Elementary Level, Block 2—Noah to Isaac
Week 14
Abraham—Receiving God as a Guest
Point to Emphasize: We can take good care of guests that we receive into our homes.
Reference Reading: Genesis 18:1-8
Memory Verse: Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. (Romans 12:13)
Story Sample
Today I want to tell you an amazing story about how God visited Abraham. Can you imagine such a thing? What if God knocked at your front door? Well, this is what happened to Abraham! One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing there. One of them was God. When he saw them, Abraham ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them. He bowed down to Jehovah and asked Him not to leave. Right away he wanted to take care of Him. What did he do? First, he got some water so that their feet could be washed, and they could rest. Then he asked Sarah to make some bread so that they could eat. After this, he ran to the herd to get a calf and asked his servant to prepare it for them. He took curds and milk and the calf, which he had prepared, and set them before them. He stood by them under the tree while they ate. He did everything he could to take care of them, making sure they had all that they needed.
Have you ever received a special guest into your home? When I was a child we would have special guests come to stay at our house. We would have to spend time getting ready for them. When guests come, we may need to prepare some things, right? We have to clean our room. We have to straighten up the house and pick up our toys that have gotten scattered all around. Sometimes I would have to give up my room and my bed. Who here has given up their room and their bed for a guest in their home? Then we have to buy food and prepare it for them so that they aren’t hungry. Then after we prepare everything, we wait for them to come. It can be so exciting when guests come over to our house. I know of children that like to wait at the window and look out to see right when the guests first arrive. Then they run out the door to greet them. Isn’t this a special way to treat our guests and let them know how happy we are to see them and have them stay at our house?
So what I want to do right now is write a word on the board. [Write the word HOSPITALITY on the board.] What does hospitality mean? Hospitality means to receive and treat guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, and generous way. The Bible speaks a lot about hospitality.
Romans 12:13 says, “Pursue hospitality.” What does this word pursue mean? It means we look for chances to do it. We try to do it. We are always ready for it, and we do it as much as we can. Wow. Another verse, Hebrews 13:2, says, “Do not forget hospitality.” This must be an important thing, right? And another verse, 1 Peter 4:9, says, “Be hospitable to one another without murmuring.” What is murmuring? Murmuring is complaining. Are you helpful when your mom tells you guests are coming, or do you complain about the work that needs to be done to take care of them? We need to be hospitable without murmuring. We are not too young to take care of our guests. We can ask them, “Do you need anything? Did we forget anything?” If so, you can bring it to them. [Discuss ways you can take care of guests.] We can be just like Abraham, taking care of all the needs of our guests. He was so hospitable, and we can be the same way.