Here are some ideas that you could do with your children at home, that link the children’s everyday experiences to the Bible. As you play or create, you can talk about what happened in the story of the Abraham and Sarah.

TEACHING POINT

We can be a friend of God. God loves to give us gifts!

PROGRAMME

Let’s Pretend

Set up a baby corner- could bath babies, talk about how we feed babies, how we look after babies, how we are different to babies. God promised Abraham and Sarah a baby, even though Sarah was too old to have children.

Language

There are over 7000 languages spoken all over the world. Can you learn a new way of saying hello in another language? Do you have any friends who speak another language? Maybe the next time you can surprise them by saying hello to them in their language.

Messy

Name plaque- write your name on a piece of card and then decorate it… what does your name mean? God gave Abraham and Sarah a new name. Abrahams name meant ‘Father of many’. God gave him this name as a promise pf what was going to happen.

Stars

God told Abraham that he would have many descendants (a huge family!), as many as the stars in the sky. Why don’t you go star spotting? See if you can count them? Can you spot any constellations? Make a star picture to remind yourself of God’s promises.

Games - Lost in the Blizzard

Abraham chose to follow God in faith. You’ll need a blindfold for each member of your household!

Toss a blindfold to each person.
Ask each person to spread out around the room, then blindfold them. Explain that everyone is lost in a snowy blizzard and can’t see. However, they can yell for help and find other people in the blizzard by following the sounds of their voices.
Tell them that you don’t want anyone left stranded in the blizzard, so as soon as they find another person, they should hold hands and try to link up with everyone to end the game.

Craft

Make a star jar to remind yourself that God keeps his promises just like He did for Abraham and Sarah.

You could cover your jar with stars, cut stars out and fill your jar with Gods promises and then read them when you need to remind yourself that God is good.

Or you could stick star stickers on your jar and then paint your jar. Then when it’s dry, peel off the star stickers, pop a candle inside your jar and remember all the good things that God promises for you every time you light it and the stars shine out.

MESSAGE

Today’s story from the Bible teaches us about God’s friends and how he loved them. Abraham and Sarah were God’s very special friends. God blessed them!

We are God’s special friends as well and he loves us and wants to bless us.

(But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:4-10).

PRAYER TIME

Up to 3 years old (Fruitshoots)

Thank you God that we can be your friend. Thank you that you love us so much and because you love us you want to give us presents and you love to see us smile.

From 3 years to Reception age (Acorns)

Thank you God that you can be our very best friend. Thank you that you know us so well and you love us so much. Thank you that because of this you want to bless us with presents and fun things that you know will make us smile. Help us to trust you this week, like Abraham and Sarah did, for anything that we might be feeling worried about. Amen!

School years 1-6 (Hive)

A question: What is the best present that you have ever received?

God wants to give you amazing blessings, amazing gifts, nothing is too small or too big for God. I heard a story once, where a lady decided that she’d like flowers every week delivered to her house as she knew that God wanted to give her things that she enjoyed. So she asked him. And do you know what, God did just that. Every week a beautiful bunch of flowers came to her house. What would you like God to bless you with… just because? Ask him. He is good and loves to bless us!

Pray together…