Teacher s Guide Lesson #1-2 God Calls Abram Genesis 12:1-9 1
Gregory Rawn Jenna Gospodarek Renae Boehmer Beth Cox Victoria Hoppes Rev. Sarah Nye Ann Schwarz Rev. Anna Shirey Kara Smith-Laubenstein Anne Tews Schwab Nicholas McDougal Benjamin Borter Living the Word: Teaching Kids God s Story (Narrative Lectionary, Year 1) Text and illustrations copyright 2013-2014 by Spirit and Truth Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this curriculum may be used or reproduced in any other manner whatsoever without written permission. For information, contact Spirit and Truth Publishing at www.spiritandtruthpublishing.com. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2
God Calls Abram Genesis 12:1-9 Genesis 12:2 God made Abram a promise. God s promise to Abram was that he would be blessed to be a blessing. God also blesses us to be a blessing to other people. Promises Service After completing this lesson, students will be able to: Recognize that God makes many promises to people in the Bible by identifying these promises in Bible stories. Identify God s blessings by re-telling the story of Abram and comparing his blessings to the blessings God gives us. Show the ways in which they can be a blessing to others by determining the ways in which they can engage in service. 3
Activities a la Carte Activities Into the Story I m Blessed! Explore the many blessings God gives people. Supplies 5 min. Whiteboard or large sheet of paper Marker Bible Nuts and Bolts God s Promises Students learn the meaning of promise. 10 min. Bibles Whiteboard or large sheet of paper Marker Learning the Story God Calls Abram Read the story of Abram in the Bible, and then re-tell the story as a pantomime. 15 min. Bibles Paper Pens Living the Story Servant Pledge Make a pledge to be a blessing to others. Additional Activities Blessing Box Make something to help you remember God s many blessings. 10 min. Copies of Activity Sheet #1-2.A Pens or pencils Crayons or markers 15 min. Plain colored take-out or party favor boxes Scissors Glue Decorating supplies (construction paper, markers, stickers, etc.) Slips of paper 4
Activities a la Carte Activities Act the Verse Create some actions for this lesson s Key Verse! 10 min. Bibles Supplies Student Bible Book: God Calls Abram Students continue their own Bible story book! Closing Prayer 10 min. Each student s binder Copies of Activity Sheet #1-2.B A three-hole punch Pens Markers and/or crayons A sample page (See below) 5 min. 5
Background for Teachers God Calls Abram Today your class will continue their journey through the Old Testament by hearing the story of Abram in Genesis 12:1-9. This story is the beginning of the journey of Abram and Sarai, also known as Abraham and Sarah. In this story, God comes to Abram and calls him to something special. God instructs Abram to take his family and move to a new land, where he will lead a great nation and be blessed to be a blessing to the whole world. In the Bible, God comes to people and asks them to do great things. In these stories, we often say that people have received a calling. Abram s calling is important because it lays the foundation for creating the community of God s people that will exist through the rest of the Biblical narrative. Bible Nuts and Bolts: Promise This week, your class will be introduced to the meaning of the word promise. People make promises all of the time. We make promises to love and help others. We promise to complete a task or action. Keeping these promises is an important part of maintaining a relationship between us and another person. If we break our promises, we may not be trusted and our community is broken. In the Bible, God makes people many promises. God promised Noah and his family that the earth would never be destroyed by a great flood ever again. God promised the Israelites that they would be rescued from slavery in Egypt. God promised a Messiah to save God s people. In today s story, God promises to make of Abram a great nation and to bless him. This promise establishes a special relationship between Abram and God, and God keeping these promises proves that God will always be faithful to Abram and his family. Story Themes The following themes are the focus of this lesson. God made Abram a promise. In the story, God comes to Abram and instructs him to take his family and move to a new land. Packing up your life and moving to an unfamiliar place can be scary and unsettling. This fear can intensify when you aren t allowed to pick where you are going! Although God asked Abram to do something that could be very difficult, God also gives Abram a promise to say that everything will be alright and to show that God will always be faithful, even when life has its ups and downs. God s promise to Abram was that he would be blessed to be a blessing. God tells Abram that he will be blessed to be a blessing to other people (v. 2). God promises Abram that he will lead a great nation and will be able to use his leadership to bless other people. This promise tells Abram that not only will God protect Abram and his family, but God will also use Abram and his family to make a difference in the world. God also blesses us to be a blessing to other people. Abram is not the only person whom God blesses. God blesses us, too. God gives us many good gifts, and in return we are expected to use these gifts to bless other people. Like Abram, God calls us to use our gifts and talents to help other people and to make a difference in the world. Spiritual Practice: Service The Living the Story activity will invite your class to think of ways they can be a blessing to others. Your class will then make a pledge to be a blessing. This activity will introduce your class to service as a way in which we can be a blessing to other people. 6
