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Session 11 Abraham’s Visitors/Sodom and Gomorrah Genesis 18:119:29 Worship Theme: God works in many ways. Weaving Faith Into Life: Children will look for amazing ways God works in their lives and in the world. Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let’s Praise God! (up to 25 minutes) Sing • “God Is Our Help” (Psalm 33:20) (track 18) • “Worship Only You” (track 13) • “Love the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) (track 9) • “Do to Others” (Luke 6:31) (track 19) • “Be Thankful” (1 Thessalonians 5:18a) (track 6) KidsOwn Worship Kit: Songs From FaithWeaver Classroom Supplies: CD player, ball Preschool Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let’s Learn the Point! (up to 25 minutes) That’s Amazing! Share amazing stories. The Three Visitors Act out the story of Abraham’s three visitors. * My God Is So Big! Do a finger play that celebrates God’s work.

Abraham’s Visitors/Sodom and Gomorrah€¦ · 2 colors of paper (1 sheet of each per 24 children), several tape dispensers, 1 pencil per child, bucket Closing Prayer Pray a prayer

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Page 1: Abraham’s Visitors/Sodom and Gomorrah€¦ · 2 colors of paper (1 sheet of each per 24 children), several tape dispensers, 1 pencil per child, bucket Closing Prayer Pray a prayer

Session 11

Abraham’s Visitors/Sodom and Gomorrah Genesis 18:1–19:29

Worship Theme: God works in many ways.

Weaving Faith Into Life: Children will look for amazing ways God works in

their lives and in the world.

Session Sequence

What Children Will Do Supplies

Let’s Praise God!

(up to 25 minutes)

Sing

• “God Is Our Help” (Psalm 33:20) (track 18)

• “Worship Only You” (track 13)

• “Love the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) (track

9)

• “Do to Others” (Luke 6:31) (track 19)

• “Be Thankful” (1 Thessalonians 5:18a) (track

6)

KidsOwn Worship Kit:

Songs From FaithWeaver

Classroom Supplies:

CD player, ball

Preschool

Session Sequence

What Children Will Do Supplies

Let’s Learn the Point!

(up to 25 minutes)

That’s Amazing!

Share amazing stories.

The Three Visitors

Act out the story of Abraham’s three visitors.

* My God Is So Big!

Do a finger play that celebrates God’s work.

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Elementary

Session Sequence

What Children Will Do Supplies

Let’s Learn the Point!

(up to 25 minutes)

Camera Obscura

See the amazing view through a camera

obscura.

Classroom Supplies:

Box, utility knife, tape, white paper, nail, towel

* The Three Visitors

Watch a drama about Abraham and three

visitors.

Classroom Supplies:

Photocopies of the script (at the end of this Session),

“knitting” supplies, newspaper

* Many Ways

Explore the ways God works in the world.

Classroom Supplies:

Paper, tape, pen

Session Sequence

What Children Will Do Supplies

Let’s Pray! (up to 10 minutes)

The Offering

Offer their gifts to God.

Classroom Supplies:

Offering bowl

Make a Prayer Chain

Pray by making a prayer chain.

Classroom Supplies:

2 colors of paper (1 sheet of each per 24 children),

several tape dispensers, 1 pencil per child, bucket

Closing Prayer

Pray a prayer of thanks for the ways God

works in the world and in their lives.

Classroom Supplies:

Prayer chain from previous activity

* 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 Let’s Learn the

Point!

Or, if you keep the children all together for the entire worship session, we suggest you choose from the starred activities.

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Bible Background for Leaders

Abraham’s Visitors/Sodom and Gomorrah Genesis 18:1–19:29

In Abraham’s desert-dwelling culture, visitors were rare. They provided both an obligation and a welcome

diversion. A warm welcome and hospitality were requirements in the culture of that day, and Abraham knew

what it was like to travel in the desert.

It may seem strange that the three men were “standing nearby” (Genesis 18:2), but this was customary for

strangers in that time and place. They were not free to just approach someone else’s tent in the desert.

Many scholars believe that these men were angels, though the text doesn’t directly say so. The fact that they

knew Sarah’s name may support the idea that they were angels, and in Genesis 18:10, it becomes clear that

one of them at least was speaking for the Lord.

For many years, God had been promising a son. Now for the first time, God predicted the time of the birth to

99-year-old Abraham and 89-year-old Sarah: Within one year, the son of the promise would be born. Sarah’s

laughter is understandable. Who would have thought that a 90-year-old woman could have a baby! God does

truly amazing things!

