This Page contains the complete outline to the Abraham & Sarah CD.

IMPORTANT FIRST-TIME TECH NOTE: If you do not see the opening video/song which travels you across the desert and takes you up and into Scriptorium like the one here on the right -then you need to install Quicktime from the CD (it is in a folder on the CD). Abraham & Sarah requires version 5.0 or higher and will not work with 4.0. See the technical notes at the bottom of this outline for more information.

How to teach with the Abraham and Sarah CD:

We have designed this CD to provide teachers and students with several lesson approaches. Curriculum often approaches these stories one at a time, such as Sarah's visit with the Angels. Thus, you may simply go in to the Scriptorium, locate "The Visit" run only that. Sometimes curriculum focuses on the concept of "Covenant" or "obedience to the call." In this case you'll want to go in to the "Covenant" section and then the "Sacrifice" section. Or your curriculum may simply call for a study on the near-sacrifice of Isaac. In EVERY case, however, we'd recommend STARTING WITH a brief foray into the COVENANT SECTION to get the basic "Call of Abraham" story under your feet.

All the sections stand alone as individual units of study ...but they work especially well when taught in sequence:

Each section contains the basic elements of a lesson: story, discussion and reflection. The Insane Fanatasy section could be used as a reflection activity for any of the three which precede it (Covenant, Visit, Sacrifice). It is primarily for older students. Pay it Forward is an optional section for use at the end of any of the sections. Please note that Pay it Forward also contains a certificate of completion to print, a handout to take home, and a "Video Player" that allows you or your students to access any of the main music videos individually.

Every way to teach these stories is not on the CD. You'll want to introduce drama, art and videotape, for example. Some suggestions can be found at the end of this document.

There is, however, a "grand scheme" to the Abraham story and thus to our CD: Call-testing-obedience. If you had two or three class times you could stretch the CD over them. Or if you only have one class period (30 - 40 minutes) you could pick and choose your way through content. It is recommended that even if you only need to focus on one story, that you dip into the others to provide some context. Several suggested "Lesson Paths" through the CD are suggested below.

Depending on the age of your students, some content may be more or less appropriate. We aimed at older children and youth for most content, but much of it will work with younger students provided they have a teacher by their side. While some concepts may be difficult for young students, they will enjoy seeing and hearing most of the content, and need the teacher to rephrase ideas and vocabulary to a younger level.

We imagined the teacher right there with the students as the CD unfolds. If teachers will not be present during use, substitute a worksheet set of questions that guides them and holds them accountable for listening or reading certain content. There are many good discussion questions placed throughout the CD for you to consider. More than you will ever need, in fact.

Each of the four teaching songs has printable lyrics which include questions for discussion. You might want to print these out ahead of time. These questions can be accessed through onscreen buttons in the program sections. Go to http://www.sundaysoftware.com/abe/lyrics.htm to print out the complete lyrics to all the songs, including the opening song, and a teaching commentary.

To use this CD in a lesson plan, we suggest you first introduce the story away from the computers. See how much they know. Tell them what you hope they will learn from using the CD. Write down on the board some questions you want them all to be able to answer after using the CD. Stop along your way through the CD to discuss things. Look at things a second time. We've loaded the animations and lyrics with things they may not notice the first time. Finally, -debrief.

Outline and Teaching Tips:

Beginning of CD: The CD begins with this narration...

Long before the time of Jesus,

Before the time of David , and Ruth and Moses,

God visited a man named Abram in the lands of UR and Haran

and called him to take his family on a difficult journey to a new land called Canaan.

His descendants were to become a Kingdom of Priests

...a people dedicated to receiving the message of God and sharing it with the world.

This is their story.

Is it yours?


This last question -"is it yours" is the issue for the CD. Their story is our story too, we are on that journey too. You might want to write this on the board for all to see before starting the CD.

Song: "I heard a Voice Today" ...and Video showing Abraham's caravan, the desert. The song and video end in our Scriptorium --the place where students can access the rest of the story. The song tells the story of Abraham's Call to move to Canaan. Click COVENANT on the Scriptorium Control Console to move into Genesis 15 --the longer version of God's Call to Abraham.

"...I have a job for you....I'll plant your people there to show the world I care..."