Lesson Plan Into the Story (5 minutes) I m Blessed! Explore the many blessings God gives people. You will need: Whiteboard or large sheet of paper Marker During class: 1. Today we will continue with our exploration of the book of Genesis. We will hear a story today about a promise God made to a man named Abram. You may have heard of Abram and his wife Sarai. Later in the book of Genesis, their names are Abraham and Sarah. In this story, God promises Abram a blessing. 2. What is a blessing? [A special favor or gift that may be given by God.] 3. What are some of the special blessings that God has given you? Let s write a list of these things. [Answers will vary. Some answers may be: family, friends, pets, food, shelter, a special toy or object, etc.] 4. When you receive a blessing, how do you feel? [Happy, thankful, special, etc.] 5. We receive blessings all the time. God gives us many good and special gifts. Today we are going to hear about a special blessing God gave Abram. This blessing came through a promise that God made. Bible Nuts and Bolts God s Promises (10 minutes) Student s learn the meaning of promise. You will need: Bibles Whiteboard or large sheet of paper 7
Marker During class: 6. Do you know what a pinky promise (or pinky swear) is? Sometimes we make pinky promises with other people. Invite students to demonstrate this action. When we make someone a promise, we tell them that we will live up to our word and follow through with the task or action we said we would do. 7. God makes many promises to people in the Bible. Last week, we heard the story of Noah. At the end of that story, God set a rainbow in the clouds. What did that rainbow mean? [That God would never flood the Earth ever again. If students cannot remember, have them look up Genesis 9:11.] 8. The rainbow is a symbol of a promise God made Noah and his family. 9. God makes promises to many other people in the Bible. Let s look at a few Bible verses and see what other promises God makes people. 10. Assign a student or pair of students one of the following passages to look up. After they have read the passage, discuss as a class what promise God makes in this passage. Write these ideas on a sheet of paper. Look up: Genesis 15:4-6, Exodus 3:11-12, Joshua 1:9, 1 Samuel 1:25-27, Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 1:13, and Acts 1:8. You can find hints on the promises in these passages by looking at the Teacher s Cheat Sheet table below. 11. Say: In today s story, God makes a promise to a man named Abram. Let s tell Abram s story and find out what that special promise was! Passage Genesis 15:4-6 Exodus 3:11-12 Joshua 1:9 Teacher s Cheat Sheet: God s Promises in the Bible Promise Abraham would have as many descendants as the stars in the sky. God would be with Moses when he talks to Pharaoh. God would be with Joshua, wherever he goes. 1 Samuel 1:25-27 God would bless Hannah with a child. Isaiah 9:6-7 A child is coming who will bring justice and peace. Luke 1:13 Elizabeth and Zechariah would have a son named John. 8
Learning the Story (15 minutes) God Calls Abram Read the story of Abram in the Bible, and then re-tell the story as a pantomime. You will need: Bibles Paper Pens or markers During class: 1. Read Genesis 12:1-9 aloud once as a class. 2. After reading the story aloud once, split students in small groups of four or five. 3. Say: In your small group, you are going to find a way to re-tell the story of Abram in a pantomime. A pantomime is when you re-tell a story to someone without only words. Your challenge is to work as a group to figure out how you can tell the story to the rest of the class without speaking. If you want, you can use paper and pens to make props. 4. Give groups time to create their pantomime. Then, invite students to share their pantomimes with each other. 5. After the pantomimes have been performed, ask: What did God tell Abram to do? [To leave his father s house and go to a new land.] 6. Do you think it would have been hard for Abram to pack up his life and move to a new place? [Probably!] 7. God promised Abram that he would be blessed to be a blessing to other people. What do you think this means? [That God wants Abram to use his blessings to help and lead other people.] 8. Let s look at some of our blessings we listed earlier. How are these blessings like the blessing that God gave Abram? [God gives us many good gifts, just like God gave Abram. God s blessing to us also comes from a promise to protect and always provide for us, just as God s blessing to Abram came from God s promise to him.] 9. After God made this promise to Abram, what did Abram do? [He follows God s call and goes to the new land.] 9
