Rotation.org Writing Team
Exodus: Through Water and Wilderness
Family Time ~ Home Suggestions
Overview
The following suggestions are based on ideas originally posted by Carol Hulbert, a member of the Rotation.org Writing Team. They can be excerpted in the church newsletter, emailed, or handed out by the teachers.
Introduction for Parents
Dear Parents,
We have been studying the amazing story of Exodus, and in particular, the episodes where Moses leads the children of Israel across the Red Sea and into the Sinai wilderness. These stories are some of the most important in the entire Bible because they lay the foundation for the Bible's great theme of Redemption —which will culminate in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
- God sees our their needs and rescues.
- The people fear and doubt, but God continues to provide and lead.
- Will we continue to follow? And what happens when we get lost? (God does not abandon us.)
- Life's journey is like the Exodus: difficult, testing, and full of blessings.
Themes and images from the Exodus story permeate our culture: burning bush, plagues, pillar of fire, manna from heaven, ...to name a few. By teaching the Exodus story at church and reinforcing it at home, we are joining our children to one of the world's greatest epics, and helping them to understand it's more than just a great old story. It our story as well. We too need rescued. We too doubt and fear. We too face spiritual deserts, hungers and thirsts. ...And God provides.
Make time for these stories, so that they become your children's story. Let them see that it is your story too, and that you are taking the amazing journey of faith with them.
“Is the Lord among us or not?” —this is the question the children of Israel asked of each other and Moses just before God told Moses to strike the Rock of Horeb to bring forth water in the desert. This is the question that through these stories your children will answer with a fervent, "YES!"
Key Scriptures
Here are the essential verses from the four stories used in the lessons:
- Red Sea Crossing: Exodus 14:5-8, 13-18, 21-31.
- Marah Well, Bitter Waters Made Sweet: Exodus 15:22-26
- Manna from Heaven: Exodus 16:11-18, 31-33
- Water from Rock: Exodus 17:1-7
They are pulled from the larger Exodus story context:
-Pharaoh lets the Israelites go: Exodus 12:31-36
-The Exodus starts: Exodus 12:37-42
-Crossing the Red Sea: Exodus 13:17-14:31
-The bitter waters of Marah: Exodus 15:22-26
-Manna and quail: Exodus 16:1-36
-Water from the rock: Exodus 17:1-7
Suggested At-Home Activities
1. Watch the "Prince of Egypt" movie together.
The Prince of Egypt tells the story of Moses and Pharaoh up to the crossing of the Red Sea. For older students, watch the famous "Ten Commandments" movie as it does continue the story into the desert.
2. Play a game that helps your students "sequence" this epic story.
Write the following Exodus episodes on slips of paper, study them, mix them up, then unscramble them.
- Moses in a bulrush basket is rescued by Pharaoh's daughter.
- God appears to Moses in a burning bush and tells him to go to Egypt.
- Moses tells Pharaoh to "let my people go."
- Moses leads the people across the Red Sea.
- God makes sweet the bitter waters of Marah.
- God makes manna rain from heaven.
- God makes water gush from the rock.
- God gives Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.
For non-readers, draw pictures of the episode.
After unscrambling, use them as "flash cards" —showing each episode slip to your child and asking them to summarize that part of the story.
3. Draw/color pictures of the Exodus story.
Look especially at the Red Sea Crossing and God appearing as the "Pillar of Fire" from http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/christianity-bible/exodus (You can also google "Exodus coloring pages for many printable pages). Make God your leader!
4. Make some "Manna" at home.
According to Exodus manna was a wafer-like bread that tasted like honey. Bake really thin sugar cookies together and drizzle honey on them. Then, do what God told Moses to do: (1) Share the manna, and (2) Display some of the manna in a jar as a reminder that God gives us good things. This jar is known as an "Omer" or "Jar of Blessing" in Hebrew tradition.
After you've made your jar of Omer, make a rule that you can only take out a manna cookie to eat if you put a slip of paper back into the jar on which you've written a blessing, ...something you are thankful for!
5. Read through the Exodus story, a chapter each night.
Use either the family Bible or an illustrated Bible. If you don't have one, borrow one from the church.
Note that "complaining" is something the children of Israel do a lot in these stories. But rather than punish them, God provides for them. God understands that "complaining" comes from fear and lack of trust. God does not let their complaints change who God is, ...merciful, forgiving, and encouraging. This is something we have emphasized in our lessons.
Talk about "complaints" (fears) your children may have, and discuss how keeping focused on God's blessings and solutions can comfort and encourage them.
6. Share some of the "desert times" you've experienced in your life, and what your faith in God did to help you get through it. Your life is part of the Bible they are reading. Share it.
Written by the Rotation.org Writing Team
Copyright, Rotation.org Inc.
