LESSON 4: GOD COMFORTS HAGAR

Dig In to the Bible

  • Read: Genesis 21:8-21

  • In This Passage: Kicked out of the home where she was a servant, Hagar and her teenage son, Ishmael, are on their own. Eventually they run out of food and water, and Ishmael is extremely weak and near death. God hears Hagar’s and Ishmael’s tears and sends an angel to provide water and comfort.

  • Bible Point: God is kind.

  • Summary Verse: “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens” (Psalm 8:1).

 Dig Deeper

  • You’ll Be Teaching: God is kind. Most schools teach core virtues like kindness, so kids are familiar with the admonition for them to be kind. But they may not have considered God’s kindness. Help them see this compassionate side of God!

  • Think About: Write three kind things God has done for you. Then thank him.

Dig In to Prayer

  • Ask God to show his kindness to kids through you each week you serve.

Quick Tip

  • Your environment can be one of kindness, but it’s a culture you’ll have to enforce. If you allow sarcasm and light put-downs, you may feel like you’re creating a fun space. But you never know when kids are laughing it off but hurting deep inside. Make sure your ministry is a “no sarcasm” zone, and put a stop to it any time it begins.

LESSON 4: Opening Music Videos!

Lesson 4: Step # 2
Core Bible Discovery

Supplies: Bibles * frozen items such as ice cubes, bags of frozen vegetables, or even ice-cold wet paper towels * snacks * cups of water

Lesson 4: Step #3 Talk about it with your family and play this game!

Bonus FUN!

Craft Activity!

Softballs

Supplies

  • yarn

  • scissors

Make Softballs out of Yarn

            Show kids the sample craft you made. Set out the supplies to share, and have kids follow these directions to make softballs.

  • Wrap yarn around your nondominant hand at least 20 times. (For preschoolers, it doesn’t matter which hand they use.)

  • Slide the yarn off your hand and cut the edges so you end up with a bunch of short pieces. (Older kids can do the cutting for preschoolers.)

  • Tie a piece of yarn tightly around the middle to hold all the short pieces together. (Older kids can help younger kids with this step.)

  • Poof out the yarn pieces to make a ball shape.

  • Toss the ball around to feel how soft and gentle it is. (It doesn’t even hurt if it hits your face!)

  • Got extra time? Make more!

 
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Talk About It

            • How does your craft remind you of God’s kindness?

            • What are some examples of kind and gentle things God has done for you?

  God is kind, and your craft can remind you of that. When someone is kind, they don’t hurt us. They treat us with gentleness. Feeling something soft is kind of like what kindness feels like to our hearts.

      Have kids take their softballs home and toss them around, sharing about how God is kind.

 

HIGH-ENERGY GAME TIME!!

Fill ’Er Up!

Supplies

  • 16-ounce paper cup (1 for every 4 kids)

  • 5-ounce disposable cups (1 for every 4 kids)

  • basins (small storage tubs) (1 for every 4 kids)

  • paper towels

  • bucket of water

  • upbeat music (optional)

  • music player (optional)

Easy Prep

  • Use a pencil to poke a hole in the bottom of each 16-ounce cup.

Tips

  • Have a small class? This relay doesn’t have to be a competition. It’s okay to have one team and practice working together!

  • If you used the Music Video block, consider repeating the songs from today’s lesson during the game. You can find the downloadable album here.

  • Have plenty of paper towels on hand to mop up spills—some will happen!

 

Keep a Leaky Cup Filled

            Say: Today we’re exploring how God is kind. God showed his kindness to Hagar by giving her more water just when she’d run out. Let’s see what a quick game of Fill ’Er Up! can teach us about God’s kindness!

  • Have kids form mixed-age teams of four and stand against one wall of your room.

  • Give each team a 16-ounce cup with a hole, a 5-ounce cup, and a basin to catch water flowing from the hole in the bottom of the 16-ounce cup.

  • Place a bucket of water on the other side of the room.

  • Teams will attempt to keep their large cup (held over their basin) from completely emptying by running to the bucket, filling their little cup with water, and rushing back to pour the water in the larger cup.

  • Kids will take turns running and holding the cup.

  • No holding larger cups in a way that slows the draining water!

  • If you’d like, play upbeat music while kids race.

 

Talk About It

            Ask: • What did you have to do to keep your cup from running out? How successful were you?

            • What keeps God’s kindness from running out?

            Say: God is kind, and his kindness never runs out. In our game, your cup may or may not have run out of water. But God is always pouring his kindness into our lives so that we never run out.