Living the Story (10 minutes) Servant Pledge Make a pledge to be a blessing to others. You will need: Copies of Activity Sheet #1-2.A Writing and drawing utensils Before class: 1. Make a copy of Activity Sheet #1-2.A for each student. During class: 1. Hand each student a copy of Activity Sheet #1-2.A and set out writing and drawing materials. 2. Say: In today s story, God tells Abram that he is blessed to be a blessing to other people. We are blessed to be a blessing to others, too. Today we are going to create a Servant Pledge. Think of ways that you can love and serve other people using the blessings that God has given you. Then, write or draw these things on your pledge. We ll share them with each other in a few minutes. 3. Give students a few minutes to create. Then, invite everyone in the class to share their servant pledges with each other. Additional Activities Blessing Box (15 minutes) Make something to help you remember God s many blessings. You will need: Plain-colored take-out or party favor box for each student (these can be purchased at craft or party stores) Scissors Glue Decorating supplies (construction paper, markers, stickers, etc.) Slips of paper 10
During class: 1. Say: God blesses us in many different ways. Today we are going to make a Blessing Box to always remind us of God s blessings. 2. Hand each student a box. Instruct them to assemble the box and cut a slit in the top. Then, invite them to decorate the box in any way they wish using the supplies provided. 3. Give each student a slip of paper. Invite students to write one of God s blessings on the slip of paper, then place it in their box. 4. Say: When you leave today, take this box with you. Place it somewhere you will always see it. You can put it next to your bed, on your dining room table, or on your desk at school. When you see one of God s blessings, write it down. Add it to your box and say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for this new blessing! Act the Verse (10 minutes) Create some actions for this lesson s Key Verse! You will need: Bibles During class: 1. Place students in groups of two or three. 2. Say: God s promise to Abram can be found in Genesis 12:2. Let s look up that verse together in the Bible. Read Genesis 12:2 from the Bible. 3. Say: Today we are going to make some actions and movement that will help us remember this Bible verse. Read the verse again with your partner(s), and come up with some actions (or even a dance!) to help you remember God s promise to Abram. 4. Give students some time to work in their groups. Then, come back together as a class and invite students to share their work with the rest of the class. 11
Student Bible Book: God Calls Abram (10 minutes) Students continue their own Bible story book! You will need: A three-ring binder for each student (See Note) Copies of Activity Sheet #1-2.B on 8.5 x 11 cardstock paper or plain paper A three-hole punch Pens Markers and/or crayons A sample page (See below) Before class: 1. Create a sample page using the instructions below to demonstrate to students approximately what their page should look like. During class: 1. Hand out one piece of cardstock paper and a pen to each student. 2. Show students the sample page you made before class. 3. Say: This year in class we are going to create our own Bible books of the stories we will cover. 4. If you did not copy the activity sheet onto the cardstock, instruct students to write the name of the story on the top of their page (in portrait orientation) and write the passage underneath the title. 5. Ask: What are some of the important things we have learned from this story? [Answers will vary, see story themes for suggested answers] 6. On the bottom of your page, please write one or two important things that you have learned from this story. In the middle of the page, draw a picture from the story or illustrate one of your important things you ve learned. 7. When students are finished, have them put their names on the back and collect the pages. Three-hole punch the papers and put them in individual binders for each student to be kept at church until the end of the year. Note: You can investigate other options for binding the Student Bible Books through a local print shop, collect them and staple them into a book at the end of the year, or send them home each week with the students (with the recommendation that the parents collect them and bind them at the end of the year. 12
Closing Prayer Before ending class, make a point to come together to pray. Use the following or say your own prayer. [Invite students to name their blessings here.] 13
My Servant Pledge I,, pledge to be a blessing to others in the following ways: Signature Date 14
God Calls Abram Genesis 12:1-9 I learned: 15
