2
The Birth of Isaac
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Scripture
Focus
God can do anything. God promised to give Abraham and Sarah a son, and God did. We can trust God's promises to us too.
Faith Nurture Goals
- Imagine how Abraham and Sarah felt when God's promise of a child came true.
- Realize and feel secure that, like Abraham and Sarah, we belong to God and can trust his promise to love us.
- Give praise and thanks for God's love and promise-keeping.
- Share the promise of God's constant love with others.
Memory Challenge
Session Outline
Leader Reflection
Preparing to Tell God's Story
The promise made to Abraham and Sarah in the last episode clearly includes the promise of a child, an heir. Yet, as Sarah describes it, "I am worn out and my lord is old." They've tried, over the years, having a child through Hagar, the slave, and designating the servant Eliezer as heir. But nothing works out, and God persists in his promise of a son.
Three mysterious visitors show up at Abraham and Sarah's tent one day. Who are they? The text tells us that it is the Lord who has come for a visit. (Note that in the Old Testament when Lord is in all caps, it refers to the holy covenant name of God, Yahweh.) Is this a person or an angel? Three or one? It's all very mysterious, but the inspired writer does not tell us more.
Interestingly, this scene, depicted in icons, became a source for prayerful meditation in the Eastern Orthodox churches. In the Orthodox tradition, icons are more than pictures; they're windows to look through to find spiritual truth. One famous and beautiful icon by Rublev called "The Holy Trinity" pictures this very scene. Check it out on the web.
Abraham hurries out of his tent to serve the strange visitors without ever asking who they are. While his elaborate hospitality is common in that part of the world, there seems to be some kind of recognition that these visitors are very special.
After dinner is served, they get to the point. "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Nothing is said about Abraham's reaction; our eyes immediately turn to Sarah, lingering at the door of the tent. And that's the focus of the visitor's attention as well, since they first ask about her whereabouts.
What does Sarah do? She laughs to herself: "Yeah, sure, I haven't seen Abe in my bed for some time, and there's to be a baby bouncing on my sagging knees?" Of course, she denies the derisive laughter, but the point is made. "Yes, you did laugh."
All this reminds us that this story fits a biblical pattern. In the Bible, when God is going to do something new, it often begins in childlessness or barrenness—a symbol of human helplessness. Think of Rachel; of Samson's parents; of Samuel's mother, Hannah; of John the Baptist's mother, Elizabeth; and, of course, of Mary, the mother of the Lord. She's not barren, but a virgin. After announcing her miraculous pregnancy, the visiting angel says to her, in words closely echoing the visitors' words to Abraham and Sarah, "nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37, NIV 1984).
As we read so often in the psalms, we find ourselves "waiting for the Lord." This story and so many others teach us that God always fulfills his promises, but not necessarily in the timeframe we think reasonable. God is the God of the impossible possibilities. Isaac (which means laughter) will indeed be born soon; God will have the last laugh.
Wondering
What does it mean that “the Lord appeared to Abraham that day”?
Why is there so much focus on Sarah in this story?
What do you think was the nature of her laugh—surprise? Derision? Delight?
What are the promises of God on which you are waiting today? What doubts do you entertain about their fulfillment?
Teaching
Kids can easily connect with the idea of promises made and promises fulfilled, and they’re keenly aware of any failure to fulfill promises. They also know that sometimes waiting is involved. You can dramatize the intense waiting in this story and the doubts and questions it raises.
Above all, make sure the children come away with a strong understanding that God is a promise-keeping God who can handle all our doubts and fears.
Steps
Materials
Stars printable page, one star per child
Yarn or string
Paper clips
Masking tape
Songs: “God Is Always with Us” and “Shout”
Note: Before class begins, prepare a star for each child—print, cut apart, and add the child’s name to each. Attach a paper clip tied with string to each star and hang them from the ceiling with masking tape (or to your wall if it’s not possible to use the ceiling).
Today the journey continues as you explore God’s love and promise-keeping. Greet each child by name as you express your joy at seeing them again. Remind the children of your name too! Encourage kids to find their dangling star as they enter the room—tell them it’s a clue about the part of God’s story you’ll be learning today.
As you did last week, share how happy you are that they’ve come to spend time with God and explore one of God’s stories from the Bible. Take a few moments to give each child the opportunity to share any news they have. (Kids this age usually have something happening in their life that they are eager to tell about!) After everyone has shared, point out how great it is to know that God was with each one of them in all the places they were since the group was last together. Invite kids to stand up and sing and move their bodies in praise as you sing the song you learned last week—“God Is Always with Us.”
Sit back down on the floor together and remind your group that before they left last time, you shared some Bible verses that you’re all going to be learning together. Read Psalm 100:1-3 from your Bible and invite kids to repeat them after you. Play “Shout” and point out that the words of the song are the words you just read from the Bible together. Sing along, adding simple actions to help you learn the words together.
Close this time of worship by joining hands in prayer, thanking God for bringing you all together again and for always loving you.
Re
formed
formedThe focus of this story is not Sarah’s reaction but the faithfulness of our promise-keeping God.
