After Disobedience and Deceit Setting the Stage Read The story of Cain and Abel is part of the opening chapters of Genesis. The stories recorded in Genesis 4 Chapters 1-11 are told more for their theological importance than for their scientific or historical meaning. For this reason, these stories do not include the answers to many of the questions we really want to ask. For example: If there are only four people at this time and Cain kills one who else is he afraid will kill him for what he has done to his brother?  Where did Cain's wife come from? What's wrong with Cain's offering? Answers to these questions can take us away from the main point of the story. As tempting as it is to pursue these questions, focus instead on the details that are observable in the text. The history of this time is concerned with the origin of things, how things came to be. So in addition to our questions about who, what, where, and when, we must also be sure to ask why. Why was this story told? What is it's significance? We shift from looking at what was said to what was meant. Cain and Able were brothers. Sin has moved from disobedience and deceit to envy and murder. Last week's lesson brought us to compare the doubt of Thomas and the desire of Eve. By actually touching the Lord, Thomas was finally convinced of the truth. By actually eating the fruit, Eve knew right from wrong. To separate truth from right and wrong is like separating light from fire. They are different but they are not one with out the other. The name Cain means "productive"; the name Able means "vapor, nothingness". As much as we may want to identify with Able as the victim, Cain's thoughts and actions are the reason this story was written. We have to understand him. We do not have to explain or justify his feelings and actions, but we do have to examine them.  That could be uncomfortable because it will unveil the similarities between Cain and humankind. Tell the Story Road Work: Needed: copy of Genesis 4:1-16 Have the youth gather at tables. Create "tent" name cards to sit in front of each youth. Ask them to write only their first name an birth order designation: Only Child, Firstborn, Middle-born, Last-born. When the name tags are complete have the youth share just what is on the card. For blended families have them share the order of the family they have spent the most time with. Ask the participants with similar descriptions to sit at the same table while they hear the following story.  Read the story. Trek and Journey: Needed: copy of Genesis 4:1-16 Ask the youth to answer this question briefly: "When you were younger, what did you get busted for that your younger siblings or friends got away with? Try to make this conversation light and fun. Then invite the youth, as they listen to the Scripture, to think about how siblings get along. Read the story. Reacting to the Story Road Work: Needed: handout "Charges Against Cain," pencils  Ask the youth to imagine that Cain has been arrested. Form small groups of six or so and talk about the following questions: What do they expect the charge to be? (What did Cain do wrong?) How should Cain Plead his case? Give each group a sheet of paper with the following options and ask the group to decide how to charge Cain with this murder. Reacting to the Story Trek & Journey: This story is filled with emotions some are obvious while others are hidden beneath the surface. Pick a "scribe" in the group to write down the emotions or feelings experienced. Write the emotion then the name of the one experiencing it. After the youth have exhausted this list go back and ask how each one dealt with these emotions and feelings. Connecting to the Story Road Work: Needed: robe for the judge While the group is busy with the last hand out set up a court room. A judges bench and seat, a witness stand, a prosecution table and a defense table. Divide into two groups,  a prosecution team and a defense team. A sponsor should be the Judge, to keep order during the trial, and another should be  Cain (the witness). Allow a few minutes for each team to prepare for the trial. Then hold a brief mock trial and allow each team to make its point (opening statement) and once to rebut the statements of the other team. When the trial is complete, discuss this experience with the following questions: ·Which group had the easier job? ·What verdict would a jury reach? ·Was Cain Guilty? Of What? ·What sentence did he deserve? Trek: Needed: copy of handout "Turning up the Heat," pencils Give each youth a copy of the handout. Below each statement are four emotional responses and an additional space for any other emotion they may wish to record. After the group has completed the sheet, have a discussion using these questions: ·What things or people "push your buttons"? ·When do you feel "out of control"? ·How do you handle strong emotions? Journey: Needed: index cards, pencils There are many ways to read and interpret the story of Cain and Able, as there are many ways to read an interpret other stories in the Bible. This activity will guide the youth in thinking about the story at many different levels. Hand out a card to three groups. Have someone write these questions on his/her card. Literal Assume this story happened exactly as it is written. ·What do we learn from this story? ·Why was it recorded? ·What is its message for us? Allegory Each character represents something else - a group, a type of feeling, and so on. Allegories are written to teach complex truths in simple form. ·What might Cain represent? ·What might Able represent? ·What does the murder of Able represent? Legend Pretend that you do not know this story comes from the bible. Imagine that you found it in a collection of Native American creation stories or possibly from ancient Greece. ·What might this story be about? ·What do you learn by thinking this way? Living the Story Road Work: Play the Game Needed: stacks of paper, trash bags, room dividers Let's put competition to work and see if we can create some jealousy, envy, or spite. These are negative emotions but they are all human. Divide into two groups. Set up the room dividers and put one group on each side. Give each group a stack of paper to make into "snowballs." After each team has made a stack of snowballs, give the signal to begin. Each team tries to get as much snow on the other team's side as possible. Let the snow fly for a minute or so then call a halt to the assault. The winner is the team with the least snow on their side.  Play again after equaling the snowballs for each side. When you are finished, have a race to see which team can get rid of their "out of control emotions" by stuffing them into trash sacks as fast as possible.  Living the Story Trek & Journey: Read No matter how Cain's actions are explained, the results are always the same: Able was dead, and his death did not solve Cain's problems. Cain was still ignorant about the unworthiness of his sacrifice. Perhaps Cain did not have the faith in his own labors to produce a glorifying sacrifice. Cain had distanced himself from God, the one to whom he wanted to grow closer. Part of growing up is considering the consequences of our actions and learning to choose our next step wisely. What we think and how we feel are both valuable sources of information. When we add to them patience, prayer, and the ability to listen, we create the foundation for healthy decision making. Take a few minutes now to discuss these choice questions:  ·Have you ever had such strong emotions that you found it hard to control your actions? ·What must we do to be in God's favor? ·Is forgiveness an automatic reality from God? ·Is the story of Cain and Able a tale about right and wrong or is it a warning about the progression of sin; what comes after disobedience and deceit? Prayer  Road Work, Trek & Journey: Invite the youth to join hands and offer a few words of prayer if they want. The leader starts the prayer, then squeezes the hand of the person to the left to indicate their turn, if they do not wish to speak just pass the squeeze and so on, until the squeeze gets back to the first person.