Rotation.Org Writing Team

JACOB AND ESAU ROTATION

BANNER/TEXTILE WORKSHOP - PART ONE

Part One explores the differences between the twin boys, the consequences of trickery and deceit, and God’s promise to be with us through even our bad choices.

PASSAGES

Story

Genesis 25:19-34 (Jacob steals the birthright)
Genesis 27:1-35 (Jacob steals the blessing)
Genesis 27:41-43 (Jacob flees)
Genesis 28:10-16 (Jacob dreams)

Key/Memory Verse

Genesis 28:16 -- “Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place – and I did not know it!’”

PURPOSE

Children will explore an overview of the great saga of the Jacob and Esau story by creating a story banner. Each child will illustrate a single part of the story on a muslin square. The squares will be placed in order on fabric to create a banner. If there are a small number of children in the Sunday School, make one banner for the Rotation. If there are a large number of children, construct one banner per class.

Objectives for Rotation

The children will:
Find the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis in the Old Testament.
Identify the following characters and place them correctly in the story: Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, Jacob, Laban, Rachel, Leah.
Discover God's plan at work in the lives of these characters, despite their imperfections.
Understand that a loving, forgiving God is at work in their lives. We need patience, persistence, and courage to wait for God's timing.

Objectives for Banner/Textile Workshop

Children will:
Retell and sequence the story using their banner squares.

PREPARATION

Read Bible Background and all the Scripture passages.

Materials List [For Part One and Part Two]

Muslin, enough for 40 8-inch squares (20 for Part One and 20 for Part Two)
Fabric for banner background
Fabric for banner lining, if desired
Iron-on fabric adhesive such as Wonder Under or Stitch Witchery
Fabric markers in assorted colors
Masking tape
Scissors
Curtain or dowel rod
Paper
List of story strips for muslin squares

Supplies needed if quilting the banner:

Quilting needles
Quilting thread
Wash-away fabric markers
Quilt batting
Pins
Sewing machine

Advance Preparation Requirements

For the Fabric:
Pre-wash and dry the muslin, background fabric, and lining material to pre-shrink and remove sizing.
Iron the fabric adhesive to the back of the muslin following manufacturer’s directions. Leave the paper in place.
Cut the prepared muslin into 40 8-inch squares (20 squares for Part One and 20 squares for Part Two)

Story strips
Print or type the segments of the story on paper and cut them apart.

Part One
Isaac and Rebekah marry
Isaac and Rebekah have twin boys
Jacob likes to help his mother, prefers inside work
Esau is red and hairy, prefers to be outside, likes to hunt
Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau are a family
Jacob trades Esau some stew for his birthright
Jacob tricks Isaac and steals Esau’s blessing
Esau is angry
Jacob runs away
Jacob dreams about a ladder of angels

Part Two
Jacob meets Rachel and falls in love
Jacob works for Laban taking care of sheep
Laban tricks Jacob -- Jacob marries Leah
Jacob marries Rachel
Jacob has 13 children --12 boys and one girl
Jacob and his family move away
Jacob wrestles with God
Jacob is scared to meet Esau
Jacob and Esau get back together
Memory Verse

If making a quilted banner, contact someone in the congregation who quilts to help with the completion of the project.

PRESENTATION

Open - Introduction

Open with prayer.

Tell the children about the activities for the day. Explain that they will begin work on a unique banner to tell the story of Jacob and Esau.

Jacob and Esau were brothers who lived a long time before Jesus was born. Where would we find their story in the Bible, Old or New Testament? [Old] In fact, their story is one of the earliest stories in the Bible. It is found in the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis. Genesis means “beginnings.” The book of Genesis tells about the beginning of the people of God and how they lived. Jacob and Esau’s story is a long one. We won’t be able to read the entire story from the Bible, but let’s find it in the Bible now.

Help the children locate Genesis 25:19:26. Read as they follow along. Next have the children turn the pages of their Bible through the next several chapters. Paraphrase the rest of the story, pointing out the headings in their Bibles. Be sure to include the stealing of the birthright, the stealing of the blessing, Jacob running away, and Jacob’s dream at Bethel. Explain the importance of the birthright and the blessing.

Dig - Main Content

Pass out the story slips for Part One.

Review the story slips briefly. Brainstorm with the children some ideas to illustrate the quilt blocks. For example:

How were the boys different? [Jacob was quiet and preferred to help his mother. Esau was hairy, and a hunter and outdoors-type.]
How did Jacob trick Esau the first time? [He traded some stew for Esau’s birthright.]
How did Jacob trick Isaac and Esau the second time? [He pretended to be Esau and stole the blessing.]
What happened when Esau came home? [He was angry and wanted to kill Jacob.]
What did Jacob do? [He ran away.]
What happened in Jacob’s dream? [He saw a ladder of angels and he realized that God was with him even though he had done a terrible thing.]

