Fall 2010 ~ Beginner Lesson #10
Sarah’s Surprise
Lesson Objectives:
1. The children will learn that God‘s promise to Abram came true.
2. The children will understand that God keeps his promises.
3. The children will understand that all things are possible with God.
4. The children will know that patience is a fruit of the spirit and that God expects
us to practice it in our lives.
Memory Verse: “But I will be patient.‖
--Habakkuk 3:16 (NIRV)
Message: Be patient, for God will provide!
Bible Text: Genesis 18:1-15 and Genesis 21:1-7
Hook Activity:
Pass the Patience Please!
Help the children sit in a circle. Give the ball to one of the children. They must not pass
the ball to anyone until you tell them to. Try waiting different amounts of time so that they
have to listen to you in order to pass it. This will really test their patience! The children will
want to pass the ball quickly—but they have to be patient! (http://ministry-to-
children.com/abraham-and-sarah-lesson/)
OR
Make Jell-O
Allow the children to help make Jell-O. Follow the directions on the package. Then tell
them that they are going to have use patience because it will take a while for the Jell-O to set
before they can eat it. (Note: Make sure you cover the children‘s clothes with a smock or old t-
shirt for this activity.)
1
Lesson/Discussion:
Note: Explain to the children that God changed Abram‘s name to Abraham and told him he would be the
father of many nations. He also changed Abraham‘s wife‘s name from Sarai to Sarah.
Genesis 18:1-15
The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre. Abraham was sitting at the door of his
tent. It was the hottest time of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He
quickly left the entrance to his tent to meet them. He bowed face down on the ground before them.
Abraham said, "Sir, if you are pleased with me, please stay awhile with me, your servant. I will
bring some water so all of you can wash your feet. You may rest under the tree. I will get some bread for
you, so you can regain your strength. Then you may continue your journey. "All right," they answered. "Do
as you said."
So Abraham hurried into the tent where Sarah was. "Hurry!" he said. "Get about half a bushel of
fine flour. Mix it and make it into loaves of bread." Then he ran to the herd of cattle. He picked out one
of the best calves and he gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it for food. Then he brought some
butter and milk and the calf that had been prepared. He served them to the three men. While they ate,
he stood near them under a tree.
"Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "Over there, in the tent," he said.
Then the Lord said, "You can be sure that I will return to you about this time next year. Your wife Sarah
will have a son at that time."
Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very
old. Sarah was too old to have a baby. So she laughed to herself. She thought, "I'm worn out, and my
husband is old. Can I really know the joy of having a baby?"
Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‗I am too old to have a
baby?' Is anything too hard for Me? I will return to you at the appointed time next year. Sarah will have
a son."
Sarah was afraid. So she lied and said, "I didn't laugh." But the Lord said, "Yes, you did."
Genesis 21: 1-7 ~ Isaac Is Born
The Lord was gracious to Sarah, just as He had said He would be. He did for Sarah what He had
promised to do. Sarah became pregnant. She gave birth to a son for Abraham when He was old. He was
born at the exact time God had promised him.
Abraham named his son Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
Sarah said, "God has made me laugh. No one thought that I would be able to have Abraham‘s child. But I
have given Abraham a son while he is old."
Discussion Questions:
1. What is one thing that Abraham and Sarah had always wanted? (A child.)
2. Who came to Abraham and told him that he would have a son with Sarah? (God.)
3. Did Sarah believe God at first? (Not exactly. She thought it was funny because they
were already too old to have children!)
4. What did the Lord tell Abraham and Sarah? (That He would return again in one year and
Sarah will have a son.)
5. How long did Sarah have to wait before she had a child? (1 year.)
6. How old was Abraham when he finally had a son? (100 years old!)
2
7. Did God keep his promise of giving a son to Abraham and Sarah? (Yes, he did just what he
promised.)
8. Do you think that Abraham learned how to be patient? (Answers will vary.)
9. Are you patient when you have to wait for something? (Discuss together. Remind the
children that we need to ―Trust the Lord with all your heart‖ and be patient and know
that He will provide what is best for us.)
Activity Ideas:
“Patient Pineapple Snack” Game:
See: http://www.daniellesplace.com/rroom/html/fruit-patience.cfm
Cut out the pictures of the pineapples (see website above). The cards say: ―receive a
snack‖, ―take another turn‖, or ―be patient‖. Place the cards in a bag and shake them up.
