Puppets: Keeping Your Cool in the Fiery Furnace

Moe: Whew! It sure is hot out here, huh? Man…I’m sweating bananas!! Mr. Song Leader!!!

Songleader: (from the audience) Yes, Moe?

Moe: Mr. Songleader, can you please use a fan to fan me? I’m sooooooooo hot~~~~

Songleader: Sure Moe, I have one here. (Walks to puppet stage and begins fanning Moe.) How’s this?

Moe: That’s much better. Thanks! Now I can probably pay attention during the Bible story.

Mooster: (Dum-de-do-dah) (Whistling) (Singing: Oh what a beautiful day ~)
(Pops his head thru the window) HELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO Boys and girls! How are you today?

Moe: Why are you so cheerful? Haven’t you noticed the temperature today? It was 100 yesterday and just about that today. It’s so hot I can hardly stand it!

Mooster: Oh? Is it hot? I hadn’t really noticed. See this bandana around my neck?

Moe: Yeah….

Mooster: Well, I dip it in ice cold water and then wrap it around my neck and it helps keep me cool.

Moe: Oh. That’s a good idea. Mr. Songleader is helping me to stay cool today.

Mooster: Oh! I see. Hi, Mr. Song leader!

Songleader: Hi, Mooster.

Mooster: Well I have a story today that’s all about heat! Fire, to be exact. A hot, fiery, burning, flaming story about 3 men who stood up for God.

Moe: Wow, Mooster… you really know how to make a guy feel cooler…..NOT!

Mooster: Well, I figured a hot story on standing up for God would help us keep our cool when we are tempted to do wrong!

Moe: Well, start talking. It’s not getting any cooler up here.

Mooster: Okay. Back in the Old Testament, there were three Hebrew teenagers who had been taken as slaves. They had to serve under King Nebuchanezzar, King of Babylon. Their names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, but the Babylonians didn’t like the Hebrew names, so they renamed those teens with names of their own. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Moe: Doesn’t sound like they got any easier to pronounce. If I had been king, I would have called them Henry, Michael, and Aaron. Can any of you kids say any of those names? Shadrach…Meshach….or Abednego? If you can, Mr. Song leader will give you a piece of candy!

Songleader: But I’m standing here fanning you, Moe.

Moe: You have two hands. You can toss candy to the kids who say the names right. I have faith in your abilities.

Songleader: Well, okay, kids – who wants to try and say their names? (Wait for Songleader to hand out candy. Then he goes back to fanning Moe.)

Moe: Mr. Songleader, I think you are slowing down a little….

Songleader: Oh – sorry Moe!

Moe: It’s okay.

Mooster: Oh brother. Moving on. Now these three teenagers were VERY hard workers and soon the King realized he had found some really good slaves in these three Hebrew boys, so he put them in positions of importance and authority. Some of the Chaldeans didn’t like having slaves in top leadership positions and so they got jealous. In the meantime, the king had set up a BIG statue that he wanted everyone to worship.

Moe: That’s not right! The Bible says we are not to worship false gods or idols!

Mooster: That’s correct. But it gets worse! The king wanted everyone in the land to fall down and worship the statue – even the Hebrew slaves who only worshipped the one true and living God!

Moe: Oh no! That’s terrible. What would happen if they didn’t?

Mooster: The king had set up a HUMONGOUS fiery furnace that he was going to throw people in if they didn’t obey!

Moe: Oh that’s bad! And I think it’s hot outside. Boys and girls, can you imagine being thrown into a furnace and being burned to death? That’s terrible! What a mean king! Just thinking about it burns me up! Mr. Songleader, please fan faster!

Mooster: Well, now the three teenagers had a problem. They knew they couldn’t bow down to the image, but they also knew if they didn’t they would be killed.

Moe: So what happened next?

Mooster: The king had it all arranged that a whole bunch of loud music would be played and when the people heard it they would immediately have to fall down and worship the image. Mr. Song leader, can you make a trumpety noise?

Songleader: (makes loud trumpeting noise)

Moe: Ooooh – that’s loud!

Mooster: Yep, it was! Now all the people in the land fell down and worshipped the image…except for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!

Moe: Did someone notice they were still standing?

Mooster: You bet they did! The jealous Chaldeans noticed. And they ran to tattle to the king. They said, “Hey king! You know those Jews you put in charge? Well they won’t bow down and worship your image!”

Moe: Did the king get mad?

Mooster: Yep, the Bible says the king was in a fury! He sent for the three teens and brought them before him. He asked them if what he was told was true and then he reminded them of what they were supposed to do when they heard the loud music.

Songleader: (makes loud trumpeting noise)

Mooster: Yeah. Thank you. Anyway, so then he said, “Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands” if they didn’t obey.

Moe: Well, obviously he didn’t know the true God.

Mooster: That’s right.

Moe: Well what did the teens say to the king?

Mooster: They said, “Oh King, we don’t have to think about our answer. The God we serve IS able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and He can deliver us out of your hand, too, if He wants to. BUT, even if He doesn’t want to deliver us, we will not serve your gods or worship your false image. God has forbidden us to worship anyone except Him.”

Moe: Oh boy, I bet the king was even more mad now!

Mooster: Yep, he sure was! He immediately commanded that the furnace be turned up 7 times hotter! Then he commanded the most mighty men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to toss them in the furnace!

Moe: They tied them up right then? With their shoes and clothes and everything?

Mooster: Yep. Didn’t have time to take off anything. Just tied them up and tossed them in. But the fire was SOoooo hot that the soldiers died right after tossing them in!

Moe: Oh no! What happened then? Mr. Songleader, please fan faster – all this talk of furnaces is making me really sweat!

Mooster: Well, the way the furnace was made, the king could look into it from a safe distance away. And what he saw amazed him! He said to his wise men, “Didn’t we throw three men into the furnace?” And they all said, yes, king, that’s true.
So he said, Well I see four men walking around in the midst of the fire, untied, unhurt, and the fourth man looks like the Son of God!!

Moe: Wow – I bet he was very surprised! What did he do?

Mooster: He called into the fire the names of the teenagers and he called them the servants of the most high God, and he told them to come out from inside the furnace. And they did! And everyone around them was amazed – nothing was burned. Not their shoes or their clothing or their skin or their hair – NOTHING was burned! They didn’t even smell of fire!

Moe: Wow!! Guess God helped them keep their cool, huh?

Mooster: He sure did. Then the king said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered his servants that trusted in him.” He praised them for not worshipping any god except their true God. Then he told the people that they were not to talk against the God of Israel because there were no other gods that could deliver like the true God can deliver. And after all that, the three faithful teenagers were promoted by the king to have even more authority in the land.

Moe: WOW! That was a great story, Mooster. That’s a wonderful example of standing up and doing what’s right, no matter what.

Mooster: Yep! This week, boys and girls, remind yourselves that you can stand up and do what’s right, no matter what. God is greater than our problems and He can help us do what’s right.

Moe: I’m going to try and remember that, too! By the way, Mr. Songleader, thanks for fanning me. Would you like an ice cream after church? My treat! You can come over to my banana house and I’ll make you a split!

Songleader: Thanks, Moe – that sounds wonderful!

Mooster: Thanks for listening boys and girls! Stay cool!!!