This weekend we taught the kids that God is a great big God, who loves us with a great big love, and that we are part of God’s great big world. The children heard the account of Noah and the ways Noah gave thanks. We also taught the children ways to give thanks to God in their lives.

The account of Noah is one of the most popular accounts to be found in the Bible. It is filled with delightful images of animals and boats and rainbows. The background of the story, however, is one of wickedness, destruction, and heartbreak. After leaving the garden of Eden, people continued to grow apart from God. They began to depend more on themselves and less on God. The perfect world that God created was returning to a state of chaos. Instead of merely starting over with creation, God chose the best of creation and set it apart for a special purpose. The rest was to be destroyed. The account of God destroying the world can be frightening for children. Because we want children to know that God is a loving and caring God, this lesson focused on how Noah trusted God to take care of him, his family, and the animals, and then thanked God for this care.

The ark was a kind of houseboat. It was built of cypress wood and had three decks. It was very large, 450 feet long. That is longer than a football field! It was 75 feet wide and 45 feet tall. The Scriptures only mention one door and one window. The rainbow that appeared after the Flood is a sign of the covenant established between God and humankind. Aside from the Creation account, this is the first covenant in the Bible. Unlike later covenants made with Abraham and Israel, this covenant is universal in scope. Noah and his family, along with the animals of the ark, were the remnants of creation that would repopulate the entire world.

Flood stories are found in the literature of many ancient cultures. What makes this story stand out above the others is Noah’s faith and God’s promise to give humankind a second chance. Offering thanks to God was a priority for Noah. When Noah departed the ark after the Flood, perhaps he thought of building a home for his family and establishing himself in his new world. Everyone and everything had been destroyed, so he would have to start all over again. Yet his mind was on worship. Noah built an altar and offered thanks to God.

This week as you interact with your children provide them with opportunities to give thanks to God. You as a parent, think about the ways you give thanks to God. How does giving thanks make you feel? What does giving thanks do for you? Then talk to your children about it.

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds”. Psalm 9:1