Jacob's Ladder Hidden Picture Story and Painting.

One of the key themes in the story of Jacob's ladder is that of God's presence with us, even though we can't see Him.  Jacob lies down to dream and wakes to realise that where he was, God was all along.  This activity explores that theme.

I did this to tell the story to the children.  After you have told them the story, they can make their own hidden picture paintings, exploring where God is with them in their everyday lives.

You will need: White wax crayons, white paper, watered down paint, paintbrushes, 

I used a flipchart sized piece of paper for the story telling so that all the children could clearly see what was happening ( I did this in an assembly!).  Use whatever size of paper is most suitable for your group.

 Use the wax crayons to draw a ladder and some angels on the paper.  At the top of the paper write 'God is here!'

Tell the story to the children and gradually reveal the ladder and the angels by painting over the top with the coloured paint.  The wax will resist the paint and you will see the drawings!  Reveal the writing and talk about the fact that God was there with Jacob even though he didn't realise it until he had the dream, and God is with us all of the time too- even if we can't see him (just like the drawings were there even though we couldn't see them at first).  Use this to discuss times when God was there for us unexpectedly.