can be to wait. Bible Song and Prayer Time Sing a song, bring out the Bible, and pray together. CD player Snack Bible, construction paper, scissors, CD player, basket or box Hear and Tell the Bible Story Help create a starry sky for Abraham as they listen to God s promises in Genesis 15:5 and 17:1-7. Dress Up and Drama Act out Abraham s story with a special song. Yellow or gold crayons Closing Do the Bible Story Act out Psalm 121 to learn of God s promises to us. Promises for Pockets Help Pockets learn that we can always trust God s promises. Bible CD player Pass the Promise Remind each other of God s promises. *See the end of this lesson for extra-time ideas and supplies. 160 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

3 Welcome Time n Welcome! SUPPLIES: World Name Tags handout (p. 27), markers, tape or safety pins Bend down to make eye contact with children as they arrive. Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. As children arrive, ask them how they put last week s lesson into practice. Ask questions such as How did you worship God this past week? and How do you feel giving praise to God? Say: Today we re going to learn that God wants us to trust him all the time. Hand out the world name tags children made in Lesson 1, and help them attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged or if some of the children weren t in class that week, have them make new name tags using the photocopiable handout. Direct children to the Let s Get Started activities you ve set up. Abram Believes in God s Great Promises Let s Get Started Set up one or more of the following activities for children to do as they arrive. After you greet each child, invite him or her to choose an activity. Circulate among the children to offer help as needed and direct children s conversation toward today s lesson. Ask questions such as What s an important promise someone has made to you? or How do you feel when someone breaks a promise? It s important to say the Bible Point just as it s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over throughout the lesson will help children remember it and apply it to their lives. n Option 1: Foil Twinklers SUPPLIES: aluminum foil, hole punch, yarn or string, scissors Set out 4x12-inch pieces of aluminum foil, a hole punch, and string or yarn. Have children crush and bend the foil pieces to form star shapes. Allow children to be creative in their sculpting all stars won t look alike! Have each student use the hole punch to make a hole near the top of the star and then slip a 6-inch length of yarn through the hole. Help children hang their stars from the ceiling or on a wall. Explain that in today s story they ll hear about a promise God made to Abraham that had to do with lots and lots of stars. n Option 2: Billions of Bubbles SUPPLIES: bubble solution, pie tin, bubble wands or plastic six-pack holders Set up an area outside where children can blow lots of bubbles. Pour a container of bubble solution into a pie tin, and provide plastic six-pack holders or bubble wands for children to use. Challenge children to make as many bubbles at a time as they possibly can. Tell them you d like to see the sky full of bubbles! Explain that they ll hear a story today about a sky full of stars and an important promise God made to Abraham. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 161

4 Lesson 11 n Option 3: A Family of Stars SUPPLIES: A Family of Stars handout (p. 171), safety scissors, crayons Before class, photocopy the Family of Stars handout. Set out the handouts, safety scissors, and crayons. Give children each a handout, and ask how many people are in their families. Have students count one square on the handout for each member of their families and then cut off excess squares. Be sure children don t cut off the square with the star on it. Help them fold along the dotted lines so the picture of the star ends up on top. Then allow them to cut along the solid lines, being sure to leave the folded edges intact. When they ve finished, have children gently unfold the paper to reveal several connected stars. Children may draw a face on each star to represent each family member. Explain that today they ll hear how God promised Abraham more family members than there are stars! When everyone has arrived and you re ready to move on to the Bible Story Time, encourage the children to finish what they re doing and get ready to clean up. n Pick Up Our Toys SUPPLIES: CD player track 2 Lead children in singing Pick Up Our Toys (track 2) with the CD to the tune of Skip to My Lou. Encourage the children to sing along as they help clean up the room. If you want to include the names of all the children in your class, sing the song without the CD and repeat the naming section. If you choose to use the CD, vary the names you use each week. We will pick up our toys. We will pick up our toys. We will pick up our toys And put them all away. There s [name] picking up toys. There s [name] picking up toys. There s [name] picking up toys, Putting them all away. (Repeat.) Bible Story Time n Setting the Stage SUPPLIES: snack Tell the children you ll clap your hands to get their attention. Explain that when you clap, the children are to stop what they re doing, raise their hands, and focus on you. Encourage children to respond quickly so you ll have time for all the fun activities you ve planned. 162 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

