Sunday School Lessons

A man once had a large flock of sheep - 100 in all. One day he was busy counting them and realised he had one misssing. He counted them again just to make sure, ninety eight, ninety nine! No he was definately one missing.

The shepherd was frantic with worry, he searched all over the hillside worrying about what could have happened to her.  He thought of all the worst things. He wondered if a wolf had caught her and eaten her! Had she fallen into the stream and drowned! “Oh dear,” he said, “What could have happened, where could she be?”

He went out late into the night looking for her, ignoring all the other sheep and at last he found the lost sheep at the top of the mountain. She had strayed far away from all the other sheep, thinking that she could find better, more juicier grass.

How happy the shepherd was, he picked her up and put her on his back. He carried her all the way home. In his heart the shepherd was happier about the one sheep who was lost but now was found, than all the other ninety nine others who had stayed where he wanted them too.

Jesus said that God is happier about one person who comes to believe in Him in the end than about ninety nine people who have believed in Him all along. Maybe that seems unfair to you, but if you remember how you felt when you found the precious thing you lost, perhaps you can understand what Jesus meant.

More Bible stories

The story is told of a Jewish man who was going from Jerusalem to Jericho. All of a sudden he was juimped on by robbers who beat him up and stole everything he had. They left him for dead and ran away.

As he lay there bleeding and in great pain a Jewish priest came along the road, he saw the man but crossed over the road and passed him by on the other side. Next came a Levite another type of priest, he too saw the man but crosssed over the road and passed him by on the other side.  Then came along a Samaritan, the Jews and the Samaritans did not like each other so did not have anything to do with each other. So a Jew would not expect any help from a Samaritan

But it was the Samaritan who stopped, he gave him some of his own clothes, he helped stop the bleeding and then put him on his own donkey and took him to the local inn. there he paid for a soft bed and food for him. The next morning he had to go back about his business, but he left money with the inn keeper saying, ”look after this man until I come back. If you spend more than I have left I will give you the money on my return.”

Jesus asked, “Who do you think this man’s neighbour was? The two Jewish priests who passed him by or the Samaritan?” The answer of course was the man who looked after him and took care of him. When Jesus told this story to the lawyer, he meant that our neighbours are not just people who live near us or who look like us or people we approve of. Everyone is our neighbour.

More Bible stories  

Two men were busy building house’s for themselves. The first man choose ground which was rock and very solid.  It was not easy he had to dig very deep to put in the foundations, it was hard work. When he had finished the whole house was well made and solid.

The man moved in and closed his front door.  He had not been long in the house when a terrible rainstorm began. The mans roof was well made and did not leak. The wind was blowing hard but he had fitted the windows perfectly so there was no draughts to let any water in.

It rained and rained so much so that the river burst it’s bank and flooded the land where the house stood. But the house on the rock stood firm all the time the water was swirling about it. When the storm past and the sun came out, the man came out of his house which was undamaged.

The second man choose a sandy place to build his house. It was much easier to dig the foundations as it was soft ground. The house just sat on top of the sand, everything about the house was sloppy and put up quickly, taking no effort. To anyone looking at the house it seemed ok, but it was full of faults.

When the rain started the roof tiles started to come off letting in the water. The wind got in through the windows and under the badly fitted door. When the river oveflowed because of all the water the walls of the house were battered. Because there was no solid foundations the house started to move. The whole house fell down and was swept away wiht the water, with the man still inside.

Jesus said, “The man who built his house upon the rock is like someone who hears God’s teaching and then goes out and does what God told him to do. When a man like that is put to the test, his faith holds firm and keeps him safe. The man who built is house upon the sand is like someon who hears God’s teaching but does not act on it. When disaster strikes he has nothing to support him and he will just collapse.”

More bible stories

For many years the Children of Israel had been ruled by the Midianites. One day as Gideon was working on his father’s farm an angel came to him and said, “The Lord is with you and He will help you defeat the Midianites.” Gideon selected an army of 300 men. They planned to trick the Midianites suring an attack at night.

Each Israelite soldier carried a light covered by a pitcher in his left hand and a trumpet in his right hand. When the time came, Gideon and all his soldiers blew their trumpets and broke their pitchers, letting their lights shine. Then they all shouted loudly, “For the Lord and for Gideon.” The Midianites were so scared by the lights and noise that they ran in every direction. Gideoan and his soldiers chased them right out of the country.

