Divide children into teams. Give each team a pair of shoes. The first person on each team puts on the shoes, runs around his team’s chair, and returns to his team. He then gives the shoes to the next person in line, who repeats the process. The first team to get all their players down and back is the winning team. Tell children it’s easy to think that we are better than Gomer, but in some ways we have all walked in Gomer’s shoes by sinning against God.

Give each child a balloon. Explain that they need to keep their balloon from touching the floor by tapping it in the air. If a child’s balloon hits the floor, she has to sit down where it dropped (becoming an obstacle to others). After a set period of time or when one child remains, start a new game but turn on some fans in the play area to add to the challenge. Remind children that sin, like the fan, makes things out of control, but if we trust God and battle sin, God will keep us from falling.

Divide the class into teams. Give each team three bean bags and line teams up across from their bucket. Explain that each team must spread themselves out between the start line and their bucket and sit down. On “Go” they are to toss one bean bag at a time from kid to kid until it reaches the bucket. If a bean bag hits the ground, it has to go back to the start. The first team to get all their bean bags in their bucket wins. Remind children that although Israel wandered far from God, God promised to bring her back to himself.

Divide children into two teams and have them stand by the “toss line.” On “Go” the first child from each team runs down to the bowl, grabs a coin, then runs back to the toss line to try to toss the coin into the jar. If the coin doesn’t go in the jar, leave it. After the toss, the child tags the next person in line to go. Continue relay for a set amount of time. The team with the most coins in their jar at the end wins. Remind children that just as Hosea bought Gomer back at a great price, so too Jesus paid a great price to save us.