YEA Lesson Library

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Tell how Abraham and Sarah left their home to follow God.

2. Explain why Abraham and Sarah lived in a tent.

3. Give a reason for why he/she celebrates the Feast of Tabernacles.

Topics & Themes

Abraham
Belief/Faith
Feast of Tabernacles
God’s Kingdom
God’s Promises
Holy Days, Feast of Tabernacles
Isaac
Promised Land
Sarah
Temporary
Tents
Trusting God

Materials Needed

Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, stars, songbook, CD and player, table, blanket/ sheet, treasure hunt cards, treasure (candy, stickers, balloons, etc.), puppet

Preparation

In our society, people accumulate possessions and debt like squirrels collect nuts. And like the squirrels whose forgotten caches do them little good, the possessions we acquire may not help us in this life and actually become a hindrance, a distraction, and a task master. The more you have, the more you have to take care of. Acquisition of material possessions is like calorie-laden, nutritionally-empty snacks: they don't satisfy. Our goal as parents and teachers is to make God real to our children, to show them that He will satisfy and He lasts forever. Convincing children is not easy. They live in a society that will fight us every step of the way. Conversations and preaching won't convince our children. It happens through the actions of the adults around them. Do we talk about God with other adults, or about our gardens, our cars, our jobs? Children silently observe and soak in what we value. This lesson will not mean much to a child who sees the opposite in the lives of adults around him. It's worth much prayer and meditation.

Prepare the classroom for students by throwing a sheet or blanket over a table to make a tent. Also, make up a treasure hunt: hiding slips of paper with directions to another spot, with the last slip giving directions to the treasure. This can be as simple as "take three steps towards the front of the room. Look under the chair." Or it can be more like a riddle. Keep a list of where you hid the clues in what order, so you can give hints (if necessary) and keep them on track if they've accidentally found a clue out of order. For the treasure, fill a small box with balloons, stickers, hard candy, etc.

How to Teach This Lesson

Open with prayer and continue.

Tenting with Abraham and Sarah: Invite students in the tent with you. Sit in it (see Preparation) as you review the story of Abraham and Sarah.

Puppet: Why are we sitting under this table?

Teacher: We're going to talk about Abraham and Sarah today. What do you know about Abraham and Sarah, children? (Wait for answers.)

Puppet: I know that God called them to go a long way from their old home to their new home - like clear across town.

Teacher: Hmm. Is that right, children? What did God call Abraham and Sarah to do?

Puppet: To go where God told them to go.

Teacher: You’re right. They obeyed God.

Puppet: God promised something special, but I can’t remember exactly what it was. Do you know? (Asking the children) I know they lived in a tent, for maybe three days.

Teacher: What do you think, children? How long did Abraham and Sarah live in a tent?

Teacher: Look around your “tent.” What are some good things about living in a tent? What are some bad things about living in a tent? Did Abraham and Sarah live in a tent because they were poor? What does Hebrews 11:13, 16 say? Have a good reader read these verses.

Teacher: Abraham and Sarah voluntarily lived in a tent as a way to emphasize that they trust God, did not belong to this world, and were content with wherever God took them.

Puppet: I’d be content for about three minutes. There are bugs outside. And no electricity. And no toilets! I need toilets! (Look at puppet.) Okay, maybe I don’t need toilets, but tenting is not a lot of fun if you’re camping for a LONG time.

Teacher: It all depends on what you want. If you want God and His Kingdom, you will live your life one way. If what you have now is most important to you, you will live your life another way. Can anyone think of an example?

Puppet: You mean, like choosing to help others rather than being selfish?

Teacher: Or sharing with your little sister instead of taking toys from her. The Feast of Tabernacles is a week when we remember that this life doesn’t last forever. The word tabernacle means tent. Tents and our bodies wear out. Every year we remember that this life and this world are not our home, we’re just passing through.

Puppet: I'm just glad God didn't ask me to always live in a tent with no room for my treasures.

Teacher: Most people get excited when there’s treasure to be found. Would you like to go on a treasure hunt? Do the treasure hunt now. Once they've found the treasure, have them sit down. Teacher: What did you like about the treasure hunt? Was there anything you didn’t like about the treasure hunt?

Puppet: There wasn't anything good in this treasure hunt - like GOLD! Lots of it.

Teacher: Everything in this life is like the treasure you found. It won't last long. Money, cars, houses, clothes, toys all break down. God is the only treasure that counts and He will last forever.

Puppet: You’re right about that. Whatever God does, He does GREAT!

Teacher: John 14:1 says it very well: “Trust in God.” Celebrate God’s holy day, the Feast of Tabernacles, believing that God has something better planned for you after this life is over. God is good all the time - you can trust Him with everything. Let’s celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Review Questions

1. What did God tell Abraham and Sarah to do?

2. What did God promise to Abraham and Sarah?

3. Where did Abraham and Sarah live?

4. Why did they live in a tent all their lives?

5. What can we learn from the Feast of Tabernacles?

6. What has God promised you in His Kingdom?

Teacher-Directed Activity

Treasure Hunt (this activity is part of teaching the lesson.)

REACH Activity

1. Do a sword drill with the daily devotionals. Depending on how many children you are involved, you can either have them compete against each other to see who can get to the scripture first or you can have a child time himself (or herself) and try to better his time each successive scripture.

2. Create a Who’s Who Game based on the holy day lessons in this book. Make a board game. Set up rules like: Draw a person card. Tell who the person is and which lesson and holy day he is associated with. (You will have to keep a small notebook of notes for each person so you can check to see if the answer is correct or not.) If you are correct, roll the dice and advance. If you are incorrect, roll the dice and go that many places backwards. From Lesson 1: King Josiah; Lesson 2: Cyrus and Ezra. Lesson 3: Firstfruits. Lesson 4: Angel with the Seventh Trumpet. Lesson 5: High Priest. Lesson 6: Abraham. Add to the game each lesson.