5 Form a circle and bring out a simple treat, such as cookies, candy, or fruit slices. Have children clean their hands with wet wipes or at a nearby sink. Allow the children to look at and smell the tasty treat. Then say: I promise you ll each get to taste this today. Let s see if you can wait a whole minute for it! Turn around and close your eyes so you can t see anyone. I ll clap my hands and start watching the clock for one minute. When you think one minute is up, raise your hand and keep it there. We ll see who can come closest to the oneminute mark. Be sure children keep their eyes tightly shut while you watch the clock for one minute. At the end of one minute, allow them to open their eyes. Congratulate the student who raised his or her hand closest to the one-minute mark. Say: That was tough! A lot of you raised your hands after only a few seconds. Let s see if you can wait one more minute. We ll do it the same way. Play again, keeping your eye on the clock. Congratulate everyone on being so patient, and then distribute the snack. As children are enjoying their treats, ask: Why was it so hard to wait for your snack? (It took too long; I thought the time would be over sooner; I wanted the treats.) Did you believe that I d really give you your snack? Explain. (Yes, because you said you would; yes, but I didn t like waiting; yes, because you wouldn t tell us a lie.) What other things are hard to wait for? (Christmas; birthdays; going to DisneyWorld.) Say: It s hard to wait for good things because we d like to have them right away. God gives us good things that we might like to have today, but sometimes we have to wait. While we re waiting, it s important to know that God wants us to trust him all the time, even while we re waiting for a promise to come true. Today we re going to learn more about God s promise to Abram. You ll see that he trusted in God s promise, even though he had to wait a long time. It might have seemed like the promise would never come true but it did. Let s not wait any longer to hear this story! Abram Believes in God s Great Promises n Bible Song and Prayer Time SUPPLIES: Bible, construction paper, scissors, CD player, basket or box track 3 Before class, make surprise cards for this activity by cutting construction paper into 2x6-inch slips. Prepare a surprise card for each child, plus a few extras for visitors. Fold the cards in half, and then stamp the star stamp inside one of the surprise cards. Bookmark Genesis 15:5; 17:1-7 in the Bible you ll be using. Have children sit in a circle. Say: Now it s time to choose a Bible person to bring me the Bible marked with today s Bible story. As we sing our Bible song, I ll pass out the surprise cards. Don t look inside your card until the song is over. Lead children in singing Read God s Book (track 3) with the CD, to the tune of The Muffin Man. As you sing, pass out the folded surprise cards. This Bible story is featured in My First Hands-On Bible. Order several now for your ministry at group.com. Now it s time to read God s Book, Read God s Book, read God s Book. Now it s time to read God s Book. Let s hear a Bible story. (Repeat 3x.) Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 163

6 Lesson 11 After the song, say: You may look inside your surprise cards. The person who has the stars stamped inside his or her card will be our Bible person for today. Identify the Bible person, and have the rest of the children clap for him or her. Ask the Bible person to bring you the Bible. Help the Bible person open the Bible to the marked place and show children where your story comes from. Then have the Bible person sit down. Say: [Name] was our special Bible person today. Each week, we ll have only one special Bible person, but each one of you is a special part of our class! Today we re all learning that God wants us to trust him all the time. Let s say a special prayer now and ask God to teach us to trust him all the time. I ll pass around this basket. When the basket comes to you, put your surprise card in it and say, God, teach me to trust you all the time. Pass around the basket or box. When you ve collected everyone s surprise card, set the basket aside and pick up the Bible. Lead children in this prayer: God, thank you for the Bible and all the stories in it. Teach us today that you want us to trust you all the time. In Jesus name, amen. You may want to bring several sheets of gold foil stars to use for this activity. These are the kind children lick and then stick. If you have more than 10 children in your class, allow them to take turns coloring on the Learning Mat. In terms of their mental development, your 5- and 6-yearolds can listen to and create stories, and they can distinguish between real and pretend. n Hear and Tell the Bible Story SUPPLIES: yellow or gold crayons Bring out the Learning Mat: Abraham and several yellow or gold crayons. Have children sit in a semicircle around the mat. Say: Our Bible story comes from the book of Genesis in the Bible. Our Learning Mat shows us pictures of our Bible story. Last week we learned that God promised Abram the beautiful land of Canaan. Let s see what else you can remember about our story. If you know the answer to one of my questions, hold up your hands and wiggle your fingers like twinkly stars. Ask: Where did Abram live when our story began? (In Haran; in a big city.) What did God ask Abram to do? (Move far away; go to the desert; go to Canaan.) Why did God send Abram to a new land? (Because God wanted people to worship him, not the moon; because he had big plans for Abram.) Can you tell me something about Canaan? (It was good; they could grow food there; it was pretty.) What did Abram do when God promised him the land of Canaan? (He prayed; he worshipped; he thanked God; he built an altar.) Say: This week we ll learn about another promise God made to Abram. As I tell the story, I ll ask you to help me by coloring the stars on our Learning Mat. Let s start by coloring in one star each. Distribute the crayons and allow each child to color in a star on the Learning Mat. When children have finished, start the story. Imagine a night when the dark sky is glimmering with stars as far as the eye can see. It might have been on a night like this when God led Abram out of his tent to look up into the sky. God said, Look up into the sky and count 164 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