When God made it clear that his intent was to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham was horrified. No

doubt he had done business with people there, and his nephew, Lot, lived there with his family. So Abraham

pleaded with God to spare the few who were still faithful. Notice that God’s response was not to spare just the

righteous; God said the whole city would be saved if only 50 righteous people lived there. It’s helpful to

remember here God’s definition of “righteous.” Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith, not

because of a righteous lifestyle. As Abraham voiced his pleas ever more carefully, God promised to spare the

city if only 10 righteous people could be found there. However, there weren’t even 10 faithful people there.

Lot’s position at the gate to the city indicated that he was a man of influence there, perhaps even a judge. His

insistence that the visitors stay at his home was almost a requirement of the culture. The moral degradation of this

city is obvious in the text, so no further comment is needed here. Lot apparently was at least somewhat involved in

what was happening in the culture, as evidenced by his offering of his daughters to the men who were seeking sex

with the visitors.

God did an amazing thing in sparing the lives of Lot and his family. Lot didn’t appear to deserve it, just as we

don’t deserve the grace God gives to us. But we can be thankful that God is wonderfully merciful and still does

amazing things for us.

Devotion for Leaders

Jesus is God’s most amazing miracle. He gave us eternal life when we were dead in sin. Thank God for

his precious Son and his greatest miracle.

Weaving Faith Into Your Life: How are you at spotting miracles? Look for miracles all around you, not

just in big, dramatic situations but also in “smaller” things: the beauty of the sunrise, the happy gleam

in a baby’s eyes, or a couple mending problems with forgiveness and love. Ask God to help you see his

miracles every day and to strengthen your faith in the impossible.

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Teaching This Bible Story to Children

FaithWeaver weaves Sunday school, children’s church, midweek, and home life together as everyone in

your church studies the same Bible story in interactive, age-appropriate ways.

Having all ages study the same Scripture passage each week occasionally presents what could be a challenge

at first glance—having younger children study what many would consider stories that are not age-appropriate.

However, because we believe so strongly in the power of having the whole family living out the learning from

the same passage, we are careful to identify an age-appropriate truth and develop the session accordingly for

all ages.

You might be surprised to see that this week’s session teaches children about Sodom and Gomorrah. Rest

assured that for this age level we have chosen to focus on how God works in many ways. Check out the

session—we think you’ll find God has a lot to teach children through this important Scripture!

Why We Worship for Leaders

We serve a resourceful, creative God. We’re accustomed to thinking about creation when we consider God’s

creativity, but think about all the different ways God chooses to work in our world to bring about his will. In

the Bible passage for today’s worship session, God appears to an elderly Abraham and Sarah to tell them

that a baby will be born within a year. That’s resourcefulness and creativity!

God speaks to people in thunderstorms and dreams. God works through people and circumstances. God

reveals himself to us through Scripture and through creation. God uses whatever he chooses to tell us about

himself and to bring us to believe in him, trust in him, and devote ourselves to him. God uses all

circumstances to bring about good in our lives. Use today’s worship session to help children learn to look for

God’s work in their lives.

Easy Prep for Leaders

Camera Obscura—You’ll need a large square box, tape, a utility knife, white paper, and a nail. Ta pe white

paper to make a “screen” on one “wall” inside the box. In the

bottom of the box, cut a hole large enough for your head to fit

through. Make the hole in a back corner of the box, opposite the

white paper screen. Then use a nail to poke a hole in the wall of

the box that’s opposite the screen. Make sure the nail hole is

above eye level and is on the other side, away from the head hole,

to make sure that someone’s head doesn’t interfere with the light

coming in the nail hole. Poke the nail through the hole from both

directions so you get a clean edge. Close up the box, and tightly

tape all the flaps down to create a light-tight box. Put paper on the

edges of the flaps if it helps to close out the light.

The Three Visitors—Recruit volunteers to play Abraham, Sarah,

and the three visitors. Make photocopies of the script (at the end of

this Session) for each player. Have your players gather before the worship session to go through the skit at least

once. (It’s OK if the players read from scripts during the performance.) The only props you need are make-believe

knitting supplies, a newspaper, a few chairs, perhaps an end table to give a living room effect, and a partition to

set off the “kitchen.”

Many Ways—Write on small pieces of paper the following examples of the many ways God works in our

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lives. Write on each slip of paper a category—nature, for example—and then an example of that category—

parting the Red Sea, for example. Tape a slip of paper to the bottom of each chair. Make sure each child’s

chair has a slip taped to it. You may need to duplicate.