Pass out the muslin squares. If necessary, use masking tape to affix the squares to the table to keep the fabric taut.

Have the children use the fabric markers to illustrate the story slip they have chosen.

If it is a small class, the children may do more than one square. If it is a large group, several children may illustrate the same segment on separate squares or add additional scenes from the story. For example, add: Jacob and Rebekah making the stew, Esau hunting for the game for his father, Rebekah telling Jacob he must run away, and Isaac giving Esau the second blessing.

Children should put their initials in the lower right corner of the quilt block.

Reflect - Closure

After the children are finished with their story squares, gather the children together and walk around the table to admire their work. After looking at all the squares, have the children re-tell the story and put the squares in the correct order.

Review the memory verse with the children. Look up Genesis 28:16 and read it together from the Bible. How do you think Jacob felt when he realized that God was with him despite the tricks he had played? I wonder if you have ever done something wrong to get what you wanted? I wonder if we can ever truly run away from God.

Close with prayer, asking God to help us remember that God is with us always, even when we get impatient.

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

Younger Children

Consider using a Children's Bible or a Bible story book to share the Scripture. Some possibilities are: The Children’s Illustrated Bible by Selina Hastings, DK Publishers, 1994; The Children’s Bible in 365 Stories by Mary Batchelor, Lion Publishers, 1995; Read with Me Bible, Zonderkidz, 1997.

Older children

Have older children read more of the scripture passages. Have them add a sentence or phrase to describe their illustration.

PART II – RECONCILIATION

Part II explores how God’s plan continues despite the poor choices we make. It also details the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.

PASSAGES

Story

Genesis 29:15-27 (Laban tricks Jacob, marriage to Leah)
Genesis 29:28-30 (Jacob marries Rachel)
Genesis 29:31-Genesis 30:24 (Jacob has many children)
Genesis 30:25-43 (Laban’s flock prospers under Jacob’s guidance)
Genesis 31:13-21 (LORD commands Jacob to return home)
Genesis 32:3-7a, 22-30 (Jacob goes to meet Esau, wrestles with God)
Genesis 33:1-4 (Jacob and Esau reconciled)

Key/Memory Verse

Genesis 28:16: “Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place – and I did not know it!’”

PURPOSE

Children will continue their exploration of the great saga of the Jacob and Esau story by completing a story banner. Each child will create a quilt block to illustrate a single part of the story. The blocks will be put together in order in a banner depicting the entire story.

Objective for Rotation

The children will:
Find the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis in the Old Testament.
Identify the following characters and place them correctly in the story: Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, Jacob, Laban, Rachel, Leah.
Discover God's plan at work in the life of these characters, despite their imperfections.
Understand that a loving, forgiving God is at work in their lives. We need patience, persistence, and courage to wait for God's timing.

Objectives for Banner/Textile Workshop

Children will:
Retell and sequence the story using illustrated story squares.

PREPARATION

Read Bible Background and all the Scripture passages.
Review previous information from Part I.

Materials List

Same as Part One

Advance Preparation Requirements

Same as Part One

PRESENTATION

Open - Introduction

Open with prayer.

Tell the children that they will continue the story of Jacob and Esau and complete the banner/quilt that was started in Part One.

Use the story squares prepared in Part One to briefly review Jacob and Esau’s story thus far. Did this story take place in the New Testament or Old Testament? [Old] In fact, their story is one of the earliest stories in the Bible. What book of the Bible tells the story of Jacob and Esau? [Genesis] We know that this is a long story. We won’t be able to read the entire rest of the story from the Bible, but let’s find it in the Bible now.

Help the children locate Genesis 29. Read Genesis 29:1-14 as they follow along. Next have the children turn the pages of their Bibles through the next several chapters. Paraphrase the rest of the story, pointing out the headings in their Bibles. Be sure to include: Jacob working for Laban, Jacob getting married to Leah and Rachel (and Laban’s trickery), Jacob becoming the father of many children, Jacob leaving Laban, Jacob wrestling with God, and Jacob and Esau reconciling. Explain the importance of the birthright and the blessing.

Dig - Main Content

Pass out the story slips for Part Two.

Review the story slips briefly. Brainstorm with the children some ideas to illustrate the story squares.

