I did not write this lesson--I am just posting it. The author is Paige C.

Salvation Stations: A Journey of Faith
St. John Lutheran Church

Jacob & Esau
History/Art Station


Workshop-specific Goals
• To understand God’s Covenant with Abraham, as patriarch of his household, that he would be the “father of many nations” and “kings would come from him.”
• To learn that God extended to Jacob the unconditional promises previously given to Abraham and Isaac – land, descendants, that nations will be blessed, and God’s presence and protection.
• To recognize that we are all part of Abraham’s descendents and kingdom by filling in the blanks of his family tree.
• To remember that God is behind the dynamics of Jacob & Esau – He does not always follow the “norm” of society to do His will.
• To discover that the parts of their story work together to emphasize what happens is God’s work, intended to advance His plan for our salvation
• Memory Verse: Genesis 28:15

Preparation
1. Review Bible Background notes (notes especially relevant to this station are in bold)
Genesis 17 - Abraham’s Covenant; Genesis 25:19-34 – Jacob & Esau; Genesis 27:1-29 – Jacob gets Esau’s blessing; Genesis 28:10-22 Jacob’s Dream at Bethel; Genesis 33 – Jacob Meets Esau; Various verses of Genealogy noted below

2. Materials List:
• Bibles (supplied in teaching box)
• Construction Paper – “leaf” colored such as greens, orange, yellow, red
• Markers/Pens
• Tape
• Scissors
• Abraham’s Family Tree Poster—on large sheet of paper or poster board

3. Advance Preparation:

Abraham’s Family Tree Poster – This poster will be the most time-intensive to prepare ahead of time as it is the backdrop for the lesson. It serves as an oversized “worksheet” for the kids to fill in the blanks of fathers and sons. A suggested layout should accompany this lesson. It could be created on a large piece of poster board. But, something that is more mural-like, say 6 x 6 foot would be more creative and impressive.

The blanks of the tree could be filled in one of two ways – 1) prewritten with leaves taped over them that the kids take turns uncovering or 2) lines that the students simply fill in. I like #1 for younger groups and #2 for the older. So, if resources allow, perhaps two posters could be made? You might want to use leaves for the older students to write on—instead of directly on the tree—so that you can reuse the family tree from week to week.

Presentation
(Teacher lesson begins after guide time—the guides will review/ask questions about what happened last week)
1. Make sure you have your nametag on. Introduce yourself to the students.

2. Open with a prayer if the guide does not.



3. Introduction & Bible Story:

On the first Sunday of the rotation, begin with: Last month we spent a lot of time talking about Abraham. Can you remind me who he was? Today we are going to look into history to see who came after Abraham (his sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, etc.)

On the following Sundays of the month begin with: Can anyone tell me about what you’ve learned so far about the story of Jacob & Esau. (Prompts: Are they brothers? Who was born first? They’re twins? Etc.)

After a few minutes to get them warmed up to the topic, tell them: Today we are going to look into history to see where these guys came from (who was their father, grandfather, etc.) and who came after (their sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, etc.)

Do you remember Abraham from last month’s lessons? God made a covenant with him - a promise. Can anyone tell me what it was? Review Genesis 17 with the kids.

God promised Abraham that he would be the “father of many nations and “kings would come from him.” Do you think that God kept his promise? Let’s take a look in the Bible and see.

4. Activities:

Has anyone here ever put together a family tree? Do you know what it is? Allow kids time to answer. It’s a way to diagram/draw out the “branches” of your family to see who came from whom. It would list your parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, spouse, children, grandchildren and on and on. A large family would have lots of branches and leaves on its family tree. If God said Abraham would be the “father of many nations” – would he have a large tree or a small sapling?

There should be enough “blanks” on the tree for all the names listed below in bold.

Let’s start by putting Abraham at the top of the tree and let’s add his wife, Sarah. Now, who was their son? Let’s look it up in Genesis 21:1-3.

