Offerings - Abraham and Isaac AND The Widow’s Mite

Computer Workshop - The Church Mouse

Grades K-2

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Uses a powerpoint and the Play and Learn Software.

Lesson Objectives:

• Have the students work with two events from the Bible—the story of the offering Abraham was willing to give to God (Genesis 22:1-18) and another story of a poor widow who did give all she had to God. (Mark 12:41-44).
• Show the students that we give offerings because God gives us everything in the first place.
• Memorize: 2 Corinthians 9:7b NRSV

Supplies List:

• A shepherd or another helper – especially for the Kindergarteners
• Software— "Play & Learn Children’s Bible" (out of print, but left here for the many rotation churches that have it.)
• Power Point presentations put on each computer adapted from http://www.bibleforchildren.org/ - English - #4 God's Promise to Abraham &  #5 God Tests Abraham's Love & #5 God Tests Abraham's Love (PPoint)
  

  Volunteer Moderator Notes: for software for the Abraham & Isaac story use Sunday Software's - "Abraham & Sarah" which includes a great section on "The Near Sacrifice of Isaac" and is great for the older children.  Added August 2013.

  This software is FREE to supporting members! Check it out.

• The Bible for Children by Walt Wangerin, Jr. ISBN 052911699-5
• Bible for each student - TEV
• Journals
• Pencils, markers and/or colors
• Crossword puzzle sheets available if the lesson runs short.

Teacher Prep:

1. Read and review the Bible Background as prepared by Pastor Dean and all the corresponding Bible verses.
2. Preview the software before September 10th, taking copies home or previewing in the Computer Lab and becoming comfortable so you can help the students.
3. Have the computers on, the power point loaded on the desktop and the Children's Bible software in the cd drive.
4. Please feel free to make any changes you want.

Presentation

Opening - Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Greet the children warmly and introduce yourself. Remember that you are interacting with a different group of students every week who may not know you. Please also keep in mind that despite most kindergarteners being very computer savvy, there may be some who are confused and need that extra helping hand.

Bible Verse: Let’s say the Bible verse for this month together before we pray: what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Pray something like this: Heavenly Father, Thank you for your precious book, the Bible. Help us to get to know some of the special people in your book a little better. Help us to learn how we can show how much we love you. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

Dig - Main Content and Reflection:

SAY: Today we are going to be studying about people from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. First of all we will hear about the story of Abraham and his son, Isaac from the Old Testament. Then we will fast forward over 2000 years to a time when Jesus was living here on earth and a lesson he wanted to teach us.

Questions:

1. Who knows what an offering is? [an offering is giving something back to God like money, time or talents]
2. Do we give offerings here? [yes, both in church and during opening of Sunday School]
3. What kind of offerings are they? [money]
4. What other kind of an offering can you give? [let the students discuss the kinds of offerings they can give – their time to help a friend, their voices to sing songs during worship and Sunday School opening, etc.]
5. Do you think that God needs our offerings? [let them talk about this one and try to bring it around to the fact that everything we have comes from God in the first place and it is for our benefit that we give an offering]

SAY: In the Old Testament, God asked people to give offerings of their animals. After Jesus’ Resurrection, God doesn’t ask us to do that any more. The story of Abraham and Isaac is an unusual story because God asks Abraham to give his only son Isaac as an offering. Don’t worry, the story has a happy ending and Isaac wasn’t killed.

READ: from Walt Wangerin’s “The Bible for Children” page 41 “The Family starts with Abraham”.

SAY: It took many, many years and Abram and Sarai did not think that God would ever give them a son. All this time they continued to follow what God wanted them to do.

READ: Page 42 “God’s Promises to Abram” read through 9 (Now the Lord God did more than merely speak his promise . . . . .)

READ: Page 49 “A Son for Abraham—Isaac” and “God Tests Abraham”

SAY: Now let's go to the computers and take a look at the same story on there.

Abraham & Isaac Computer Time:
Note: The students will be using a Power Point Presentation of this story. That should be loaded on the desktop. They may need some help getting started. Have the students take turns reading if this is an option for the grade level.

Power Point presentation put on each computer adapted from
http://www.bibleforchildren.org/ - #4 God's Promise to Abraham &  #5 God Tests Abraham's Love (PPoint)

Volunteer Moderator Notes: for software for the Abraham & Isaac story use Sunday Software's - Abraham & Sarah CD-ROM which includes a great section on "The Near Sacrifice of Isaac" and is great for the older children.  Added August 2013.

This software is FREE to supporting members! Check it out.