Extra questions to consider:

Why did God call Abraham and Sarah?
Why a couple from Iraq? (that's where Haran is)
Why send them to Canaan?

--God must have seen something in their character. God definitely saw potential in planting a people to serve him at the crossroads between great empires. It would be a good idea to have a world globe or enlarged map. You can also consult the MAP we've put in the Scriptorium.

Scriptorium:

Where did it come from? We don't know. The Scriptorium is from the past or future. It is the way your students can access all the CD's contents.

The Control Console which pops up has all the buttons you need to navigate the learning areas. If you need help, click the help button.

Each button launches you to a different part of the story. Like all good Hebrews, you need to read/follow it from right-to-left if you want to follow Abraham's story and this CD's contents in logical order.

The four smaller buttons "pop-up" related learning activities that can be worked on at any time.

Timeline --shows your students what time in history this story takes place. CLICK on the various locations to see pop-up text. Rolling over the spots reveals the "period in history" that particular age is known by.
Map --shows where in history it takes place. It also shows the two possible routes Abraham followed to get to Canaan. And you can play a game with about a dozen of the name places. Click the 'G' button and the name places fall out. Drag them back to their correct location and receive a bonus study note and question to ponder.
Quiz --is exactly that, a quiz about the CD's contents. Best to save this till the last. The Quiz is only 15 questions long. It is the same each time it is taken, though questions appear in random order. In two player mode, the quiz continues until the both players finish.
Scripture --pops up the NRSV Genesis scripture texts which tell these stories. A reference for serious readers.

=Genesis 11:31- 12:9 Abram in Ur and Haran
=Genesis 15:1-21 God's Covenant with Abram
=Genesis 17:1-5, 15-22 God's promise to Abraham and Sarah
=Genesis 18:1-15 Sarah and Abraham's Visitors
=Genesis 22: 1-18 The Sacrifice Test

Covenant, Visit, and Sacrifice each contain a major "teaching music video" whose lyrics and visuals have been specially designed to convey to create discussion, as well as, convey basic content and concepts. Go to http://www.sundaysoftware.com/abe/lyrics.htm to print out the complete lyrics to all the songs, along with a commentary.

Covenant, Visit, and Sacrifice ALSO contain study buttons to "learn more" about that part of the story.

Preview the study note buttons in each area and decide which ones you especially want your students to work with. Some are meant merely for informational purposes, others are full-blown discussion starters. There are more notes, things to click and questions posed than you could possibly have time for in one sitting. Take your pick. Some material is there for older students. Younger students may need to skip a few things. It's up to you their teacher to decide based on your group and needs.

The Covenant:

Genesis 15: God tells Abraham to build place a sacrifice on the altar, then puts him in a deep sleep as the sky turns to night. Then God blesses the offering and establishes his Covenant.

You will hear Voiceover of God giving the Covenant. We see Abraham from the back by an altar.
After the story you can click various words spelled out in the nighttime start to learn more about the concept of Covenant. This is not an exhaustive treatment of the concept.

Do not be afraid Abram I AM your protector and your reward will be GREAT Look to the heavens and count the star so shall be your descendants. Place an offering of animals on the altar. From the Nile River to the great Euphrates river. The land of the Canaanites and Hittites, the Amorites and Jebusites, -to your descendants I give this land, for on this day have I made my covenant with you."

I wonder what your students will think about our use of young voices as the voice of God? What does God's voice sound like anyway?

Note: Throughout this CD's audio we make use of "stereo swooping." You'll hear it first hear in this God narration. God is hard to pin down you know.

As the GOD NARRATION/ANIMATION/Quicktime ENDs:

...the stars in the sky spell out several words. There's an "ambient background" sound as well. The star words are button words that when clicked on users can hear the following narrations. Some have visuals associated with them.

Star Words (there are 4):

1-Covenant- The English word "covenant" means "agreement" or "promise." In Genesis chapter 15 God promises Abraham that his descendants will be a great nation serving God. Early Christians used "testament" -a Roman word, instead of "covenant." So you can say "Old and New Covenant," "Old and New Testament," or "Old and New Agreement" or "Old and New Promise." They all mean the same thing. The old covenant raised up a family of people to follow God. The new covenant announced by Jesus is a promise to the entire planet. Read John 3:16 to hear this promise.

