Abraham & the Child of Laughter
Lesson: Nothing is too difficult for God (Gen 11-21)
1. Game: Laughing Game
Play a simple laughing game; modify as you see fit.
- Mrs Mumble
- Everyone sits in a circle. First person turns to the one on the right and asks “Have you seen Mrs Mumble?” without showing his/her teeth or laughing.
- The next person has to say, “No. I’ll ask my neighbor.” And then ask the following person the same question without showing teeth or laughing.
- Ha Ha game (for younger kids only)
- Get the kids to lie on their backs, with their heads resting on another player’s stomach. Tell the kids that the aim of the game is not to laugh at all. The first kid has to say somberly “Ha”, then the next one says “Ha ha”, the third one says “Ha ha ha” and so on. The person who does not laugh at all wins.
2. Story:
- The last time we learnt that God gave many promises to Abram.
- One of the promises was that Abram will have many children, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the shores.
- But as many years passed (24 years since God first called Abram), Abram and his wife, Sarai, still did not have any children.
- Gen 17: Then one day, when Abram was 99 years old, God appeared to him and told him that yes, he will still have many children. In fact, God wanted to change his name to Abraham, which means “father of many nations”.
- And his wife will now be called “Sarah” — she will be the mother of nations and kings!
- Sarah was a beautiful woman, but she was also very old now. She was almost 90 years old! How many of you have grandmothers who are 90 years old?
- But God said that Sarah will have a child.
- The thought of that made Abraham fall down on his face and laugh!
- Gen 18: Another day, two men visited Abraham, and he prepared a meal for them.
- After they had eaten, they asked Abraham, “Where is your wife, Sarah?”
- “There, in the tent,” he said.
- One of the man said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
- Now Sarah was listening from inside the tent. She couldn’t believe what the man said, so she laughed to herself. “We’re both so old; how can we have a son?”
- The man said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
- Gen 21: True enough, nothing is too hard for God. One year later, Sarah gave birth to a baby! They named him “Isaac”, which means “son of laughter.”
- She said, “God has brought me laughter! Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”
3. Lesson: Good News for Today!
- When all else fails, know that God is all powerful and NOTHING is too difficult for Him.
- Romans 4:18 says, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’”
- Whatever problem you may face, trust that God will always keep His promises.
- Isaac brought much joy to Abraham and Sarah.
- The good news is that through Isaac, God brought another special baby in an even more miraculous way. This baby’s name was Jesus, and His birth brought lots of laughter and joy to the whole world! Praise the Lord!
- Memory Verse: “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” Genesis 21:6
4. Activity ideas:
- Song: Ah Lord God (Nothing is too difficult for you)
- Craft:
- Something smiley face related, e.g. a happy face mask, with memory verse “God has brought me laughter.” (Genesis 21:6)
- Other ideas: Toothy Puppet, Smiling Craft
