Hebrews 11:1-3, New International Reader's Version

Faith That Produces Action

11 Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see. 2 That is what the people of long ago were praised for.

3 We have faith. So we understand that everything was made when God commanded it. That’s why we believe that what we see was not made out of what could be seen.

Hebrews 11:8-16, New International Reader's Version

8 Abraham had faith. So he obeyed God. God called him to go to a place he would later receive as his own. So he went. He did it even though he didn’t know where he was going. 9 Because of his faith, he made his home in the land God had promised him. Abraham was like an outsider in a strange country. He lived there in tents. So did Isaac and Jacob. They received the same promise he did. 10 Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations. He was waiting for the city that God planned and built. 11 And Sarah had faith. So God made it possible for her to become a mother. She became a mother even though she was too old to have children. But Sarah believed that the God who made the promise was faithful. 12 Abraham was past the time when he could have children. But many children came from that one man. They were as many as the stars in the sky. They were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. No one could count them.

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They didn’t receive the things God had promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a long way off. They openly said that they were outsiders and strangers on earth. 14 People who say things like that show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 What if they had been thinking of the country they had left? Then they could have returned to it. 16 Instead, they longed for a better country. They wanted a heavenly one. So God is pleased when they call him their God. In fact, he has prepared a city for them.

Objects:

Photos of people in different fields/areas of life in halls of fame.

Message:

Have you ever been to a hall of fame? (Allow children to answer.) A hall of fame is a museum or building that contains awards in certain areas. There is a hall of fame for music. (Show a photo of a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.) There is a hall of fame for art. (Show someone in an art hall of fame.) There is a hall of fame for sports. Recently, the Baseball Hall of Fame added some new members. (Show a photo of someone in the Baseball Hall of Fame that the kids might recognize, such as Babe Ruth.) There are many kinds of halls of fame.

Sometimes a hall of fame is an actual building where trophies and awards are kept, but sometimes a hall of fame is just a list of award winners. To get into a hall of fame, a person must be one of the best in that area.

Today’s Bible passage is about people who could be in a faith hall of fame. What is faith? If I say the word “faith,” what comes to your mind? (Allow children to answer.)

Faith is belief and trust in God without seeing God. Sometimes you can’t see things you know are there. Have you ever seen the wind? (Allow children to answer.) No, but we know the wind is there when we see the leaves on the tree blowing. Can you see the air you breathe? (Allow children to answer.) Can you see heat or cold? (Allow children to respond.) Can you see God? (Allow children to answer.) To have faith, we must trust that God is there, even though we can't see God with our eyes.

Our Bible passage today says, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see. That is what the people of long ago were praised for.” This passage from Hebrews tells us about people who might be included in a “faith hall of fame.” These are people from the Bible who had strong faith.

People like Abraham. Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob were faith heroes. Faith heroes believed and followed God. They believed in God’s promises. They trusted that following God would result in great things. They had faith that God would take care of them. They put their trust in God, and when they did, God did extraordinary things.

The Bible is filled with faith hall of fame heroes. Having strong faith allows us to focus on God instead of ourselves. That is not as easy as it sounds. But think of what God has done for those faith heroes in the Bible and what God will continue to do in your life.

Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” Our God is powerful and makes amazing things happen. Sometimes, God does such things without any help from us. However, God often works by giving us the strength, hope, and patience we need to have strong faith and to be “hall of fame followers” of Jesus. Having faith in God means trusting that our lives are in God’s hands. God loves you, and God will take care of you. Having that kind of faith is pleasing to God, and we need to be thankful for that.

Prayer:

God, please give me hall-of-fame faith. Help me to learn what it means to trust in you with my life. Help me come to you with all my needs. Help me to focus on you rather than myself. With your help, give me faith strong enough to do amazing things. Amen.

Between the Sundays: Family Conversation Starters

We have added conversation starters to each children’s message series to help spark conversations within families during the week. We encourage families to use these questions to guide them through conversations and subject matter discussed during the worship service, including the children’s messages on Sundays. These conversations will reinforce learning and nurture faith formation for the entire family.

Can you think of a time in your life when you had faith? Discuss your thoughts and feelings around those times with your family.

Talk about a time you put your complete trust in God. What happened?

The Latin translation for the word “faith” is “trust.” Discuss as a family how those two words are similar. Do you agree or disagree with the idea that where there is faith, there is trust? Can someone have faith without having trust?

Using your Bible as a reference, create a wall of fame of people from the Bible who had strong faith. List them on a piece of paper affixed to a wall of your house. Each day, add another person to the list. Discuss why they made the list. What characteristics of those people do you recognize in family members? What characteristics do you see in yourself?

Discuss the idea that having faith in God, something that is unseen, is putting your full trust in God. How does that make you feel? How can you share your faith with someone this week? What can you do to show others the amazing life that is found in putting trust in God?

As a family, listen to the song “Seeing Is Believing” by Elvis Presley. What words or images come to mind as you listen to this song? Do the lyrics help you feel God’s presence when you see images of God’s creation, such as mountains and oceans? What does “seeing is believing” mean to you?

As a family, list things you know are there even if you can’t see them. Provide reasons for placing those things on the list. How do you know they are real? Can you prove it? Then discuss ways to give evidence that God is real.