Lesson 3: 10 Plagues of Egypt

Scripture

Exodus 7:14-12:30

Quick Summary

            When Pharaoh would not let the Hebrew slaves leave with Moses, God sent 10 Plagues to Egypt. The last plague was called Passover. In this plague, God had all his followers paint their door frames with sheep blood. That night, the angel of death killed all the first born not inside those door frames. That included Pharaoh’s oldest son. Pharaoh finally released the Hebrew slaves, and let them leave captivity.

The Point

God is God Alone!

Questions for Family Time

1.     Which do you think was the worst plague and why?

2.     Why did God send the 10 plagues?

a.      To show he was stronger than all the Egyptian Gods/ to get Pharaoh to let the slaves go

Our Song for Today:

Our new song names all 10 plagues and goes to the tune of “12 Days of Christmas”

On the 1^st Day of Plagues our true God sent to Egypt…

                    ….A river that turned into blood

            2^nd….a fleet of jumping frogs           

            3^rd…a bunch of biting gnats  

            4^th…a swarm of silly flies    

5^th…diseased, dying cows     

6^th…breakout of boils           

7^th…a rainstorm of hail                     

8^th…a load of hungry locusts            

9^th…darkness over the land  

10^th…the death of first born

Deeper

            The last of the 10 plagues is still celebrated by Jews throughout the world to commemorate God freeing the Hebrews from slavery. The last meal before leaving Egypt is served as a yearly holiday called Passover.
            As Christians, Passover is still very important, though for very different reasons. The Bible says that it was at this annual family feast that Jesus gave bread and wine to the disciples and told them to remember him every time they ate these two things. We refer to this as “The Last Supper” because it was the last meal Jesus had before dying for our sins on the cross. Four times a year, we remember this Last Supper through eating bread and drinking grape juice together at church in what we call Communion. We do this as a way to receive the spiritual food God gives us, and to receive Jesus’ sacrifice anew.
            Passover is a big deal for both Jews and Christians because it reminds us of God freeing us from slavery. For Jews, the slavery was a physical one from Egypt. For Christians the slavery was to sin and rebellion toward God. Jesus is the “lamb” slain and his “blood” covers us so we can have eternity with God, just as the death passed over the Hebrews.  

Even though Passover seems a very gruesome story, it is a central story to both the Old and New Testaments. God told the Hebrews to make sure and tell this story generation to generation all through time. It’s hard to understand some of the symbols around Jesus’s story without knowing this story that all his first followers knew since they were children.  

Personal Reflection

            Have you received Communion? Did you receive more than just bread and juice when you took it? How has God freed you from slavery to sin and rebellion?

Lesson 2: The Burning Bush

Scripture

Exodus 3:1-4:17

Quick Summary

            Moses is out farming one day and sees a bush on fire but not burning up. He goes over to investigate, and God starts speaking to him. God tells Moses that God is going to use Moses to free the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. Moses doesn’t think he can do the job. God meets every excuse with tools for the job ahead: (1) a staff that turned into a snake (2) disappearing leprosy (3) his brother Aaron to give speeches.

The Point

God give us tools for the jobs he give us.

Questions for Family Time

1.     What was the job God had for Moses?

a.      Free the Hebrew slaves

2.     What tools did God give him?

a.      Staff that turned to a snake

b.     Leprosy

c.      His brother to speak for him

3.     What job has God given you?

4.     What tools do you have?

Our Song for today:

Chorus: Go down Moses way down in Egypt land. Tell all Pharaohs to let My people go
When Israel was in Egypt land                      Let My people go
Oppressed so hard they could not stand        Let My people go
Chorus
"Thus spoke the Lord," bold Moses said      Let My people go
“If not I'll smite, your firstborns dead”         Let My people go
Chorus

Deeper

            So often, we look at what we don’t have rather then what we do have. We look at our empty bank account, our lack of abilities or talents, the gadgets we don’t have. We look at our community and we look at the businesses and organizations we no longer have. We are like Moses, seeing our weaknesses and our lack.
            But God is a God of abundance. He doesn’t call the equipped for his work, he equips the called. He doesn’t see a food pantry recipient, he sees a creative chef that make a meal out of canned meat and green beans. He has given us all resources to serve each other. He sends us help, and he calls us to be help for others, so that no one will go without. Earlier this summer a LA resident offered me vegetables from their garden. I was not in need, so I sent them to another friend here in town who could use them. That friend turned around a couple weeks later, right as I ran out of vegetables, and offered me some vegetables out of her abundance. Together, we can share our resources, and support each other.
            Moses had every resource he needed, every tool he needed, for the job ahead. God has given us every tool as well. It may just be in someone else’s hand right now.

Personal Reflection

What tools do you have to add to our collective church’s tool box? What gifts do you have to share? What tool do you need that you don’t have?

Exodus: A Big Job for a Little Girl

Lesson 1: Baby Moses and Sister Miriam

 

Scripture

Exodus 1:22-2:10

Quick Summary

In Egypt, Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) decreed that all of the Hebrew slaves’ baby boys were to be killed. One mom made a basket for her baby, put him in it and put it into the Nile River. The baby’s big sister, Miriam followed the basket until the baby was safely discovered by none other than the Egyptian Princess. The Princess named the baby Moses. Then the princess sent Miriam to hire Moses’ real mom to care for him as a baby.

The Point

God gives us a job no matter how big we are.

Questions for Family Time

      1.     What did Moses’ mom do to save his life?

a.      She put him in a basket and sent him down the Nile River

      2.     Who did Moses’ mom ask for help with her plan?

a.      Moses’ sister, Miriam, followed the basket.

      3.     How does your mom or dad ask you for help?

Deeper

            It seems like in many of our classic children’s stories the children are worked too hard, so it’s not surprising that after asking for help cleaning up the house one day my daughter asked me if I was treating her as bad as Cinderella and Snow White’s mother treated them. Thank you, Disney.
            The reality is that kids shouldn’t be getting their first taste of household responsibility when they move out. That’s one of the things we see in this story. God used a little girl brave enough to follow her little baby brother’s basket to the palace, far from her slave’s shack. God used a little girl to offer her mother to nurse her brother. God used this little girl whose family was torn apart by the powers that be to have the powers that be bring her family together again.
            God uses a little girl to save a life. And that little life in turn would save a nation of slaves. I believe that God has big jobs for our kids, too. There is no one too young to work for God. Whether it is raising awareness and funds for an important project, helping out with a younger sibling, or showing hospitality to visitors at church events, God uses kids every day to transform lives.
            I hope you encourage your kid to take on responsibility and encourage them to work for God. When your child asks if you are treating them as bad as Cinderella, you can say you are treating them as good as Miriam.  

Personal Reflection

1.     What responsibilities or jobs do you give your child that they do for God?