Who were Rachel and Leah? [Daughters of Laban]
With whom did Jacob fall in love? [Rachel]
What did Jacob agree to do to be able to marry Rachel? [Work for Laban for seven years]
How did Laban trick Jacob? [He switched Leah for Rachel]
What did Jacob then agree to do? [Work another seven years for Rachel]
What happened to Laban’s flocks under Jacob’s guidance? [They flourished]
Why did Jacob decide to leave Laban’s home? [Laban kept tricking him, God told Jacob to go home]
Who wrestled with Jacob in the night? [An angel of the Lord, God]
What was Jacob’s new name? [Israel]
What happened when Jacob and Esau met again? [All was forgiven]
I wonder what you thought would happen when Jacob and Esau met again …
I wonder how it felt for Jacob and Esau to be forgiven and be friends again …

Pass out the muslin squares.

Have the children use the fabric markers to illustrate the story slip they have chosen. If necessary, tape the squares to the table to keep the fabric taut.

If it is a small class, each child may do more than one square. If it is a large class, the children may draw duplicate squares or add additional scenes from the story. For example, add: the meeting at the well, the weddings of Leah and Rachel, the flocks flourishing, packing to move away.

Children should put their initials in the lower right corner of the story squares.

Reflect - Closure

After the children are finished with their quilt squares, gather them together and walk around the table to admire their work. After looking at all the squares, have the children re-tell the story and put the squares in correct order. Add the squares from Part One to tell the complete story.

Read the story square with the memory verse our loud together. Isn’t it amazing how God was with Jacob and Esau all the time! God uses ordinary people to accomplish God’s plan. Even when we mess up and do wrong things, God’s plan still continues. No matter what, God is with us always. Just like Jacob, we can be sure that God is working in our lives, even when we don’t realize it.

Close with prayer, thanking God for forgiveness and for being with us always, no matter what we do.

FINISHING THE BANNER/QUILT

Lay the background fabric on a large flat surface.

Place the story squares in order on the fabric. Space them evenly in rows with an even amount of background fabric between each square. For 20 squares, 5 rows of 4 across works well. Leave room at the top to add a title piece. Use fabric markers to write the title onto a muslin rectangle. Leave about 6-8 inches at the top to fold over for a casing. Leave 1-2 inches on the sides and bottom as a seam allowance.

Once all the squares and title are in place, affix the squares to the background fabric following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Cut another piece of background fabric or lining fabric the same size as the story square side.
Place right sides together and pin. Sew, using a 1/4 inch seam down each side and across the bottom. Clip corners. Turn and press well.

Fold the top edge to the back to create a 3-4 inch casing. Fold the raw edges under 1/4 to 1/2 inch, pin and sew.

Press the entire banner.

Insert a dowel or curtain rod through the casing at the top of the banner. Hang and enjoy!

Quilting Option

Prepare the quilt top as described above.

Machine or hand quilt around each square if desired.

Place the background fabric on a large flat surface, wrong side up. Layer the batting on top and smooth.

Layer the story square fabric piece on top, right side up, making sure all edges are even. Pin.

Baste all three layers together from top to bottom every 10-12 inches.

Use an erasable fabric marking pen to draw quilting lines around the squares and along the border.

Quilt, using small running stitches, following the marking lines. Children can do this with a few basic instructions.

To make binding, cut a strip of background fabric at least 2-4 inches wide and long enough to reach around both sides and the bottom of the banner plus 6 inches. The larger the banner, the wider the binding should be. It is not necessary for it to be cut on the bias. Pin the binding to the quilt, right sides together.

For mitered corners, consult a quilting book or an Internet site on quilting such as: http://www.quilterscache.com/StartQuiltingPages/startquiltingfive.html

Sew the binding in place.

Turn the binding to the back of the quilt, turn under raw edge 1/4 inch and pin in place.

Hand quilt the binding using small invisible stitches OR “stitch in the ditch” using a sewing machine. On the right side of the fabric, machine stitch right in the seam where the binding attaches to the quilt front. The stitches will be nearly invisible from the front side. Insert a dowel or curtain rod through the casing at the top of the banner. Hang and enjoy!

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTION

Another option for large groups is to create a cloth book including multiple illustrations of each story slip. When the story squares are completed, iron the blocks onto another piece of fabric or felt. Or eliminate the fabric adhesive and use pinking shears to cut around the edges of the story squares. Stack the story squares in order. Add a title page. Add a page at the end with each child’s signature. Then sew the left hand edge together in a narrow seam.

CONTRIBUTOR: Jaymie Derden

Hi I am using this workshop in about a month and my teacher is asking for a picture of a banner. She needs something to go on. I hope you can help me thanks

Tomt
tom.bryant@gmail.com