7 the stars if you can. That s how many descendants you will have! That meant that Abram s children would have children who would have more children and so on and so on, until there would be too many people to count! All these people would be Abram s descendants. Let s color in another star to remember God s promise. Pause for children to color another star. Then continue: Now, Abram was already very old when God made that promise. He and Sarai were old enough to be grandparents, and they still didn t have any children of their own. But Abram believed what God said. When Abram was 99 years old, God appeared to him again. Many, many years had passed since God had led Abram out to the star-filled sky. Abram and Sarai had gotten even older, and still they didn t have any children! But Abram hadn t stopped believing in God s promise. God said, I am God Almighty. Obey me and do what is right, and I will make a promise between you and me. I will make you the father of many nations. Your new name is Abraham. Abraham means the father of many. Abraham might have thought that was a strange name, since he was so old and wasn t even the father of one! But still, he believed in God s promise. Color in another star to show that Abraham trusted in God. Pause for children to each color another star. Then continue: Later, God gave Sarai the new name of Sarah. God said that Sarah would be the mother of many nations. God promised that new nations and even kings would come from Abraham and Sarah, and they would number more than the stars in the sky. God promised Abraham that he would be Abraham s God and the God of Abraham s family, even though Abraham and Sarah didn t have their own family yet! Finish coloring all the stars that are left in the sky. That will help us see how big Abraham s family would be. When children have finished, collect the crayons and put them away and return the Learning Mat to the Learning Lab. Ask: What did God promise Abraham? (That he d have lots of kids; that he d have more relatives than there were stars.) Why could that promise have been hard to believe? (Because he was so old; because he didn t even have one child yet.) Why did Abraham believe that God s promise would come true? (Because he trusted God; because he loved God; because he knew God could do anything.) How do you think Abraham felt getting a new name along with so many wonderful promises? (Happy; confused; excited; thankful.) What did God want Abraham to do? (To believe him; to love him; to obey him.) God makes us many promises. How are we to respond to him? (Love him; trust him; believe in him; obey him.) Say: Our Bible verse comes from Proverbs 3:5, and this is what it says: Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Have kids repeat the verse with you. Abraham trusted that God s promises would come true, even though he knew it would take a long time for all those people to be born! God keeps his promises. God wants us to trust him all the time, even if we re still waiting for a promise to come true! Abram Believes in God s Great Promises Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 165

