Bible links: Genesis 4; Hebrews 11:4; Hebrews 12:24; 1 John 3:11
On Your Marks:
General introduction to the theme:
When God made people, one way they were like God was the ability to offer and receive the gift of friendship. However, following the choice to betray that trust in their friendship with God, this gift became easily broken. People often chose to hate others, turning friends into enemies. God never stopped longing for friendship with and between all. Finally, when God stepped into this world as Jesus, everyone could see the forever friendship that God offered. It was a friendship that was greater than the power of revenge, hatred and death and this was made available to anyone when Jesus rose from the dead. Again and again God showed through the stories in the Bible how hatred can be turned into love, and enemies can become friends. This is the good news that we as Christians can pass on to a broken world
Introduction to the story:
Genesis records in chapter 4 the first human consequences to not trusting God. It is seen in the breakdown of trust between people and in particular within the family of Adam and Eve. Cain, the elder brother, turns against Abel and in a fight murders him. The choice to become enemies, not friends, tears the family apart and leads to a life of restless wandering and revenge. The death of the first shepherd Abel is a sign of the falling apart of our world, as the writer to the Hebrews tells us (12:24). In contrast, the death of the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, is the way that this falling apart can be mended and the way enemies can become friends again. In the garden, friendship with God had been broken (Genesis 3) and here in the field, friendships between people are broken, too.
The following idea picks up on the themes of making good and bad choices in response to what happens to us. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God can give the strength to choose what is good.
Get set:
Use the retelling of the story from
The Barnabas Children’s Bible, story 5, 'Cain and Abel', pages 15 - 16.
Go!
1. Introduce the story by playing a game:
Each child should find out who is his or her famous partner or brother. Stick labels on the backs of the children with the names from the list below. They should find their other half, but in response to questions others can answer only yes or no; likewise they can say only yes or no when questioned. Here are some suggested pairings:
Prince Andrew and Prince Charles; Liam and Noel Gallagher; Harry and William; Ant and Dec; Andrew and Peter (disciples of Jesus); Jamie and Andy Murray; Les and Rio Ferdinand; Dick and Dom. (Add in any other well-known pairings from your own church family or community.)
Another suggestion for a game:
Ask the children to work in small groups of two or three. They should become a group of friends. Now using the following list of make-or-break friendship words, call out some randomly and ask the group to interpret dramatically what this would mean for the friendship of the group:
jealousy; difficulties; unfairness; sadness; favouritism; success; bullying; fear; secrets; new arrivals to the group; good news; bad temper; impatience.
2. Cain and Abel were very different characters.
Cain farmed the land. He grew vegetables and grain. Maybe it meant he stayed near home most of the time. He clearly didn’t like being told what to do and he possibly had a bit of a temper. He lacked self-control and maybe his faith in God wasn’t very strong either. His first response to being found out was to try to lie himself out of trouble.
Abel tended sheep. As a shepherd, he was probably often away from home for days on end, searching for good pasture land. He would be no stranger to fighting off wild animals to protect his flock. Clearly he took trouble about worshipping God, offering the very best of his flock. He liked to do the right thing.
Do you see some aspects of your character here?
Imagine what Adam and Eve would say about their sons, if they were interviewed. Do you think they had favourites? Tell the story from their points of view.
I wonder what each brother would have said about the other, prior to the murder?
I wonder what the new brother Seth (he was born later; see Genesis 4:25) was told about how his one brother had died and his other brother had disappeared off the scene?
I wonder what Cain said to his new friends about what happened back home and to the others he met on his wanderings?
3. Link the themes of this story to real life today. How do situations escalate into becoming something as bad as this? Talk about how:
someone’s success can trigger jealousy;
jealousy when nursed becomes hatred;
hatred seeks revenge;
revenge looks for an opportunity to hurt the other person;
and hurt can get out of hand, producing anger, sworn enemies and even death.
Can the group create freeze-frames of some of these scenarios to explore the feelings linked to the breakdown of friendship?
4. Finally, talk about how God did step into the situation to prevent it from falling apart. For example:
God spoke to Cain very clearly. He knew that his heart wasn’t really in the worship that he had offered (Hebrews 11:4).
God warned Cain that danger was lurking, but he left the choice of what to do up to Cain
God gave Cain a chance to own up and say sorry—but Cain fobbed God off with the words: ‘Am I supposed to be looking after my brother?’
God did punish Cain—God doesn’t pretend that bad things have not happened, but…
God also protected him (Genesis 4:15). God did not give up on Cain, nor does God give up on us.
What can we learn from this when dealing with breakdowns in friendships?
In the New Testament John writes, ‘We should love one another and not be like Cain’ (1 John 3:12).
God’s love for us in Jesus, even when we were his enemies (Romans 5:10) can give us the power to choose not to be like Cain. The death of Jesus opens the way to a new start, turning restless wandering and revenge into a joy-filled return and forgiveness (Hebrews 12:24)
God wants us ‘to look after for our brother’ (that means anyone in need) , contrary to what Cain says. So in a time of prayer, focus on those who are feeling uncared for, far away or who are the victims of hatred in some way.
5. Let the children decide how they might illustrate the breaking and mending of friendship by using four strips of paper of equal length, each shaped like an arrow at one end. Use some of all of these pieces to illustrate the following:
Cain and Abel as friends
Abel pleasing God
Cain disappointing God
Cain hating Abel
Cain killing Abel
Cain leaving the family forever
Jesus mending relationships with God and with each other.
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