The Story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

There was a very rich person. He had two sons. The first son was hard working. He always obeyed his
father. He was very good and nice person. But the second son was totally different from the first son.
He was lazy. He did not work in his fathers field. He was disobedient to his father. He wanted to lead
a gay and free life.
One day, the younger son said to his father. Father, give me my share of property. The father felt
very sad. He divided the property. The second son took his share of property. He left home with his
share. He went to a distant land. There he made a lot of friends. He spent his property lavishly on his
friends, foods and drinks. He had many bad habits too. He wasted all the money. Soon he was left with
no money. His friends saw this. They all deserted him one by one.
AT that time, there was a famine in that land. He could not get any job. None of his friends gave him
food or money. He was forced to take up a very mean job. His job was to feed the pigs. Very often he
ate the food kept for the pigs. He was very sad about his present conditions. He soon began to think of
his father and his brother. He said to himself, In my fathers house, even the servants have enough
food. They get good shelter too. But here, I am struggling for food and shelter. I will go back to my
father. I will beg him to take me as his servant.
So decided, the prodigal son set out for his fathers house. In the meantime, his father was always
thinking of his second son. He would sit near the windows. He would look out at the road, expecting
his son to return home.
One day his father saw his son coming at a distance. He ran out of his house in great joy. He met his
son on the way. His son knelt down. He said, Father, I am not fit to be your son. Take me as your
servant.
His father lifted his lovingly. He embraced him. He turned to his servants. He said, Bring the best
robe. Put it on my son. Put a ring on his fingers and shoes on his feet. Kill the fatted calf. Prepare a
feast. Let us eat and enjoy. My son was lost. Now he is fount.
The elder son was returning from his work. He heard the sound of the music and dancing from his
house. He asked one of his servants about it. His servant told his, Your brother has come. Your father
is rejoicing at his return. A fatted calf has been killed to prepare for a delicious feast and the
celebration.
The first son was angry. He refused to enter his house. The father came out. He begged his elder son to
come in for rejoicing. The elder son said, I have obeyed you all these years. I have done all your
works. But you never gave me even a kid to enjoy with my friends. This son wasted all your money
and property. And you order a fatted calf for him!
His father replied, My dear son, you are always with me. All my property is yours. Your younger
brother was dead. Now he is alive. He was lost. Now he is found. Therefore should we not rejoice?
The elder son understood the love behind the words of his father. He forgot everything about his
younger brother. He decided to take part in the celebration. He was happy.

Noah's Ark and the Flood (Genesis 6:1 - 9:17)

God saw how great wickedness had become and decided to wipe mankind from the face of the earth.
However, one righteous man among all the people of that time, Noah, found favor in God's eyes. With
very specific instructions, God told Noah to build an ark for him and his family in preparation for a
catastrophic flood that would destroy every living thing on earth.
God also instructed Noah to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, both male and female, and
seven pairs of all the clean animals, along with every kind of food to be stored for the animals and his
family while on the ark. Noah obeyed everything God commanded him to do.
After they entered the ark, rain fell on the earth for a period of forty days and nights. The waters
flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days, and every living thing on the face of the earth was
wiped out. As the waters receded, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Noah and his family
continued to wait for almost eight more months while the surface of the earth dried out.
Finally after an entire year, God invited Noah to come out of the ark. Immediately, he built an altar and
worshiped the Lord with burnt offerings from some of the clean animals. God was pleased with the
offerings and promised never again to destroy all the living creatures as he had just done. Later God
established a covenant with Noah: "Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." As a sign of
this everlasting covenant God set a rainbow in the clouds.

David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)

The Philistine army had gathered for war against Israel. The two armies faced each other, camped for
battle on opposite sides of a steep valley. A Philistine giant measuring over nine feet tall and wearing
full armor came out each day for forty days, mocking and challenging the Israelites to fight. His name
was Goliath. Saul , the King of Israel, and the whole army were terrified of Goliath.
One day David, the youngest son of Jesse, was sent to the battle lines by his father to bring back news
of his brothers. David was probably just a young teenager at the time. While there, David heard
Goliath shouting his daily defiance and he saw the great fear stirred within the men of Israel. David
responded, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of God?"
So David volunteered to fight Goliath. It took some persuasion, but King Saul finally agreed to let
David fight against the giant. Dressed in his simple tunic, carrying his shepherd's staff, sling and a
pouch full of stones, David approached Goliath. The giant cursed at him, hurling threats and insults.
David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come
against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied
... today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air ... and the whole world
will know that there is a God in Israel ... it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is
the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
As Goliath moved in for the kill, David reached into his bag and slung one of his stones at Goliath's
head. Finding a hole in the armor, the stone sank into the giant's forehead and he fell face down on the
ground. David then took Goliath's sword, killed him and then cut off his head. When the Philistines
saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. So the Israelites pursued, chasing and killing them
and plundering their camp.

The Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3:14-29)

Only a few people close to the royal platform could see and hear what happened next, but everybody
tried to. While the great golden statue still towered above them, the crowds surged forward to catch a
glimpse of the three young men who had dared to defy the king. Many a little boy, I am sure, climbed
on his daddys shoulders to get a better view of what was going on.
Is it true . . . that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?
Nebuchadnezzar asked Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Then he offered them one more chance, for he had liked these young men from the first time he had
seen them. The band would play again. If they would fall down before the image, everything would be
all right. If not, they would be thrown into the blazing furnace. Then, asked the king, what god will
be able to rescue you from my hand?
It was an awful moment for the three young men. Nobody likes to be burned alive. They could see
smoke rising from the furnace which the king would use to punish people like them, and they knew
very well that Nebuchadnezzar would do exactly as he had said if they disobeyed him again.
They could have said to themselves, Well, just bowing down once wont matter very much. We
wouldnt really be worshiping the statue. We would just do it to please the king who has been so good
to us. But they did no such thing. They remembered the commandment of God, You shall not make
for yourself an idol. . . . You shall not bow down to them or worship them. * And they decided that
they must obey God rather than man.
O Nebuchadnezzar. . . They said respectfully, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he
will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king that we
will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.
At this the king became furious and could hardly contain his rage.
Heat the furnace! he roared. Make it seven times hotter than it ever was heated before!
Servants ran to obey. Some started to throw more fuel on the fire. Others worked the bellows to fan the
flames to white heat. Meanwhile the strongest men in the kings army were called to tie up the three
young men with ropes.
Hotter and hotter grew the fire, until the king and the whole royal party could feel the heat of it. Now
the problem arose as to how to get the young men into it. It was too hot. Nobody could get near it.
Even the mighty men who had bound Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego drew back, wondering what
to do next.
Throw them in! yelled the king in his wild anger.
The soldiers obeyed. Picking up the three young men, they moved forward, three them into the
furnace, then fell to the ground and died from the terrible heat.
Nebuchadnezzar did not care. His foolish jealousy was satisfied. Nobody would dare disobey him
again. As for the three young Hebrews and their God, at this point he was glad to be rid of them.
Suddenly a cry was raised. Look! Theres somebody in the fire!
What! cried the king? Impossible!
But there was. Wide-eyed with amazement, Nebuchadnezzar gazed through the open doors of the
blazing furnace.
Yes, there was somebody inside it. Two people in fact. No, three, four!
Others were looking now, everybody who could get close enough to peer in.
Werent there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? cried the king.
Certainly, O king, said those about him.
Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a
son of the gods.
Forgetting his royal dignity, forgetting the tens of thousands eyes that were upon him, Nebuchadnezzar
left his throne and hurried as near as he dared to the door of the furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! he cried. Servants of the Most High God, come out! Come
here!

They came. They were not burned in any way. Their clothes didnt even smell scorched. The fire had
burned only the ropes that had bound them.
Everybody gathered close to see the astounding sight. The satraps, prefects, governors and royal
advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair
of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
How much the vast crowd saw of all this we do not know. But we can be sure that the amazing story
was told and retold 10,000 times that day. Nebuchadnezzar was quite overcome by the experience. He
never said another word about his great golden idol. Instead he declared to all about him, "Praise be to
the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They
trusted in him and defied the kings command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve
or worship any god except their own God.
Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for
no other god can save in this way.
It was a wonderful deliverance, and God used it to cheer the hearts of His people in the days of their
captivity. It must have been a comfort to them to know that He was willing to walk in the fire with
those three dear faithful young men!
Perhaps He will do the same for you someday.