8 Lesson 11 n Dress Up and Drama SUPPLIES: none Form a circle. Hold up the Abraham puppet and say: Abraham traveled a long, long way to go to a new land. Then God showed him the stars in the sky. God made a promise to Abraham that he would have a child! Hold up the Isaac puppet. God promised Abraham that not only would he have one child, but he would have as many children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren as there were stars in the sky! Let s use these little puppets as we sing a song about Abraham. Have children pass the Abraham and Isaac puppets around the circle and follow your motions as you lead them in singing Abraham Was Travelin to the tune of Short nin Bread without the CD. Abraham was travelin, Travelin, travelin. Abraham was travelin oh so far. (Direct the child holding the Abraham puppet to put the puppet on his or her finger and point up at the ceiling.) God told Abraham To look up, look up. God told Abraham to look up high. (Direct all the other children to fling their fingers out to make the twinkling stars.) Stars were a-twinklin, Twinklin, twinklin. Stars were a-twinklin in the sky. (Direct children to clap in time to the music.) God promised one child, One child, one child. God promised one child and many more. (Direct the child holding the Isaac puppet to put the puppet on his or her thumb and give a thumbs-up toward the middle of the circle.) Abraham believed in God s good promise. Abraham believed that God is true! (Raise your arms in the air and shout Hooray! ) We can trust in God to keep his promise. I can trust in God, and so can you! (Point to yourself and then to the person opposite you in the circle.) Repeat the song, allowing children to continue passing around the Abraham and Isaac puppets, until everyone has had a turn. Then say: God made Abraham a promise, and he kept it! God makes us promises, too, and we can trust him to keep them. God wants us to trust him all the time. Our next activity will show us some of the wonderful promises God makes to us. Return the Abraham and Isaac puppets to the Learning Lab. 166 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

9 n Do the Bible Story SUPPLIES: Bible Form pairs and say: I m going to read a Bible verse that tells many promises God has made to us. I d like the partner wearing the most blue to act out what the verse says. The other partner will copy your actions. There are no right or wrong actions, so use your imagination! Read Psalm 121 aloud, pausing after each phrase to allow children time to act it out. When you finish, have partners switch roles so the copycat partner has a turn to make up actions. Then have partners sit together and share responses to your questions. Ask: What does God promise us in these verses? (To protect us; to watch us while we sleep; to guard us from danger; to help us.) Why would God promise to do those things? (Because he loves us; he doesn t want us to be hurt; he knows it s dangerous on earth.) How do you feel knowing that God has promised you these things? (Good; safe; happy; protected.) How do you know that God will keep those promises? (Because he wouldn t lie; because he does keep me safe; because I trust him.) Say: God s promises to us are just as wonderful as the one he made to Abraham. God wants us to trust him all the time. We can trust God to keep the promises we ve just heard. And even when things seem scary or strange, we know that God will keep his promises to us. A long time ago, God promised the people on earth that he would send them a Savior who would take the punishment for their sins. He kept that promise when he sent Jesus! Jesus came to earth to die on the cross, not only for those people long ago, but for us. God promises us, too, that if we believe in Jesus, he will be our forever friend. We can remember that God keeps his promises whenever we think about our forever friend, Jesus. Now let s see if Pockets knows about God s promises. Will you help me call her? Pockets? Pockets? Abram Believes in God s Great Promises Closing n Promises for Pockets SUPPLIES: CD player track 21 Bring out Pockets the Kangaroo, and go through the following puppet script. When you finish the script, put Pockets away and out of sight. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 167

10 Lesson 11 Pockets: Teacher: Pockets: Teacher: Pockets: Teacher: Pockets: Teacher: Pockets: Teacher: Pockets: Teacher: (Angrily) Oh, I just can t believe it! I m so mad I could just (Hugging Pockets) Pockets, what s wrong? You sound like you need a hug. I m just so mad at her! How could she do that to me? Who did something to you? Tell us what s wrong. (Calming down a little) It s my friend Sarah. She promised that I could borrow her new tricycle and then just two days later she told me I couldn t! Can you believe it? She broke her promise! Did you ask her why she broke her promise? Well yes she said her mom didn t want her to let other people ride it. She s afraid it ll get broken that way. But, still, Sarah did promise me Well, Pockets, sometimes people can t keep their promises. Sarah s mom probably wants to help Sarah take good care of her new tricycle. But even when people can t keep their promises, it s good to know that God can always keep his promises. He ll never let us down. (Sighing) I guess it makes me feel better knowing that I can trust God. At least he won t break a promise. That s right. Why, just today we were talking about a big promise that God made to Abraham. Children, why don t you tell Pockets about God s special promise. (Allow kids to tell Pockets about God s promise to Abraham, that his family would number more than the stars. Children may want to share that Abraham was very old, too.) Wow! How could God do that? I mean, with Abraham so old and everything. I d be afraid God couldn t keep that promise. God wants us to trust him all the time. Abraham knew that God could do anything, so he trusted that God would keep his promise, even when he had to wait a long time for it to come true. Let s all sing the song we learned last week. It will remind us to trust God. (Play the CD and have children and Pockets sing Trust the Lord (track 21) to the tune of Frère Jacques. ) Trust the Lord, trust the Lord. Every day, every way. Turn to him and pray, Trust him and obey, Every day, every way. Pockets: I want to trust God like the song says. I know we can t always keep our promises, so it s nice to trust in God s. Thank you for helping me see that God is trustworthy! (Exits humming song.) Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO group.com 168 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

