Paul in Athens — The Unknown God Preschool Lesson
Preschool lesson (ages 3–6, 20 minutes)
1. Welcome (3 min)
Sit in a circle, greet every child by name and show one thing from the story to touch.
2. The little story (5 min)
Teach the refrain first: “God is near to every one of us.”
Paul came to the big city of Athens. Some friends had brought him there. Now Paul was waiting for his friends Silas and Timothy to come too.
Paul walked through the city. Everywhere he looked, he saw idols. Idols are statues that people pray to, as if they were gods. The city was full of them! And Paul was upset.
So Paul went to the meeting house, and he went to the market. Every day he talked with the people he met there. He told them about Jesus. He told them how Jesus rose from the dead.
The people of Athens loved to hear new things. They spent their time telling and hearing new ideas. Some teachers there said, “What does this babbler want to say?” A babbler is someone who talks and talks. Others said, “He seems to be talking about strange new gods.”
But some wanted to know more. So they took Paul up to a meeting place on a hill. It was called the Areopagus. They said, “May we know what this new teaching is?” Can you put your hand behind your ear, ready to listen?
Paul stood up in the middle of them all. Then he spoke. “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.” That means: I can see that you pray to many gods.
Paul had seen an altar in their city. An altar is a stone table for gifts to a god. On it were the words “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” Unknown means nobody knows him. The people did not know who this God was. But Paul knew him! God is near to every one of us.
Paul told them about this God. “The God who made the world doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands.” God is too big to live in a house that people build.
Paul said God does not need anything from us. “He himself gives to all life and breath and all things.” Take a big breath in… and out. God gives you every breath!
God made all the people in every land. He wants them to look for him and find him. Paul said, “He is not far from each one of us. For in him we live, move, and have our being.” Can you wiggle and move? God is near to every one of us.
Paul said that we are God’s children. So God is not like a statue of gold or silver or stone. People make statues with their hands. But God made us!
Then Paul told them that God raised Jesus from the dead. Some people made fun of Paul. But others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”
So Paul went away from the meeting. But some people went with him, and they believed! A man named Dionysius believed. A woman named Damaris believed. And others with them. Let’s count them on our fingers: Dionysius, Damaris, and more! God is near to every one of us.
The people had an altar to an unknown God. But now some of them knew him.
The God who made the stars and the sea gives you every breath. He does it even now, as you lie in bed. God is near to every one of us.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- What do you think the people thought when they heard about the unknown God?
- What are some things God gives you every day?
4. Move (3 min)
Refrain Freeze: move around the room; when you say the refrain, everyone freezes and says it together.
5. Make (4 min)
Draw a line to who said it.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“For in him we live, move, and have our being” — Acts 17:28 (live → hand on your heart; move → wiggle your whole body; have our being → hug yourself)
Dear God, you made the world and everything in it. Thank you that you give me every breath, and that you are near. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God wants to be known
Memory verse: “He is not far from each one of us. For in him we live, move, and have our being.” — Acts 17:27–28 · WEB
The Bible story
In a busy city full of statues, Paul finds an altar to a God nobody knows, and shares the happy news of the real God who made everything and loves us.
Talk about it
- What big, busy city did Paul come to? — Athens
- What did Paul see everywhere that troubled him? — Statues of false gods
- How did Paul feel when he saw all the idols? — Upset and troubled
- What did Paul do in the marketplace? — He talked about Jesus daily
- Where did the people take Paul to hear more? — A meeting place on a hill
- What words did Paul find written on an altar? — To an Unknown God
Where is Jesus in this story?
Paul told the people of Athens that God “is not far from any one of us,” and that God proved who He is by raising Jesus from the dead (Acts 17:27, 31). Jesus once told His friend Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). If you want to know what the “unknown” God is like, look at Jesus.
What God wants to tell us
The people of Athens were searching and searching, building altars and hoping to find something real. But God was never far away. He made each of us and He loves to be found. You do not have to search among statues or wonder if He is there. God is close, He knows your name, and He is waiting with open arms for you to know Him too.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You that You are not far away, but always close to me. Thank You that You made the whole world and You made me too. Help me to know You more and more each day, and to tell my friends about Your love. Amen.
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