The Creation Story (Genesis 1:1-2:3)

The opening chapter of the Bible begins with these words, "In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth." This summarizes the drama that was about to unfold. We learn from the text that the
earth was formless, empty, and dark, and God's Spirit moved over the waters preparing to perform
God's creative Word. And then God began to speak into existence his creation. The day by day account
follows:
Day 1 - God created light and separated the light from the darkness, calling light "day" and darkness
"night."
Day 2 - God created an expanse to separate the waters and called it "sky."
Day 3 - God created the dry ground and gathered the waters, calling the dry ground "land," and the
gathered waters "seas." On day three, God also created vegetation (plants and trees).
Day 4 - God created the sun, moon, and the stars to give light to the earth and to govern and separate
the day and the night. These would also serve as signs to mark seasons, days, and years.
Day 5 - God created every living creature of the seas and every winged bird, blessing them to multiply
and fill the waters and the sky with life.
Day 6 - God created the animals to fill the earth. On day six, God also created man and woman
(Adam and Eve) in his own image to commune with him. He blessed them and gave them every
creature and the whole earth to rule over, care for, and cultivate.
Day 7 - God had finished his work of creation and so he rested on the seventh day, blessing it and
making it holy.

Jonah and the Whale (2 Kings 14:25, The book of Jonah, Matthew 12:38-41, 16:4; Luke 11:29-32.)
The story of Jonah and the Whale, one of the oddest accounts in the Bible, opens with God speaking
to Jonah, son of Amittai, commanding him to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh.
Jonah found this order unbearable. Not only was Nineveh known for its wickedness, but it was also the
capital of the Assyrian empire, one of Israel's fiercest enemies. Jonah, a stubborn fellow, did just the
opposite of what he was told. He went down to the seaport of Joppa and booked passage on a ship to
Tarshish, heading directly away from Nineveh. The Bible tells us Jonah "ran away from the Lord."
In response, God sent a violent storm, which threatened to break the ship to pieces. The terrified
crew cast lots, determining that Jonah was responsible for the storm. Jonah told them to throw him
overboard. First they tried rowing to shore, but the waves got even higher. Afraid of God, the sailors
finally tossed Jonah into the sea, and the water immediately grew calm. The crew made a sacrifice to
God, swearing vows to him.
Instead of drowning, Jonah was swallowed by a great fish, which God provided. In the belly of the
whale, Jonah repented and cried out to God in prayer. He praised God, ending with the eerily prophetic
statement, "Salvation comes from the Lord." Jonah was in the giant fish three days. God commanded
the whale, and it vomited the reluctant prophet onto dry land. This time Jonah obeyed God. He walked
through Nineveh proclaiming that in forty days the city would be destroyed. Surprisingly, the
Ninevites believed Jonah's message and repented, wearing sackcloth and covering themselves in ashes.
God had compassion on them and did not destroy them.
Again Jonah questioned God, because Jonah was angry that Israel's enemies had been spared. When
Jonah stopped outside the city to rest, God provided a vine to shelter him from the hot sun. Jonah was
happy with the vine, but the next day God provided a worm that ate the vine, making it wither.
Growing faint in the sun, Jonah complained again.
God scolded Jonah for being concerned about a vine, but not about Nineveh, which had 120,000 lost
people. The story ends with God expressing concern even about the wicked.

Crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:27-56, Mark 15:21-38, Luke 23:26-49, and John 19:16-37.)
The Jewish high priests and elders of the Sanhedrin accused Jesus of blasphemy, arriving at the
decision to put him to death. But first they needed Rome to approve of their death sentence, so Jesus
was taken to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in Judea. Although Pilate found him innocent, unable
to find or even contrive a reason to condemn Jesus, he feared the crowds and let them decide Jesus'
fate. Stirred by the Jewish chief priests, the crowds declared, "Crucify him!"
As was common, Jesus was publicly scourged, or beaten, with a leather-thonged whip before
his crucifixion. Tiny pieces of iron and bone chips were tied to the ends of each leather thong, causing
deep cuts and painful bruising. He was mocked, struck in the head with a staff and spit on. A prickly
crown was placed on his head and he was stripped naked. Too weak to carry his cross, Simon of
Cyrene was forced to carry it for him.
He was led to Golgotha where he would be crucified. As was the custom, before they nailed him to the
cross, a mixture of vinegar, gall, and myrrh was offered. This drink was said to alleviate some of the
suffering, but Jesus refused to drink it. Stake-like nails were driven through his wrists and ankles,
fastening him to the cross where he was crucified between two convicted criminals.
The inscription above his head tauntingly read, "The King of the Jews." On the cross Jesus hung for his
final agonizing breaths, a period that lasted about six hours. During that time, soldiers cast lots for
Jesus' clothing, while people passed by shouting insults and scoffing. From the cross, Jesus spoke to
his mother Mary and the disciple John. He also cried out to his father, "My God, my God, why have
You forsaken Me?"
At that point, darkness covered the land. A little later, as Jesus gave up his spirit, an earthquake shook
the ground, ripping the Temple veil in two from top to bottom. Matthew's Gospel records, "The earth
shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died
were raised to life."
It was typical at crucifixions for Roman soldiers to show mercy by breaking the criminal's legs, thus
causing death to come more quickly. But this night only the thieves had their legs broken, for when the
soldiers came to Jesus, they found him already dead. Instead, they pierced his side. Before sunset,
Jesus was taken down by Joseph of Arimathea and laid in a tomb according to Jewish tradition.

Jesus Feeds 5000 (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15.)
While going about his ministry, Christ received some terrible news. John, his friend, kinsman, and the
prophet who proclaimed him as the Messiah, had been beheaded by Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee
and Perea.
Jesus' 12 disciples had just returned from a missionary journey he had sent them on. After they told
him all they had done and taught, he took them with him in a boat on the Sea of Galilee to a remote
place, for rest and prayer.
Great crowds of people in the area heard that Jesus was near. They ran to see him, bringing their sick
friends and relatives. When the boat landed, Jesus saw all the men, women and children and had
compassion on them. He taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed those who were sick.
Looking at the crowd, which numbered about 5,000 men, not counting women and children, Jesus
asked his disciple Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" Jesus knew what he was
going to do, but he asked Philip to test him. Philip replied that even eight months' wages would not be
enough to give each person even one bite of bread.
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, had more faith in Jesus. He brought forward a young boy who had five
small loaves of barley bread and two small fish. Even so, Andrewwondered how that could help.
Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down in groups of fifty. He took the five loaves, looked up to heaven,
gave thanks to God his Father, and passed them to his disciples to be distributed. He did the same with
the two fish.
Everyonemen, women and childrenate as much as they wanted! Jesus miraculously multiplied the
loaves and fishes so there was more than enough. Then he told his disciples to gather the leftovers so
nothing was wasted. They collected enough to fill 12 baskets.
The crowd was so overwhelmed by this miracle that they understood Jesus was the prophet who had
been promised. Knowing they would want to force him to become their king, Jesus fled from them.

Daniel in the Den of Lions (Book of Daniel, chapter 6.)

The ancient Middle East was the story of one empire rising, falling, and being replaced by another. In
605 B.C., the Babylonians conquered Israel, taking many of its promising young men into captivity
in Babylon. One of those men was Daniel.
When the lions' den event occurred, Daniel was in his 80s. Through a life of hard work and obedience,
he had risen through the political ranks as an administrator of this pagan kingdom. In fact, Daniel was
so honest and hardworking that the other government officials--who were jealous of him--could find
nothing to remove him from office.
So they tried to use Daniel's faith in God against him. They tricked King Darius into passing a decree
that during a 30-day period, anyone who prayed to another god or man besides the king would be
thrown into the lions' den.
Daniel learned of the decree but did not change his habit. Just as he had done all his life, he went
home, knelt down, faced Jerusalem, and prayed to God. The wicked administrators caught him and
told the king. King Darius, who loved Daniel, tried to save him, but the decree could not be revoked.
At sundown, they threw Daniel into the den of lions. The king could not eat or sleep all night. At dawn
he ran to the lions' den and asked Daniel if his God had protected him. Daniel replied,

"My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was
found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."
Scripture says the king was overjoyed. Daniel was brought out, unharmed,"...because he had trusted in
his God."

King Darius had the men arrested who falsely accused Daniel, and along with their wives and children,
they were all thrown into the lions' den, where they were immediately killed by the beasts.
Then the king issued another decree, ordering the people to fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
Daniel prospered under the reign of Darius and King Cyrus the Persian after him.