11 n Pass the Promise SUPPLIES: none Say: Abraham had to wait a long, long time before God s promise came true. He might have thought about that promise every time he looked up at a starry sky. We can remember God s promises to us, too. Find three other people and make a star group. Help each foursome make a star by standing with their backs together and arms spread out, like the points of a star. Go around and whisper a different promise from the Bible to each group. You might tell groups the following phrases. God will help you. God will watch over you. God will protect you. God will guard you forever. Say: Now, find a partner and tell your partner the promise you just heard. When you hear me clap my hands, find a different partner and tell him or her the promise, too. Have children spread God s promises to each other. Then gather everyone together in a circle. Pray: Dear God, thank you for your wonderful promises. Help us to trust you all the time, just as Abraham did. In Jesus name, amen. Abram Believes in God s Great Promises Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Today I Learned handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage parents to use the handout to plan meaningful family activities to reinforce this week s topic. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 169

12 Lesson 11 For Extra Time If you have a long class time or want to add additional elements to your lesson, try one of the following activities. n Lively Learning: Parade of Promises Lead children in singing Trust and Worship to the tune of London Bridge without the CD. God wants us to trust in him, Trust in him, Trust in him. God wants us to trust in him Every day. God wants us to worship him, Worship him, Worship him. God wants us to worship him Every day. Choose a child to help you make an arch for others to walk under. When you come to the end of each verse, lower your arms to catch someone. Have that child tell a promise that God has made. Then allow that child to become the other half of your arch. Continue until everyone has been caught and has a chance to share a promise. n Make to Take: Stars From Straws Provide paint shirts or paper-bag smocks, and distribute sheets of black construction paper. Pour a thin layer of bright white or yellow paint into pie tins, and place these, along with drinking straws, on each table. Show children how to dip the straw in the paint, cover the dry end of the straw with their fingers, and then drip a small amount of paint on the paper. The drips will look like stars on a night sky. Remind children that God promised that Abraham s family would be countless, just like the stars. n Treat to Eat: Star Jigglers Make finger gelatin in advance, and pour it into jellyroll pans. Be sure the gelatin has been refrigerated on a level surface for at least 45 minutes. The colder the gelatin, the easier it is to cut into shapes. Have children clean their hands with wet wipes or at a nearby sink. Then have them dip star-shaped cookie cutters in water before they cut out a gelatin treat. Use a spatula to help lift out the star shapes. As children are eating, explain that God wants us to trust him all the time. n Story Picture: God Promises Abraham Countless Descendants Give each child a copy of the Today I Learned handout. Place foil-star stickers, gray yarn, scissors, and crayons on the table. Children can glue pieces of yarn on Abraham s beard. Have the children color the sky dark before sticking on the foil stars. 170 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

13 A Family of Stars Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO group.com 171

14 Lesson 11 Today your child learned that God wants us to trust him all the time. Children learned that God promised Abraham that he would have descendants as many as the stars. They talked about waiting on the Lord. God wants us to trust him all the time. Verse to Learn Trust in the Lord with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5a). Ask Me... l What did God promise Abraham? l Why did that seem like a hard promise to keep? l What s a promise God has made to you? Family Fun l Go for a night walk and count the stars. Ponder how God created and named each one (Psalm 147:4). l Make a star mobile with the names of each member of your family on different stars. God Promises Abraham Countless Descendants (Genesis 15:5; 17:1-7) 172 Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO group.com