Abraham and Sarah: THE BIBLE Video Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Watch portions of the 20th Century Fox Dino DeLaurentiis 1966 classic movie The Bible: In the Beginning, now available on DVD, starring George C. Scott and Eva Gardner as Abram and Sarai.

Lesson Objective:

To introduce the story about God’s promise to Abraham, so the children will learn that they can trust God to fulfill his promises to them as well.

Leader Preparation:

• Preview the video.
• Make sure your technology for showing the video is working. (See tips and techniques here.)

Supplies List:

• The Bible video cued to just after story about Tower of Babel – narrator “ten generations after…” Available on Amazon Prime (streaming) and from Amazon and other retailers.
• Bibles
• Popcorn

LESSON

Opening- Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Greet the children and introduce yourself.

Dig-Main Content and Reflection

Watch portions of the video. Pause the video to discuss as needed

Synopsis:

The Bible video cued to just after story about Tower of Babel – narrator “ten generations after…”
Play Abram and his Father Terah, his wife Sarai, and his nephew Lot leave their home city of Ur of the Chaldees in Mesopotamia.
Arrives in Canaan.
Fast forward through “love scene”
Abram and Lot split up
Lot goes to the plains with cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
God promises Abram to make his descendants as numerous as the “dust.”
Fast forward through the bloody dream sequence sacrifice.
God tells Abram that he will have a son named Isaac.
Sarai arranges for Abram to take her maid Hagar and have a child.
Fast forward through the 4 warring kings part.
Abram sacrifices another animal to celebrate his victory over the warring kings.
God renames him Abraham and Sarai, Sarah; tells him he will have a son with Sarah.
Circumcision is commanded as a sign of the covenant.
Hagar asks Abraham to bless Ishmael.
Abraham speaks of his faith in God.
Three strangers come; Abraham recognizes them as messengers from God; they are on their way to Sodom; one asks about Sarah and says she will have a son within the year; she laughs and denies it
Abraham asks the messenger to spare the righteous in Sodom (his nephew Lot is there)
Fast forward through the Sodom scenes.
Start video after Lot’s wife is turned to pillar of salt.
Sarah has Isaac.

  – END

Discuss the video and go through the review questions as time permits (below).

Reflection and Closing:

We talk about Abraham being one of the fathers of our faith. Did Abraham always do the right thing?

Abraham did not always do exactly what God wanted him to do, but he tried to trust God and God blessed him. God did not tell him to have a child with Hagar, that was Sarah’s idea and it caused many problems. When Abraham trusted God, things turned out better than when he tried to solve problems on his own.

What sort of promises did God make to Abraham? Did God keep those promises? Did Abraham always trust that God would keep those promises?

Does God make promises to us? What?

End with a prayer for the Holy Spirit to help us have faith in all things.

God’s Covenant with Abraham
Review Questions

NOTE: We use review questions with almost every workshop, children are given tickets for correct answers that they may redeem for prizes on the last Sunday of the month.

What book of the Bible is the story of Abraham found?
1) The Book of Genesis
2) The Book of Abraham

What was Abraham’s name before God changed it?
1) Abdul
2) Abram

What was Abraham’s wife’s’ name?
1) Hagar
2) Sarah

Abraham had two sons, true or false?
1) True
2) False

Abraham was born in what town:
1) Haran
2) Ur

Abraham’s father was named:
1) Lot
2) Terah

Abraham’s father lived 205 years old, true or false:
1) True
2) False

How old was Abraham when God told him to move?
1) 75
2) 99

How old was Abraham when Isaac was born?
1) 75
2) 100

Abraham’s nephew Lot moved to what town:
1) Salem
2) Sodom

How many descendants did God promise Abraham?
1) As many as the stars in the sky
2) As many as sand on the seashore
3) Both 1 and 2

Jesus is a descendant of Abraham, true or false:
1) True
2) False

All Christians and Jews are descendants of Abraham and Sarah, true or false:
1) True
2) False

Did God’s promises to Abraham come true?
1) Yes
2) No

God sent messengers to destroy two cities, which were they?
1) Sodom and Gomorrah
2) Haran and Ur

Abraham always did exactly what God wanted him to do, true or false:
1) True
2) False
The point of the story is that Abraham did not always do exactly what God wanted him to do, but he tried to trust God and God blessed him. God did not tell him to have a child with Hagar, that was Sarah’s idea and it caused many problems. When Abraham trusted God, things turned out better than when he tried to solve problems on his own.