Miracles

The plagues in Egypt

Multiplying the loaves and fishes

Healing the sick

Walking on the water

Rising from the dead

Nature

Creation

Noah and the flood

The burning bush

The parting of the Red Sea

Jonah and the big fish

Daniel and the lions

Angels

Angels came to visit Abraham

An angel came to give Mary a message

Angels announced Jesus’ birth

An angel led Peter out of jail

The angel at Jesus’ tomb

People

Moses led his people out of Egypt

Joseph saved his people from starving

The prophets gave God’s message

The disciples taught and healed and wrote so we would have God’s message

Missionaries tell others about God

Pastors teach us and help us grow

Me! God can use me!

Preschool Activities—Refer to the preschool pages for preparations.

Play Songs From FaithWeaver as children arrive. Designate greeters to welcome children at the entrance.

Have the greeters shake hands with the children in different ways—backward, behind the back, or

overhead, for example.

When everyone has arrived, have children sit down. Welcome the children.

SAY: Today we’re worshipping God because he works in many ways in our world and in our lives.

To get us started thinking about that, let’s figure out all the ways you could get to England

from here. Let’s brainstorm for a couple of minutes. Let’s see how many different ways we

can think of.

Brainstorm about different ways to get to England. For example, you could take an airplane or a hot air

balloon, you could swim, or you could persuade a dolphin to let you ride on its back across the ocean.

Encourage outrageous, silly ideas as well as practical ideas. Keep going until the kids have thought of at

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least 20 ideas.

SAY: Wow! This is a great list of all kinds of ways we could get to England from here. It takes a lot

of creativity to come up with this many ideas. When we say that God works in many ways in

our world and in our lives, we’re saying that God is creative and that he can do anything. We

can depend on him to be strong in any situation!

Sing “God Is Our Help” (Psalm 33:20). (Track 18)

All song lyrics can be found at the back of this book.

After the song, bring out a beach ball or another soft ball such as a Nerf foam ball.

SAY: We’re going to use this ball to help us remember a Bible verse that explains how God works

in so many ways. Luke 1:37 says, “For nothing is impossible with God.” Let’s say that

together. Have the children say the verse with you a couple of times.

Now let’s see if we can do the impossible. Let’s bat this ball around while we all say the verse

aloud. Don’t let the ball hit the floor, and remember to say the words of the verse along with me.

Toss the ball into the group of children, who should keep the ball in the air by batting it with their hands.

Each time someone bounces the ball back up into the air, the children must say another word of the verse.

Keep trying for at least three minutes. Then retrieve the ball, and put it away.

SAY: That was sure tough! We tried hard to keep the ball in the air while we said the verse, but it

wasn’t an easy job.

ASK: • Why do you think we couldn’t keep the ball in the air? (We couldn’t keep up with it; it went to

places we couldn’t get to.)

SAY: There are lots of things that are just impossible for people to do.

ASK: • What are some things that are impossible for people to do? (Fly without an airplane or balloon;

read minds; swim across an ocean.)

SAY: As humans, we can’t do everything. We can’t fly without the use of machines. We can’t

breathe underwater without an oxygen tank. Some of us can’t even walk and chew gum at the

same time. But God is different from us. God can do anything and everything. There is

nothing that’s impossible for God. That’s one reason we worship God—because he’s so

powerful and creative that he can do anything.

Isn’t it amazing that a God who can do anything, a God for whom nothing is impossible, loves

us so much? It’s also amazing that such a mighty God wants us to love him. He is so pleased

when we praise him and when we tell him we love him. Let’s sing “Worship Only You” and

tell God we love him.

Sing “Worship Only You.” (Track 13)

SAY: A God as great and powerful and mighty and creative as ours deserves not just a little portion

of our love. God deserves our whole hearts, our whole minds, and our whole lives. God

works in our lives every day in so many ways. Let’s tell God how much we want to love him.

Sing “Love the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). (Track 9)

SAY: God uses his creativity and ability to work in our world and in our lives. God wants to have a

friendship with us through his Son, Jesus. God always wants people to come to know Jesus

and love him; that’s why God works in so many ways in our lives. Sometimes God leads us

through other people in our lives, and these people teach us more about God and how to

follow him. Sometimes God wants us to teach others about how to follow God by our own

actions. A verse in the Bible says we do that by treating others in the way we want to be

treated. Let’s sing “Do to Others” (Luke 6:31).

