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W&W Story: Balaam's Donkey & the Angel


Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel[i]

Using Children’s Worship and Wonder format open with:
·         Welcoming the children
·         Explaining the space
·         Singing “Father we Adore You” and “Be Still and Know”

Story[ii]
Once there was a man named Balaam. Balaam worked for a bad king named Balak and God was angry with Balaam. One day, Balak sent men to bring Balaam to his palace to work for him. The next day Balaam got up, saddled his donkey and started on his trip to the palace.

On the way there, God sent an angel of the Lord to talk to Balaam but Balaam did not see. Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord and turned off, into a field. Balaam got upset with the donkey and took it back to the road.

A little further down the road the angel of the Lord appeared again. Balaam still did not see the angel, but the donkey did and the donkey again turned off of the road. Balaam became very upset with the donkey. Again he corrected the donkey and got it back on the road.

Still even further down the road the angel of the Lord appeared a third time to Balaam. This time the donkey stopped in it’s tracks and refused to move. Balaam was so angry that he was about to hit the donkey when the donkey turned around and spoke to Balaam. The donkey said, “Why do you want to hit me? Can you not see the angel of the Lord standing before you? This is the third time it’s appeared and because you did not see you have become angry with me.” Balaam looked up and saw the angel of the Lord.

Wonder Questions

·         I wonder how God felt when Balaam refused to see the angel God had sent?
·         I wonder how the donkey felt when Balaam kept getting angry with it?
·         I wonder what it was like to have a donkey start talking?
·         I wonder how Balaam felt when he saw the angel?

Activity

Have the children form a line, quietly at the door.
Take them to Randy Daniel’s Sunday school room.
Have the children find a chair around the table.
Explain to the children that they will make their own donkeys, so they can tell the story themselves.

Option two is play the Donkey Board Game.
Have the children clean up their supplies, and take their story characters into the worship room.
Gather the children back in the circle. Continue with Children’s Worship and Wonder format and light the Christ candle, read scripture, pray, and sing the goodbye song.

Scripture Reading: Numbers 22:22-31


[i]  Activity from Bible Story Activities; Volume 1 edited by Terry P. Rothermich, Christian Board of Publication St. Louis, Missouri, 1998.
[ii] Story and Wonder Questions by Kate West, 2005.
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