The Story @ Home Narrative Lectionary, Year 1 God Calls Abram Today your student continued their journey through the Old Testament by hearing the story of Abram in Genesis 12:1-9. This story is the beginning of the journey of Abram and Sarai, also known as Abraham and Sarah. In this story, God comes to Abram and calls him to something special. God instructs Abram to take his family and move to a new land, where he will lead a great nation and be blessed to be a blessing to the whole world. In the Bible, God comes to people and asks them to do great things. In these stories, we often say that people have received a calling. Abram s calling is important because it lays the foundation for creating the community of God s people that will exist through the rest of the Biblical narrative. Bible Nuts and Bolts: Promise This week, your student was introduced to the meaning of the word promise. People make promises all of the time. We make promises to love and help others. We promise to complete a task or action. Keeping these promises is an important part of maintaining a relationship between us and another person. If we break our promises, we may not be trusted and our community is broken. In the Bible, God makes people many promises. God promised Noah and his family that the earth would never be destroyed by a great flood ever again. God promised the Israelites that they would be rescued from slavery in Egypt. God promised a Messiah to save God s people. In today s story, God promises to make of Abram a great nation and to bless him. This promise establishes a special relationship between Abram and God, and God keeping these promises proves that God will always be faithful to Abram and his family. Story Themes The following themes are the focus of this lesson. God made Abram a promise. In the story, God comes to Abram and instructs him to take his family and move to a new land. Packing up your life and moving to an unfamiliar place can be scary and unsettling. This fear can intensify when you aren t allowed to pick where you are going! Although God asked Abram to do something that could be very difficult, God also gives Abram a promise to say that everything will be alright and to show that God will always be faithful, even when life has its ups and downs. God s promise to Abram was that he would be blessed to be a blessing. God tells Abram that he will be blessed to be a blessing to other people (v. 2). God promises Abram that he will lead a great nation and will be able to use his leadership to bless other people. This promise tells Abram that not only will God protect Abram and his family, but God will also use Abram and his family to make a difference in the world. God also blesses us to be a blessing to other people. Abram is not the only person whom God blesses. God blesses us, too. God gives us many good gifts, and in return we are expected to use these gifts to bless other people. Like Abram, God calls us to use our gifts and talents to help other people and to make a difference in the world. Spiritual Practice: Service The Living the Story activity invited your student to think of ways they can be a blessing to others. Your student then made a pledge to be a blessing. This activity introduced you student to service as a way in which we can be a blessing to other people. 16
LIVING THE WORD Try it @ HOME Last week, we began our journey through the Bible with the story of Noah and the Ark (Genesis 6:16-22; 9:8-15). At the end of that story, God sets a bow in the clouds as a promise to never destroy the earth in a great flood again. In today s lesson, students heard about the promise that God made Abram in Genesis 12:1-9. The next lesson, found in Genesis 39:1-23, tells the story of when Joseph was thrown into an Egyptian prison. In that story, God stays faithful to Joseph and keeps a promise to protect and always be with him, no matter what. Like Abram, God also promises us to be faithful and to provide us with all that we need. It is important that we recognize and thank God for these blessings that God gives us. This week, make a point of saying a prayer of thanksgiving each time your family gathers for devotions. Each day, have your family write or draw the different blessings they have seen that day. Post these writings or drawings in a location where your family can see them daily (for example, on a door or refrigerator) and be reminded of the ways in which God is faithful to us. Abram is not the only person to whom God makes promises in the Bible. As a family, read these other Scripture verses that illustrate the promises that God makes people: Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Genesis 15:4-6 Exodus 3:11-12 Joshua 1:9 1 Samuel 1:27 Isaiah 9:6 Luke 1:13 Acts 1:8 If possible, go outside at night and look at the stars in the sky. Why would God use the stars in the sky to make this new promise to Abram? Have each family member share a time when they were asked to do a task that they didn t think they could do. Who helped you complete that task? Play a game of follow-the-leader. Thank God for always leading us in the right direction. Talk about some of the prayers that you have had answered. How does God keep the promise to listen to us and answer our prayers? Talk about the person who this passage is describing. Thank God for keeping this promise by sending us Jesus. Have everyone close their eyes and picture what the angel who spoke to Zechariah may have looked like. Then, open your eyes and share your images with everyone else. In this verse, the disciples are promised the Holy Spirit to help them be witnesses to other people. Have each family member share a time when they were given something to help them complete a task.