Rotation.org Writing Team

Abraham & Isaac: God Will Provide

Cooking Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activity

Students will make lamb turnovers to remember how the ram offering symbolizes God providing for us (both literally and with regard to salvation). As part of their Bible reading, they will make a small dessert pastry with scripture on it. To close, students will create a "burnt offering" of their own using paper.

Recipe Notes:
A lamb or meat turnover pastries are known the world over by various names: Kibbe" in Palestine, a "Knish" in Yiddish, or "Pierogi" in Polish, "Calzone" in Italian, and "Empanada" in Spanish. Essentially, you are making a "story sandwich."

In North America they are sometimes known as
"Hot Pockets"   

Two recipes are attached to this lesson post. Alter the recipes to suit your tastes and time. Pre-cooked ground lamb is simmered with onions and spices*. It is then assembled by students onto the pre-made puff pastry squares for baking.

*Spices = there are many Kibbe/Pierogi/turnover spice variations. You could go with simple oregano and garlic added to the onion/meat mixture, or go more Middle Eastern with the addition of raisins, cilantro, cummin, etc. Students will taste ingredients and can make different versions of the turnover.

BONUS:

See the author's note below in 'reply' to this lesson about "Cooking as Storytelling" to understand how the lesson activity is designed to teach the story

Scripture

Passage: Genesis 22:1-18

Key/Memory Verse:  Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." Genesis 22:8a (NRSV)

Objectives for the Rotation and this Workshop

• Read the Bible Background for this Writing Team lesson set, and read the extra notes below in the lesson plan for the objectives for this particular workshop.

Preparation

• Decide if you can fit all the lesson activities into your class time, and consider the writer's notes about condensing.
• Attached to this lesson are two easy-to-make Middle Eastern-style "lamb turnover" recipes. Similar lamb turnover (pierogi/empanadas with lamb) can be found online. Choose one and prepare the meat in advance. Students will taste the individual ingredients before mixing and folding them into a puff pastry (turnover dough you have purchased in advance) and baking. Figure about 10 minutes to assemble (during which time you are talking about ingredients and beginning to introduce the story) and 15-18 minutes for baking depending on your recipe (during baking you are reading and discussing the story).
  
  

  Cook the meat filling ahead of time in preparation for this lesson. Shred the lamb and also have shredded beef as a substitute for those who don't like the taste of lamb. Leave out some of the spices for the children to add during assemble. (Use your judgment here about what to add later based on the recipe you select.)

• You may choose to make a "scripture turnover" dessert after making the lamb turnover using a small bit of puff pastry, pie filling and icing. If so, prep those ingredients.  It is strongly suggested that you do not eliminate the lamb turnover in favor of the sweet pastry. This lesson focuses on what the lamb means.
• Assemble cooking and serving supplies.
• Purchase flash paper, and/or prepare for a safe burning place for the reflection offerings.
• Arrange for some extra kitchen helpers.
  

Materials List

• Bibles
• White board or Paper (appropriate markers)
• Recipe items (see attachment) and cooking supplies, such as, wooden spoons, skillet(s) for warming the pre-cooked meat, and pastry brushes.
• Prepared puff pastry squares, ground lamb/meat filling, spices, etc per the recipe.
• Plates, napkins, forks.
• Powdered sugar and baggies (scissors) for decorating the Bible pastry.
• Flash Paper (or slips of paper) and method of burning up the paper to make a burnt offering. (See notes in the Reflection)

Lesson Plan

Open

Welcome your students and tell that that today they will be making a kind of turnover, -a traditional meat filled turnover that goes by many names in different countries.

Ask them what they know about the Abraham and Isaac story. List it on the board and give them clues about parts of the story they are struggling to fill in. (During the first week of the rotation, they may not know any part of the story).

After making the knishes/pierogis/empanadas, you will have time to read the story of Abraham and Issac, while the meat turnovers bake (about 15 minutes depending on your recipe).

Assemble!  (10 - 15 minutes)

Have children wash their hands and then gather around for assembling the lamb turnovers.

Ask:  Has anyone here eaten a 'lamb turnover' before?  (Many of your students may never have had lamb, or had it prepared in this way.)

Say: Lamb was considered a delicacy in Bible times, an expensive meat served at important occasions. Because of its value, when you gave someone a lamb, you were honoring them.

Say: Lambs were also something people in the Bible gave to God as an "offering."

Ask: What is an offering? What offerings do we give today in church?

Say: In the story we will read in a few minutes, God tested Abraham's faith by asking for his son's life, and Abraham almost did it, but at the last moment, just when Abraham raised his knife to offer his son's life, God stopped Abraham and provided a ram instead, which is a grown up lamb.

Ask: What do you think of when you hear the word turnover?  (sweet!)

Say: Have you ever had a meat turnover?  Meat turnovers are known the world over by various names: Kibbe" in Palestine, a "Knish" in Yiddish, or "Pierogi" in Polish, "Calzone" in Italian, and "Empanada" in Spanish.   In North America you might call them "Hot Pockets"   or sandwiches!!

Say: To remember this amazing event, today we are going to make lamb turnovers. (and if time, a sweet turnover too)

Do:  Have one of the children add butter to the skillet (temp set to med high), then have another child warm the pre-cooked meat mixture in the skillet.  (If you're also making a batch with beef you'll need a second skillet.)

Say as you add the meat to the skillet:

In the Bible, people gave lambs to the Temple priests who cooked them as offerings of thanksgiving and repentance (explain that word). They became symbols of God providing us with what we need: all good things & forgiveness! 

