Ideas that children can do before the programme starts. Suitable for children's work, where the children trickle in.

Today we are going to hear a story about Hagar who runs away from Sarai, because Sarai makes her life difficult. She runs away, but is seen and 'tagged' by God. He has an assignment for her: go back to Abram and Sarai. But fortunately He also has a promise for her: many descendants and a powerful son whom she is to call Ishmael - God who listens.

Do:
Play tag with the children who come in. One of the leaders is 'it'. When everyone is tagged, one of the children can be 'it'.

When everyone is tagged and has caught their breath a bit, tell them something about today's Bible story.

Tell:
Today we are going to hear a story about Hagar who runs away from Sarai, because Sarai makes her life difficult. She runs away, but is seen and 'tagged' by God. He has an task for her to do: to go back to Abram and Sarai. But fortunately He also has a promise for her: She will have many descendants and a powerful son whom she may call Ishmael, which meand 'God who listens' .

A fun crafts idea about the Bible story of Abram counting the stars

Abraham: God's firm promises

This is a simple but fun craft on Flame Creative Kids with a real ‘awe’ factor when the children see the curds and whey separating.  The fact that something solid is made from the liquid helps children to reflect on the fact that God’s promises to Abraham are solid and firm and that Abraham can trust God to do as he says.  This activity is linked to the story of Abraham in Genesis 15, where God tells Abraham: “Look at the sky. See the many stars. There are so many you cannot count them. Your family will be like that.”

Discover the idea here. 

Ideas that children can do before the programme starts. Suitable for children's work, where children gradually trickle in.

Today we are going to hear a story about Abram who has to trust in God again. First, God asked Abram to go to a new land and leave his old life behind. Now God asks him to trust that one day he will really have a child, even if he is already older than a grandfather.

What do you need:

- newspapers
- adhesive tape
- a book

What do you do:

Use this secular YouTube video to hold a creative discussion with the children about the Bible story.

A mouse wants to go to the moon because he thinks that the moon is made of cheese. He builds a rocket, flies off and lands on a large piece of cheese. He thinks that this is the moon, but he has landed on a large piece of cheese in the cheesemongers.

 
Why is this film applicable to the story of the call of Abram? 

Both Abram and the mouse go on a journey because they have a dream. Abram dreams of the promised land and a large number of descendants. God has promised him this. Do they both reach their destination? Why (not)?

Important questions:

It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself:
- do I want to show this to the children?
- does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?

If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:

Download the PDF

Due to the length of the text this idea can be downloaded as a PDF.

Download the PDF:  Scraps---a-YouTube-video-and-creative-discussion.pdf

Watch the video:

Use this creative activity to teach about the story of the priest Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel

Zechariah is in the temple. Suddenly the angel Gabriel appears and tells him that he and his wife are going to have a baby. But wait a minute! That’s not possible! They’re both much too old! Can we trust what the angel Gabriel says?

This idea is part of a complete Sunday school lesson on Zechariah meeting the angel Gabriel, as part of our series for advent and Christmas.

What do you need: 

- an bottle of medicine or a pot of pills

What to do:

Any children’s worker can tell this story using the Gospel magic trick of the Joker Tube / Stratosphere

Ask a child to come forward as a volunteer and show him/her the Joker Tube and asks if he knows what order the colours are in a traffic light. Red at the top, yellow in the middle and green at the bottom. The child gives you the coloured balls and you put them in the right order into the tube. Then you start telling the story...

"Joseph and Mary have travelled a long way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It’s busy. Lots of people have come to register. Joseph looks at Mary. He knows that she can give birth any moment soon. It’s important for him to find an inn where they can stay.

He knocks on the door of the first inn he comes across. “Hello, do you have a place for us to stay for the night?”

You look questioningly at the child and the child says ‘no’. You lift the covering of the tube and the lights are all mixed up.

Joseph is confused. How can this happen? Mary trusted God. He trusted God and now there is no place for them to stay. No place where the son of God can be born? Joseph doesn’t understand. How is this possible?

Take the three balls out of the tube and put them back again in the right order.

Joseph starts to worry a little now. Quickly he rushes to the next inn. He knocks on the door of the second inn. “Hello, my wife is pregnant. Do you have a place for us to stay for the night?”

You look again questioningly at the child and the child says again ‘no’. You lift the covering of the tube and the lights are all mixed up again for the second time.

Joseph starts to panic. How can this happen? Will God desert them? Is God not to be trusted?

Take the three balls out of the tube and this time you put them back again in a different order: yellow first, then red and then lastly green.

