Lesson Presentation Idea

Catechism 1.2 (1st Commandment)

The Fiery Furnace (based on Daniel 3)

Cast of Characters

[and what they do when they are mentioned]

Narrator [Reads the story, pauses for parts]

Shadrach [Say: "We shall"]

Meshach, [Say: "Have no"]

Abednego [Say: "Other gods"]

Nebuchadnezzar [Hold belly; laugh maniacally]

90-foot Tall Gold Statue [Stands upright, stiff as a board]

Musicians [Play instruments]

The Fiery Furnace [Says: "Fire, fire"]

The Fourth Man [Holds arms akimbo; hangs head]

Babylonians [Bow down; say: "We're not worthy"]

Take volunteers or assign parts to your students. The Pastor or an other adult leader may want to take the Narrator part. Let the actors know what they are supposed to do when the Narrator reads their part. The gimmick here is that every time the narrator mentions a character or object (indicated in all-caps type), s/he pauses long enough for the person playing that part to perform the designated action (listed above). Optional (but effective) prop: Give the Fiery Furnace a cigarette-lighter to flick while uttering the words, "Fire, fire."

THE STORY

Once upon a time in a place called Babylon, there was a king. His name was NEB-UCH-AD-NEZ-ZAR. And this King had 3 young officials-3 young officials who came from the land of Israel. The names of the King's 3 young officials were SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO.

One day, King NEBUCHADNEZZAR wanted to make up a religion for his people. So he ordered a GOLDEN STATUE to be built-a GOLDEN STATUE 90 feet tall! Then he ordered all the people in his kingdom-called BABYLONIANS-to worship the GOLDEN STATUE. King NEBUCHADNEZZAR made a law that when ever the MUSICIANS played their musical instruments, the BABYLONIANS were to bow down and worship the GOLDEN STATUE. And if there was anyone who didn't bow down to worship the GOLDEN STATUE, that person would be arrested and thrown into the FIERY FURNACE. And so day after day, King NEBUCHADNEZZAR would have the MUSICIANS play their musical instruments. And day after day, the BABYLONIANS would bow down and worship the GOLDEN STATUE. King NEBUCHADNEZZAR / MUSICIANS / BABYLONIANS / GOLDEN STATUE. (Repeat these four elements ad naseum for comic effect.) But the whole while, SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO did not bow down and worship the false idol.

Some others saw that SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO were not bowing down to worship when the MUSICIANS started playing. So these others went to King NEBUCHADNEZZAR and said to him: "King, we thought you ought to know that 3 of your officials are not worshipping the GOLDEN STATUE you made. Their names are SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO." When King NEBUCHADNEZZAR heard this, he became very angry. He sent for the 3 young officials, and said to them: "I hear that you refuse to bow down to my GOLDEN STATUE. I am going to give you one more chance. If you bow down when you hear the MUSICIANS play, you'll be all right. But if you don't bow down, you'll be thrown immediately into the FIERY FURNACE, and no god will be able to save you."

SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO replied: "Your Majesty, we are not worried. Because the God we worship can save us from the FIERY FURNACE. And even if our God doesn't save us, we still won't worship the GOLDEN STATUE you have made."

When he heard this, King NEBUCHADNEZZAR's face became twisted with anger. He ordered the FIERY FURNACE heated up seven times hotter than usual. Next, he commanded his soldiers to tie up SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO and to throw them into the FIERY FURNACE. So the soldiers threw them into the FIERY FURNACE-clothes and all. As the soldiers threw in the three bound men, the fire was so hot that flames leaped out and killed the soldiers.

King NEBUCHADNEZZAR looked into the FIERY FURNACE. When he did, he couldn't believe what he saw. "Were not only three men thrown into the Fire Furnace? And yet I see a Fourth Man walking around in the fire. And SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO are also walking around in the fire, untied and harmed. And the Fourth Man-why the Fourth Man looks like some kind of a god."

The King NEBUCHADNEZZAR ordered SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO brought out of the FIERY FURNACE. All the King's other officials, as well as governors and advisors, gathered around the three as they came out of the fire. They were not burned or scorched in any way, and their clothes didn't even smell like smoke.

The King said: "Give praise to the God of SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO! They chose to die rather than bow down to any other god. And now their God has saved them. For now on, if any of you BABYLONIANS say anything bad about the God of SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO, you'll be chopped up into pieces. For no other god has such great power to save." And that same day, SHADRACH, MESCHACH, AND ABEDNEGO all got promotions.