Materials
Story suitcase from session 1 packed with a blanket, sandals from last week, box or bag of treats, and Bible
Note: In the days leading up to this session, be sure to read the story out loud several times at home. Think about words you’ll want to emphasize and places you’ll want to pause. Then tell it with expression and from your heart!
Prepare to enter God’s story together by talking about promises. Tell the children that today’s story is about a promise, a very special promise that God made to Abraham and Sarah.
Invite your group to tell you about a promise someone has made to them—maybe a promise about something they’re looking forward to. Share a story about a promise from your life too. Wonder together about God’s promises. Does God ever break promises? Does God make promises to us?
To reinforce your comments and to help everyone learn names quickly, include each child as you say: “God has a promise for [name].”
Show the children the suitcase you brought. Take a few moments to remember what was in the suitcase last week. Invite kids to guess what might be in your suitcase today. Open the suitcase so that the children are able to see what’s inside: your Bible, a bag or box of treats (raisins, crackers, fruit, popcorn, or cookies), a small blanket or piece of cloth, and sandals from last week. Peer into your suitcase and take out the bag of treats, setting it next to you as you promise (put emphasis on that word) kids a special treat at the end of the story. Take out the sandals and ask the children if they remember last week’s story. Remind them that the story was about belonging: God chose Abraham and Sarah, and they belonged to God.
Remove your Bible and close the suitcase. As you open your Bible to Genesis 18, remind the children that this part of God’s story is from God’s Word, the Bible. Explain that you want to tell them a story about God and a promise God kept. Leave your Bible open on your lap or in front of you as you tell the story.
The story follows:
Abraham and Sarah traveled far to live in the new land that God had given them. At night, in this new home, they would spread out their blankets to sleep on. (Remove the small blanket from your suitcase and spread it out in front of you.)
As Abraham and Sarah lay in their tents they would look out at the sky and see the many, many stars (look up and point to all the stars in the sky) and be reminded of the promise God had made to them. Abraham remembered God’s words: “I have chosen you to belong to me, and I will bless you and your family in wonderful ways. You’re going to have a big family—so many that no one will be able to count them, just like the stars in the night sky. And because you and your family belong to me, I’ll use you to help the whole world know that I am a great God.”
What a wonderful promise! But Abraham and Sarah wondered if it would ever come true. They were getting old and still had no children. They had been waiting a long time, a very long time, for a precious baby from God.
I wonder if you’ve ever had to wait a very, very long time for something special. (Pause for kids to share responses.)
How do you think Abraham and Sarah felt when they were still waiting for God’s promise to come true? (Pause for responses.)
Day after day, Abraham and Sarah waited for a baby. (Fold up your blanket.) They kept getting older and older. They wondered if God would keep the promise.
One day three visitors from heaven came to Abraham’s tent. One of these visitors was God. As Abraham hurried out to greet them, he invited the visitors to stay and rest for a while. When they said yes, Abraham stuck his head inside the tent and asked Sarah to make them a meal. (Spread out the blanket again and pretend to put dishes and food on it.)
As the visitors were eating, God spoke to Abraham and reminded him of the special promise God had given to Abraham and Sarah—the promise of children. “Next year,” God said, “Sarah will have a son.”
(Hold blanket up and peek around it.) Inside the tent, Sarah heard God’s promise that next year she would have a son, and she laughed. After years and years of waiting, Sarah wondered if God’s promise would ever come true. She thought she was too old to have a baby.
I wonder if God will keep his promise to Sarah. (Pause for responses.)
I wonder if anything is impossible for God. (Pause for responses.)
Sarah had forgotten one very important thing—God always keeps promises. God kept the promise to Abraham and Sarah, and the next year Sarah gave birth to a baby boy. (Fold blanket around right hand and pretend to rock baby on left arm.)
How do you think Abraham and Sarah felt when the baby was born? (Pause for responses.)
I wonder what they said to God. (Pause for responses.)
Abraham and Sarah named their son Isaac, which means “laughter.” When Abraham and Sarah saw Isaac, they remembered that God’s promise had come true, and they laughed for joy!
Materials
Blankets, sheets, dishes, baby doll
Wearable props: towels/scarves/neckties
Invite everyone to imagine that you are living with Abraham and Sarah in their tent as you retell the story together. Show kids the props you brought along, and ask kids to suggest ideas for how you might arrange the room to tell the story (see some ideas below). As much as possible, use the ideas your group comes up with so they can really experience the story at their level. You can use the following prompts to help kids suggest ways to transform their space into the story setting.
- How could we spread out or arrange the sheets/blankets to create a tent? Should we cover up or include the room furniture in some way?
- Which part of the room should the visitors arrive from?
- Where could we pretend there was a shady tree for the guests to sit under?
Assign roles and pass out clothing props. You’ll need an Abraham, Sarah, visitors, and several servants to help prepare the meal. You might want to have the visitors stand at their arrival location until it’s time for them to arrive. Sarah and the servants might be busy doing chores like cleaning dishes or sweeping the floor; Abraham and a servant might be building a campfire outside.
Once everyone is ready, it’s time to tell the story together. Invite kids to pretend they’re doing things around the tent village as you retell the story, using the story from step 2 as a guide. Help kids along, if necessary, using prompts like these:
- Wonder aloud what Abraham and Sarah wished for when they looked up into the night sky.
