God's Covenant

I had Aubrie again for Sunday School.  We did the cola taste testing game, reviewed the lesson on God's covenant and then watched David Murray's Angel of the Lord video about Hagar at the Well. 

In church, our two-year-old, Jacob graduated from babies, to toddlers.  I don't a know a prettier little boy.  He knows how to steal the show and be so cute.

Children's church went really well.  Austin played Abraham, Alexis played God, and Autumn and Madison were the animal (they wanted to be deer) that Abraham sacrificed and split in two.  I made two girls play the animal so that they could be split in two.  Alexis took a plastic-cup lighthouse that was the craft for later and walked between the two animals. 

Then I briefly mentioned that Abraham and Sarah in their impatience, got another wife for Abraham and she had Ishmael. 

Then Austin and Alexis acted out Genesis 17.  (I did not explain to them circumcision, though I did mention it some to Aubrie as surgery for boys.)  Then we read Genesis 18, reader's theater style.  This time Madison played Sarah.  Autumn was still the deer though she had not words. 

Then, I made them make this lighthouse:

Hopefully, this will remind them that God walked through animal pieces as a lit torch and a smoking pot.  Instead of a tea light, I had a yellow cup for the top cup to make the lighthouse look lit. 

Things I learned from my lesson:  Hagar was an outcast.  David Murray compared her to the woman at the well.  They pretty much have the same story.  They are known for their sexual past, yet Jesus shows up and treats them with dignity, the first to treat them as human beings in forever.  This caused the Samaritan woman to be the first missionary to Sychar, and Hagar to believe in in God and give him the name Elroy, er, I mean El Roi.  Even though God told her that Ishmael would be a wild donkey of a man, she still greatly treasured the fact that he saw and heard her and cared about her. 

The second thing I learned is that God gives us what is appropriate for us at the right time.  Often, his timing makes no sense at all.  I'm thinking of my three Au kids (who's names start with Au).  They are sisters and brother who go back and forth between their godly dad and step-mom, but live with their mom during the week and only see their dad two weekends a month.  Their real mom does drugs and uses the kids.  This past week was really bad.  I sit and wonder why the judge of Putnam county things this situation is perfectly alright for these kids.  I heard excuses, but they are beyond pathetic, and I know God is in control of the outcome but why does he still let this happen?  It makes me angry to an extent, but then I also know that he loves those kids way more than I could.  I know he has a plan for them that will be for his glory, but it's torture knowing that they are in such danger.  That's a musing and a prayer request.  I wish justice would be done fast and permanently.