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Sing “Do to Others” (Luke 6:31). (Track 19)

SAY: God shows his love and care for us in many ways. We show our love and worship for God in

many ways. We show God how much he is worth to us when we obey him and try to stay

close to him. When we do that, we show God how important he is to us. Let’s end our praise

session by singing “Be Thankful” to thank God for all his blessings.

Sing “Be Thankful” (1 Thessalonians 5:18a). (Track 6)

Preschool Activities, pages 145-146At this time, have the preschool leader invite the preschoolers to go to their own room for this section of

activities. Give the Preschool Activities page 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.

(continued on page 147)

Preschool Activities

Session 11

Abraham’s Visitors/Sodom and Gomorrah Genesis 18:1–19:29

Worship Theme: God works in many ways.

Easy Prep for Leaders No preparations are needed.

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 participate in the “My God Is So Big!” activity.

• See the KidsOwn Worship Kit for a puppet skit written for today’s worship session.

That’s Amazing!

Have the children sit in a circle.

SAY: Let’s talk about amazing things.

ASK: • What amazing things have happened to you?

Preschoolers are always ready to tell about the interesting and amazing things that have happened to them. Encourage the

children to share their amazing stories. After each child shares, have the rest of the children say in unison, “Wow! That’s

amazing!”

Allow the children to share their stories as time allows. After a few minutes, wrap up the storytelling.

SAY: Amazing things are fun to talk about. God has done many, many amazing things. The Bible is full of

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interesting stories about God’s amazing deeds. Right now, I’m going to tell you a story about one of the

amazing things in the Bible that God did.

The Three Visitors

SAY: Let’s act out the Bible story. As I tell the story, follow my actions. One day Abraham was sitting at the

entrance to his tent. It was hot outside. Fan yourself. Abraham looked up (shield your eyes) and saw three

men standing nearby. Hold up three fingers.

Abraham didn’t know it, but it was God who had come to visit him. Isn’t that amazing? Put your hands on

your cheeks.

Abraham hurried to greet the three men. Move your arms by your side as if you’re running. He said to them,

“You must be tired and hungry. Please be my guests. You can rest and have a meal.”

The men agreed. So Abraham hurried to tell Sarah, his wife, about the visitors. Move your arms by your

sides. Abraham said, “Make some bread. We have guests, and they’re hungry.”

So Sarah made some bread. Make stirring motions. And Abraham hurried to prepare some meat. Pretend

to put a roast in the oven.

When the food was ready, Abraham took the food to the visitors. While they ate (make eating motions),

they asked, “Where is your wife, Sarah?” Abraham said, “She’s over there in the tent.” Point to the “tent.”

Then God said, “I will come to visit you about this time next year, and when I come, Sarah will have a

baby boy.” Hold your arms like you’re rocking a baby.

Now Sarah and Abraham were much too old to have children. But God said they were going to have a

baby boy. Isn’t that amazing? Put your hands on your cheeks.

Sarah had been listening at the entrance of the tent. When she heard that God said she would have a

baby, she laughed to herself. Hold your sides like you’re laughing. The news was so amazing that she

couldn’t quite believe it.

SAY: God knew that Sarah was laughing. God said, “Why did Sarah laugh? Is there anything that’s too hard

for the Lord? I tell you again, when I come next year, Sarah will have a baby boy.”

And that’s just what happened. The next year, Sarah had a baby boy. Hold your arms as if you’re rocking a

baby.

Isn’t that amazing? Put your hands on your cheeks.

* My God Is So Big!

Gather the children in a circle for this finger play version of the classic song “My God Is So Big!” Have the children say

the words and do the actions as described below. Then have the children take turns saying things God has done. For

example, a child might say that God made the stars or that God gave a baby to Abraham and Sarah. After a child shares

an idea, repeat the finger play.

My God is so big,

(Raise your hands high in the air.)

So strong and so mighty.

(Make muscles.)

My God works in so many ways.

(Pretend to count on your fingers.)

Continue until all the children have had a chance to contribute an idea.

SAY: Our God is a great big God! He is strong and mighty! He works in many ways in our lives and in our

world. Let’s give a big cheer for God. Ready? Here we go. Yea, God!

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(continued from page 144)

Elementary Activities

Camera Obscura You’ll need a towel and the camera obscura you made before the worship session. Do this activity outdoors

if possible. If it’s too cold, you’ll need a brightly lit room.