- Wonder aloud how Abraham felt when he saw the visitors approach.
- Pause so everyone can welcome the visitors and prepare them a meal.
- Walk to the door in Sarah’s tent and listen to God’s conversation with Abraham. How would Sarah’s face look when she heard God promise Abraham that she would have a baby by next year?
- Wonder aloud how Sarah and Abraham responded when baby Isaac was born.
- Have Sarah show baby Isaac to everyone.
At the end of the story, invite the children to gather around Sarah and baby Isaac. Tell them that God makes a promise to us, just as he did with Abraham and Sarah. God promises to always love us. As you pray together, encourage kids to pray with you. Children understand that prayer is talking to God, and that God hears them when they pray. Begin your prayer time by inviting children to silently talk to God, sharing their feelings with him and asking a question or making a request. Conclude with the following prayer:
Dear God, just like you promised Abraham and Sarah, you promise to always love us. We are filled with joy, just like Sarah, because we belong to you and know that you keep your promises. Thank you for loving us so much. Amen.
Invite kids to remove their props and help you set aside the storytelling materials. Point out that even though they are done acting the story out about Abraham, Sarah, and baby Isaac, they are still in God’s story. God keeps promises to those who belong to him—people like Abraham and Sarah and people like us! Wonder aloud whether anyone thought you might forget your promise of a treat! Let the children peek into the suitcase and help themselves to a snack.
Faith Modeling
Think of an appropriate personal experience you can share about a time when you held on to God’s promise to always love and care for you.
Materials
Story symbol from the last time.
Story symbol, session 2 printable page
Poster putty or masking tape
Show and share papers, session 2
Paper napkins/tea towels/scarves, optional
Move to a table or to an area on the floor where everyone can do some drawing. Ask if anyone remembers last week’s story symbol. When a child points to the sandals story symbol hanging on your wall, ask how the sandals remind them of last week’s story. Hold up this week’s story symbol and wonder aloud what the stars might remind us of. Invite someone to hang that symbol on your wall beside the one from last week.
Hand out a Show and Share paper to each child. Remind kids that each week they get a new Show and Share paper about that day’s Bible story. Their job is to show and share the story with someone else. Read the title of this week’s story, “The Birth of Isaac,” from their papers. Wonder aloud how the birth of Isaac reminds us of God’s promises. (They always come true!)
Remind the children that just as God promised to love Abraham and Sarah, God promises to love them. Invite kids to print their name on the “God will always love ____________” star. (Be sure to help children who are not able to print their names.)
Open your papers and recall God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah: they would have as many children and grandchildren as the stars in the sky, and the whole world would be blessed through them. Point out that God’s promise came true in an incredible way—Jesus came from that great family of people, and because of Jesus, we belong to God’s family too. We’re part of God’s story. Invite kids to add their face to the blank star.
Flip to the back of the paper and show your group that today’s story is written as a song. Try it together! (If you have napkins or tea towels or scarves, give one to each child before you begin.) When you’re finished, invite everyone to pause for a moment and quietly think of the name of a person they could sing the story song with—a person they could also remind of God’s love.
Challenge your kids to try and count all the stars inside their Show and Share papers as they are traveling home today (or do it together in class if you have time) and encourage them to tell someone else about God’s promises the next time they see a star in the night sky!
Whisper a closing thought to each child as they leave: God loves you!
Easy Extras
Time
5-10 minutes
Materials
parent(s) with new baby
Invite a parent or parents of a new baby to visit your classroom with their little one. As children arrive, encourage them to gather around for a closer look. Ask your guest(s) to tell kids a little bit about the baby to describe their feelings about this precious gift from God.
Time
10 minutes
Materials
crayons, markers, or paint
bedsheet or mural paper
This activity could be used as an arrival activity or as part of the retelling preparation in Step 3.
Using crayons, markers, or paint, have children decorate a bedsheet or long length of mural paper that can be hung as Abraham’s tent. You can use this for telling today’s story and as a gathering location in weeks to come.
Time
5 minutes
Materials
soft ball or beanbag
To continue remembering each other’s names, gather kids into a circle. Explain that we are remembering God’s promises. You are going to look at a person, say her name, and remind her she is loved by God. Demonstrate by choosing a child. Say: “[Name] is loved by God” and toss the ball to her. When she receives the ball, she should repeat your steps by choosing another child, saying that child’s name and reminding him he is loved by God. Continue until every child has had a chance to participate.
Time
5 minutes
Materials
roll of toilet paper
Take out a roll of toilet paper and pass it to each child as you ask how old they are, instructing them to rip off the number of sheets that matches their age. After each child has ripped off the correct number of sheets, wonder together how old Abraham was when God answered his prayer. When each child has given an answer, have one person stand at one end of the room and help you unroll one hundred sheets of toilet paper. As you walk across the length of the room, unrolling toilet paper, explain that sometimes God keeps his promises and answers them right away, but sometimes we have to wait. Abraham was one hundred years old when God answered his promise to Abraham and Sarah, and their son, Isaac, was born.