The first part of the memory verse is:
1) God is not a man that he should lie
2) God is not a man, he lies

The memory verse is:
1) Genesis 23:19
2) Numbers 23:19

What was the name of the land God promised to Abraham?
1) Israel
2) Canaan

The name of Sarah’s son was?
1) Ishmael
2) Isaac

What does the name Isaac mean?
1) Son of Abraham
2) Laughter

What does the name Abram mean?
1) Father
2) Nation

What does the name Abraham mean?
1) Blessed by God
2) Father of many nations

What does the name Sarai mean?
1) Sweet
2) Princess

How was Lot related to Abraham?
1) Lot was Abraham’s brother
2) Lot was Abraham’s nephew

Abraham got mad at Lot and sent him away, true or false:
1) True
2) False

Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt, true or false:
1) True
2) False

Who was Hagar?
1) Lot’s wife
2) Sarah’s Egyptian maid

Ishmael loved his little brother Isaac and treated him well, true or false:
1) True
2) False

Abraham was a poor man who lived in a tent because he could not afford a house, true or false:
1) True
2) False
The Bible tells us that Abraham was a very wealthy man, with lots of cattle, sheep, goats, camels and many servants. He lived in a tent because he had to travel to take his animals to grazing land and water.

True or False, King David was a descendant of Abraham:
1) True
2) False

True or False, Sarah laughed when she heard the stranger say she would have a son in a year:
1) True
2) False

Who attacked the cities of the plains and took Lot captive?
1) Warring kings
2) The Egyptians

What did Abraham do when he found out Lot had been captured?
1) Asked God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah
2) Raised an army of 300 men and defeated the warring kings and released the captives

What did Abraham do to celebrate his victory?
1) Had a big victory feast
2) Built an altar to God

Who was Melchizedek?
1) A king and priest who blessed Abraham
2) A king who attacked Sodom and took Lot captive

What did Abraham give Melchizedek?
1) A tenth of all he owned
2) A tenth of all the goods he captured from the warring kings

A lesson from First Nazarene Church, San Benito, TX  

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Abraham's Covenant, God's Promises,
and Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream of the Future

A Video Workshop

Summary

Students will watch and compare two videos, one about God's promises to Abraham and the other about the promises of God that Martin Luther King Jr. foresaw as coming true "one day" in his "I Have a Dream" speech. Students will conclude with their own dreams for the future.

Scripture Reference:

Genesis 15:1-6.

Supplies List:

• YouTube video "God's Promise for Abraham" (Saddleback Kids)
• YouTube video of MLK "I Have a Dream" speech
• A computer/cellphone that can connect to YouTube and also connect to a large screen. See tips and techniques here.
• Popcorn

Advanced Preparation Requirements:

• Have the video ready to go. (Make sure your internet hookup is adequate.)
• Pop the popcorn.

Lesson

Opening:

Greet the children and introduce yourself. Explain what they'll be doing today and what you hope they will learn.

Bible Study:

Explain that a "dream" is sometimes called a "vision," and give an example of a dream/vision for your own life.

Ask students to share a dream/vision for the following:

• a Dream for your own life
• a Dream for our Sunday School class
• a Dream for our country/world

Ask: What do you think God's dream/vision is for your life? For the world?
(Jesus often described this vision of "what should be and will be" as the Kingdom of God.)

Say: What's the difference between our hopes and dreams, and God's?   (God has the power to make them come true!  In that way, God's dreams are actually PROMISES, or what the Bible calls "a Covenant" -- an unbreakable promise between God and his people.)

Say: Let's See What God's Promise to Abram was!

Show the Abraham Video

Discuss the video:

1. What promises did God make to Abraham?
2. Why was it important for God to promise Abraham that he would have many children?  What would these children of Abraham DO?   Who would they one day become? How would they change the world?
3. Are you one of Abraham's children?
   (Yes, we are all children of Abraham -- children called to worship God, live godly lives, and tell others about the wonderful promise of God to always love us.  The Bible calls this family a "Kingdom of Priests." Jesus called this vision "The Kingdom of God.")
4. Jesus reminded us of this covenant between God and Abraham and Abraham's children that God takes care of his children and does not abandon them, that God forgives his children and blesses them, and that one day the entire world would know they are so loved.

Prepare to Show the "I Have a Dream" Video Clip

Say: The movie you are about to see is a real tv broadcast from 1963. It shows one of the most famous speeches in history, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech which took place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.  Dr. King and thousands of people had marched in Washington for the dream and promise of equality, an end to racism, and a peaceful world.