2-Torch and smoking fire pot - The torch and smoking fire pot are two of the more unusual symbols used in the Bible to describe the mysterious presence of God. In the story of Exodus, God is a fire that does not consume a bush, God is a pillar of smoke by day and fire by night. Neither fire nor smoke can be touched and both can disappear as quickly as they came. Fire gives light and warmth and can also be used to guide. Fire burns away and cleanses. Smoke can surround you but you can't grab hold of it. What things from your world could describe what God is like?

3-Altar - Altars are special tables where worshippers make promises and give offerings to God. In Old Testament times altars were often built outdoors using stone. Offerings would include the best animals owned by the worshipper who believed a "blood offering" would bring forgiveness of their sins. Most Protestant churches no longer have altars. Instead, they have Communion tables where people gather to hear Jesus' promise that their sins are already forgiven through his sacrifice on the cross. At the Communion Table, God feeds us with spiritual food.

Does your church have an altar? What good things does a Communion Table say about God that an altar does not?

4- Canaan -a map of all the locations mentioned in Genesis 15: 1-21.

5- Genesis 15: 1-21 text only.

The Visit:

Genesis 18: Sarah retells her story of the angels visiting her and Abraham outside their tent.

After her story is told kids can click icons in sky to hear her talk more about that subject. One of those initiates the "SARAH" song music video.

Button 1: "Sarah's Story - Genesis 18"

This activates the first video of Sarah telling her story and angels walking into scene.

(Paraphrase of Genesis 18) One day around noon my husband Abraham was sitting near our tent under the Oak Trees at Mamre in the land God had promised us. And suddenly he noticed three men. He got up and ran to meet them and invited them to rest in the shade and stay awhile before continuing on their journey. And they agreed. So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to me saying, "Quick Sarah! Get your best flour and bake some bread." Which I immediately did --knowing these weren't just any travelers. When the food was ready Abraham served the bread to the visitors along with some cheese curds and milk and roasted meat. Then one of them said "Where is your wife Sarah?" "In the tent," he replied. Then one of them said, "About this time next year I will return, and your wife Sarah will finally have that son she's been hoping for." Well when I overheard this -I started to laugh to myself thinking "How could an old woman like me have a baby?" And then the Lord turned to Abraham and said, "Why is your wife Sarah laughing? Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Well I was doubley shocked now, one of them was God and I had just laughed at him. So I said, "O No Lord, I didn't laugh." But God said, "Oh yes you did." And that is how I got the news that God was going to keep his Covenant promise and make a great nation spring forth from our family.

Button 2: "About My Life"

This is the video of Sarah saying "How do I want people to remember me? Hummmmm? Well I guess I want people to remember me as the woman who got up and went when God said 'get up and go.' I want them to remember --me- laughing out loud when God's said I was going to have a baby. oh and I really want them to remember that I trusted God's plan -even when God asked me to give up my son. You bet I cried and wailed, but in my heart... I had learned to trust God's way completely, even when it was hard.

Button 3: "Why I laughed"

Hoy....You bet I laughed... When God walks up to you at 90 -you''re expecting a ride home to heaven! ...not a trip to labor and delivery. I was scared and absolutely thrilled all at the same time. I've had a lot of time to think about that day ...and you know I don't think God minded me laughing at him at all. Because that's what God's about --the birth of laughter, the wiping away of tears.

Button 4: "Sarah's Song" --this compact little music-video makes a theological statement about the importance and impact of Sarah's role in the story.

Lyrics:
1) Sarah, did you think that God forgotten? From your womb, there's a nation to begotten... and we hear laughter around the world.
2) Sarah, we can see it in your eyes, a world of hope from your family will arise. And we hear laughter, around the world... Did you think that God forgotten?

Additional Points to ponder (more are found in the program): Does God forget? How does God keep God's promises? How is Israel like a womb? What is the laughter God wants to be heard "around the world"?

Button 5: "Sarah's Song Lyrics"

This "print lyrics button is found on the mountainside above her tent. It includes questions for reflection and a PRINT button for those who want to print lyrics for more discussion. Note: in version 2.0 of the CD we changed the way the lyrics/questions here print --adding a graphic (seen above) so that those without printers can explore the questions.