Invite the children to take turns looking through the camera obscura. To do that, place the box over a

child’s head, and wrap the towel tightly between his or her neck and the opening of the box to seal out any

light. Make sure breathing isn’t a problem. Tell the child to hold onto the box with both hands and to point

the nail hole toward the light. The child may need to tilt the box to see the image. The child should see an

image on the front wall of the box. The image will be in color, upside down, and reversed.

While the children are waiting for their turns, encourage the children who’ve already looked through the

camera obscura to talk about what they saw.

When everyone’s had a turn, continue.

ASK: • How do you think this box worked? (There was a picture on the wall; you had a light in the box.)

Open the box, and show the children that there’s nothing inside but a sheet of white paper.

• How do you think this box worked? (It seems impossible; I have no idea.)

• What things happen in the world that seem impossible? (People are healed after being sick for

a long time; family and friends get along after fighting for a long time.)

• What things does God do that seem impossible? (God helps people get along; God helps

people have babies when they didn’t think they could.)

SAY: God works in our world in many ways. Sometimes God’s ways are strange and confusing to us.

We don’t understand how God works. It’s hard to figure out how he does it. But God is greater

than we are. God is smarter and more powerful. We can trust that God wants the best for us when

he works in our world, even when we don’t understand what he’s doing or why he’s doing it. Let’s

watch a skit about something strange that happened to Abraham.

* The Three Visitors

Retell the story of the three visitors through a modern-day drama of the story. You will need five adult or

teen volunteers: three to portray the visitors and two to play Abraham and Sarah. Although you don’t need

costumes, Abraham and Sarah should look and act old. You could ask an older couple in your congregation

to play Abraham and Sarah.

This will be an interactive drama in which the kids in the audience will participate in making the sound

effects. You, as worship leader, will help the children with their cues.

SAY: God works in many ways. God loves to do the impossible! He loves to do amazing, wonderful

things for his people.

In Genesis 18, God does something very special for Abraham. Let’s see what happens.

Have the players use the script to perform the drama.

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ASK: • How did God work in our story today? (He promised to give Abraham and Sarah a baby; he

followed through on his promise; God sent the visitors with great news.)

• Do you think Sarah had given up on the promise to have a son? Why or why not? (Yes,

because she was too old; yes, she laughed at the news; no, she trusted God to follow through.)

• Why did Sarah laugh? (She didn’t think she could have a baby; she thought the visitors were

joking with her.)

• Was the promise that Abraham and Sarah were going to have a baby a miracle? Why? (Yes,

because people that old don’t have babies; no, people have babies all the time.)

SAY: Nothing is impossible with God. Even though Abraham and Sarah were too old to have a

baby, God made it happen! He loves to do the impossible!

* Many Ways

SAY: God worked in many different ways in the Bible, and he works in many different ways today.

Let’s find out what some of those ways are. Taped to the bottom of your chair, you’ll find a

piece of paper with a way God worked in the Bible or works today. Find all the other people

who have the same category you have written on their paper, and stand in a group.

Help the children form smaller groups. There should be four groups: a miracle group, an angel group, a

nature group, and a people group. Once children have formed the small groups, have each child share

with the group members what is written on the paper.

Get everyone’s attention by clapping your hands or flipping the lights on and off, and ask one person

from each group to share an example of how God works.

ASK: • Other than the ones we’ve mentioned, what other ways does God choose to work in the

world? (He helps people grow closer to him; he forgives our sins; God works out plans in our lives.)

• Why do you think God chooses to work in all these ways? (He loves us; he wants us to see his

power.)

• What is God accomplishing by working in all these different ways? (God is helping people

grow closer to him; God is helping the world see who he is.)

• What do all these methods of working in the world tell you about God? (He loves us; God is

amazing and creative.)

SAY: We serve an amazing, creative God! Our God works in many ways in our lives and in our

world. God loves us and wants us to love him, too. God works in all of these ways to protect

us, to help us, to teach us, and to bring us closer to him. God works in all of these ways to

show us who he is. Let’s thank our wonderful God for working in our world.

Have the children stand in a circle. If there are more than 30 kids in your children’s church, have them form

two circles.

SAY: As we take the offering today, let’s think of different ways God works in our world. As the

offering bowl comes to you, put in any offering you’ve brought and say aloud one way God

works in our world. Let’s do this as a prayer. It’ll be our way of acknowledging how great and

good and powerful God is.

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Pass the offering bowl around the circle.

SAY: God, we recognize how great you are. We have learned about how you work in our world and

in our lives. And we praise you for all you do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Make a Prayer Chain

SAY: God works in many ways. One of the ways God works is through our prayers. Prayer is a

mystery because even though God knows everything about us, he still likes for us to talk with

him and tell him the things we need and the things we’re happy about. God still wants to hear

about the things we need help with and about our friends who we want him to help.

