Greetings! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to complete the following task:
Count out 50 beads, beans, pennies, or something small and place them on the table. Have someone read Gen. 18:22-32, about Abraham bargaining with God, and every time you hear a new number, take away the beads to show how many are left. Continue until the bargaining is done.
In the end, how many righteous people left Sodom?_______ (Gen. 19:23-30)
Who were they? _____________________
Remember to bring your signed TST paper to Sunday School to claim your Bible Bucks!
B. 2 Peter 2:6 “He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.”
**OR, for the younger crew....**
"He condemned the cities... and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly."
Today's TST comes in 3 parts. Complete all 3 to receive 3 Bible Bucks!! Hand in a piece of paper that says "We did TST this week!" with your family name for credit.
1. Family Photo Album.
Get a piece of paper, a crayon, and a family photo album. Talk about who you see in the pictures. Every time you see someone, draw a star on the paper and write a name.Use the pictures to explain what the words “descendants” or “offspring” mean. This will be helpful in understanding Abraham’s future family .
Tell your kids:
"In today's Bible Story, we will learn that God promises Abram a big family. Abram doesn't have any children yet, so he wonders how he can have a big family. What do you think God promised him?"
2. Read Genesis Chp 15-18:15 from the Bible or a Bible Story Book (for pre-schoolers) Or read the story straight from our curriculum **see below**
3. Discussion
1. What was the promise God gave to Abram? (A son and as many descendants as there were stars in the sky)
2. What did the three angels tell Abram when they came to his tent? (Sarah would have a baby within a year)
3. Why did Sarah laugh when she heard she would have a baby? (Sarah was too old to have a baby.)
4. Does God always keep His promises? (Yes. Nothing is too hard for God.)
Additional questions for School Age
1.. What were Abram and Sarai’s new names and what did they mean? (Abraham—Father of Many Nations; Sarah—Princess)
2. Why did God consider Abraham righteous? (Abraham believed the Lord.)
3. What are some of God's other promises to us? How has God been faithful in keeping his promise to you and your family?
**Bible Story** - from our curriculum
Last week, we learned that Lot chose the best land near Sodom and was captured by the enemy kings. Abram rescued Lot and his family and took them back to their homes.
One night after Abram came back tohis home in Hebron, he stood outside in the dark by himself. God spoke to Abram in a vision and said, “Abram, don’t be afraid. I keep My promises to you.” Abram said to God, “You have promised me a big family, but how can that happen when I don’t even have a son yet?”
God said to Abram, “Look up at the sky and count the stars. (Point to the sky and begin to count.) You can’t count them all, there are so many, but I promise to give you a family with as many people as there are stars in the sky.” Wow! That’s a lot of great-great-great-great grandchildren! Abram believed God’s promise. He knew that God was powerful and would keep His promise.
Abram waited and waited for a son, but Sarai did not have a baby. She had an idea about how to help God with His promise. It was not a good idea. Sarai said to Abram, “God has not given me a baby. You should take another wife so that God’s promise of a big family will come true.”
Abram listened to his wife’s bad advice and married Sarai’s servant girl, Hagar. When Hagar found out that she was going to have a baby, she became rude to Sarai. (Put your nose in the air and sing in a sing-song fashion, “I have a baby! Na-na-na-na-na!”)
Sarai was jealous and became unkind to Hagar. She was mean to Hagar. Life was not happy for Abram and his family. God had promised to bless Abram and make him into a great family, but things were not going well.
Abram and Hagar’s baby was named Ishmael. Abram thought that Ishmael would be his only son, but when Ishmael was thirteen years old (count to thirteen), God appeared to Abram and said, “Abram, I am God Almighty. I am changing your name from Abram to Abraham because you will be the father of many nations. I am changing your wife’s name from Sarai to Sarah because she will be the mother of nations.” Abraham was shocked. Sarah was too old to be a mother.
One hot day, while Abraham was sitting in the doorway to his tent by the trees at Hebron, three men came and stood near him. Abraham didn’t know it, but these three men were angels sent from God. They had a very special message from God for Abraham and Sarah.
Abraham said to the men, “Come sit in the shade while we fix your lunch.” The three angels of the Lord were glad to sit under the trees as a servant washed their dusty feet.
Abraham ran to Sarah and said, “Quick, bake some bread! We have three guests for lunch!” Then Abraham ran to his servant and said, “Quick, cook some delicious meat! We have three guests for lunch!”
When the bread was fresh out of the oven and the meat was cooked just right, Abraham served his guests. While the angels were eating their lunch, one of them (who was really the Lord Jesus) said to Abraham, “God is going to keep His promise to you. I will come back to you at this time next year and your wife Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah was listening to the angels talking. When she heard what the Lord said about a baby, she laughed to herself. She thought, “I am too old to have a baby; I am ninety years old. It is too late for me!”
The Lord said, “Why did Sarah laugh? Nothing is too hard for God. God will keep His promise. Sarah will have a baby within the year.”
Sarah was embarrassed and afraid because the angel knew that she had laughed at God’s promise. She lied and said to the angel, “I did not laugh.” The angel said to her, “Yes, you did laugh, but God will keep His promise. God always keeps His promises.”
Abraham and Sarah believed that God was powerful and would keep His promise. We will hear more about Abraham and Sarah’s special baby in two weeks.
Greetings!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to complete one or more of the following tasks:
School Age: Lot was led astray when he chose his land. Abram made a good choice. You have many Christian and non-Christian friends. You should choose friends carefully, so you are not led astray. Make a list of your Christian friends whom you can pray with, and your non-Christian friends whom you can pray for and boldly witness to.
Pre-school:
Use the pictures included in your envelope (or draw you own if you don't have your envelope...!) to make puppets of Abram and Lot.Color both figures and form the paper strips into circles and tape onto the back of the figures. Use the puppets to recount why Abram and Lot separated (Gen.13: 1-12). And how Lot was rescued (Gen. 14:8-16).
Remember to bring your signed TST paper to Sunday School to claim your Bible Bucks!
Oh....and Have fun!
**This is your week to catch up on any verses/ABC's that you may have missed, as its a review week. If you've already said them all, feel free to learn another verse.**
Past verses: Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.”
Genesis 6:9 “This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.”
Genesis 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”
Greetings! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to complete the following task:
1. Use the enclosed puzzle key to determine what verse to look up in your bible:
__ __ __ __ __ __ __1 5: 5
17 13 2 13 12 21 12
Read about what God compares Abraham’s offspring to in His promise
2. Check out some cool pictures of God's creation!
Try to estimate how many stars are in this picture taken by the Hubble Space Telescope!
Above is a picture of the Orion Nebula, a place where new stars are being made.
The next picture shows 1500 Galaxies in outer space. Each Galaxy holds billions of stars!
To see some more pictures, click here. Have each person in your family find their favorite picture, then spend a few minutes thanking God for keeping his promises.
Remember to bring your signed TST paper to Sunday School to claim your Bible Bucks!
Oh....and Have fun!