The Near - Sacrifice:

Yes...this is a touch-y subject, especially for some teachers who don't understand this story and for younger students because of the subject matter. I've heard from some people that they want to avoid it. But wait til you've seen how we deal with this "ultimate episode" in Abraham and Sarah's story. The story of God's Covenant includes this amazing test of "worthiness." But it is also a test applied to God --i.e. -how will God act toward us. Watch the two videos here and read the narrated notes.

Abraham brings Isaac to altar. Stone megaliths "witness" the story unfold.

Voiceover: We believe in a God who tests us. God tested Abraham, Sarah and Isaac's faith by asking for the sacrifice of Isaac. This is that story. It reveals what you can expect from God. It reveals what God can expect from you. It reveals what God will do for us all. 

The Megaliths have the following clickable labels:

==Megalith One: "Read and hear Genesis 22" -this is a video/animation of the Genesis 22 story. VIEW IT FIRST.

==Megalith Two: "Dig into the Story" -these are very important narrated study notes explaining this amazing episode. See below.

==Megalith Three: "O Father Abraham" song/video and following up questions to click on. We retell the Genesis 22 but add an amazing conclusion that Christians have made about this story.

==Megalith Four: "Lyrics and Questions" -a reflection activity for older students.

==Megalith 2: =Dig into the story When this monolith is clicked, it appears large on the right side of the screen and the following THREE clickable text phrases appear (see drawing on this page). When the phrase is clicked, the following text appears across the screen. They include some graphics I've given you. Phrase 1: "Child Sacrifice?" At the dawn of civilization people worshiped many gods. They believed they had to offer food and special objects to the gods to win the gods' favor. Some religions even offered their children as a sacrifice to please their gods. They believed that offering a child's "innocent" blood would somehow wash away their sins. In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham and Sarah's faith by asking them for the most precious thing in their whole life -their son. By substituting the ram in Isaacís place, God was telling Abraham and Sarah that their faith was strong enough for them to be the founding parents of a great nation. God was also telling them and the whole world (and) that child sacrifice was not required. 2000 years later, God would use these symbols again by offering himself in the person of Jesus. God turned Jesus' death on the cross into a "final offering" for our sins. Questions: What do our offerings say about us to God? What does the offering of the ram and Jesus say about God? For further reading: Hebrews 10:1-18 Phrase 2: What are these stones about? For thousands of years religious people in many lands have set up sacred stone megaliths (mega=large, lith=stone). They were raised to commemorate special events, keep track of worship and agricultural calendars, and act silent witnesses to promises made and the sacredness of the location. Archaelogists have found stone worship sites throughout the Middle East and around the world, -the most famous being Stonehenge in England. The Old Testament records many occasions when Bible heroes worshipped at outdoor stone altars or set up sacred stones. Tradition says that Abraham built the altar on which to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah which later became the site for the Temple in Jerusalem. Were there stone megaliths at Abraham's altar? Maybe. Are we called to be witnesses at this fantastic story? Definitely. Question to ask your students: What are our "sacred stones" in our day and faith? Phrase 3: "What is faith?" "What is Faith?" It is something you are sure of even though you can't see it. -Hebrews 11:1 It can be small and still do great things. -Luke 17:5-6 It puts us at peace with God. - Romans 5:1 Faith is a measurement of how strongly you believe. What is your definition of faith? Phrase 4: "Tough Questions" What would God have done if Abraham, Sarah, or Isaac had said "no" to the test? How do you think Abraham explained the test to Isaac? What would you have done if you had been Abraham? Sarah? Isaac? What sort of test might God design in today's world for Abraham? How does God still test today's faithful?