Questions:

• What was the promise God made to Abraham? [that he would have many descendents]
• What is a descendent? [a child, grandchild, great grandchild, etc.]
• As Abraham and Sarah continued to get older did it look like this was going to happen? [no]

SAY: Abraham still trusted God. Why do you think Abraham trusted God so much? [God had never lied to Abraham or done anything to make Abraham not trust Him]

• How do you suppose Abraham felt when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac? [he was probably very sad and probably confused too]

SAY: Abraham still trusted God with the life of Abraham's most precious possession – his son Isaac. Abraham was willing to give Isaac to God as an offering.

• As I told you earlier, this story does have a happy ending. Tell me what the ending is. [God sends an angel to stop Abraham from killing Isaac and then they find a ram caught in the bushes that they use as their offering to God.]

SAY: Abraham knew that God had given Isaac to him to love and care for a short time on this earth just like all we have comes from God.

The Widow's Mite -
SAY:  In the story of Abraham and Isaac, we learned about Abraham's obedience to what God asked him to do. Now we are going to hear about a woman who gave a big little offering to God just because she loved Him so very much.

READ: Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4 from the Bible encouraging the students to follow along.

SAY: In the time that Jesus walked on earth, the Jews were instructed to give to the Temple (church) and to the poor as part of their service to God. So are we. One day Jesus sat at the Temple and watched people putting their money into the offering boxes. Some of the really rich people gave lots of money and wanted everyone to see how much they gave. Some gave money but were not happy about giving it. Then a poor woman, a widow, came up to the boxes.
The poor woman put two of the smallest coins there were in the offering box. The disciples with Jesus weren't very impressed, but Jesus said this woman has given more than any other today. How could that be? Jesus said it was because it was all she had.

How did the woman think she would buy dinner that night? She trusted God to provide for her. She obeyed God's command, knowing that He would fulfill His promise to care for her in return. We must trust God, the same way. Matthew 6:33 says: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (food, clothes, etc.) will be added to you."

Widow's Gift Computer Time – Help the students get the PLAY & LEARN Children's Bible software running from the "d" drive.

• Run
• Bible Stories
• Jesus Teaches
• A Woman's Big – Little Gift
• Would you like us to read the story to you? No

A Woman's Big Little Gift

READ:

• Do you see that poor woman? Jesus sees her: Jesus' friends see her too. The poor woman is giving money at God's house. She is giving two little coins. That's not much to give, is it?
• Do you see those rich men? Jesus sees them. Jesus' friends see them too. The rich men are giving money at God's house. They are giving many, many big coins. That's a lot to give, isn't it?
• "The poor woman is giving more than the rich men," Jesus says. His friends are surprised. How can two little coins be more than many big coins? What does Jesus mean?
• "The poor woman is giving all she has," Jesus tells his friends. "The rich men have MUCH left. That is why she is giving more than they." Jesus wants us to give our best to him. You will, won't you?

Questions:

1. Did the rich men give a lot of money? [yes]
2. Did they have any left after they gave their offering to the church? [yes]
3. Did the widow have a lot of money? [no]
4. Did the widow have a lot left after she gave her offering to the church? [no]
5. How were the rich men going to buy food for supper? [they had plenty of money left over to buy supper with]
6. How was the widow going to buy food for supper? [She didn't know but she trusted that God would take care of all her needs.]
7. What things do we have that we can give as an offering? [our time to help others, give some of our allowance to the Sunday School offering, teach others about Jesus]
8. How do you think God uses the money we give to the church? [it pays for our pastor, buys lesson materials so we can learn more about Jesus and also teach other about Jesus, it helps other people (like the widow) who are in need.
9. Why do you think it's so important that we tell others about Jesus? [Encourage the children share their thoughts. The bottom line should be that we want to also share the joy of heaven with the people we love after our life here on earth is over]

SAY: God knows what's in our hearts when we give our offerings. He knows if we are giving to make a big show like the men in the story with Jesus or if we are giving our offerings because we love God.

Journal time:
Help the students write this month's Bible verse on the top of their journal page: “for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7b NRSV

SAY: Abraham was willing to give to God one thing that he treasured more than anything else on earth—his son Isaac. The widow in the story gave all of her money to the offering. Think of one thing [or more] that you would find really hard to part with if you knew that was what God was asking of you and draw a picture of it.

Closing:

Encourage the students to come back next week when they’ll have a new room and to bring a friend with them who does not go to church or to Sunday School.
Ask if anyone has any special prayer requests and incorporate that into the closing prayer. Remind the children to also remember those requests during the week during their prayer time.

Closing prayer: Use this or something of your own.
Dear Lord,
Thank you Heavenly Father for sending your Son to die for us. Thank you for being with us as we follow you and trust you to take care of us.
Hear our prayers as we bring before you . . . . . . . .
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Extra time:
Pass out coloring sheets/puzzles for the students or let them play some of the activities on the Children's Bible CD.

A lesson written by Diane from: Augustana Lutheran Church
St. James, Minnesota