3. Continue constructing a concentration game of God’s Holy Days. For this lesson, create four cards: Tenting, Abraham, Heavenly City, Tabernacles. Plan to add four more cards to go with the next lesson.

4. Sing: In Kids Classics Collection, “Everybody Ought to Know” on page 11, “He is Lord” on page 90, and “Jesus Bids Us Shine” on page 37;
From the CEM Hymnal, “My Faith Looks Up To Thee” on page 62, “A Child of the King” on page 137, and “Faith of Our Fathers” on page 71;
From The Group Songbook, “We Will Glorify” on page 1, “I Will Enter His Gates” on page 87, “As the Deer” on page 34, and “Cornerstone” on page 11.

5. Collage. Find pictures of houses, RVs, tents, apartments, condos, etc. Cut them out and glue them on a piece of 11 x 18 construction paper. Write your memory verse on a piece of paper, cut it out, and glue it on top of your collage of dwellings. Once it is dry, display on the refrigerator.

6. God’s Kingdom. Read Isaiah 11:6-9. Draw a picture to reflect what these verses say. Use your favorite color tools to add color once it’s finished. Hang in your room.

7. Reasons Why. In your Bible notebook, answer these questions: 1) Why do you celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles? Is it because your parents tell you to? Do you go for the fun things that you can do? Do you like seeing people you might only see once a year? Do you like hearing all of the people singing praise to God? What do you like best about the Feast of Tabernacles? Why do you celebrate it? 2) Why does God tell you to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles? (Leviticus 23:42-43) 3) When are you supposed to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles? (Hint: look at your memory verse.) 4) How are you supposed to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles? What kind of attitude should you have? (Leviticus 23:40) 5) Is this just some old celebration, looking back at what happened in history? Or is it looking forward too? (Zechariah 14:16; 2 Corinthians 5:2; Hebrews 11:16; Hebrews 13:14) Once you have answered all of these questions, write an essay about what you have learned about celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles.

8. Survey. Ask as many people as you can the reason why they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If they give you a scripture, be sure to write that down too. Then tabulate the responses. Create a graph. You get to decide whether your information will be best displayed in a bar graph, a circle graph, a pictograph, or a line graph. Sketch out your idea on a piece of scrap paper. Once you have planned out which graph to use and how it will look, transfer the information to a poster board. Use large, neat lettering. Use a straight edge for any lines you are including. Use bright, contrasting colors. Take your finished project to church to display.

9. Tenting. Do you remember that Abraham lived his entire life (after God called him out of the land of Ur) in a tent? He never built a house to live in. Now Abraham was very wealthy, so money wasn’t the issue. Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham’s life was a witness to everyone that Abraham’s eyes were focused on God’s kingdom. He wasn’t consumed with how much he could get in this life because he knew it was all temporary. Abraham was looking to the city that God is preparing - because God’s kingdom will be eternal. So, how long do you think you could live in a tent? With your mom’s permission, set up a tent in your living room (or other room, even your bedroom, if there’s enough room). Make it comfortable for sleeping with a sleeping bag, etc. Now only take into your tent what you absolutely need and only what will fit. How long is it before you need or want something else in your room? How easy is it to do your homework in the tent? Look around your house. What wouldn’t have been in the tent? The TV, the kitchen table, the refrigerator, the stove, the washing machine. . . Make a list of what you wouldn’t have had. Think about the testimony of Abraham’s life.

10. Reflection. Build on REACH Activity #9. Write an essay contrasting Abraham’s life in a tent and your life in a house. Contrast Abraham’s witness for the coming Kingdom of God with your witness about Jesus Christ. Abraham’s entire life was a witness. Do you live in such a way that people know you are a Christian? Give an example. Share your essay with your family on Friday night. Use it as a springboard to talk about what you, as a family, can do to be better ambassadors for the coming Kingdom of God.

11. Happy Feast of Tabernacles cards. Using colored cardstock, make Happy Feast of Tabernacles cards to give to people at church, to send to family and friends, or to say thank you to people who work so hard to make the Feast of Tabernacles special. Write a nice note in each one. Decorate them with bright color tools. Use stickers or glue faux jewels on them. Avoid glitter. 🙂 Most people don’t appreciate how glitter tends to get all over everything.

12. Remembering. Write down your favorite memory of the Feast of Tabernacles. Ask each person in your family to write about their favorite memory of the Feast of Tabernacles. Using a word processing program, type the memories and print them. Make them into a book (You can get blank books at a craft store.) and decorate the cover. Share with your family and friends.

13. A Family Scroll. Malachi 3:16 talks about a scroll of remembrance. Start your own family scroll of remembrance. Get a notebook to take notes. At the top of the first page, write down the place and the year you celebrated your first Feast of Tabernacles. At the top of the second page, write the place and the year you celebrated your second Feast of Tabernacles. Continue until you have each year recorded on a separate page. Now go back and jot down memories from each of the feasts. Get input from each of your family members. Type up your memories. Scan in any photos that would go with each year. Make a scrapbook that can be added to each year. This is a big project, but well worth the effort!!

Song

“Do Lord” is on page 72 and “Father Abraham” is on page 31 of Kids Classics Collection.

Closing Prayer

Lead the students in thanking God for His holy days, for His Kingdom and what He has prepared for us and for the example of Abraham and Sarah. Ask for these lessons to become part of the daily lives and choices of everyone in the room and in God’s church.