Megalith 3: O Father Abraham Video -- First you'll see and hear a very cool and creative reflection on the story of Isaac's near sacrifice that gets at the question "What was going through their minds?" ..and "what does this mean for us?" A reminder....go to http://www.sundaysoftware.com/abe/lyrics.htm to print out the complete lyrics to all the songs. After the music video is over you will see a graphic of the altar/megaliths with kids standing inside the 5 stones. The following phrases are written on the stone around the kids. Roll your mouse over a stone to pop-up one of the following "pondering questions and answers." Each is ripe for discussion. Stone phrase 1: Would you've killed your son? Answer 1: As difficult as this may be to accept, Abraham probably trusted God enough to do whatever God asked. Do you have that much faith? Stone phrase 2: Did she question? Answer 2: The Bible doesn't say what Sarah thought about the near-sacrifice, but you can bet she was upset about it. Like a parent, God doesn't expect us to understand or even agree with everything God requires, but God does expect us to trust and obey. Do you love God that much? Stone phrase 3: Reveals the heart of God... Answer 3: God does not ask us for unreasonable or unbearable acts of obedience. Stone phrase 4: It foretells the Christ... Answer 4: Christians have long seen the similarities between the "almost-sacrifice" of Isaac and God offering himself in Jesus on the cross. In Jesus, God provides symbolic "payment" for our sins so that we can love and serve God with joy, rather than fear or guilt. Stone phrase 5: View and Print Lyrics Suggested Questions to Ask Your Students (or put on a worksheet for them to answer) Would you have followed through on God's orders? If you were Sarah, what would you be thinking, doing? How does this story reveal the character of God? How is the story of Isaac's near-sacrifice similar and dissimilar to Christ's sacrifice?

Theological Note about the Near-Sacrifice: It is a shocking scene. But God's word often speaks in shocking images to sear ideas into our faith. Traditional Sunday School teaching has treated the Sacrifice as a separate incident among the Abraham stories. It is not. It is the culminating episode of a three part play. In fact, it is a play about God, as much as it is about Abraham. It is about Faith - Patience - Obedience for Abraham. For God it is a demonstration of PLAN - TESTING - RESPONSIBILITY. God takes responsibility for providing what we need to be forgiven. By forcing us right up to the moment of Abraham raising his knife, God prepares us for the huge sigh of relief -which is God's grace given to us both in the form of the Ram, and later, the Lamb. Yahweh will not be like the other gods who thirst for payment. God will not ask us to pay the ultimate price for our sin. God will pay that price. The near-sacrifice of Isaac foreshadows the sacrifice of Christ. In fact, we cannot fully understand God's gracious redemptive plan without the story of Isaac's near-sacrifice as precursor to Christ's sacrifice. <>< Neil

Archaeological Note: Our 3-D rendering of Abraham's stone altar was based on the archaeological work of Uzi Avner, and Israeli archaeologist and expert in pre-Israelite worship sites which are scattered in that part of the world. The upright megaliths are found in many such sites... a picture of one taken by Dr. Avner is used with permission in the program and above in this document. A megalith is thought to have served many purposes, some lost or dimmed by history. One sense is that the megaliths were "witnesses" to events. Indeed, other Bible heroes, such as Jacob, set up commemorative stones to be signs of a happening. For the reflection part of this story, we simply took the concept of witnesses one step further and put OUR kids in the stones. They are today's witnesses.

 Insane Fanat-asy:

This activity may be most suitable for older students, however, the questions could be rephrased and discussed with younger elementary. You may be surprised just how relevant this "peer pressure" discussion is for them.

Abraham and Sarah's story looks ridiculous to the non-believer and scoffer. They don't see in it an amazing portrayal of God and Abraham's faithfulness to each other. It looks like religious insanity.

Following God in your life can sometimes bring people down on you. Listen to the song of one young person who chose to follow God, and the actual words which friends said about that decision. Then respond with your own words. There are SEVEN questions.

LISTEN -launches the music video.

RESPOND -launches the set of questions you see below in this outline. Students can type in responses.

PRINT LYRICS -prints the Lyrics along with the Questions used in the RESPOND guestbook texts (not their responses).

PRINT TEXT -prints the student's responses.

===

Here are the seven response questions in the Insane Reflection Activity:

"Temporary Form"

My faith in God is as strong as _____________.

"Throwing it all away"

Name two things a person must be willing to give up to follow God: ________ and _________.

"I know what they're saying about me"

Write down one thing people probably said about Abraham behind his back when he told them about his call to go to a new land.

What would your friends at school say if you started talking about your faith in God more openly and started making changes in the way you lived your life and treated others?

"He'll come 'round some day"

Name something that can cause someone to lose faith or stumble on their walk with God.

"But I believe"

If someone asked you to sum up what you believe about God, what would you tell them?