Have the children each take a turn pulling a pineapple out of the bag. If a child picks the
pineapple that says, "Receive a snack", he gets to go to the table and eat his snack. If it
says, "Take another turn", he gets to pick another card out of the bag. If it says, "Be
patient", he has to wait until his turn comes around before he can pick another card. Keep
playing until all the children have had a snack. Remind your children during the game to be
patient.
“Patience Poster” Activity:
Using a large piece of poster board, brainstorm together with the children some
activities that take a lot of patience to complete (ex. bake a cake, learn to ride a two-
wheeler, color in the lines of a picture, etc.). The children can draw the different
activities on the poster board and you can then label each activity. At the bottom of the
poster board, write the memory verse in big letters. Remind the children that with
patience we can accomplish so much!
Song: Be Patient
See: http://www.daniellesplace.com/rroom/html/fruit-patience.cfm
Written by Nancy Foss
(Sing to the tune "You Are My Sunshine".)
I will be patient,
I will be patient,
I will be patient Dear Lord,
And I will wait for your hands to guide me,
To you for evermore.
Make a family tent:
See: http://ministry-to-children.com/abraham-sarah-preschool-lesson/
Tell the children that back in Abraham‘s time, people did not live in houses, but
rather tents! Be sure to ask if any of them have ever been camping or even know what a
tent is. To make the tent you will need the following items:
½ construction paper triangle (for a tent) per child
drawing or picture of a man‘s face – labeled ―Abraham‖ (1 per child)
drawing or picture of a woman‘s face – labeled ―Sarah‖ (1 per child)
drawing or picture of a baby‘s face – labeled ―Isaac‖ (1 per child)
3
Bible Verse written on a slip of paper (1 per child)
sticker stars
yarn cut to the length of the top of the tent (optional)
glue
marker to write each child‘s name on their project
Now use the tents to have the children take turns retelling the story.
Sing: Father Abraham:
(Note: Remember to have the words posted somewhere in the class area, even if the
children cannot read yet. You could use pictures where possible. It will also help you
with the words as you teach it to the children.)
Father Abraham
Had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them
And so are you
So let‘s just praise the Lord
Right arm (while you repeat the song, swing your right arm)
• When you get to the end say each body part that you have already
sang and add a new one)
Left arm
Right foot
Left foot
Nod your head
Turn around
Sit down – when you get here…you are finished!
Application to Real Life:
It‘s a very hard thing to be patient. The only way we learn patience is to practice it. Ask
the children: ―Does getting mad or irritable make something we want come any quicker?‖ When
you find that you are losing patience when you are waiting for something, try looking at a book,
doing a puzzle or singing a song. These activities will help to make time go faster and help you
keep your patience!
Now we are going to enjoy the snack we made before Sunday school. I know we had to
wait, but wasn‘t it worth it?
Let‘s talk about The Fruits of the Spirit. (Name all the fruits, possibly referencing the
children to your Fruits of the Spirit poster that is posted in your class area.) One of the fruit
of the spirit is patience. When we use patience in our lives, we are able to make God happy. He
knows what‘s good for us, and he knows that sometimes you have to wait to get a good thing, just
like the Jell-O-O. So instead of getting upset or mad, we need to do our best to have some
patience. Remember, we want to: ―Be patient, for God will provide‖ because He knows what is
best for us. Then He can bless us too.
4
OR
Before class, bring in a box filled with a small treat. Wrap the box in several layers of wrapping
paper, with at least enough of the treat for each child in the class. Ask the students for your
help in unwrapping it. As they see each new layer, they will get a little frustrated. But remind
them that God wants us to have patience. Once you get to the final layer, they will find the
reward – a treat! Ask the students if it was worth all the work and patience it took to unwrap
and wait. Remember, one of the Fruits of the Spirit is patience, and using it makes God happy.
He knows what‘s good for us, and He knows that sometimes we have to wait and work to get the
good thing he had planned for us. ―Be patient, for God will provide.‖
Homework Ideas:
- Read at home with a grown up: Hannah’s Joy (1 Samuel 1:1 – 2:1).
- Learn the memory verse for next week
"…The Lord has filled my heart with joy.‖
1 Samuel 2:1 (NIRV)
- Work on memorizing commandment #_____.
- Color the ―Hannah‘s Joy‖ handout (teachers print one for each child). Return the coloring
page for a sticker.
5
Name: _____________________
Hannah’s Joy
"…The Lord has filled my heart with joy.‖
--1 Samuel 2:1 (NIRV)
6