FAITH QUEST

 

Adam and Eve

 

PRAISING PUPPETS

 

 

Scripture:  Genesis 3

 

Memory Verse:     “Look deep into my heart, God, and find out everything I am thinking.   Don’t let me follow evil ways, but lead me in the way time has proven true.” 

Psalm 139:23-24 (CEV)

    

Concepts:          

                                   

Objectives:     This workshop will focus on helping children understand that when we are disobedient, there are consequences for us and sometimes for others.  These consequences include loss of privilege and feeling separated from loved ones.  People who care about us (and God) will come after us and forgive us.  In the first skit, the disobedient ones are children who do not follow their parents’ rules; this can be applied in the discussion to disobedience of God.  The second skit uses a child feeling separated from her friends who come looking for her.  Again, the discussion must apply this to feeling separated from God.

 

Procedure:                                          

Welcome and Introductions:

  1. Greet the children and introduce yourself.
  2. Tell the children that today they will use the puppets to learn about disobedience and its consequences.

 

Bible Story: 

  1. Move through this as quickly as you can.  The children will be eager to get to the puppets.  For the first two weeks of the lesson, you will need to tell the story to the class. After that a quick review should suffice.   Review the previous rotation story from Genesis 2—Adam and Eve live in the Garden of Eden, and God has told them they can eat fruit from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when they eat of it they will surely die.  Then move on to this rotation’s story from Genesis 3.  You can share some basic Bible facts:  the story comes from the Bible, the Bible is God’s Word, and the story is from the book of the Bible called Genesis.  Then tell the story from Genesis 3.  A serpent (tell kids snake if they don’t know serpent) asks Eve “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  Eve says that they cannot eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they will die.  The serpent says they will not die, they will just be like God, knowing good and evil.  Eve disobeys God and eats the fruit because she wants wisdom.  She also gives some to Adam, who eats it.  Their eyes are opened to evil, and they realize they have no clothes on.  They hide from God because they are ashamed.   But God calls out to them, “Where are you?”  Adam says, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”  God asks whether they ate the forbidden fruit.  Adam blames Eve; Eve blames the serpent.  God gives out consequences.  He makes all serpents’ lives harder until the end of time because the serpent tricked Eve.  God makes Adam and Eve’s lives harder too—they must leave the paradise of Eden, and growing food and having children will be much harder in the future for all mankind because Adam and Eve disobeyed. 
  2. After reviewing the story (and in the third-fourth weeks of the rotation when the children are already familiar with the story you can just start here), discuss it briefly.  What did God allow Adam and Eve to do?  Not to do? Did they obey?  How did Adam and Eve feel after they disobeyed God?  (ashamed, separated)  Is this a good feeling to have?  What happened to them because they disobeyed?  (The snake is cursed and will be disliked by humans; Eve will have pain in childbirth; and Adam will have to work hard to grow food.)   Do you think God knew they had disobeyed before they told him? (Yes, He knows everything that happens.)  Why did he come looking for them? (He loved and cared about them)  Did Eve’s disobedience get Adam into trouble?  (Yes, but he could still have chosen to obey without her)  How could they have encouraged each other to be good and obey God?  Did God still love them after they disobeyed?  (Yes)  Does he love us after we disobey Him?  (Yes)

 

Application:  

Note:  There are 2 skits.  Each has 5 characters.  You may have to repeat one of the skits to give everyone a chance to perform or you might choose different options about who speaks depending on how many children are present.  Let each child have a chance to operate a puppet or they will be disappointed.  There are a lot of questions provided, probably more than you could possibly cover.  Choose the questions you feel are most relevant for your age group, but do ask enough questions to relate these skits to the concepts we are teaching about God.

  1. Divide the class into groups of five children who want to perform with a puppet.  (Infrequently, a child does not want to operate a puppet.) 
  2. You have several options about who will read the parts.  You may pre-record the entire skit on cassette tape before Sunday (this always worked well for me when I was a PP workshop leader).  You can choose a narrator (add a sixth child who will not use a puppet or use a shepherd or workshop leader) to read all the puppet parts while children act out with the puppets.  You may also allow each child to read and act out his/her own puppet part (this works well with 3rd grade and up).  
  3. Give out scripts to each group.  Let five children per group choose a puppet. 
  4. Allow the groups 5 minutes or so to practice their script.  Grades 1&2: The shepherd and workshop leader should help with the scripts, perhaps even “speaking” the voices while the children act them out. You may want to do this for the other grades as well to keep the pace moving and to allow the children to focus on what is being said and not the mechanics of reading.
  5. When performing the skits, you may use the pre-recorded version.
  6. If you have a large group of children, you may repeat either skit so everyone has a turn.
  7. After skit 1, the workshop leader can ask a puppet a question about some aspect of the skit scenario. Tell the children to imagine how the puppet would answer and then give that answer, still as the puppet.  Ex:  Annie, are you sorry you encouraged your friends to pick flowers?  How do you (any other child) feel about seeing Mrs. Williams in the future?  (Any of the children) Are you afraid of what your parents are going to do?      
  8. Then ask the performers to sit down and have a brief discussion with all children about what happened in the play.  Some possible discussion questions follow.  What do you think the children really thought was the right thing to do about picking the flowers?  Do we usually know what God thinks is right and wrong?  what our parents think is right and wrong?  How did the children’s desire for the flowers make them ignore those basic feelings of right and wrong?  How can our own wants make us disobey? (Encourage stories if they feel like sharing.)  Did the friend saying it was probably okay to pick the flowers, help them to forget what they probably knew was right or wrong?   Could one of them have encouraged everyone to obey what they knew was right?  Can we do that in our own lives about God and our parents?  (Hebrews 10:24  “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”)  Was Mrs. Williams wrong to not want the children picking her flowers? 
  9. Perform skit 2.  After skit 2, the workshop leader can again ask a puppet a question.  Ex:  Were you angry with Annie, or would you rather just forget about the whole thing?  Why did you go looking for Annie?  Annie, was it lonely being unsure that your friends would want to play with you?    
  10. Then discuss skit 2 together.  Why did Annie stay inside for so many days?  What was she feeling toward her friends?  Do you ever feel like that when you have disobeyed God?  disobeyed your parents?  Did her friends still care about her?  Do you think God (and your parents) come looking for you when you separate yourself after being disobedient?  Do you think God (and your parents) still loves you?  Are there consequences for disobeying?  Is it better to obey or suffer the consequences?  Are some consequences for life, like Adam and Eve’s (ex.  knocking out permanent teeth, breaking or loosing a one-of-a-kind thing)?  See whether the kids can think of some.
  11. If you have to repeat a skit to give everyone a turn, you may hold the discussion until the last time you have repeated the skit.