Distribute pencils and two small pieces of paper that are at least 1 inch wide and 3½ inches long. Give

each child one each of two different colors. On one piece of paper, have children write something they

need God’s help with. On the other piece of paper, have them write something they’re thankful for. Pair

preschoolers with older children so the older children can help the younger ones write on their pieces of

paper. Put the cards in a big bucket. Pray with the children over the bucket, thanking God for the things

the children are happy about and interceding for their concerns.

After you pray together, make a prayer chain. Using tape or glue sticks, make a chain out of the pieces

of paper by forming each piece of paper into a circle or link with the words to the inside of the circle. Then

loop the next piece of paper through the first link, and tape it together.

To do this quickly and easily, have the children sit in their seats. Redistribute the prayer strips so each

child has two. Pass around the tape or glue sticks, and have each child link the two strips to the strips of

the child next to him or her. Then as each row or group has finished a chain, link the chains together.

Continue until the group has created one large prayer chain.

Closing Prayer

When children have completed the prayer chain, have them stand in a circle holding the chain around the

circle (if you’re in permanent rows, have a few rows turn to face the other rows and hold the chain in

between them).

SAY: This chain represents the different ways God is working among us. The needs we wrote down

are many ways God is going to work in our lives. The things we are thankful for are the many

ways God has already worked in our lives. Let’s thank God for the many ways he works in

our lives and in our world.

As you all hold the chain, have the children repeat these prayer phrases after you:

PRAY: God, thank you (pause) for all the ways (pause) you work in our lives. (Pause.) We love you

(pause) and worship you. (Pause.) In Jesus’ name, amen.

Dismiss the children. Then hang the paper chain in your worship area as a reminder of how God works

in many ways.

Page 12: Abraham’s Visitors/Sodom and Gomorrah€¦ · 2 colors of paper (1 sheet of each per 24 children), several tape dispensers, 1 pencil per child, bucket Closing Prayer Pray a prayer

The Three Visitors (Abraham is reading the newspaper, and Sarah is knitting. They hear a knock at the door.)

Kids: (Knock on your chairs three times.)

Abraham: (Gets up and answers the door.)

Sarah: (Gathers the knitting and goes into the “kitchen.”)

Abraham: Well, hello! What an honor to have you come to my house. Please come in and have dinner

with us.

Visitor 1: That sounds great. We’ve been traveling for quite a while.

Visitor 2: We’ve come from far away.

Visitor 3: I didn’t realize how thirsty I was.

Abraham: You all look hot and tired. Would you like to wash up?

(Abraham leads guests to a “sink” to wash up. Visitors turn on the “water faucet” and pretend to wash.)

Kids: (Make sounds like water gushing.)

Visitor 2: Boy, that’s some water pressure you’ve got here!

(When the guests have finished washing, Abraham leads them to some chairs and invites them to sit.)

Abraham: Excuse me for a moment. (Goes into the kitchen.)

Sarah, quickly make dinner for our three important guests. They’re starving, and they must eat right

away.

(Abraham returns to the living room.)

Sarah: (Dramatically) Dinner! I can’t possibly prepare it so quickly. What’ll I do? (Rummages through

the “refrigerator” and then puts her finger in the air as if she suddenly has a great idea.) I know! Pizza!

(Pretends to dial a phone and order pizza. Then stands and listens at the door as the dialogue continues.)

Kids: Yummy! Pizza! Hope it’s pepperoni!

Visitor 1: So, Abraham, how are things going?

Abraham: Well as you know, I’ve been living here in the desert for a while. Once in a while I have to

bail my nephew Lot out of trouble, but for the most part it’s same old, same old.

Visitor 1: Abraham, I’ve got some great news that’s bound to put the spark of excitement back into your

dull routine. Next year at this time, Sarah will have a baby—a son!

Kids: (Rock an imaginary baby and say “waah!”)

Sarah: (Holds her sides and silently rocks with laughter.)

Visitor 1: Why did Sarah laugh? Is there anything that’s too hard for me?

Sarah: (Runs into the “living room.”) I didn’t laugh!

Visitor 1: (Smiling gently) Yes, Sarah, you did.

Sarah: (Puts hands over her face in shame.)

Visitor 1: (Gets up and hugs Sarah.)

Kids: (Knock three times on chairs.)

Abraham: (Goes to the door and answers it.)

Kids: Pizza’s here!