Isaac had an interesting journey with his father – remember the offering on the mountain? When he grew up it was time to for him to marry, Abraham’s servant went to find his wife. Read the story he told of how he found her in Genesis 24:42-49. What was her name?

Rebekah and Isaac did get married, with Abraham’s blessing, but they weren’t able to have kids right away. Let’s read about Isaac’s prayer in Genesis 25:21-26.

What were the boys’ names? Right - Jacob and Esau, the focus of our lessons this month. The bible verse says that “two nations” were in Rebekah’s womb. Who was the oldest? (Esau). In Bible times, the oldest son was the favored one and received the better inheritance. But God had His own plans, which put Jacob before Esau. We’re going to focus on Jacob’s lineage next.

Jacob left his mother and father’s land to his mother’s brother, Laban, in Haran. Read Genesis 27:41-45 to find out/remember why.

Isaac passed Abraham’s special blessing on to Jacob before Jacob left. Read Genesis 28:1-4. Remember this promise says that he will be “fruitful and increase in numbers.” While in Haran, Jacob took two different wives – what were their names? We can find them in Genesis 29:16

Between these two wives, Leah and Rachel, Jacob had 12 sons. Can anyone name them? Let’s take the easy route and read them from Genesis 35:23-26. That’s a pretty big nation!

In fact, one of those names sounds pretty familiar – have you ever heard the phrase, “The land of Judah?” Maybe around Christmas time? Let’s jump up to the New Testament and read a different list of fathers and sons. Matthew 1:1-15.
There were 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus. That’s a lot of branches! But what a special tree it is. Without each of those people, we would not have the salvation that comes from Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection.

Did God keep his promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations? Yes! But, the tree didn’t stop there. Many generations and thousands of years later, each one of us joined the family tree. Let’s add our names to the list.

Have the children trace their hands on construction paper and cut out these “leaves” for the family tree. Write each name on a leaf and adhere it to the poster along the bottom. If time allows, have them decorate their leaf more elaborately than just their name. Perhaps they could include something on the leaf that represents them or their own “history”.

5. Reflect/Closure:
Now let’s stop and look back at the middle of this tree. Jacob had to flee from Esau because he held a serious grudge against him. Remember Genesis 27:41? “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

What would have happened if Esau had killed Jacob? The line to Jesus would have been disrupted! But, God had a plan for our salvation. He knew that the brothers had to forgive each other. Let’s read Genesis 33: 1-11. The chapter ends with Jacob building an altar to God and calling it “El Elohe Israel” which means “God, the God of Israel” or “Mighty is the God of Israel.”

God truly is mighty. He has plans for each our lives, and nothing can get in His way. What a great tree to be a part of!

6. Journal Topic (last 5 minutes of class):
Help the guide to hand out pencils/pens and the student folders. The guides will have copies of the journaling pages. The children should find a place to sit quietly and think and write in their journals. You and the guide may need to help the younger children with their writing. Another option for younger children is to draw a picture about the topic.

Older children:
Who is a significant person in your family tree? How has s/he contributed to who you are today?

Younger children:
Name the various people in your family. What are some favorite things that they have given to your life?

7. Closing Prayer:

Dear Lord, Thank you so much for planting such a wonderful family tree for us. We are proud of the many branches that have grown from your son. Each individual is a special creation you have made. Most importantly, we thank you for your son Jesus, for sending him to us so that we can have forgiveness of our sins. Please be with us as we continue to grow in your name. Let us learn from those generations before us so we can teach the ones that come later. In your precious name, Amen.


Age Adaptations –
See Above in Poster Description


Guide Information
1. Detailed Summary of Activities:
Look up bible verses to plot out the lineage from Abraham to Jesus to us. The children will create their own “leaf” to add to the family tree.

2. How the guide might help (this might be changed by the teacher):
• Help the younger kids with tracing and cutting out their leaf for the tree, if necessary.
• Prompt the kids with answers and/or assist in researching the answer, when applicable.