“Gideon, be our king,” the Children of Israel begged. “No,” replied Gideon. “God will be your king! Obey Him.” So the Midianites were beaten and, for as long as Gideon lived, there was peace in the land of Israel.

More Bible stories 

Moses was a beautiful baby boy. His parents were descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were called the Children of Israel and they were living in Egypt. There was a wicked Pharaoh who did not like the Children of Israel. He forced them to be slaves and wanted to kill all the baby boys.

Moses’s mother had a plan to save her son. She made a basket that would float on the water and placed him amongst the bulrushes. Moses had a sister called Miriam who stood in the bulrushes to watch the basket. Soon it floated to the part of the river where the king’s daughter was bathing.

She heard the baby crying and peered into the bulrushes. There was little Moses in the basket. “He is an Israelite baby,” she said. “I must save him. I will keep him for my own.” Miriam came out of the bulrushes and asked, “Would you like me to find someone to nurse the baby for you?” “Yes,” said the Princess.

So Miriam brought the baby home to their mother who took care of him. When Moses was old enough he went to live with the Princess at the palace and became her son. Even though Moses was not with his own people, God never stopped watching over him.

More bible stories

Joseph was taken into Egypt, where the traders sold him. Later he was thrown in jail with Pharaoh’s butler and baker. Both men had mysterious dreams which God helped Joseph to explain. When the butler was released from prison, Joseph said, “Tell Pharaoh about me, and help me get free.”

Some time later Pharaoh had two strange dreams. The butler told Pharaoh about Joseph, and Pharaoh sent for him.

“I have dreamed that seven fat cows were eaten up by seven lean ones,” Pharaoh said. “Then I dreamed that seven plump stalks of grain were eaten up by seven thin stalks. Can you tell me what this means?”

“There will be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine,” Joseph said. “Egypt must prepare.”

Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph’s wisdom that he made him keeper of Egypts grain. Sure enough, after seven years of plenty there came a great famine. Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy food from Pharaoh’s grain keeper.

When Joseph told them who he was, his brothers were afraid. They thought he would punish them for selling him a long time ago, but Joseph had forgiven them.

“Don’t be afraid,” Joseph told his brothers. “God sent me ahead into Egypt to save lives.” Joseph embraced his brothers and gave them food. Soon he brought his father and all his brothers to Egypt to live with him.

More Bible stories

After Isacc and Rebekah married, they had a son and they called him Jacob. When Jacob got married he had twelve sons but of them all Joseph was his favourite.  He even made him a special coat, so beautiful and it was made up of many colours. However, Joseph’s brothers were very angry and jealous that he should be singled out for all this attention.

One day Jacob sent Joseph out to visit his brothers who were working in the fields far from home. When Joseph found his brothers they took his beautiful coat from him and sold him to a band of traders who were going to Egypt.

Then the brothers put some goat’s blood on the coat and made several holes in it. They took it home to their father, “It is Joseph’s coat,” Jacob said. “He must have been killed by wild animals.” Jacob was very sad. He thought that he would never see his son again because he did not know that Joseph was alive and that someday they would be together again.

Bible stories

Abraham was growing old, and before he died he wanted to find the right wife for his son Isaac. So he sent a trusted servant back to the place where he had come from. Abraham believed God would help his servant find a wife for Issac.

When the servant came to town, he went to its well where women came to get water. He asked God to let the first one to give him water for himself and his camels to be the one he was looking for. Soon, he saw the beautiful Rebekah coming to the well with her pitcher.

The servant asked Rebekah for a drink. She not only gave him water, but also brought some for his animals. He knew this was God’s sign. The servant then asked Rebekah’s family if she could go back with him to marry Issac.

“Yes,” they said. “This is what God wants.” The servant was very thankful that God had heard and answered his prayer that he bowed his head and praised the God of Abraham.

Then Rebekah went with the servant to Isaac’s home were she married him and he loved her all the days of her life.

