ENOCH

The posts on this blog are intended to give you some ideas and guidelines for Sunday School/Kids Retreat/Bible School lessons. This lesson is designed for elementary-age children but could be adapted for older children as well.

“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Genesis 5:24 NIV

“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5 NIV

            Remember the story of Cain and Abel? How sad to think that the very first baby born into the world grew up to be a murderer! And the person he killed was his own brother, Abel! Cain had to leave his home and family forever. Now his parents, Adam and Eve, had no children at home. After a while, they had another son and named him Seth. According to the Bible, Seth looked very much like his father. Seth grew up and had children of his own. Finally, his father, Adam died. Can you guess how old Adam was when he died? Let the kids respond. It’s hard to imagine but Adam was 930 years old when he died! When Seth died, he was 912. Perhaps one reason people lived so long was because God wanted them to have time to have lots and lots of children.  Then there would soon be many people in the world to love and worship God. As you will learn in other Bible stories, eventually there were many people, but most of them did not love God. The sin that began in the Garden of Eden spread to the heart of every child born into the world right up until today! And that includes you and me.

            Seth had a son named Enosh. Enosh had a son named Kenan. Kenan had a son named Mahalalel who had a son named Jared. All of these men lived to be around 900 years old before they died! Jared had a son, too. He named him Enoch.

The story of Enoch is very wonderful and different from the others before him. Enoch lived for many years and had lots of sons and daughters, just as his father, grandfather, and great grandfathers did. But the Bible says something very special about Enoch. It says that Enoch walked with God. Remember how his great, great, great, great, grandfather Adam walked with God in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve spoiled everything? Well, Enoch walked with God, too. God was pleased with Enoch and other people noticed that. Not many others cared very much about God anymore. One day, when Enoch was 365 years old, something happened. He disappeared! No one could find him! They never did find him. But the Bible tells us the secret of what happened to him. Can you guess what happened? Let the kids respond. I shall tell you.

God was so pleased with Enoch, and loved him so much, He decided to take Enoch right on up to heaven so Enoch could be with Him all the time! Enoch didn’t even have to die first. He just disappeared from the earth and landed in heaven! How wonderful that must have been for Enoch.

Now here’s something that is even more exciting: although Enoch was the first person to go to heaven suddenly and without dying, he is not the last. It’s going to happen again! Only this time, it will happen to many people at once. Someday, the Lord Jesus is going to call all the people on earth who love Him to come up to heaven. He will come down out of heaven and give a loud shout; then a trumpet will blow. First, all of the Christians who died will come up out of their graves and start rising up into the sky. Right after that, all the living people who love Jesus will start rising into the sky, too, and together, they will all meet Jesus in the air. Then He will take them up into heaven. This is called the Rapture. The Rapture could happen today, or tomorrow, or next year. We do not know when it will happen. (I Thessalonians 4:16-18)

After the Rapture, there will be plenty of people left on earth who do not love Jesus. They may look for relatives and friends who disappeared, but they won’t ever find them. The question is, which group will you be in – the group that goes up to heaven in the Rapture, or the group that is down here looking for their friends and family? You can be sure you will be in the first group if you have asked the Lord Jesus to be your Savior. This is an opportunity to present the Gospel in more detail.

Craft/activity – The Rapture of Enoch

            Print out small copies of one of the verses from the beginning of the lesson and set aside. Find a coloring page of a 5- or 6-inch high Old Testament character to represent Enoch. Make a copy for each child. Have them color Enoch and cut him out. Give them each a blank sheet of white computer paper or cardstock. Have them draw and color grass at the bottom and clouds at the top of the blank page. Glue the verse on the grass. Cut about a 2-foot-long piece of string for each child. Find the middle of the string and tape it at that point to Enoch’s back. With a hole punch, make two holes side-by-side about 2 inches apart near the top center of the sheet of paper, in the cloud area. Thread one end of the string through one hole and the other end through the second hole. Tie the two ends together in a knot on the back side of the paper/cardstock. If done correctly, Enoch is now hanging by the string on the front of the paper with his feet on the grass area. Now hold the paper with one hand, front facing you. Reach behind the paper with the other hand and gently pull on the knot of the string. Watch Enoch rise from the grass into the clouds. 

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE BASEMENT? (ASK A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER)

This first blog post is neither a Sunday School lesson for children nor a word for teachers! It's actually for all of your church members who are not involved in Sunday School activities. So please share it with them. Thank you!

During the worship service upstairs, Sunday School is in full swing in the basement. The singing, led by an animated guitarist and a piano accompanist, is hearty, if not always harmonious. Soon after, multiple classes and a nursery are abuzz with lessons and activities, shepherded by energetic teachers and nursery attendants. Some weeks, it appears the rooms will burst at the seams with numerous regular attendees and assorted additional newcomers, plus accompanying adults.

While you are upstairs listening to, and praying for, the speaker, please remember there are multiple “mini-sermons” going on down in the basement. Please pray for us! Here are some of our concerns, comments, and needs for your prayer support:

·         The percentage of individuals who do not yet know the Lord may be greater in the basement than upstairs. Pray that the children will come to Jesus and learn to follow Him while they are still young and tender-hearted.

·         The teachers feel a real burden for grounding students in basic Biblical truths that are already well known to the adults. Sometimes we feel inadequate for the task.

·         Teachers of younger classes are fully aware that their students may not remember much of what they are taught, and students of any age sometimes forget what the lesson was they heard just last week. Pray that the teachers won’t be discouraged by this. Repetition is key!

·         As outside influences take their toll, older students may appear less interested or more doubtful. Their teachers must be prepared for difficult questions and discussions.

·         Lesson and activity/craft planning every week takes time, something many of us don’t have a lot of.

·         Teachers may be going through difficult times themselves, but feel the need to remain upbeat and encouraging to their students even during those times.

·         Yes, sometimes teachers feel unmotivated or run out of creative ideas, but they must prepare a lesson anyway.

·         Unlike the upstairs sermon, a classroom teacher’s lesson is often interrupted by short attention spans, comments, and questions. Hard questions. Sometimes we can’t think of a good answer.

·         Parents, sometimes a lesson will remind your child of something either they - or you - said or did. And they DO blurt those things out to us. We may never tell you what your child told us, unless it’s a matter of concern that you should know. But remember, your child is watching your actions and listening to your words, even if you don’t think they noticed!

·         We often give your child a verse to memorize. But the prize bag for memorized verses is not emptying very quickly. Parents, please remember to help your children hide God’s Word in their hearts while they’re still young. It is a lifelong gift you will be giving them. (And if your child lost the verse we gave out, contact the teacher or teach him a different one. We don’t mind!)

·         Please ask your child what he/she learned in class today, and reinforce the lesson at home. This will help it “stick.”

·         Even if you don’t have a child in Sunday School, please periodically take a few minutes to come downstairs and see for yourself what’s going on in the Sunday School world below you. Ask questions and show interest in lessons and projects. You have no idea how much this encourages a teacher!

·         Kids are funny! They say outrageous things that make us laugh – and make us think. They teach us, too. We consider it both a grave responsibility and a great privilege to be their teachers, to be a part of the commission to “feed My lambs.”