Joseph knows he has one more opportunity. The last inn in Bethlehem. He runs as fast as he can and knocks at the door. “Hello, my wife can give birth any moment now. Please, please, do you have a room for us? Have mercy!”

You look questioningly at the child for the last time and the child says ‘no’ for the third time. You lift the covering of the tube and this time there are two red lights in your traffic light and the green light has disappeared. You’ll hear the amazement from your public and you use this amazement to focus on Joseph’s amazement.

How is this possible? Why has God deserted them? Why? It wasn’t easy for Joseph to marry a pregnant Mary. Everyone in the village had spoken of their shame. But he did it, because he trusted God and now this. How can it be?

And then someone, we don’t know who, shows love and compassion to Joseph and Mary. God does care for them. Someone has a place for them in a stable.

You take the three balls out of the tube and this time you put them back again in a different order: In the stable is some straw: the yellow ball. There is a small manger: the red ball and some blankets: another red ball.

That night Joseph and Mary discover that they can trust God. He does take care of them. That the night the traffic light in Bethlehem turns...

You lift the cover away from the tube.

Green!! Green for Joseph and Mary. Green for us all."

Tthank the child who helped you and make sure he/she gets a round of applause. Then go straight into the end of the Cut and Restore trick and ask the girl who took care of your rope and knot to come forward and demonstrate the birth of Jesus Christ this way. Immanuel - God coming down to earth.

To demonstrate this you keep the rope vertical and move your hand down from the top to the bottom. When you reach the knot half way down the rope you move the knot down as you keep talking about God coming down from heaven.

Ask the girl to open her hands and slowly let the knot drop into her hands. Jesus is born in the stable and I ask her to take care of Jesus. She can keep the knot as a symbol of Jesus being born. Before she leaves the stage make sure she gets a around of applause.

You can do this too during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson

Watch the demonstration video

You can see me doing a full demonstration of this story and magic trick in the video below.

Don't forget – any children’s worker can do this Gospel magic trick. It only needs a little bit of practice. So give it a try!

Having a conversation round the campfire

We’re going to think about the calling of Moses sitting around a campfire.

Themes:

Moses, calling, fire

You can use this for:

Creative prayer idea, creative illustration of a Bible story/theme

Bible text:

“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. Moses thought: "I will go over and see this strange sight- why the bush does not burn up." (Exodus 3: 2,3)

What do you do:

Tell:
This activity fits in with the story of the calling of Moses.

Do:
The question to ask around the campfire is: "What would you ask or tell God, if you were to meet Him?".

Make a camp fire in a barbecue or on a suitable piece of ground. Using some good bits of wood and firelighters you’ll have a nice fire in no time.

While the fire is burning and the children are standing around it, tell them the story of the shepherd Moses who is walking with his sheep through the desert. Suddenly he also sees a fire. But this is a very special fire, because the wood is not burning up.

Tell:
Tell the story..

God talks to Moses through the fire.

Ask:
Today I have a question for you. Moses met God at the fire:
-  What would you say to God if you were to meet Him,  just like Moses?
-  What would you want to tell Him?
-  Or ask Him?

Use this powerful object lesson to demonstrate what it means to have faith

You take an seemingly empty cup. You fill the cup with water. When you turn the cup upside down, no water comes out.

How can this be? It is not because of the cup, but because of what is in the cup. It is a very easy Gospel magic trick that we will explain below.

Why call it gospel magic, and not just a trick?

Because you can use this trick to explain to children, teenagers and adults what it means to have faith:

You ask a child, teenager or adult to sit on a chair. You fill the cup with water and you promise them that you will turn the cup over above their heads, but that no water will come out. They don't even have to blink their eyes. Can they trust you? It is hard to trust when everything inside you screams the opposite.

This is what faith is. 

You can combine this trick with stories in the Bible where people had to show great faith before the miracle happened.  Stories like the building of the ark, Abram sacrificing his son, Moses in front of the Red Sea, the fall of Jericho, etc, etc.

Themes: 

Trusting, having faith, unbelief, doubt

What do you need:

The stuff that you will need to do this trick is called 'Slush powder' and you can buy it through our friends at Mission Magic or here on Amazon. 

How do you tell the Bible story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace in a new way?

Or the story of Daniel in the lion’s den? Or the story of Jonah in the fish? Or the story of the Israelites walking through the Red Sea? 

Well, it's very easy. All you need is two oranges and a jug of water. Fun, easy, healthy and unforgettable!

Most of these ideas are members only. To give you an indication of the quality and content of our material we have made a number of ideas available for free - see below.

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