Ask: Can you think of a meal we celebrate in our church to remember another important event? (Last Supper).

Say: We only use wine/juice and bread to celebrate, but Jesus and the disciples also had lamb at that Passover meal too!

Jesus was also called the "Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world."  

Jesus was God's offering to the world for its sins.

Say as you add spices:

(Note: Depending on the recipe you choose, what you say here will vary.)

(Before adding any ingredients into your meat mixture, have the students taste it.

Then make these points as you add ingredients to the meat mixture.)

(1) TASTING: Being open to God's calling, often means taking risks and stepping out of our comfort zone.  God wants to add spice to our life by enriching our relationship with Him! He wants us to learn and grow our faith in ways we never expected. Taste and See that the Lord is Good!

(2)  NUTMEG: Saying you hear God's call, and will do anything to follow him sounds kind of "nutty" to most people. Do you think Abraham's friends thought he was nutty? How about Issac? When you believe, then God's commands don't sound nutty at all, they sound right.

(3)  FIGS/RAISINS:  What's the "sweet thing" to remember in this story?  Adding a bit of sweetness to the meat is a Middle Eastern style of cooking. 

Assemble the Meat Turnovers:

Say: God provides! --and food is great reminder of that.

Ask: (As you put the turnovers in the oven)
Did Abraham and Isaac eat the Ram offering provided by God?

Say: Yes, they probably did. Many meat offerings given to God later when they built the Temple were called "burnt" offerings and were eaten by the priests, in the same way we eat Communion bread and drink from Jesus' cup.

The taste of the food reminds us of the story.
The nourishment of the food reminds us that God takes care of us. God provides.

Baking Time with the Bible

While baking your meat turnovers, you'll have about 15 minutes to dig into Genesis 22:1-18. Students will make a Bible dessert pastry and put it in the oven for a few minutes once the lamb turnovers are done.

Start reading the story of Abraham and Issac together.

Then provide each student with an individual plate and a chilled square of puff pastry. Provide students with pastry dough and fruit pie filling to dollop onto their pastry. Don't over fill. Fold pastry and crimp edges and set aside.

Ask:  What is the "sweet" (good) idea we learn in this story about God?  

About Abraham? About Issac?

Make your point about "Sacrifices in those Days"!

Say: Abraham expected God to require him to kill his son. Other gods in other religions in those days often required terrible sacrifices. They were afraid their gods would not help them if they didn't give blood sacrifices. But Abraham learned that his new god, the God who called him to Canaan, the one and only God and Creator of the Universe, was good. Abraham thought he was going to have to "appease" (bargain with) a demanding God. But God showed Abraham that God was good, and could be trusted to always provide what the people needed. This is the kind of God we worship and give our lives to.

**Your lamb turnovers should now be about done.**

Take them out of the oven and let them cool for 2 - 3 minutes before eating.

** Put the dessert turnovers in the oven**
Bake at 350 until golden brown (about 5-7 minutes).  When done, remove from the oven and have the students write the words "God Provides" on top of the turnover using a mixture of powdered sugar & water in a small baggie to 'squirt' onto the turnover. Eat these as your dessert course after enjoying the lamb turnovers.

While you're waiting for the sweet turnovers to bake, enjoy tasting the lamb turnovers.

Tips:

Reflect

After finishing your Lamb Turnovers, and while enjoying your Bible Dessert Turnovers, begin to introduce this final reflection activity.

Tips: You may choose to use magician's flash paper (found online and in local magic shops), or slips of regular paper, depending on your location.  If you are using an outdoor grill or fireplace, you may also want to save one of your lamb empanada/turnovers to turn it into a complete burnt offering on the fire. (It will make another memorable lesson hook.)

Completing the theme of "burnt offerings," students will "burn up" something they are willing to offer to God.

What are you willing to give up ("burn") to be a better follower of Jesus?

Discuss these options with your students:

• What about offering up your sinful thoughts?  --jealousy, envy, hate.  
• What about burning up a particular sin that is keeping you from being faithful? (such as, selfishness)
• What about burning up being able to do whatever you want and put God first?
• Burning up being able to sleep-in on Sunday?
• What about burning up your holding a grudge against someone?
• Burning up making yourself #1 in your life over the needs of others.
• What about money would you be willing to burn it up?  (You don't burn up money, but the love of money.)
• Jesus said you must be willing to lose your life in order to gain it. What did he mean for you to give up? Your life? Or behaviors that were holding you back from life with him?
  
  

Students choose something on their hearts and write it on (flash) paper and give it to the teacher for the burning ceremony.

Note: Depending on your situation and safety needs, you may choose to use regular slips of paper or use magician's flash paper.  Both can be turned into "burnt offerings" --over a skillet on the stove, or outside in a small outdoor fire, fireplace, or portable grill. Use with supervision.

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

Time considerations:  You will need a total of about 45 minutes to Assemble and Bake the lamb turnovers, study the scripture and make the Dessert Turnover, and reflect with the Burnt Offering paper slips. If you don't have this amount of time, skip the dessert turnover, not the lamb turnover as it is central to the taste of the scripture!

Adaptations for younger children:  Simplify your language and concepts. The idea of "eating a burnt Ram" or eating a "baby sheep" (lamb) may be disturbing, so keep it simple.  Focus on the food as a symbol of how God provides for our needs.  The lamb reminds us of the Ram given to Abraham in place of Isaac. The spices and sweetness of the recipe reminds us that God gives us good things, not bad.

Written by: Neil MacQueen with help from Luanne Payne

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