Supplies:

• large bag
• pictures or soft toys of a dog, cat, a koala or other wild animal
• Children’s Bible with picture of Noah and the Ark with animals entering it or on it
• Lyrics to ‘Rise and Shine’ (optional)

Script:

Good morning. I have several items in my bag…
[Take out pictures or soft toys, one at a time.  Let the children/adults name them.]
Dog…cat… koala (or other local animal of the wild) …

What do these have in common?
Yes, they are all animals.

Who has a pet at home?
Dog? Cat? Koala?
Fish? Snake? Ferrett? Horse or pony?
Turtle or tortoise? Bird?
What am I missing?

Who helps take care of a pet at home?
What do you do? – feed it, clean it, make sure it gets exercise,
Keep it healthy and safe.

There’s a story in the Bible …[take a Children’s Bible out of the bag]
about a family whose job it is to keep a lot of animals healthy and safe. The father is the most famous person.
Anyone know who I am thinking of?
Here’s a clue:  this man and his family build a huge boat, which they call an ark, big enough to keep all the animals safe when a flood comes. … Noah!
Noah had a family, a wife and children, who helped, too.

Show a picture of Noah, ideally from Children’s Bible about Noah, or simply show a picture and explain how Noah and his family save and care for the animals during the flood.

God wants all of us to be like Noah.

How do you think we can be like Noah?
• Do you think we have to build a great big boat, an ark? No.
• Do you think we have to go find two of every animal? No.
• Do you think we all have to live on boats? No.

How does God want us to be like Noah?
• God wants us to …take care of animals,
• God wants us to … make sure animals have the food they need.
• God wants us to… make sure animals have a clean and warm place to sleep.
• God want us to … keep animals safe.

So that means taking good care of our pets.
Like our…(hold up dog)…dogs.
And our…(hold up cat)… cats.
And taking good care of wild animals, too,
like… koalas.

Prayer:
Let’s  talk to God, just like Noah did.  Pray with me.
Close your eyes and think of your favourite animal.
God, thank you for animals.
Thank you for our pets and for all the wild animals around the world.
Show us, like you showed Noah, how to keep all animals healthy and safe. Amen.

Song option:  Rise and Shine

Photo: ‘Molly’ by Kathy Schultz, Australia