As you listen to it, listen for the vision of the future Rev King expresses -- the promises of a new world  that God will one day bring about.

Watch the MLK "I Watch MLK "I Have a Dream" speech

Discussion After Speech:

Fill in these blanks from the speech:

Tip: Write these on the board ahead of time, or on a handout. Consider watching the video a second time so children can find the answers to fill in the blanks.

1. I have a dream that one day the former sons of slaves and sons of former slave owners will: _______________________________________ (be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood).
2. I have a dream.... that the heat of injustice and sweltering with the heat of oppression will be _______________________  (transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice).
3. I have a dream that little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as ______________________ (sisters and brothers).
4. I have a dream... the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and ______________________________ (all flesh shall see it together).

How similar are these dreams and promises to life in the Kingdom of God which Jesus spoke about all the time?

What are some of YOUR dreams for your life, our world? the problems people are facing?

How can we help God make these dreams come true?

Closing:

End with a prayer that has students joining hands as as one family, Abraham's children.

Quotes from MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech pertinent to this lesson and video clip:

I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right down in Alabama little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

A lesson written by member Scotter, with improvements from the Rotation.org Content Team. 

Video suggestions

Turner Broadcasting (TBS) did an Abraham mini-series in 1993 with Richard Harris as Abraham. It is great. Very authentic looking. Good for excerpting. Check Amazon.com. More details at IMDb.

(The Joseph video in that series is great too.)

Neil MacQueen

Member Cynthia suggested the Nest Entertainment Video: The Story Of Abraham And Isaac. Here is a preview:

The Test from the NEW Superbook Series is featured in our Writing Team's Abraham & Isaac: God Will Provide video workshop lesson. The students will learn the events of the Bible story and discuss how the modern day storyline presented in the video is affected by what the children learn and take away from the biblical story of Abraham & Isaac's near sacrifice.

Nice animated overview of Abraham's Call from Crossroads Kids Club ministry:

Nice short animated video of God's call to Abram and the name change to Abraham, from Saddleback Kids:

Sarah's Laughter, a short animated presentation from Saddleback Kids:

The following video from "My First Bible" presents a nice overview and summary of Abraham's many stories. 14 minutes. It covers multiple "chapters" of Abraham's life; you can skip certain sections if desired.

Chapters:

00:00 God Chooses Abram (Genesis 12 to 17)
02:50 The Cities of Sodom and Gomorra (Genesis 18 to 19)
06:34 Abraham's Son, Isaac (Genesis 21 to 22)
10:34 A Wife For Isaac (Genesis 24)

This short video (4:36 long) from Crossroad Kids' Club Storyteller series is a nice overview of the promises that God made to Abram and Sarai and their lives (up to Isaac's birth).

Here are a variety of videos about Abraham and Sarah. I have indicated in [brackets] after each movie which stories are covered.

"Abraham" (Big Bible Stories in ASL), by Deaf Missions, 35 mins.
Abraham tells his story in American Sign Language (ASL) and in the telling interacts with animated characters from the story. [includes the sacrifice of animals that sealed the covenant with God, Hagar and Ishmael, Isaac's birth, near-sacrifice of Isaac] Includes good life application point about loving God and also clear teaching of some ASL signs for key words in the story (for those who use ASL in their teaching or worship or memory verse work as well as churches that have a ministry to Deaf people.)

"Abraham" (Testament Series).  approx. 24 mins.
Clay animation. [Call, Covenant, Hagar/Ismael, Lot (Sodom & Gomorrah), Visit, Birth, Sacrifice]
Note: currently you can watch this in 3 parts on You Tube - Part 1 - The Call and Covenant (9:20 mins); Part 2: Hagar/Ismael, Lot, Visit, Birth (10:07 mins).

What’s In the Bible? #2 – Let My People Go! by Phil Vischer.
Note that DVD 2 in this series actually begins with the second part of the Genesis story, including Abraham, before getting into the Exodus story. Read more about this resource in the Outlines to each of the 13 DVDs in the What's in the Bible? series.

Part 1, Chapter 5 of this video: God’s Rescue Plan (approx. 8 mins) is a quick run-through of the following topics:  Patriarchal History (Books of the Bible), Abraham called from Ur, 3 promises, Abraham name change, Birth of Isaac, What is Faith?, Near sacrifice of Isaac, Abraham’s Lineage, Jacob, and Joseph.

Abe and His Amazing Promise (VeggieTales).
[Birth of Isaac]