Based on Genesis chapters 6 - 8
Noah
Today's story happened a long time ago. It's a story about one man who listened to God when no-one else would. What he did - made other people think he was crazy. But, because he believed God, when terrible things started to happen - he was ready when no-one else was.
At that time, nearly everyone had forgotten about God, they only thought about themselves. God saw how selfish and evil all the people were - and He was sorry that He’d ever made them. They would cheat, steal, lie and murder just to get what they wanted. God was so sad and angry with them, that He decided it was time they got what they deserved. - He was going to send a terrible flood over the whole earth to kill every living creature.
However, there was one good man, called Noah. God loved Noah and didn't want him to be destroyed when he sent the flood. So God spoke to Noah and told him about a special plan He had to save Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives.
God told Noah that he had to build a very large .......... Well, let me explain. It's like a boat but it isn't exactly a boat. It's also like a very - very large box - called an ark!
And it was to be so big - because God planned not just to save Noah and his family, but 2 of every kind of animal, bird and insect as well - a male and a female. You see God didn't just think about saving Noah. He thought about life after the flood, and a world which needed animals, birds and insects as well as people.
The ark was to have three decks with lots of rooms on each deck, and it was to be a massive 135 metres long, 13 ½ metres tall (that’s as tall as a three or four storey house) and 22 ½ metres wide! God also told Noah not to worry about finding the animals to go inside the ark, as He would send them to Noah at just the right time.
The next day Noah said to his three sons, ‘Go down to the forest and buy this much wood.’
‘What do you want all that wood for Dad?’ one of them asked.
'Well you see son,' Noah started to explain. 'God’s told me to build ... an ark ...' and he told his sons all about it.
However, the town's people weren't so convinced. Why was Noah, building this great big boat-like thing in the middle of one of his fields? Not only that, there were no rivers or streams near by and it was so big that there wasn't any hope of moving it! And what is the point of having a large boat-like thing stuck high and dry in the middle of nowhere?
The town's people started to moan and complain and laugh at Noah. But when he tried to explain why he was building it they replied, ‘You're mad! God's not going to judge us!’ But Noah knew that when God says something, He always does it - and carried on building the ark.
Slowly the ark took shape. And as it did, Noah started to notice unusual animals living in unusual places! After all, it's hard not to miss a pair of crocodiles living in your bathroom, or a pair of hedgehogs nestling on your favourite chair (let's hope he discovered them before he tried to sit down!). God was sending the animals - just like He’d promised! So carefully Noah collected them, and after nearly losing the pigs to the tigers, he made sure he kept them well fed and in strong pens and cages! (PAUSE)
Even with this very obvious zoo appearing in Noah's fields, the people of the town still refused to believe that God was going to judge the earth. They were even ruder to Noah about his ‘floating zoo’! But Noah trusted God and carried on working.
Eventually the day came when all the animals had arrived and all the food had been collected. It was a beautiful day, there wasn't a cloud in the sky! Then God spoke once again to Noah. 'Go into the ark Noah, you and your family and all the animals I've sent to you. In seven days time, I will send rain for 40 days and 40 nights and wipe away every living thing I’ve created.' So Noah and his family obeyed God, and started packing the ark with food and animals. Then, with the...