 

Wrap-up:

Review the two concepts covered and ask whether there are any questions. 

 

Reflection Time:

  1. Ask the shepherds to pass out the journal sheets and pencils/markers.  Tell the younger children to think of something God has asked us to do (ex. read the Bible, pray, love each other, accept Jesus as Savior).  Then draw a picture of it.  Tell the older children to write three things that God has asked us to do if we love Him.   If they have time, they can illustrate. 
  2. Ask the students to close their journals and sit quietly for prayer.

 

Closing:

Prayer:  Close with a simple prayer about obedience, asking God to help us understand how to be obedient to His will.  Ask God to help each of us to be closer to him, knowing that He will always search for us if we move away from Him. 

 

Tidy and Dismissal: Ask children to help clean up as they wait for their parents to arrive.  Put pillows behind stage area. Put away boom box, workshop bin, etc

 

Teacher preparation in advance:

1.      Pray:  Ask God to give you the talents, words, assurance and patience you need to teach His children this lesson. 

2.      Read the scripture passages and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Bible Study.

3.      Make at least 12 copies of each script page.  Cut the scripts into pieces so that each player can have a copy.  You can also post two copies of the script at each end of the stage so puppeteers can refer to it.

4.      Prepare a closing prayer.

5.      If you choose to pre-record the scripts, borrow the boom box from the church and using a scratch tape-record the scripts.  Family members and their friends can have a lot of fun playing the different parts.

 

Materials:

1. Copies of the script.

 

References:

Notes supplied by Susan Mazzara for curriculum writers' Bible study in March 2002.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DISOBEY?

 

SKIT 1

 

 

John:  “Mrs. Williams has so many pretty flowers in her garden.”

 

Melissa:  “I’d like to pick some of them to take home.”

 

Tom: “My parents always say not to take anything without asking first.” 

 

Annie:  “But don’t your parents always tell you to share?  Mrs. Williams should share her flowers.  She once told my mother it was ok to pick some.”

 

John:  “Then it’s probably ok for us to pick a few.”  (picking flowers)

 

Melissa: “I’m going to pick one of these red ones and two of those yellow ones over there.”  (picking) 

 

Tom: “I don’t feel right about this.” (picking)

 

Annie:  “It’s fine.  I saw my mom pick a lot of these for a party she was having.”

 

(All are picking flowers now.)

 

Mrs. Williams:  “What are you children doing in my yard?  Why have you picked all of those flowers?  Don’t you have any respect for other people’s property?  I will call your parents and tell them what you have done.”

 

John:  “Annie, we shouldn’t have listened to you.”

 

Melissa:  “Now we’re all in trouble with our parents.”

 

Tom:  “My parents are going to be very unhappy that I took something that wasn’t mine.”

 

Annie:  “You didn’t have to listen to me.  You have your own minds.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

SKIT 2

 

 

John:  “Where’s Annie?  I haven’t seen her in two weeks.”

 

Melissa:  “Her parents must have grounded her and not let her play outside since we got into trouble for picking Mrs. Williams’ flowers.”

 

Tom: “Let’s go find out.”

 

(three move to house and ringing doorbell or knock) 

 

Mrs. Wood:  “Oh, hello.  Do you want to see Annie?”

 

John:  “Yes, can she play outside with us?”

 

Mrs. Wood:  “Yes, she can.  Annie…Annie”

 

Annie:  “Hi John, Melissa, Tom.  What do you want?”

 

Melissa: “Your mom said you can play outside today.  Were you grounded?”

 

Annie:  “I was for a few days.  And I had to write an apology to Mrs. Williams.  Do you want me to play?  I thought you wouldn’t want to be friends with me after I got everyone in trouble.”

 

Tom:  “I don’t care about that.  You were right, we didn’t have to listen to you.” 

 

John: “We wouldn’t let something like that end us being friends.”  

 

Melissa: “C’mon out and play.”