Bible stories

I do not think that Adam and Eve wandered near to the sacred Tree of Life often. But the Tree of Knowledge was in a more open space. One day, Eve was in the garden when she heard a rustle near the tree, and presently, among the waving bushes, she saw the head of a large serpent. It spoke to her, and asked why she was not gathering the fine fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, which was the best fruit of all to eat in the garden, and certainly most tempting. “God told us not to,” answered Eve simply. She was not afraid of the Serpent, but stood looking at it in wonder.

What would happen to you if you disobeyed Him, do you think?” asked the Serpent. “We should surely die,” said Eve. “Surely not,” the Serpent told her with a wicked, cunning look in his eyes. “God knows that if you eat that fruit, you will be great and powerful, as He is. That is the reason He has told you not to.”

Eve looked at the Serpent again and then she looked at the fruit on the Tree. It hung, tempting and fragrant and cool among its pretty leaves. There was such a lot of it too; the Tree almost seemed to bend with its weight. The Serpent went nearer the Tree and drew the branches towards her, rustling and twisting its long shining body among them.

“You would be as powerful and know as much as God Himself, “ it repeated. “Why don’t you pick the fruit and eat it?”

Eve wanted to obey God, but somehow the temptation was too strong. She plucked some of the fruit and ate it guiltily. Then Adam came down the path to see what she was doing, and she gave him some to eat, too. When they had finished eating, they looked at each other. And, all at once, they were miserable and sorry and ashamed, and they hurried away from the Tree and the Serpent, and went to the other end of the garden, wondering why they should be so unhappy, instead of becoming clever and powerful, as the Serpent had said they would.

The day wore on, the sun sank and the garden grew sweet and holy and cool. Then a deeper hush came over it, and a little wind thrilled through the hush, and a Voice spoke, gravely and tenderly, through the soft breeze. Adam and Eve knew that God was in the garden, and they hid themselves more deeply and trembled among the trees. But God called to them and asked why they had hidden themselves, and Adam answered that it was because they were so unhappy and ashamed.

God knew before Adam spoke that they had eaten the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge; nothing else could have taken from them the joy and happiness that would always have been theirs if they had not disobeyed Him. He was very grieved and displeased, and told them they could not live in the garden any longer, for He could not trust them. And He told the Serpent that it too, must be punished. From that moment on, it would always have to crawl on the ground, instead of being able to lift itself up, as other creatures could.

When God had said this, the Serpent crept away and Adam and Eve went sorrowfully out into the desert. And God put His winged angels at the gate to guard the Tree of Life, so that the man and woman were never able to go back into the garden any more.

This was the story told to the little children of the Tent people in the Land of Wanderings.

Sunday school lesson

Among other tales, the mothers tried to tell the children the story of how God made the world. They said it was made in six wonderful days – what we call the Creation. Every day, they explained, for six days running, God made something beautiful and new. First of all was Light. And then He made the blue skies and seas, the mountains and the meadows, the waving trees, the sun, the moon and stars, the fishes and the singing birds and all the animals, great and small. And on the seventh day He rested, and saw that all the things which He had made were good.

The mothers could not explain these six wonderful Days of God, nor say how long or how short they had been. But they told how, on the sixth day, God made man in His own image, and afterwards gave him a beautiful garden to live in, and a fair sweet women to be his wife.

A river flowed through the blossoming garden, and long afterwards it became four rivers, which watered the sandy country which the big cites were built much later. But the first crystal springs of the river were in Eden, where God had planted the Garden of Wonderful Trees. How wistfully the Tent people must have talked of it! Trees of every kind grew there. At noon the sunshine filtered through boughs laden, they like to think, with apricots and oranges, figs and mulberries, red-gold pomegranates and purple grapes. The loving kindness of God breathed through the blossoms, and His mercy dropped n the gentle silver dew. And the man and the woman, who were called Adam and Eve, could eat all the fruit in the garden except the fruit of a tree which grew in the midst of the others and was called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In the midst of the Garden there was also another wonderful tree, the Tree of Life.

Nobody knows what these two trees were like; but they must have been very beautiful, with cool and tempting fruit. We know that the Tree of Knowledge was pleasant to look at; while the Tree of Life seems to have been in a quiet holy place all alone, as if in its boughs lingered the secrets of God. It has never been described to us, and we can only picture it as a Tree of fragrance and mystery; with songs in it that were not sung by birds, and gentle rustlings that were not made by breezes.

Story of  Adam and Eve