"Insane Fanat-asy"

Insane: 1. a degree of mental malfunctioning 2. Extreme foolishness; folly
Fanatic: extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm for a cause (abbreviation: fan)
Fantasy: creative invention of the mind, hallucination, unrealistic
Insane Fanatasy: what some people believe faith or the religious life is.

"How 'bout U ?"

If your faith were a car what kind of car would you say it is right now?

If your journey with God was a road, what kind of road are you on right now?

What sign is God waving at you on the road up ahead?

What two people can help you the most on your journey right now?

Print Lyrics Button

Pay it Forward:

Three choices present themselves in this section of the CD. TIP: You might want to print the certificate AHEAD OF TIME and make copies of it, just incase you run into problems with the lab printers or printing from within the program.

1. Print a Certificate of Completion --a fun way for students to show others what they did and perhaps generate discussion with mum and dad.

2. Pay It Forward --an experiment in promoting good deeds. Print this form and send home with students. Ask them to bring it back next time you gather.

3. Music Video Player --we've provided you a quick way to preview/review the four major music videos in the CD.

Abe Technical Notes:

Installation: The Abe CD is designed to run off the CD. It will not install a start-up icon. The first time you run it, it will check to see that your screen resolution is set to at least 800x600. If not, it will prompt you to change it to that resolution. Larger resolutions, such as 1200x800, will cause a large black area to appear around the program window. Set your computer to 800x600. Even so, Abe won't completely fill the 800x600. We've kept the video sizes just under that for better video performance on older machines.

Also at startup the CD will automatically check for the presence of Quicktime. If it doesn't find 5.0 or higher it will prompt you to install it off the CD. "Explore" the CDs files, open up Quicktime folder, and select the installer. Follow the prompts and continue through the registration (it will ask you for info but don't worry about it). Abe's videos will not work with earlier versions of Quicktime. Quicktime is a free program, but 'some' version of it will keep asking you to register and upgrade (for $). We suggest you ignore these prompts -if you wish. If for some reason Quicktime doesn't seem to install, or keeps asking to install, explore the CD's files and manually execute the QT installation. Or go to www.quicktime.com and get a fresh copy.

Troubleshooting: Hey, this is multimedia...stuff happens. If you have problems you can't solve --call us at 1-800-678-1948 or visit www.sundaysoftware.com/techie.htm for the latest tech tips and solutions for "issues" you may encounter with our programs.

Slow, chunky, stuttering video: If this happens its because your computer is under-powered. More RAM and a better videocard will immediately cure your problem and make you wonder what else you've been missing in other software! Abe's videos will "run" on a 4 mb videocard and 32 mb of RAM but will run smoothly on an 8 meg videocard with 64 mb of system RAM.

Make sure you have other programs turned off, such as anti-virus programs. In Windows, hit ctrl-alt-delete to pop-up your Task Manager and see what little programs are sucking ram from your system. You may be surprised!

Quicktime 5.0 is required because our videos are mpeg formatted videos. QT 4.0 can't run mpegs. QT comes with its own control panel to adjust the video and audio properties/problems you may encounter running the videos. Remember....the videos have audio tracks on them. If you hear hissing or crackling audio when an animation/video is running, open your QT control panel (located in your system's Control Panel as a blue Q icon) and select a different "audio out." For more about this issue, read our Quicktime article at our website or contact us.

Printing Problems? There are several places in the program where you can print materials. Preview this function. In some cases certain printers need to be set to print in "draft" or "economy" mode to print from programs made with Macromedia Director (which Abe was made in).

We've put a README file on the CD with some extra tips and a brief outline.

Other Abraham and Sarah Teaching Suggestions:

TNT's "Abraham" video is excellent. Stars Richard Harrison and they made a big attempt at being historically accurate to the times. Nest Entertainment's Abraham and Isaac video is good for the younger set.

Make a "family tree" that begins with Abraham and Sarah. This can be a room display, or something individuals make. Matthew's Gospel begins the story of the birth of Jesus by reciting Jesus' family tree. Who do we belong to? How are we inheritors of the Covenant God made with Abraham?

Creative Abraham and Sarah art, drama, and game lesson suggestions can be found in the Lesson Exchange at www.rotation.org.

Abe Outline, Copyright Sunday Software
4368 Brickwood Drive Hilliard Ohio 43026
www.sundaysoftware.com