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God’s Promise to Abram

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Hi all! Today’s lesson is from Genesis 15 and 18. Last year’s lessons can be found HERE and HERE. (This is a much simpler version of our two stories from last year…so this may be better for smaller toddlers/preschoolers whereas last year could be better for slightly older preschoolers/kids.)

So Abram and Sarai were very very old and wanted to have children…but they thought they were too old. One day God told Abram he WOULD have many many children and grandchildren…as many as the stars in the sky!

Have you ever looked out at night time and tried to count all the stars? It’s a LOT!

Abram believed God and God gave him a new name: Abraham: which means “father to many.” He also gave Sarai a new name: Sarah. Sarai means quarrelsome…like fighting a lot. Sarah means princess.

Sarah laughed when she found out God’s plan. She couldn’t believe that SHE could have a baby being so old?! But NOTHING is too hard for God. You can be sure God DID keep His promise to Abraham and Sarah.

We can always trust God. He can do ANYTHING. Nothing is too hard for God.

For our craft today we cut sponges in star shapes. Then we dipped them in glue and stamped black pieces of paper with the glue and then added glitter to represent the stars in the sky.

Our text reads: Nothing is too hard for God! Genesis 18

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Thanks for joining us! Love to you all!

Shine like Stars

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Hello again! Today’s lesson is also from Philippians 2. This is from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. (These letters were written by Paul, but Paul was very close to God and knew God’s heart. We can know that if it’s in the Bible, it’s something God wants us to see and know. Some things in the Bible that people do are bad examples, things God doesn’t want us to do. But in these verses, Paul shows us something God DOES want us to do.)

We learned last time that Paul told the people to serve like Jesus. In that same letter, he also told the people this:

“Do everything with complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the universe.”

We are to do EVERYTHING God wants us to do (part of that means obeying your mom and dad) without complaining or arguing. “But I don’t want to!” “But SHE made the mess!” “This is TOO HARD!” “I cleaned it up LAST time!”

He says if we can obey with a happy heart, without grumbling or complaining, it will make us more like God– we will be blameless and pure children of God.

Then we will shine like stars in the universe. Have you ever looked outside at night? Do you remember how BLACK the night sky can be? And how a star SO far away can be SO bright compared to that black sky? People who do not obey with a happy heart are like the black sky. They have black yucky hearts. But when we obey with a happy heart, without complaining or arguing, we are like a bright light…like a star shining in the universe.

For today’s craft we cut out a star and wrote the verse on it. Then we added some glitter and hung them in the kids’ rooms so they can be reminded of today’s lesson.

 

We also found THIS song from Steve Green posted by Kendall Sauer.

Thanks for joining us. Love to you all.

Advent-Day 19-Esther

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Hi all!

This month we are learning about God, God’s son Jesus, and Jesus’ earthly family.

The next story from the Israelites found in the old testament before Jesus was born, is a story about a girl name Esther. There is a book in the Bible called Esther where you can read her story and our complete lesson on Esther can be found here. (Below is a condensed version of the story).

Esther was an Israelite, but all the Israelites had been moved and some were living in Persia. The King of Persia was not happy with the queen so he kicked her out and decided he would pick a new queen.

His guards picked up all the young ladies who were not yet married and brought them to the palace. They had to each meet with the king and the king would pick which one he liked best.

Esther wasn’t too sure about this, but her cousin Mordecai watched out for her but he made her promise not to tell anyone she was an Israelite. The Persians did NOT like the Israelites…especially, Haman, the king’s best helper. He HATED the Israelites, especially Mordecai, because Mordecai would not bow down to him.

So Haman decided he wanted all the Israelites killed and he kind of tricked the king into signing a law that said all the Israelites would be killed.

Well, the king picked Esther to be his new queen and when Mordecai heard that all the Israelites were to be killed, he asked Esther to help.

“You have to talk to the king for us! Ask him not to kill your whole family, all the Israelites!”

“I can’t go to the king without him asking me first. Anyone who goes before the king could be killed!”

“You have to try,” said Mordecai. “We will all pray for you.”

So Mordecai and the Israelites prayed and Esther prayed too. She got her strength from God and went to the king. He could have had her killed for coming to see him without being invited…but instead, he held out his royal scepter (like a very fancy stick) and that meant it was ok!

He asked what he could do her, and Esther got nervous and invited him to dinner. The king agreed and at dinner asked again, “What do you really want?”

Again, Esther asked that the king and Haman come to dinner the next night.

At dinner that night the king asked again. “What can I really do for you? You can have anything!”

Esther answered, “Someone is trying to kill my whole family! All my people!”

“Who would DO such a thing?!” asked the king.

“Haman, your majesty. I am an Israelite. And Haman had you sign the paper that said we could all die!”

The king was so unhappy that he had Haman killed instead and the Israelites were able to go free.

 

Numbers 24:17 says, ““I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”

This was a sign that Jesus would come and bring victory over His enemies. He would be like a star. Rev 22:16 says, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

And He would be like a scepter, royal, like a king, and giving us access to the Real King. When Jesus came, it was like God holding out His scepter us, saying, “It’s ok, come to me!”

When Jesus was born, there was a BIG, BRIGHT star over the barn in Bethlehem. It showed the shepherds and the wise men where to go to find Jesus. (Matthew 2)

God is a great King, but He loves us so much, He wants to know us and be with us. He will always lead us to Him, and will welcome us. (Matt 7:7)

Bible story: Esther

Attribute of God: Scepter

Jesus’ birth story: The Star

Craft:

Side one of our ornament today is a scepter. We cut out a stick with a ball on the end and then decorated it. (Today the kids chose glitter, you could decorate it any way you want, of course.)

Our text reads: Esther led God’s people-the king held out his scepter. Esther, Numbers 24:17

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Side two of our ornament is a star, made from cut out construction paper, then glue around the edges and glitter on top.

Our text reads: The star showed the way to the Messiah.

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Our current tree front and back:

Thanks for joining us. Love to you all!